On April 20Th, Dr. Anja Slaw

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

On April 20Th, Dr. Anja Slaw “How fast does a city recover from destruction? A new view of the creation of the Severe Style” On April 20th, Dr. Anja Slawisch, a research fellow at University of Cambridge, presented her careful reconsideration of the transition from Archaic period to Classical period in art, especially in sculpture. I will first give some historical background and conventional understanding of this transition, and then elaborate on her argument. Conventionally, the sack of Athens during the Persian War in 480 BCE spurred the artistic development from austere Archaic style (see statues of Kleobis and Biton below1) to the Severe Style (see Harmodius and Aristogeiton, the tyrannicides2), and hence marks the transition from Archaic period into Classical period in art. The most important feature that sets severe style apart from the Archaic is a more naturalistic depiction of the human anatomy. For statues of the tyrannicides, the human bodies were made as an organic system - their pelves shift according to their stances, as opposed to the awkward posture of Kleobis and Biton. In this widely-accepted narrative, the destruction of Athens, heavily influencing the psyche of Athenians, stimulated these stark changes and inventions in artistic style. As a consequence, 480 BCE became a reference point for archaeologists in dating these statues according to their features. Statues of Kleobis and Biton Harmodius and Aristogeiton 1 Statues of Kleobis and Biton (identified by inscriptions on the base) dedicated to Delphi by the city of Argos, signed by ​ [Poly?]medes of Argos. Marble, ca. 580 BC. H. 1.97 m (6 ft. 5 ½ in.), after restoration. Archaeological Museum of Delphi, no. 467, 1524. By en:User:Adam Carr - first uploaded as en:Image:Ac.kleobisandbiton.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=783609 2 Roman copy of the 2nd century CE after a Kritios and Nesiotes model of 477—476 BCE. Naples, National Archaeological Museum http://ancientrome.ru/art/artworken/img.htm?id=6029#sel= Slawisch, however, sees problems in this chronology. She focused on a case study of archaeological findings in Miletus and Didyma, which were prominent cultural and economic centers of Ionia before and after the Classical period. During the Classical period, scholars thought that they were hardly as important as Athens, based on Athenian literary dominance and the numerous Roman copies of Athenian sculptures(and hence an Atheno-centric perspective when studying this period). But Slawisch, with rigorous literature review as well as archaeological field studies, proposes that Ionia could be where Severe Style originated and prospered, before 480 BCE in the late 6th century or early 5th century. This Miletus torso below3 clearly shows features of Severe Style (the contrapposto stance, clear abdominal muscles, downwards shaved pubic hair) while still preserving the front-facing form of the Archaic style. It is generally dated 480 BCE for aforementioned reasons, but according to its similarity with Apollon Didymeus (dated 494 BCE) in Herodotus’ description, the incipience of Severe Style can be brought before the clear-cut line of 480 BCE. Furthermore, together with other sculptures, terracottas and coins found in Miletus and Didyma in a similar style, this torso suggests that Miletus, instead of Athens, could be the birthplace of Severe Style in the late 6th century, and later influenced Athens. Miletus torso The other important piece of archaeological evidence is how, even though Miletus was destroyed during the Ionian Revolt in 499-494 BCE, manufacturing activities did not necessarily come to a complete halt. In fact, evidence of buildings in Miletus (indicating revival of urban activities) could again be seen in 479 BCE, and it is logical to deduce that severe style was “developed independently and primarily in Ionia and not, as is conventionally argued, in Athens.” (Slawisch, 2016) References: Figures in Motion: De-Centring Athens from the Creation of the Severe Style http://anja.slawisch.net/figures-in-motion-de-centring-athens-from-the-creation-of-the-severe-style/ CSTS 119 Notes by Prof. Mulligan 3 https://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/male-torso ​.
