Lucian of Samosato, the second-century Greek writer and sophist, often wrote in his philosophical and literacy works on the subject of 'shadows' and their complex and ambiguous quality which belongs both to the world around us and to the world beyond. His laughter at the vanities of the world continuously resounds in his Dialogues, short episodes set in the sky in the depths of the ocean or the after-life, where mythological and religious characters are astutely depicted in human terms. In particular, his favourite character, the cynical philosopher, Menippus, tells us that "after we die, the shadows are the accusers, witnesses and proof of what we have done in life", and that "they inspire complete faith, because they are always with us and never abandon the bodies". [...]