Classical Societies Essay
Week 3 Assignment: Classical Societies Essay
Sema Ramdas
HUM 205
Instructor. Collis
October 7th, 2012
For centuries Classical societies have lent their contributions to art and have amazed us then and still continue to do so. Art is a broad topic and in order for us to explain a specific piece of art we must first analyze the artwork precisely. I am choosing art from Classical Greece, Hellenistic Greece, Etruscan Civilization, Roman Republic, and Roman Empire society and I will examine a piece of art from each of those periods. The art works that I have chosen from each period are Polykleitos the Younger, theater, Epidauros, ca. 350 B.C.E, from the Classical Greece period, Portrait bust of Alexander the Great, Roman copy of a Greek original of ca. 330 B.C.E, from the Hellenistic Greece period, Tomb of the Reliefs, Cerveteri, third century B.C.E from the Etruscan Civilization, Temple of Vesta, ca. 80 B.C.E., Rome from The Roman Republic, the Colosseum, Rome, dedicated 80 C.E. from the Rome Empire.
The Polykleitos the Younger, theater, Epidauros was a place where the Greeks gathered to watch plays. This outdoor amphitheater was capable of seating up to sixteen thousand people and it was built into the slope of the hillside. The hills would echo the actors’ voices. The Greek dramatists usually wrote plays to be acted in this theater based on actual events. For example Agamemnon, dramatizes the story of the murder of the Greek king, Agamemnon, who upon returning from the Trojan War was slain by his wife and her lover. The relationship between the art and the culture is they were very oriented with their history, and enjoyed the merriment of the plays and public gatherings. The genre of the art influenced the culture by showing the Greek people as being close to one another and liked being in the company of their people. Portrait bust of Alexander the Great showed that the interest that he Greek people had in their leader. He was responsible for expanding the
Sema Ramdas
HUM 205
Instructor. Collis
October 7th, 2012
For centuries Classical societies have lent their contributions to art and have amazed us then and still continue to do so. Art is a broad topic and in order for us to explain a specific piece of art we must first analyze the artwork precisely. I am choosing art from Classical Greece, Hellenistic Greece, Etruscan Civilization, Roman Republic, and Roman Empire society and I will examine a piece of art from each of those periods. The art works that I have chosen from each period are Polykleitos the Younger, theater, Epidauros, ca. 350 B.C.E, from the Classical Greece period, Portrait bust of Alexander the Great, Roman copy of a Greek original of ca. 330 B.C.E, from the Hellenistic Greece period, Tomb of the Reliefs, Cerveteri, third century B.C.E from the Etruscan Civilization, Temple of Vesta, ca. 80 B.C.E., Rome from The Roman Republic, the Colosseum, Rome, dedicated 80 C.E. from the Rome Empire.
The Polykleitos the Younger, theater, Epidauros was a place where the Greeks gathered to watch plays. This outdoor amphitheater was capable of seating up to sixteen thousand people and it was built into the slope of the hillside. The hills would echo the actors’ voices. The Greek dramatists usually wrote plays to be acted in this theater based on actual events. For example Agamemnon, dramatizes the story of the murder of the Greek king, Agamemnon, who upon returning from the Trojan War was slain by his wife and her lover. The relationship between the art and the culture is they were very oriented with their history, and enjoyed the merriment of the plays and public gatherings. The genre of the art influenced the culture by showing the Greek people as being close to one another and liked being in the company of their people. Portrait bust of Alexander the Great showed that the interest that he Greek people had in their leader. He was responsible for expanding the
References: 1. Ancient Library Sources (from Peter Aicher, Rome Alive: A Source Guide to the Ancient City, vol. 1, Bolchazy-Carducci: 2004, http://www.romereborn.virginia.edu/ge/TS-064.html 2. Benton, J. R. & DiYanni, R. (2008). Arts and culture: An introduction to the humanities, Combined Volume (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.