TITLE/LOCATION/ DATE/

Alexander Mosaic Pompeii, The House of Faun
Republican Roman
original 310 BCE , copy 100 BCE

MATERIAL:
Mosaic

FORM:
The Alexander Mosaic depicts a scene from the Battle of Issus and, upon closer inspection, reveals one of the most important moments
in the battle against the Persians. The artist depicts the Persian king Darius seceding from battle against Alexander the Great and the
ancient Athenians. The Persian guards aim their spears towards the ancient Greeks.

CONTENT:
The Persian King, however, is halfway through turning around, creating the central point of tension within the mosaic. Casualties of
battle lay on the ground. The Persian king looks at his own fearful reflection as he turns, pleading to Alexander over his shoulders.
Alexander looks on confidently with his troops in tow as his domination of the Mediterranean world continues.

DETAILS/TERMS/DEFINITIONS:
When you look at the whole work from a great distance (as in the picture above), the mosaic is so detailed that it actually looks like a
painting. For those in the know, this isn’t really a surprise since historians believe that the Alexander Mosaic was a copy of a painting
that was completed hundred of years earlier and has since been lost.

CONTEXT:
Art historians unearthed this mosaic, which features 1.5 million pieces, in Pompeii at a place called—charmingly enough—the Faun
House. The Alexander Mosaic demonstrates the overlapping of two great empires. It shows that the ancient Romans had certainly
studied up on ancient Greek sculpture, as the figures in the mosaic represent idealized forms and the artist rendered the anatomy of the
bodies naturalistically.

INNOVATION/CONVENTION:
The Alexander Mosaic features three-dimensionality that is not present in 5th-century Greek art and more closely associated with
Roman art. The artist also rendered the battle scene using colorful pigments and mosaic tiles, another non-standard in Greek art and a
rather progressive Roman technique.

ARTISTIC DECISIONS:
Roman artists consistently borrowed from their immediate predecessors, the Greeks and Etruscans. However, Roman art is also
characterized by technical innovation. The Alexander Mosaic integrates tile and color in an amalgamation of pigments and stone in
style that had never before been seen.

INTERPRETATION:
While the Alexander Mosaic is noteworthy for showing the intersection of ancient Greek and ancient Roman art, there are several
ways in which this mosaic utilizes specifically Roman techniques, such as the use of three-dimensionality on a flat surface.

TITLE/PERIOD/DATE/LOCATION:
Seated Boxer
Hellenistic
Greece 100 B.C.E

MATERIAL:
Bronze

FORM:
The stature of the seated boxer depicts a boxer, well, sitting with his arm resting on his legs, wearing only a pair of boxing gloves,
called caestus. Based on the straining muscles on the athlete’s naked body, the artist likely depicts the boxer as if he had just finished
a match. The bruises on the boxer’s face and what appears to be a broken nose display the violence that occurs during the fight, while
his expression reflects the exhaustion that follows. The statue reminds viewers of the toll boxing takes on the fighters.

CONTEXT:
Boxing has been practiced for centuries, but Hellenistic and Roman boxing was particularly violent, as boxers wore leather
knuckle wraps with metal(!) inserted into them, as shown in the statue, instead of regular leather straps. The fighters were often
slaves, and it wasn’t infrequent that the loser would die. Despite appearing fatigued, our boxer was possibly the winner, as he’s still in one
piece.

DETAILS/TERMS/DEFINITIONS:
This piece was one of two recovered in 1885 by archaeologist Rondolfo Lanciani and his team. The manner in which it was buried
implied that it was buried purposefully and carefully. The statue may have been intentionally buried in late antiquity, possibly to preserve it against the barbarian invasions that ravaged Rome in the fifth century A.D.

INTERPRETATION:
Ancient Greek society was very much distinguished by class. Classes ranged from the powerful political elites to the lowly slaves.
The seated boxer was most likely a slave who fought for the entertainment of the higher classes. He may have been a good luck charm
for other athletes because the toes have been polished by touching.

ARTISTIC DECISIONS:
His blood was contrasted in copper as were his lips, nipples ,and the straps on his gloves.