Recommended publications
  • Creating the Past: Roman Villa Sculptures
    ��������������������������������� Creating the Past: Roman Villa Sculptures Hadrian’s pool reflects his wide travels, from Egypt to Greece and Rome. Roman architects recreated old scenes, but they blended various elements and styles to create new worlds with complex links to ideal worlds. Romans didn’t want to live in the past, but they wanted to live with it. Why “creating” rather than “recreating” the past? Most Roman sculpture was based on Greek originals 100 years or more in the past, but these Roman copies, in their use & setting, created a view of the past as the Romans saw it. In towns, such as Pompeii, houses were small, with little room for large gardens (the normal place for statues), so sculpture was under life-size and highlighted. The wall frescoes at Pompeii or Boscoreale (as in the reconstructed room at the Met) show us what the buildings and the associated sculptures looked like. Villas, on the other hand, were more expansive, generally sited by the water and had statues, life-size or larger, scattered around the gardens. Pliny’s villas, as he describes them in his letters, show multiple buildings, seemingly haphazardly distributed, connected by porticoes. Three specific villas give an idea of the types the Villa of the Papyri near Herculaneum (1st c. AD), Tiberius’ villa at Sperlonga from early 1st century (described also in CHSSJ April 1988 lecture by Henry Bender), and Hadrian’s villa at Tivoli (2nd cent AD). The Villa of Papyri, small and self-contained, is still underground, its main finds having been reached by tunneling; the not very scientific excavation left much dispute about find-spots and the villa had seen upheaval from the earthquake of 69 as well as the Vesuvius eruption of 79.
    [Show full text]
  • Handout 2008 for Dialogue 20
    Dialogue 20 The hero as mirror of men’s and women’s experiences. Key word: telos ‘coming full circle, rounding out, fulfillment, completion, ending, end; successfully passing through an ordeal; ritual, rite’. To be linked with another key word, athlos (aethlos) ‘contest, ordeal; competition’; derivative word: athlētēs ‘athlete’; related concepts are agōn ‘contest, ordeal; competition’ and ponos ‘pain’ [sharp, shooting pain] and kamatos ‘pain’ [dull, aching pain]. Note the beginning of the Hippolytus. At line 32, there is a reference to a sacred space in Athens where Aphroditē epi hippolutōi ‘Our Lady of Horses Unbridled’ is worshipped; this name contains the imagery of chariot-driving. Experiences that are ingredients for coming of age, initiation, rite of passage men’s experiences: song and dance, marriage; athletics; hunting, war women’s experiences: song and dance, marriage; athletics [mostly running]; menstruation, childbirth The underlinings indicate asymmetry from a modern point of view but symmetry from an ancient point of view. A) Euripides Hippolytus 73-87: For you, goddess, I bring this woven garland, culled from a virgin meadow, where it is not fit for the shepherd to pasture his flocks, nor has iron yet come there, but unspoiled still in springtime the bees fly through this meadow. Aidōs tends it with pure river water, and those who by their nature always use moderation [sōphrosunē] in all things, instead of having learned it, they can pick flowers, but it is not lawful [themis] for the kakos. Philē mistress, for your golden locks accept this headband from my reverent hand. I alone among mortals have this privilege: I keep company with you and make conversation, hearing your voice although not seeing your face.
