All civilizations that have ever existed in the world have had their own unique forms of art that distinguish each from the other. This has been evident in trends such as culture, religion, economics and even art and architecture. Art and architecture to a huge extent bring out the cultures of these civilizations in a way that it makes it easier for the current generation to understand the past. Some of these civilizations that have made history include classical Greece, Hellenistic Greece, Etruscan civilization, Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Each of these civilizations had their unique pieces of art that help defining and understand the era in which they existed.
Classical Greece- Greek Temples Architecture
These are temples where they worshiped in. The temples were made with a lot of stylistic bravado. This made the temples the architectural eye-candy at that time. It is for a fact that temples were the biggest pieces of architecture and very beautiful too. They also served as a political way of celebrating civic power as well as pride. They were a place where the people could go to offer thanks giving to the deity of the cities where these temples were located. These temples fell in three orders, that is, the Doric, Ionic and Corinth (Jenkins 49). The difference between the three can be seen through the detailing and proportions of the pillars. They are each associated with their origins, that is, their capitals. At the time, this was a means of identification and it applied to many buildings and monuments but then the temples stood out. This form of art and culture identified the religious standing of the Greek at that time in history.
ii. Hellenistic Greece- Sculptures
The sculptures of the Hellenistic era depict some form of the second classicism whereby a piece of sculpture gave the viewers an opportunity to view them from all angles (Pollitt 14). The sculptures showed some effect of transparency and suppleness of poses. A good example can be seen in the sculpture of Barberini Faun. The sculpture shows a sleeping satyr in a very relaxed posture but with an anxious face. This perhaps shows that he could be having a nightmare. This piece of art is just a creation of Greek imagination that dominated the period when it was curved. It also seeks to bring out the animal aspect of humanity more especially when one does things unconsciously. To a huge extent, the Hellenistic civilization influenced this sculpture because at the time, it had become common to make sculptures that could be viewed from all angles just like the Barberini Faun.
iii. Etruscan Civilization- Etruscan Hut Urn
The Etruscan Civilization is also known as the ancient Italy. Its art was characterized by figurative features but very strongly engraved in religion. This great culture gave death and the afterlife great importance to such an extent that the dead were built huts and adorned in gold, silver and bronze (Hynes 29). They were also given grave goods as well as furniture. In this hut, the cremated remains of an individual could be kept. This was largely because they believed in the life after death. There exists a huge relationship between the hut urn and the Etruscan civilization because it is what to a huge extent defines the civilization. This is true because it is the symbol that made the dead very important and to this day passes for the representation of the civilization. The culture of this civilization greatly influenced the rights of passage of human beings and a lot of importance was given to a person upon death. This is the reason why the dead had to be kept or buried in a hut, a representation of the house they lived in while they were alive (Hynes 126).
IV. Roman Republic- Roman Portraits
In the Roman Republic, portraits became a common part of the society. They became even more popular in funerals because they were put in tombs and funeral alters. The portraits of a deceased person were put on the tombs with inscription of who they were in order to showcase their distinguished ancestry. They were very common in the upper class and highly respected members of the society. They were commonly put in family shrines and were used as a reminder of a fallen hero or important person in society (Gruen 13). According to this civilization, this was a way of celebrating their history as well as public service and honoring the family of the deceased at the same time. The culture of the Roman Republic influenced the creation of portraits because in a way it was their unique way of celebrating the lives and times of the very important persons in society.
V. Roman Empire- Roman Empire Coins
The Roman Empire currency has always been unique since time immemorial. This is so because of its artistic nature by way of how it was sculptured. In recent times, currencies of the world have existed in note forms but during the old Roman Empire times, the currency was in coin form (Grant 16). The coins were developed so that they could be used as a medium of exchange way from barter trade. The coins were then minted and circulated and this eased trade, buying of selling within the empire. This even extended to other parts like Greek. The coins that were minted bore the portrait of the king of the time when it was minted. Drawing of portraits had become very common at the time and this helped propagate the genre of drawing portraits of very important persons in society (Grant 35).
All these civilizations can be defined by a thing or two that all of them can be identified with. These examples show their artistic ways of doing things. Great empires came up and fell and left behind a mark in history. Even when they collapsed, they are remembered because of their artistic contributions as well as the cultures they propagated. They may have dominated the world each in their distinctive eras but what is remaining of them today is the legacy and art that they left behind. The images of the physical remains of the civilizations explored in this paper are just but a part of a huge collection of art that define the civilizations that each present.
Works Cited
Grant, Michael. Art in the Roman Empire. New York: Routledge. 2012
Gruen, Erich. Culture and National Identity in Republican Rome. New York: Cornell Univeristy Press
Hynes, Sybille. Etruscan Civilization: A Cultural History. Los Angeles: Getty Publication. 2005
Jenkins, Ian. Greek Architecture and its Sculpture. Harvard: Harvard University Press. 2006
Pollitt, Jerome. Art in the Hellenistic Age. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1986