TITLE/PERIOD/DATE

Winged Victory of Samothrace
Hellenistic
Greece 190 BCE

MATERIAL:
Marble

FORM:
The Winged Victory of Samothrace depicts Nike, the goddess of victory—standing on the prow of a ship, her right leg bent forward
slightly. The wind appears to be blowing against the goddess, pushing back her garments and her wings, as she struggles to remain
steady. She stands in a dramatic, monumental, contrapposto.

ARTISTIC DECISIONS:

The statue, when it was all in one piece, would’ve looked fairly intimidating as it was meant to convey the goddess’ beauty and
strength. It measures eight feet high, nine feet if you include the wings, and it and the base underneath it (which looks like a ship’s
prow) are carved from grey and white Thasian and Parian marble. The wet drapery look imitates the water playing on the wet body.
Her missing right arm may have raised a victory crown or held an open hand in greeting.

DETAILS/TERMS/DEFINITIONS:
The sports brand Nike was on to something when they chose their name: In ancient Greek, “Nike” means “victory.”

INTERPRETATION:
This particular depiction of Nike is likely commemorating a victory in a naval battle. The monumentality and strength the artist
impresses on Nike’s body, as well as the rich texture of her dress, exemplifies Hellenistic sculpture. Although doubts remain as to
the exact time of this sculpture’s creation, there are strong similarities to the style of the Pergamon Altar—the Nike was either a
forerunner or a contemporary of that piece.

INNOVATION/CONVENTION:
The Winged Victory of Samothrace has been described as the greatest masterpiece of Hellenistic sculpture and is one of the Louvre’s
most cherished treasures. Check out the detail in Nike’s dress and you’ll see why. During the Hellenistic period, meticulous artistic
attention to detail was all the rage in sculptures.

FUNCTION:
Meant to stand in or above a fountain cascading water around rocks below, similar to a figurehead of a boat. She was located in Samothrace in situ in 1863. She was probably built to commemorate a naval vitory in 190 BCE.

LOCATION: DATE:
ARTIST: PERIOD/STYLE: PATRON:

Great Altar of Zeus and Athena Pergamon. Asia Minor
(present-day Turkey)
175 B.C.E.
Hellenistic

MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE:
Marble

CONTEXT:
The Pergamon altar represents a major milestone in Hellenistic Art, but it also carries on the Athenian tradition by incorporating
the theme of war with art. The giants wanted to overthrow the Greek gods, begin a new religion, and establish themselves as the
cosmic authorities. However, Athena saved the day and triumphed over the giants. In the relief, she’s about to kill a giant and the
giant’s mother is begging for him to be spared; the artist emphasized the pained and panicked expression of the giant. The Athenians
consistently used this battle motif in their artwork.

CONTENT:
The altar features a vast relief littered with battle scenes. Athena is a central figure of the Gigantomachy frieze, an oft-rendered scene
which depicts one of the biggest cosmic battles that took place between giants and the Greek gods. Here she is portrayed lifting
Alkyoneos by the hair to lift his feet off the earth to render him mortal. The Nike on the right crowns Athena is victory. Gaia, the earth
goddess, watches in horror as her son is defeated.

DETAILS/TERMS/DEFINITIONS:
Alexander the Great conquered and Hellenized (which is the term used for the spread of ancient Greek culture during the Hellenistic
period) the area from Egypt to the border between Persia and India. After the death of Alexander the Great, four generals divided the
empire, and the Hellenistic style of art emerged. Art historians consider Hellenistic art the last great period of ancient Greek Art.

INNOVATION/CONVENTION:
Greek Hellenistic art can be distinguished from Classic and Archaic styles art by its depiction of excitement, movement, and strong
feelings of passion. If you look at the details of the giants, gods, and goddesses depicted in the Great Altar, the figures contain
scrupulous detail—their marble faces aren’t lacking in emotion. This detailing is attributed to the pursuit of “real” portraiture—these
figures are made to look as emotionally-filled (anguish-filled, to be specific) as possible.