    [Show full text]
  • © in This Web Service Cambridge University
    Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-52929-7 - The Cambridge Companion to Archaic Greece Edited by H. A. Shapiro Index More information Index S Abdera, 43 agora, 46–48, 147, 204, 212, 213 Abydos, 208 Agylla/Caere, 226 Achaeans/Achaians, 48, 50, 51, 52, 57, Aiakos, 234 74, 112, 113, 118, 120, 123, 202, 207 Aigai, 51 Achaia, 49, 51, 56, 57 Aigeira, 51 Achilles, 103, 111, 112, 113, 114, 118, 119, Aigialeis, 56 120, 121, 122, 126, 268–269, 278 Aigila, 79 Acropolis. See Athens Aigimios. See Dorians Adrastus, 153 Aigina, 77 Aeaces I, tyrant of Samos, 34 Aineias Taktikos, 70 Aeaces II, son of Syloson, 34 Aischines, 50 Aeacids, 32, 34 Aisymnetes, 34 Aeantides, son of Hippocles, 30 Aitnissai. See Aeschylus Aelian, 166 Aitolia, 49, 50, 52 Aeneas, 66 Aitolians, 49, 50, 51 Aeolians, 23 Ajax, 120, 123, 268–269, 278 Aeolic dialect, 113 Akarnania, 49, 50 Aeolus, 216 Akragas, 207, 218, 220 Aeschines/Aiskhines, tyrant of Sicyon, Akrai, 207, 216 24, 243, 244 Al Mina, 203 Aeschylus, 242 Alcaeus/Alkaios of Mytilene, 16–17, 32, Aitnissai, 220 47, 67, 141, 142, 143, 147, 149–150 , Eumenides, 132 152 , 158 , 159 , 160, 162 Aethiopis. See Epic Cycle Alcidamas, poet. See Aetnans, 237 Alcinous, 113, 127 Africa, 207, 210, 211 Alcman of Sparta, 6, 94–95, 147 agalmata, 241 Alcmeonids/Alkmaionids, 29, 30, 31 , 33, Agamemnon, 48, 114, 119, 122–123, 247–251 125–126, 242 Alcock, Susan E., 77 Agariste, daughter of Cleisthenes, 22 Alexander the Great, 3, 6, 222 Agasicles of Halicarnassus, 232, 242, 248 Alexandros. See Paris Agasicles, tyrant of Halicarnassus, 232 Alkmaion, 233 agathoi, 48 Alkmaionides, 233–235, 237, 239, 247 agelai, 90–92, 97 Amaltheia, 236 agoge, 90 Amasis, pharaoh, 247 agonal warfare, 76–77 Ampheia, 77, 78 287 © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-52929-7 - The Cambridge Companion to Archaic Greece Edited by H.
    [Show full text]
  • A Story of Five Amazons Brunilde S
    Bryn Mawr College Scholarship, Research, and Creative Work at Bryn Mawr College Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology Faculty Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology Research and Scholarship 1974 A Story of Five Amazons Brunilde S. Ridgway Bryn Mawr College, [email protected] Let us know how access to this document benefits ouy . Follow this and additional works at: http://repository.brynmawr.edu/arch_pubs Part of the Classical Archaeology and Art History Commons, and the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons Custom Citation Ridgway, Brunilde S. 1974. A Story of Five Amazons. American Journal of Archaeology 78:1-17. This paper is posted at Scholarship, Research, and Creative Work at Bryn Mawr College. http://repository.brynmawr.edu/arch_pubs/79 For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Story of Five Amazons* BRUNILDE SISMONDO RIDGWAY PLATES 1-4 THEANCIENT SOURCE dam a sua quisqueiudicassent. Haec est Polycliti, In a well-knownpassage of his book on bronze proximaab ea Phidiae, tertia Cresilae,quarta Cy- sculpturePliny tells us the story of a competition donis, quinta Phradmonis." among five artists for the statue of an Amazon This texthas been variously interpreted, emended, (Pliny NH 34.53): "Venereautem et in certamen and supplementedby trying to identifyeach statue laudatissimi,quamquam diversis aetatibusgeniti, mentionedby Pliny among the typesextant in our quoniamfecerunt Amazonas, quae cum in templo museums. It may thereforebe useful to review Dianae Ephesiaedicarentur, placuit eligi probatis- brieflythe basicpoints made by the passage,before simam ipsorum artificum, qui praesenteserant examining the sculpturalcandidates. iudicio,cum apparuitearn esse quam omnes secun- i) The Competition.The mention of a contest * The following works will be quoted in abbreviated form: von Bothmer D.
