GREECE: MYTH and SYMBOLS OF POWER Flashcards
General
Why do myths relate to power?
Myths can stand as symbols of power, conferring mythical or legendary status on alleged descendants or just encompassing the status of power in a city/Empire.
As a unifying element to a culture mythology would also be reflected in art, theatre, music, stories, etc., that could be used as references for those in power or promoting their bid for power.
Greece
What was the centauromachy?
A battle (machy) between the Centaurs and the human Lapiths at the wedding of the Lapith King Pirithous and Hippodamia.
Theseus was invited too.
The Centaurs got drunk and wildly accosted the women, so the Lapiths began a slaughter - at the wedding and afterwards in battle.
Some have Theseus fighting at the wedding, others that he came later.
Greece
Who were the Lapiths?
A Thessalian tribe initially ruled by Ixion.
Greece
Why was Ixion fooled?
Called to Olympus by Zeus, Ixion fell in love with Hera; Zeus tricked him by making him think a cloud formation was Hera - having mated with the cloud he spawned the race of Centaurs from the rains that fell to earth.
Greece
Who were the Centaurs?
The strange children of the Lapith King Ixion’s inadvertent coupling with a cloud … unlike the human Lapiths, the Centaurs were wild, lived in caves, fought with rocks and unskilled in crafts, hospitality and religion.
Greece
What was the significance of the Centauromachy?
It represented the defeat of the uncivilised savage at the hands of civilised - the Centaurs did not understand how to conduct themselves at a wedding, how to drink wine (mixed with water).
Later, in 479 after the defeat of the Persians, the Centauromachy was used in friezes to once again commemorate the victory of the civilised over the uncivilised.
In 449 after the Persians attacked and razed Athens, Pericles rebuilt the Parthenon with a frieze of the Centauromachy on the metopes - a message that civilised Athens would not give up.
Greece and the Parthenon
Of all the metopes around the Parthenon, how many were alloted to the Centauromachy?
34 out of 92
Or around a third.
Greece
What made a successful metope (square space between triglyphs)?
The sculpture would:
1. create an easily recognisable scene
2. create realism in his scene
3. fill the space to avoid large blank areas
Greece Parthenon
Analysing the Centauromachy metope:
The metope were about 10 high off the ground and would have to be seen from below and be recognisable.
Recognisable: the Centaur dominates the scene; he may be wielding a weapon; he is standing triumphant over a Lapith, who appears to be falling off the metope.
Realism: rendered realistically as the sculptor depicted an action scene with realistic anatomical proportional and accurate muscularity; the bodies stretched, the centaur’s arms raised and stretching out of the metope, the cloth accuratlely depicted with folds; the horse rearing with its back muscular legs taut and powerful while its tail swishes upward.
Use of space - the rearing centaur and the stretched out arms and the body of the Lapith successfully utilise the space ; the centaur’s draped cloth skillfully fills in a gap between his arm and his legs.
Athens
What was the Amazonomachy?
Two great battles between the Greeks and the Amazons:
1) Herakles and the Amazon Queen Hippolyte (9th labour)
2) Herakles brings back a bride for Theseus as a gift enraging the Amazons - they declared war on Athens (the Attic War). Theseus and Herakles led an army to victory against the Amazons,
Athens
Who were the Amazons?
Mythical race of women warriors who kept their own company and only used men for reproduction. Male babies were apparently killed in favour of raising women warriors.
Greece
What was the Temple at Bassae?
A temple begun in 450 BC dedicated to Apollo Epikouros (the helper); it was designed by Iktinos who also worked on the Parthenon.
On its friezes were depicted the
Amazonomachy and the Centauromachy running around the inside allowing the viewer to stand in one place and follow the stories.
Greece
Evaluate the Bassae frieze?
Easily recognisable: one scene depits a man fighting two women; each woman has one breast uncovered which easily identifies them as the warrior women.
Realistic: Drapery on the women depicts movement; a horse is shown suggesting it is about to flee from a Greek; the horse is relatively small though, which may hint at it was a pony or it was depicted disportionately in favour of the human forms.
Use of space: The action oriented sculptures fill the space along the frieze; use of bent knees, the shrinking of a horse’s dimensions to allow it to fit; an Amazon being pulled from her horse twisting her body to allow the sculpture to fit a rectangular space.
Greece
What is this place?
Temple of Bassae - internal frieze running around the inside of the temple
What is this place?
The Parthenon
What does this depict?
Herakles at the Amazonomachy - spot his lion skin covering behind his back
What does this depict?
Centauromachy on the metope (it’s rectangular) on the Parthenon.