ARTISTIC DECISIONS:

Emperor Philetaerus used a hill on his portion of land to build the Pergamon temple. The altar of Zeus and Athena is an important
(and ancient) sacred structure: the frieze speaks to the series of violent outbursts in ancient Greece. Athena battles against the giants,
revealing violence, anxiety, panic, and suffering, mirroring—on a symbolic level—the Pergamon defeat of the Gauls, and Alexander’s
defeat of the Persians.

INERPRETATION:

The frieze of the Great Alter represents not only the mythological defeat of the giants, but also the very real defeat of the Gauls, who
lived in what is now France and Belgium. Not only that, but it also represents this defeat in heart-rending detail—the faces are vivid
and anguished. Parallels can be drawn to King Attalos I’s victory over the Gauls in recent years and Alexander the Greats defeat of the
Persians and the myth of the gods an giants.

TITLE/ARTIST/LOCATION/DATE/PERIOD:

Grave Stele of Hegeso
Kallimachos
Dipylon cemetery, Athens, 410 BCE
Greece

Classical Greek

MATERIAL:
Marble and paint

FORM:
The stele of Hegeso depicts a seated woman with her feet resting on a stool, with what is likely her maid standing to her right. The
artist shaped the stele as a small temple with a pediment (the triangular part on top) and two columns on either side. Kallimachos
portrayed Hegeso, the woman, wearing a refined Athenian dress and opening a jewelry box presented by her servant. Her expression
shows a touch of sadness, though that might be a direct consequence of this being a mortuary, or burial, stele.

INNOVATION/CONVENTION:
The stele is remarkable as it is one of the best, not to mention only, examples of surviving Attic grave stele. It is nearly complete on
its own, and what little imperfections it did have were restored. The trends have changed from geometric vases ans grave markers, to
Korai to stele.

CONTENT:
The artist captures Hegeso in a domestic setting, the most common location for an Athenian woman at the time. In Athens, women
were not considered citizens and rarely left their homes. Their lives were always defined in relation to men, either their husbands or
their fathers. The bodies of both women are illustrated through the cloth.

CONTEXT:
An inscription on the top of this grave stele states that Hegeso was the daughter of Proxenos. Hegeso’s family commissioned the
artwork and paid for it themselves, which makes it different from other public Athenian artworks and monuments, which were
predominantly state-funded.

ARTISTIC DECISIONS:
Ancient Greek artworks include those made during the archaic, classical, and Hellenistic periods. The different periods are defined
according to artistic style. The Grave stele of Hegeso was created during the classical period and is marked with classical elements
such as a close attention to anatomy—the poses of the women are very natural.

FUNCTION:
It is a grave marker.

DETAILS/TERMS/DEFINITIONS:
Pilasters are flat engaged columns that can be seen at the left and right of the stele.

INTERPRETATION:
Both slave and jewelry attest to the wealth of Hegeso’s father, unseen but prominently cited in the epitaph. There is no mention of the
mother’s name. the jewelry box probably represents the dowry that Proxynos would have provided. In the patriarchal world of the
ancient Greeks, the dominant position of men is still visible even when the men are not represented.

TITLE/LOCATION/ARTIST/ DAYE/ARTIST/PERIOD:

Victory (Nike) Adjusting her Sandal
Athens, Greece 447-410 BCE
Phidias Hellenistic

CONTENT:
The parapet balustrade of the temple of Athena Nike, illustrates Nike in different attitudes. Sometimes she erects trophies bedecked
with Persian spoils, other times she brings sacrificial bulls for Athena. One relief shows her adjusting her sandal.

FORM:
From the south side of the Temple of Athena Nike. 3’6”. A graceful winged figure modeled in high relief. Deeply incised drapery
lines reveal the body in wet drapery. The work shows graceful movement as if she is preparing to take flight.

ARTISTIC DECISION:
The artist chose to represent Nike in the same style as the Parthenon pediment sculptures, with garments that cling to the body and seem
almost transparent. The sculptor was more interested in revealing the supple beauty of the female body. The drapery folds form intricate linear patterns unrelated to the body’s anatomical structure and have a life of their own as abstract designs.