    [Show full text]
  • The Origins of the Kouros
    THE ORIGINS OF THE KOUROS By REBECCA ANN DUNHAM A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2005 Copyright 2005 by Rebecca Ann Dunham This document is dedicated to my mom. TABLE OF CONTENTS page LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... vi ABSTRACT.........................................................................................................................x CHAPTER 1 DEFINITION OF THE KOUROS TYPE ....................................................................1 Pose...............................................................................................................................2 Size and material...........................................................................................................2 Nudity ...........................................................................................................................3 Body Shape and Treatment of Musculature .................................................................3 Execution ......................................................................................................................4 Function ........................................................................................................................5 Provenances ..................................................................................................................7
    [Show full text]
  • Parthenon 1 Parthenon
    Parthenon 1 Parthenon Parthenon Παρθενών (Greek) The Parthenon Location within Greece Athens central General information Type Greek Temple Architectural style Classical Location Athens, Greece Coordinates 37°58′12.9″N 23°43′20.89″E Current tenants Museum [1] [2] Construction started 447 BC [1] [2] Completed 432 BC Height 13.72 m (45.0 ft) Technical details Size 69.5 by 30.9 m (228 by 101 ft) Other dimensions Cella: 29.8 by 19.2 m (98 by 63 ft) Design and construction Owner Greek government Architect Iktinos, Kallikrates Other designers Phidias (sculptor) The Parthenon (Ancient Greek: Παρθενών) is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. Its construction began in 447 BC and was completed in 438 BC, although decorations of the Parthenon continued until 432 BC. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of Greek art. The Parthenon is regarded as an Parthenon 2 enduring symbol of Ancient Greece and of Athenian democracy and one of the world's greatest cultural monuments. The Greek Ministry of Culture is currently carrying out a program of selective restoration and reconstruction to ensure the stability of the partially ruined structure.[3] The Parthenon itself replaced an older temple of Athena, which historians call the Pre-Parthenon or Older Parthenon, that was destroyed in the Persian invasion of 480 BC. Like most Greek temples, the Parthenon was used as a treasury.
    [Show full text]
  • Volgei Nescia: on the Paradox of Praising Women's Invisibility*
    Matthew Roller Volgei nescia: On the Paradox of Praising Women’s Invisibility* A funerary plaque of travertine marble, originally from a tomb on the Via Nomentana outside of Rome and dating to the middle of the first century BCE, commemorates the butcher Lucius Aurelius Hermia, freedman of Lucius, and his wife Aurelia Philematio, likewise a freedman of Lucius. The rectangular plaque is divided into three panels of roughly equal width. The center panel bears a relief sculpture depicting a man and woman who stand and face one another; the woman raises the man’s right hand to her mouth and kisses it. The leftmost panel, adjacent to the male figure, is inscribed with a metrical text of two elegiac couplets. It represents the husband Aurelius’ words about his wife, who has predeceased him and is commemorated here. The rightmost panel, adjacent to the female figure, is likewise inscribed with a metrical text of three and one half elegiac couplets. It represents the wife Aurelia’s words: she speaks of her life and virtues in the past tense, as though from beyond the grave.1 The figures depicted in relief presumably represent the married individuals who are named and speak in the inscribed texts; the woman’s hand-kissing gesture seems to confirm this, as it represents a visual pun on the cognomen Philematio/Philematium, “little kiss.”2 This relief, now in the British Museum, is well known and has received extensive scholarly discussion.3 Here, I wish to focus on a single phrase in the text Aurelia is represented as speaking.
