Place: Dipylon Cemetery. Athens, Greece.
The ancient Greeks used clay pots as vessels for storage of basic commodities such as grain, water, and food. The iconography depicted on the vessel’s surface illustrates the funeral rituals of the ancient Greek, especially the center part of the vessel; the image of the dead person is shown on top of the table while sacrificial animals were placed at the bottom. Meanwhile, chariots with soldiers riding on top of it are preparing for the funeral procession accompanied by legions of infantry soldiers.
Artist: The Altamura Painter Date: Circa 460 B.C.
In this scene, the Greek God of wine and good harvest, Dionysius was born from Zeus; two maiden goddesses are also included in the painting, Aphrodite raises her hand holding flowers while Eileithyia simply raises the hand to signal the arrival of Dionysius to the Greek pantheon.
Place: Athens, Greece
The function of the structure was to provide entertainment for the public. Here ancient Greek philosophers speak in front of the public to discuss their ideas, actors and famous playwrights perform their drama in front of the audience.
The subject of the marble sculpture shows a man carrying a huge sculpture of a leg probably of a deity as an offering to the gods. This marble tablet was commonly used as decorative artifacts in the mausoleums and temples.
Artist: Sophilos Title: Black Dinos
Technique: Painting
The subject depicted on the upper register of the painting shows the remarkable procession of the Gods accompanied by horses, attendants, and other mythological deities from the Greek pantheon. The man depicted in red with arrow was Peleus the husband of Thetis, unlike other figures on the scene, he was a mortal man.
Artist: Sabouroff painter Title: Kharon and Hermes
This vessel was used to store water and for ritual purposes. In this object, the iconography depicts Hermes guiding the ferry man of the underworld, Charon as they journey the Acheron River. Hermes is easily identified by his caduceus while Charon’s profession as a ferry man is notable for any readers of Greek mythology.
The iconography of the sculpture depicts a Greek noblewoman seated on to a chair holding a pyxis, a box akin to a jewelry container. The pyxis symbolizes an offering of marriage usually presented by the suitor’s maidservant to the woman he likes.
Material: Marble
The iconography of the marble relief presents the how the famous Greek physician Asclepius attempts to heal a woman lying on the couch; the female attendants on the either side watch over the ritual as Asclepius try to purge the evil from the woman’s body.
In one section of the Francois Vase, the image of Dionysius was omitted from the painting. Hephaestus also known as Vulcan in the Roman mythology is seen led by the God towards Mount Olympus; however, the viewers can verify the god’s presence through the image of Seilenoi, a manservant of Dionysius whom he trained. The fact that his figure is seen marching behind the riding figure of Hephaestus clarifies that the Dionysius was indeed guiding him to the right path.
All these images refer to Dionysius, the Greek god of wine and merry-making. The figure represented by C illustrates the birth of Dionysius from Zeus’ thigh. On the image, Zeus is seated on the rock cradling the infant Dionysius on his lap. D is the second image that represents Dionysius figure as a child. In the marble sculpture, the infant Dionysius sits atop of Hermes’ left arm gazing at him as Hermes show him the world. On the other hand, the iconography depicted on A illustrates the nymphs who cared for the teenage Dionysius while the figure represented by letter B shows Dionysius in his mature god form.
Based from the ancient Greek mythology, once a person dies due to illness or battle, Thanatos, the Greek god of death had the task of getting souls of the dead people to Charon’s ferry boat. Afterwards, Charon, the ferryman transports these souls to the Underworld ruled by Hades. The Underworld as described in the Greek mythology is a lonely place surrounded by five great rivers: Acheron, Styx, Cocytus, Phlegethon, and Lethe. The physical landscape of Hades’ territory contrasts the Christian belief. The Greek version of hell was a barren, cold, and isolated place while Christian hell was engulfed in flames.
An Athenian citizen living during the years of Peloponnesian war have many obligations to different gods. For instance, soldiers and the members of the military might seek the guidance of Athena and Ares by visiting their temples and offer sacrifices for victory. For the members of the community, the Athenians also engaged in entertainments such as theatres. Theaters became an essential part of Athenian society for it offered the citizens a place where they can find enjoyment. Some of the greatest playwrights and actors often perform in these structures for the public. Furthermore, the concept of merry-making was also popular in ancient Athens. Dionysius also known as Bacchus spearheaded the ceremony through lavish banquets and wine. He was the god of festivals and wine, synonymous with anything related to merry-making. However, just like in other cultures, the notion of death and sickness were widely studied by the ancient Greeks. For instance, a sick person might seek the help of Asclepius, the man known in the ancient Greece for his cult that promises to cure people. In a way, he was the equivalent of a doctor. A session from Asclepius consists of exorcism by lying down on the couch while undergoing examination together with the attendants. In worst cases, a person can die due to extreme illness, his soul emerges from the body and taken away from the land of living by Thanatos; afterwards, the soul journeys with Charon in his boat and proceed to cross the rivers of the Underworld where they meet Cerberus the guardian deity that guards the entrance to Hell.