TITLE/ARTIST/DATE/PERIOD/PATRON:

Temple of Athena Nike
Kallikrates
447-410 BCE
Classical Greece
Athens, Greece
Pericles

FORM:
A small amphiprostyle ionic temple, rebuilt in 2012 after being dismantled for restoration. it is amphiprostyle with 4 columns on
both the east and west facades. It stands on what used to be a Mycenean bastion near the Propylaea and greets all visitors entering
Athena’s great sanctuary.

FUNCTION:
It commemorates the victory of the Athenians over the Persians in the battle of Marathon.

CONTEXT:
Part of the frieze is a representation of the decisive battle of Marathon, which turned the tide against the Persians–a human event, as
in the Parthenon’s Panathenaic Procession frieze. (only this time, it is the commemoration of a single event, not a recurring one.) The
theme of the balustrade echoes that of the frieze, Victory.

CONTENT:
The parapet balustrade illustrates Nike in different attitudes. Sometimes she erects trophies bedecked with Persian spoils, other times
she brings sacrificial bulls for Athena. One relief shows her adjusting her sandal.

TITLE/LOCATION/DATE/ARTIST/PERIOD:

Plaque of the Ergastines,  Athens, Greece

447-438 BCE
Phidias Classical Greece Pericles

MATERIAL:
Marble

CONTENT:
The Panathenaic Festival Procession took place every 4 years in Athens. The Athenian people are shown in the complete frieze accompanied by musicians, jar carriers, and animals destined for sacrifice. On the east, seated gods and goddesses, the invited guests, watch the procession slow almost to a halt as it nears it’s goal at the shrine of the ancient wood idol. The deities are mere spectators. Aphrodite points out something to her son Eros just as a parent might do at a parade. In this scene, six Ergastines, young women in charge of the peplos are greeted by priests.

INNOVATION/CONVENTION:
This piece is remarkable because it is the first time that Greeks depicted people  in any temple setting. This perspective implies that
the Athenians believed themselves to be important enough to be included in this context. This is an extraordinary example of an
Athenians self worth.

The frieze is the only Ionic element found on the Doric constructed Parthenon.

CONTEXT:
The procession began at the Dipylon Gate, passed through the Athenian Agora, and ended at the Acropolis, where the Athenians
placed a new peplos on an ancient wooden statue of Athena. The statue had originally been housed in an archaic temple that had
been ruined by the Persians. It was rescued before the attack and taken to the Erechtheion.

FORM:
On the Parthenon frieze, the procession begins on the west (rear) of the temple and moves in parallel lines down the long length of the
north and south sides of the building and ends at the center of the east frieze over the doorway of the cella housing Phidias’ statue.

ARTISTIC DECISION:
The upper part of the frieze is a higher relief than the lower one, so that the more distant and more shaded upper zone is as legible
from the ground as the lower part of the frieze.

FUNCTION:
To celebrate the greatness of Athens. An illustration of the Panathenaic procession.

TITLE/ARTIST/PERIOD/DATE/PATRON:

Acropolis
Iktinos and Kalikrates Classical Greece
Athens, Greece 447-410 BCE
Pericles

MATERIALS:
Marble

FUNCTION:
The Acropolis is dedicated to the goddess Athena, perhaps because multiple structures dedicated to Athena had stood on the same spot
prior to Pericles’ construction. According to ancient Greek mythology, Athena became the patron goddess of Athens when she offered
the people of the city an olive tree.

CONTENT:
It consists of several marble structures, the most important of which are the Parthenon built by Ictinus, the Erechtheion, the Propylaea
(the monumental entrance to the Acropolis designed possibly by Mnesicles), and the small temple of Athena Nike.

FORM:
The entire monument is mostly Doric  architecture(think squat, smooth columns) structure with some Ionic  structures like the Temple of Athena Nike ( (think thin columns with a scrolled top) elements. The Acropolis features sculpture work in the form of pediments, columns, and friezes.

