Warfare in ancient Greek art
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Warfare was a common occurrence in Greece from the Neolithic Period through its conquest by Alexander the Great and until its conquest by the Roman Empire. Because of this, warfare was a typical theme in many pieces of Greek art. Many works of art, like the Doryphoros or the Chryselephantine Cult Statue of Athena Parthenos, used military objects in their composition, and many others, like the Chigi Vase, had warfare as their main subject. Ancient Greek art is an important aspect of not just the history of art, but the history of warfare as well, due to its frequent spot on many works of Ancient Greek Art. As each different period in Greek history occurred, more and more types of art formed, as well as differing depictions of warfare.
Neolithic Period
Warfare in the Neolithic Period is largely indicated by the presence of fortification walls at many of the surviving sites. At Sesklo and Dimini, for example, large stone walls were built up around the sites with features, including baffle gates and buffer zones, which made it difficult for invaders to attack.[1] The purpose of these walls has long been debated by archaeologists, but even if the walls did not serve a practical defensive function, they act as a demonstration of the settlement's abilities and preparedness in the face of a potential threat.[2]
Bronze Age
In Mycenae, during this period, the Mycenaean people used the citadel wall, which include Cyclopean masonry, as their first line of defense. The walls of the citadel expanded over the Late Helladic III period, the reason believed to be region competition[3] In the LH IIIB, time of competition between regions lead to "enlargement" of the cities. This expansion included the creation of the Lion gate, which was right of a bastion, making an invading army turn right, exposing their right side to attack from Mycenaean fire.[3] .
In this period, Cyclopean masonry is used in fortifications for cities in Mycenae and other areas. This is a style of building that uses large pieces of stone and no mortar, and create such massive structures that later Greeks say they were made by Cyclops because men couldn't lift those huge stones. [4] The purpose of building using such large stones was to limit the number of joints between stones, and this would avoid some potential weakness of the wall. [4]
Also serving as an example of defense, the Fortifications of Troy allow archaeologists to discover the importance of protecting the city. Since there were multiple phases of Troy, and each phase was characterized by an elaborate wall for protection, it can be assumed that warfare was a prevalent issue during the Bronze Age. [4] There are both historical and mythological implications for the Walls of Troy, but both equally convey the importance of defense for a city.
In Minoan art, warfare is not explicitly shown, but rather different interpretations were made that could tie into warfare. For example, bull leaping was an activity Minoan men did and the struggle between man and bull could be a depiction of warfare. [5]
Iron Age
The city of Smyrna, which would eventually become a key city on the Aegean coastline of Ionia, was founded in the Iron Age. The city would face several intense sieges throughout its early existence, conquered by both the Lydians and the Persians in a relatively short amount of time. Its inhabitants knew they were in a dangerous region, and consequently built substantial fortifications to protect their city, with large stone a mudbrick walls, gates, and towers up to 15 meters thick at times and quite high (although their exact height is unknown).[6]
Archaic Period
During the Archaic Period, depictions of warfare in Greek Art held importance in status markings, and also provide insight as to the trading markets during this era. For example, the Arezzo 1465 vase, an Attic volute krater attributed to Euphronios in the Late Archaic Era, depicts an amazonomachy, and was found in the Etruria region, indicating the expanse of the trade networks. Warfare as a status symbol further solidifies a reasoning behind this trade, since any art with warfare depictions on it thereby becomes a sort of luxury item sought after by those wishing to elevate their own status because aspects and physical areas of Greek society tended to extol military prestige and virtue. .Proving oneself in battle distinguished one from the others and brought glory(klèos) to their families[7]; consequently owning any art depicting warfare displayed one's wealth and elite status.
During the Archaic period many artists began to depict the hoplite formation in art. Representations of the hoplite phalanx give historians a look into how the Greeks used this style of warfare in battle. Hoplites can be identified by their spear and their shield as well as their position next to other soldiers. One of the most popular representations of the hoplite phalanx is in the Chigi Vase. The hoplite formation is portrayed on many different types of pottery such as the the Dinos, the Krater, and the Alabastron; and it many different styes such as black figure and white ground.
