Iaspo

[ancientart]

Zoomorph P: a masterpiece of ancient art. Located at the Maya site of Quiriguá, Guatemala.

Dedicated in AD 795, this extraordinarily carved boulder stands as a testament to the skill and beauty of Maya bas-relief sculpture during the late Classic Period.

A “zoomorph” is a term often used in art history, which essentially refers to something that has the form or attributes of an animal. In this example, the work is shaped as a mythical animal: the Cosmic Monster, a waterbeast which inhabited the Underworld’s primordial sea. This work is also thought to represent third stone of Creation -as indicated by the various symbols of aquatic imagery employed. Small images of the rain god Chaac are visible around the mouth of the waterbeast, and water is poured over the throne by numerous mythological animals. This monument was created during the reign of Sky Xul, commemorating the end of an era in the Maya calendar. Dressed in ceremonial attire, Sky Xul sits in the mouth of the Cosmic Monster.

Photos courtesy of Daniel Mennerich.

[ancientart]

A few offerings found within a burial of a child from the necropolis at Gavalomouri. Dating to the Geometric period (8th century BCE), included are ceramics vases, a pilgrim flask, and a wheeled bovine figure.

Courtesy of & can be viewed at Archaeological Museum of Chania, Crete. Photo taken by Dan Diffendale.

[ancientart]

A Roman shrine to the god Mithras (Mithraeum), ca. A.D. 240, from Dura-Europos (Syria).

The cult of Mithras first became evident in Rome towards the late 1st century AD. Having originated in Persia, during the next two centuries, it spread to the frontiers of the Western empire. It is referred to as a Roman “mystery” cult, for an initiation ceremony was required in joining, and the members kept the activities and liturgy of the cult strictly secret. Due to the highly secretive nature of the cult, our evidence for it is essentially entirely archaeological. Here we have a rare of example of a Mithraeum from Dura-Europos, which appears to be originally set in private house -a rare case indeed. The Yale University Art Gallery give the following description:

A shrine to the god Mithras, the Mithraeum at Dura-Europos was commissioned A.D. 168/69 by Palmyrene archers serving in the Roman army. It was renovated and enlarged in A.D. 209/11. The reconstruction on view here represents the third and final phase, dating to around A.D. 240. Unlike most Mithraea, which were underground to commemorate the god’s birth in a cave, the Dura Mithraeum was built into a private house.

The cult of Mithras attained popularity in the Roman period among soldiers and merchants. Restricted to men, it was a mystery religion thought to include initiation, ritual banquets, and the promise of salvation after death. The primary cult image was the tauroctony, or Mithras slaying the Cosmic Bull, often paired with an image of Mithras banqueting with Sol, god of the sun (as seen in the painting at left). Other common images included events from the life of Mithras and zodiac signs. While the subjects depicted in most Mithraea are similar, style and composition vary. The Dura Mithraeum contained two tauroctony reliefs, one above the other. The side walls showed Mithras as a mounted archer in a presentation that would have resonated with the Palmyrene archers who founded the shrine. (Yale)

Courtesy of & can be viewed at the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT. Via their online collections: 1935.100.

[vercingetorocks]

I made cookies for Latin club!!! (The bloody one is Caesar and the rest are senators!) And thank you to classically-crazy for the fantastic idea!!!!! :)

[ancientpeoples]

Silver hairpin with figure of Venus. Romano-British, 1st-2nd Century AD.

(Source: British Museum)

[ancientpeoples]

Disc brooch. Copper alloy and enamel, with dolphin attached at the centre. 2nd-3rd Century AD. Romano-British.

(Source: British Museum)

[ancientpeoples]

Terracotta head of a man 

It is 22.2cm high (8 3/4 inch.) 

Cypriot, Archiac Period, 600 BC. 

Source: Metropolitan Museum

[ancientpeoples]

Cuneiform clay tablet 

It describes administrative account of barley distribution. It shows male figurines, hunting dogs and boars. 5.5 x 6 x 4 cm ( 2.17 x 2.36 x 1.63 in). 