CONTEXT:
During the 5th century B.C.E., Athenians triumphed against the Persians, and their little corner of Greece became one of the most
powerful city-states around. Art historians consider this period the High Classical moment in ancient Greece, and the statesman
Pericles played a significant role in the ancient Greeks’ victory. Following their victory, ancient Athenians established their model of
democracy, and ancient Greece became one of the strongest empires of its time. In fact, historians refer to this period as the Golden
Age of Greece.

ATYISTIC DECISIONS:
Ancient Greek government officials prioritized architecture and art over other projects, and the impressive marble structures at the
Acropolis demonstrate the Greeks’ prowess and commitment to design and civic buildings. The ancient Athenians created a perfect
architectural form with the Acropolis. The structure, not unlike the statues of idealized human forms, demonstrates the use of idealized
proportions and ratios.

INNOVATION/CONVENTION:
None of the Parthenon’s angles are right angles, each horizontal line rises in it’s center, and every vertical column is thicker in the
middle than on the top and bottom. These distortions are reconciled from a distance, attesting to the idea that perfection is an illusion.
The use of caryatids is a new innovation on the Erechtheion

INTERPRETATION:
The sculptural program at the Parthenon include the Amazonomachy, the Centauromachy, the Panathenaic Procession, The Birth of
Athena, and the Competition of Athena and Poseidon. Overall the theme of the Parthenon and the Acropolis as a whole echo the sentiment of Athenian superiority over the Barbarians of Persia.

TERMS/DEFINITIONS:

The Acropolis is an ancient citadel located in Athens, Greece, and was a major center of ancient Greek civilization. The words “acro”
and “polis” mean “high” and “city” respectively, and they define the buildings’ geographic location as being, well, at the highest place in the  city.

LOCATION/DATE/
ARTIST/PERIOD:
Doryphoros
Polykleitos, Classical Greece
Greece 450-440 BCE

MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE:
Roman copy (marble) of Greek original (bronze)

FORM:
The shoulders and arms appear to twist off-axis from the hips and legs. The left hand was originally holding a spear balanced
across the left shoulder (hence the title of the piece). The body of this Doryphores exemplifies the ideals that ancient Greece valued,
including stability, strength, perfection, and power. While his body represents ideal proportions, his face is less detailed. The spear
bearer appears expressionless. In fact, many famous ancient Greek sculptures of men and women appear somewhat expressionless.

CONTEXT:
The golden age of the Greek city-state is manifested in the idealization of its art. Rulers of the ancient city-state defeated the Persians,
marking the onset of a thriving, stable empire. The empire was stable and thriving, and this unbridled political and social optimism
can be seen as influencing the art of Polykleitos—his spear bearer isn’t merely good-looking; he’s basically perfect. He represents a
ideal of the male body. In Greek, the word is arete. It was found in Pompeii in a place meant for exercise.

ARTISTIC DECISION:

Artists considered proportions and ratios to create the most idealized human form possible. The creator of this Doryphoros went above
and beyond the idealization of the human form, depicting every part of the human body as perfect and also probably a bit larger than it
should have been. This guy stands at an impressive (and unlikely) 6 feet 11 inches.

INTERPRETATION:

Nakedness was understood as a marker of civilization that separated the Greeks from their barbarian neighbors. The face of the Doryphoros is void of individual features, which suggest that he is meant to represent an ideal version of the everyman, the perfect Greek
male citizen. This relates to the notion that humans should strive for perfection while recognizing that perfection is unattainable.

INNOVATION/CONVENTION:

This guy represents the intersection and amalgamation (a much more fun way to say “combination”) of Greek and Roman art, as
Doryphoros is actually a Roman copy of the Greek original.

FUNCTION:

Built as an exemplar of male beauty. Referred to as the Canon of Proportion.

CONTENT:

In formulating his rule of Proportions, Polykleitos developed a set of aesthetic principles based on a simple mathematic formula in
which the human body is divided into parts that all relate to one another. This is the perfect expression of what the Greeks referred
to as “Symmetria”. This work was both a study in symmetry and in contrast. The Doryphoros once held a spear which makes an
allusion to him being a warrior.

DETAILS/TERMS/DEFINITIONS:

Here, the Doryphoros demonstrates the contrapposto stance, in which the figure stands with most of its weight on one foot.