During the Archaic period there are pieces of artwork that depict the aulos player. One of the most prominent pieces show how the aulos player helped keep the hoplite soldiers in step by playing them into battle. With the help of the aulete, they were able to keep their shields close together to prevent the opposing phalanx from penetrating their ranks.[8]
According to Richard Neer, at the temple of Hera "the Archaic votives are masculine and martial: helmets and 'smiting figurines."[9]
Classical Period
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The Classical Period involved many scenes relating and alluding to the Persian wars.[10] This allusion can include some of the numerous depictions of mythical battle scenes such as amazonomachies, gigantomachies, and centauromachies during the period.[10] Such themes and mythological scenes can be seen in depictions like the one on the Calyx-Krater by the painter of the Berlin Hydra depicting an Amazonomachy, or the Gigantomachy by the Suessula Painter.
The first quarter of the Classical Period involved a lot of warfare, including the Persian Wars. Many Greek cities were sacked by the Persians during the second Persian War, taking a toll on several city-states. Themistoclean Walls were built quickly following the Greek victory of the Second Persian Wars, using destroyed sculptures and buildings to construct them. These re-purposed stones used in the building of Themistoclean walls is known as spolia. The Classical Period was also a time of Athenian control over Greece, powerwise, but also military wise and Athenian pottery was the most popular and well-spread over Greece.
Hellenistic Period
The Hellenistic Period saw a continued emphasis on defense. This allowed for the build up in defensive architecture including fortification walls, watch towers, and gates. We also see with this period the changes in architecture stemming from changes in technology. As warfare technology became increasingly modernized, cities needed to create stronger fortifications in response.
Aside from a build up of architecture, other aspects of Greek culture, such as grave markers, where also becoming monumental. A majority of sculpture during this period was more grand and celebrated triumph and the power of the Greeks as a whole community or civilization.
Additionally, military monuments dedicated to the gods continued to remain prominent in Hellenistic culture. One such monument is the neorion at Samothrace, a monumetnalized ship dedication within the Sanctuary of the Great Gods at the Greek island of Samothrace. Such architectural monuments demonstrate the continued importance of religiosity in art regarding warfare, even in a sanctuary concerned with larger mystery cults unrelated to war. This is a continued theme reflected in threads from the depiction of myth in the Archaic and Classical Periods, to the bull-leaping of the Minoans in the Bronze Age, which is considered potentially both religious and militaristic in nature.[5]
Alexander the Great rose to prominence by winning the war which saw the end of the Persian Empire. Paintings and sculptures depicting battles and participants in the war were common in this period.
- ^ Heath, Julian (2017). Warfare in Neolithic Europe. South Yorkshire, UK: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. pp. 1–10. ISBN 978 1 47387 985 0.
- ^ Runnels, Curtis N.; Payne, Claire; Rifkind, Noam V.; White, Chantel; Wolff, Nicholas P.; LeBlanc, Steven A. (2009). "Warfare in Neolithic Thessaly: A Case Study". Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. 78 (2): 165–194. doi:10.2307/25622691.
- ^ a b Neer, Richard (2012). Greek Art and Archaeology. London: Thames & Hudson. pp. 57–58. ISBN 978-0-500-28877-1.
- ^ a b c "cyclopean masonry". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2017-12-03. Cite error: The named reference ":1" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b Molloy, Barry (2012). "MARTIAL MINOANS? WAR AS SOCIAL PROCESS, PRACTICE AND EVENT IN BRONZE AGE CRETE". The Annual of the British School at Athens. 107: 87–142 – via JSTOR.
- ^ "Smyrna, Fortifications (Building)". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
- ^ Art, Author: Department of Greek and Roman. "Warfare in Ancient Greece | Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art". The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help) - ^ Hurwit, Jeffrey M. “Reading the Chigi Vase.” Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, vol. 71, no. 1, 2002, pp. 1–22. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3182058.
- ^ Neer, Richard. Greek Art and Archaeology. Thames & Hudson.
- ^ a b ŞAHİN, Reyhan. 2017. "REPRESENTATIONS of MYTHOLOGICAL WAR SCENES in ATTIC FIGURE POTTERY and APPROACHES in RESEARCH." Social Sciences Review Of The Faculty Of Sciences & Letters University Of Uludag / Fen Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 19, no. 32: 259-285. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost(accessed November 28, 2017).