Mesopotamian, Sumerian, Uruk Period, ca. 3300 - 2900 BC. 

Source: Metropolitan Museum

[ancientart]

A fluted Achaemenid bowl, dated to the ca. 6th–5th century BC. From Iran, this bowl is made of gold, and just over 11cm high. 

In the sixth century B.C., under the leadership of Cyrus the Great (r. 538–530 B.C.), the Achaemenid Persian dynasty overthrew Median kings and established an empire that would eventually extend from eastern Europe and Egypt to India. Achaemenid rulers included such famed kings as Cyrus, Darius I (r. 521–486 B.C.), and Xerxes I (r. 485–465 B.C.). They built palaces and ceremonial centers at Pasargadae, Persepolis, Susa, and Babylon. The Achaemenid Dynasty lasted for two centuries and was ended by the sweeping conquests of Alexander the Great, who destroyed Persepolis in 331 B.C. The Achaemenid period is well documented by the descriptions of Greek and Old Testament writers as well as by abundant archaeological remains.

Fluted bowls and plates of the Achaemenid period continue a tradition begun in the Assyrian Empire. While they were given as royal gifts, it seems that they were also valued and exchanged simply for the weight of the precious metals from which they were made. (MET)

Courtesy of & able to be viewed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Via their online collections: 54.3.1.

[ancientart]

Plaque with Crocodile Deity, Cocle, gold, found in Sitio Conte, Cocle Province, Panama. Ca. 700-900.

In Panama the Crocodile God was the principal deity for more than a thousand years and was most likely associated with strength, the sun and water, and fertility. The ruling elite probably wore prestige ornaments like this example in order to appropriate the power of crocodiles, fierce animals connected to the underworld since they float on water and drag their prey below to drown it. On this plaque the crocodilian being may be a creator god or a transformative image of the wearer. Smaller crocodiles surround the central figure, and the triangular border design simulates the animal’s protective ridge-like scales. The small holes around the border were probably used to attach the ornament to clothing.

Courtesy of & currently located at the Brooklyn Museum, via their online collections: 33.448.12.

[ancientpeoples]

Wall painting from a tomb: Rape of Proserpina; Pluto in a quadriga to right, carrying Proserpina in his arms; partly restored.

Roman 2nd-3rd Century

Italy,Via Flaminia,Tomb of the Nasoni

Source: British Museum

[iaspo]

Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Black-and-white mosaics with geometric and floral motifs

[ancientpeoples]

Marble inscription: extract from regulations for sacrifices at Athens about 550BC, including the perquisites of officials at the Dipoleia, a festival in honour of Zeus

Source: British Museum

[ancientpeoples]

Pottery whistle in the form of a figure with red painted designs on the front of the body. Small face and arm in relief on left hand side below headdress.

Ceramic figurine of a woman in festival attire with a child. Classic Veracruz, Mexico, 4th-12th century AD

This woman is depicted with legs akimbo and outstretched arms. On her right shoulder appear the head, one arm and feet of a young child she is carrying on her back, probably wrapped in a shawl under her mantle. The woman’s pose and rich attire, including an oval necklace pendat and elaborate feather headdress, suggest she may be a participant in a public event such as a festival. Her headdress and eyes have been daubed with black “chapopote”, a blend of tar and rubber often applied to figurines dedicated to the earth deity. Her “quechquemitl” (woven mantle) and skirt are decorated with different motifs. The mantle is adorned with a pair of birds with outstretched wings, perhaps reffering to migrations marking critical moments in the seasonal cycle.

Source: British Museum

[iaspo]

Rammstein - Du Hast

[iaspo]

Rammstein - Ich Will

[thesecondachilles-deactivated20]

I hope you are enjoying this series on Plutarch’s Life of Alexander. If you have any comments, feel free to get in touch here on Tumblr or via e-mail at thesecondachilles[at]gmail.com.

***

In this post, I’d like to draw your attention to a useful comment that I have received on my blog.

In...