    [Show full text]
  • Epigraphic Bulletin for Greek Religion 2009 (EBGR 2009)
    Kernos Revue internationale et pluridisciplinaire de religion grecque antique 25 | 2012 Varia Epigraphic Bulletin for Greek Religion 2009 (EBGR 2009) Angelos Chaniotis Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/kernos/2117 DOI: 10.4000/kernos.2117 ISSN: 2034-7871 Publisher Centre international d'étude de la religion grecque antique Printed version Date of publication: 26 October 2012 Number of pages: 185-232 ISSN: 0776-3824 Electronic reference Angelos Chaniotis, « Epigraphic Bulletin for Greek Religion 2009 », Kernos [Online], 25 | 2012, Online since 20 November 2014, connection on 15 September 2020. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/ kernos/2117 Kernos Kernos 25(2012),p.185-232. Epigraphic Bulletin for Greek Religion 2009 (EBGR 2009) The 22nd issue of the Epigraphic Bulletin for Greek Religion presents a selection of the epigraphicpublicationsof2009andsomeadditionstoearlierissues.Followingthepractice ofthemostrecentissues,emphasiswasplacedonthepresentationofnew corporaand editions of new texts, rather than on summarizing books or articles that use epigraphic material.Duetodemandingresearchandadministrativeduties,thisyearIhavebeenunable tocompletethesurveyofjournalsontime.Inordertoavoiddelaysinthepublicationof Kernos , I could only present part of 2009’s publications. This issue contains several very interestingnewepigraphicfinds.Iwouldliketohighlightthenewfragmentsthathavebeen addedtothephilosophicalinscriptionofDiogenesofOinoanda( 65 ).Theymakepossible thereconstructionofalargepassage,inwhichtheEpicureanphilosopherrejectstheidea
    [Show full text]
  • ANCIENT TERRACOTTAS from SOUTH ITALY and SICILY in the J
    ANCIENT TERRACOTTAS FROM SOUTH ITALY AND SICILY in the j. paul getty museum The free, online edition of this catalogue, available at http://www.getty.edu/publications/terracottas, includes zoomable high-resolution photography and a select number of 360° rotations; the ability to filter the catalogue by location, typology, and date; and an interactive map drawn from the Ancient World Mapping Center and linked to the Getty’s Thesaurus of Geographic Names and Pleiades. Also available are free PDF, EPUB, and MOBI downloads of the book; CSV and JSON downloads of the object data from the catalogue and the accompanying Guide to the Collection; and JPG and PPT downloads of the main catalogue images. © 2016 J. Paul Getty Trust This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042. First edition, 2016 Last updated, December 19, 2017 https://www.github.com/gettypubs/terracottas Published by the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles Getty Publications 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 500 Los Angeles, California 90049-1682 www.getty.edu/publications Ruth Evans Lane, Benedicte Gilman, and Marina Belozerskaya, Project Editors Robin H. Ray and Mary Christian, Copy Editors Antony Shugaar, Translator Elizabeth Chapin Kahn, Production Stephanie Grimes, Digital Researcher Eric Gardner, Designer & Developer Greg Albers, Project Manager Distributed in the United States and Canada by the University of Chicago Press Distributed outside the United States and Canada by Yale University Press, London Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: J.
    [Show full text]
  • Focus on Greek Sculpture
    Focus on Greek Sculpture Notes for teachers Greek sculpture at the Ashmolean • The classical world was full of large high quality statues of bronze and marble that honoured gods, heroes, rulers, military leaders and ordinary people. The Ashmolean’s cast collection, one of the best- preserved collections of casts of Greek and Roman sculpture in the UK, contains some 900 plaster casts of statues, reliefs and architectural sculptures. It is particularly strong in classical sculpture but also includes important Hellenistic and Roman material. Cast collections provided exemplary models for students in art academies to learn to draw and were used for teaching classical archaeology. • Many of the historical casts, some dating back to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, are in better condition than the acid rain-damaged originals from which they were moulded. They are exact plaster replicas made, with piece moulds that leave distinctive seams on the surface of the cast. • The thematic arrangement of the Cast Gallery presents the contexts in which statues were used in antiquity; sanctuaries, tombs and public spaces. Other galleries containing Greek sculpture, casts and ancient Greek objects Gallery 14: Cast Gallery Gallery 21: Greek and Roman Sculpture Gallery 16: The Greek World Gallery 7: Money Gallery 2: Crossing Cultures Gallery 14: Cast Gallery 1. Cast of early Greek kouros, Delphi, Greece, 2. Cast of ‘Peplos kore’, from Athenian Acropolis, c570BC c530BC The stocky, heavily muscled naked figure stands The young woman held an offering in her in the schematic ‘walking’ pose copied from outstretched left hand (missing) and wears an Egypt by early Greek sculptors, signifying motion unusual combination of clothes: a thin under- and life.
