The idea of the ‘thanatos kalos’, the ‘beautiful death’, was a crucial part of the Ancient Greek world view, and specifically referred to the death of a warrior on the battlefield at the absolute pinnacle of his vigor, strength and endurance (physical and mental). This type of death meant the corpse retained elements of this
“Like lentils rolling in flour!” – how the excavator of the famous pebble mosaics at Pella described their dire state of conservation upon their discovery in the late 1950’s. A vivid image, and an indication of the challenging restoration and consolidation in store for them. Pella was the traditional capital of ancient Macedonia, and the
The early Greek colonists of Sicily were horse-mad and temple-crazy, and conspicuous consumption on took its most grandiose form on the numerous Doric temples they erected. Selinus (modern Selinunte) was the the western most of the Greek colonies, founded in the second half of the 7th century B.C., spread across two craggy hills over-looking the
I do love it when an artwork speaks in the first person! An inscription in Greek running up and down this statuette’s magnificent thighs, proclaims:“Mantiklos donated me as a tithe to the far shooter, the bearer of the Silver Bow. You, Phoibos (Apollo) give something pleasing in return.” Stylistically, the bronze is on the cusp
Miniature, but delectable! This is a rare survival of chryselephantine (gold and ivory) sculpture from the Hellenistic world, and is a tantalizing glimpse into the level of luxury that was available to the elite. Here, a komos (the tipsy procession after the symposium) is shown. A young satyr leads the trio playing the aulos (a
A famous passage in Herodotus describes Greek warriors as ‘men of bronze’ rising from the sea. Evocative and certainly describing the hoplites of his time, sheathed in gleaming metal. Was there anything more personal than armor to a man of fighting age? Not only was it protective, but also obscenely expensive (that’s a lot of
The idea of the ‘thanatos kalos’, the ‘beautiful death’, was a crucial part of the Ancient Greek world view, and specifically referred to the death of a warrior on the battlefield at the absolute pinnacle of his vigor, strength and endurance (physical and mental). This type of death meant the corpse retained elements of this
One of Hera’s epithets was “leukolenos,” or “white-limbed” and I find it delectably appropriate for this metope from Temple E at Selinunte in Sicily. Magna Graecia was flush with natural resources, but good quality white marble was not one of them. Faced with this dearth of raw materials, acrolithic sculpture (meaning composite, with marble combined
Agamemnon returned home, victorious from Troy, to his wife Clytemnestra. Unbeknownst to him, she had been stewing for the last decade (not happy with him for sacrificing their daughter for favorable winds to Troy, or bringing home his concubine) and took a lover while plotting revenge. The ambush Clytemnaestra had in store for her husband