    [Show full text]
  • OLGA PALAGIA the PARTHENON FRIEZE: BOY OR GIRL? Offprint from Antike Kunst, Volume 51, 2008
    OLGA PALAGIA THE PARTHENON FRIEZE: BOY OR GIRL? offprint from antike kunst, volume 51, 2008 OLGA PALAGIA THE PARTHENON FRIEZE: BOY OR GIRL? For Sir John Boardman’s 80th birthday (20.8.2007) When the second volume of Stuart and Revett’s The tened on one shoulder. Von Premerstein’s view has more Antiquities of Athens fi nally appeared in 1787, it con- or less prevailed with little variation to this day with his tained the momentous observation that the Parthenon arguments repeated ad nauseam5. frieze depicted the Panathenaic procession1. It thus es- The fi rst dissenting voice was heard nearly a century tablished the subject of the frieze for the years to come. after Michaelis. In his book on the Parthenon frieze, Plates 23–24 of Chapter I illustrate William Pars’ draw- with photographs by Alison Frantz, Martin Robertson ing of the peplos scene on the east frieze. Athena’s peplos, argued that the child handling the peplos appears to wear presented by the city of Athens to the goddess every four a garment fastened on both shoulders, therefore a pep- years at the Great Panathenaia, is handled by a man in los6. He compared it to the Severe Style grave stele from priestly garb, usually identifi ed with the archon basileus, Paros in New York (pl. 1, 2), showing a little girl in an and a child (pl. 1, 1. 4). The priestess of Athena Polias ungirt peplos open on the right, revealing the outline of stands back to back with the archon basileus and receives her bottom7.
    [Show full text]
  • How to Write History: Thucydides and Herodotus in the Ancient Rhetorical Tradition
    How to write history: Thucydides and Herodotus in the ancient rhetorical tradition A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Scott Kennedy, B.A., B.S. Graduate Program in Greek and Latin The Ohio State University 2018 Dissertation Committee: Anthony Kaldellis, Adviser Benjamin Acosta-Hughes Will Batstone Copyright by Scott Kennedy 2018 Abstract Modern students of Thucydides and Herodotus may find it odd to think of them as rhetoricians. Yet in the ancient world, both historians (and especially Thucydides) played an important role in rhetorical schools. They were among the favorite authors of ancient teachers of rhetoric and served as foundational pillars of the ancient curriculum, providing themes for school exercises and even for such seminal texts as Hermogenes' theoretical treatises on rhetoric. Modern scholars might never read technical rhetorical texts such as Hermogenes. They almost certainly would never turn to Hermogenes and his kind to help them understand Thucydides or Herodotus. But for our ancient intellectual predecessors, such an approach would have been unconscionable, as ancient rhetoric was the theoretical lens with which they understood and appreciated historical writings. In this dissertation, I explore the confluence of rhetoric and historiography in the ancient world through an examination of how Herodotus and Thucydides were used in ancient schools and then by later historians. Chapter 1 and 2 outline how these historians were embedded and encoded within the rhetorical curriculum. In Chapter 1, I examine how Herodotus and Thucydides entered the rhetorical curriculum and how rhetors incorporated them into the rhetorical curriculum through an examination of the surviving progymnasmata, scholia, and pedagogical myths.
    [Show full text]