Analysis of High Classical period Greek Sculpture vs. Hellenistic Period Sculpture

The sculpture of the Antikythera philosopher that we are analyzing is fairly different from the bust of Pericles we used as a comparison point.  The differences show a transition from an emphasis on physical perfection in the case of the bust of Pericles to a more realistic interpretation of what people actually looked like in the case of the philosopher.  In the bust of Pericles, he has a perfect face, with no wrinkles what-so-ever, he is wearing a helmet, showing that there was a big emphasis on war during that period and how he was a war hero, and he has a very broad, strong looking upper torso, again emphasizing the idea of physical perfection.  He also has a very stoic facial expression, maybe hinting at less of an emphasis on emotions and more of an emphasis on, again, the physical perfection that was the ideal of the society at the time.

The bust of the Antikythera philosopher is altogether different.  This sculpture does not emphasis physical perfection the way the sculpture of Pericles does.  The philosopher has wrinkles in his face and looks much more unkempt with his hair and beard, where Pericles’ hair and beard looked very well-groomed and well-kept.  This difference shows a shift in emphasis from the physical perfection to a more realistic view.  We also have a major difference in that the subjects in the sculptures had totally different lives, one being a statesman and a war hero, the other being a philosopher.  This could emphasize a shift from glorification of combat and politics to glorification of thinking and philosophy.  A purely cosmetic difference is the material used to make the sculptures (though I doubt the real importance of this for our purposes, I’ll include it anyway).  The bust of Pericles is made of marble, while the bust of the Antikythera philosopher looks like a bronze work.  Again, a purely cosmetic difference, though it could be the result of a loss in prosperity, since marble would be much more difficult and more expensive to obtain compared to bronze.

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Axial Age Thinkers Chat

Coffeehouse chat between Buddha and Jesus

 

Jesus:  May I join you, sir?

Buddha:  Oh, certainly.  I would love some company.

Jesus:  May I ask your name, sir?

Buddha:  My name is Gautama Siddharta.  My followers call me the Buddha.  And yours, sir?

Jesus:  I am the one they call Jesus of Nazareth.  I am the son of God, sent by my father to save all of  humanity from their sins.

Buddha:  Really?

Jesus:  Yes.  Tell me sir, do you believe that the souls of humanity need saving?

Buddha:  What do you mean ‘soul?’

Jesus:  An essence that survives even after death, an eternal ‘self’ that does not perish.

Buddha:  I do not believe that humans have what you call a ‘soul.’  I believe that, ultimately, there is no ‘self’, as you say.  I believe that a person goes through a cycle of death and

rebirth until he (or she) reaches a state of ultimate enlightenment, called nirvana.  This rebirth I speak of refers to the process in which one goes through a succession of lifetimes as

one of many possible forms of life, be it animal, human, whatever.  This continues until the person reaches nirvana, the enlightenment that I mentioned before.  I believe that what someone

reincarnates is a dependent rising based on Karma, the sum of their good and bad actions in the last life, rather than a ‘jump’ from one existance to the next.  But you said that you believe in a

‘soul?’

Jesus:  I find your opinion to be very interesting.  It is something that I will have to think about sometime.  And, yes, I do believe that every person has a soul.  I believe that my Father created

every person with an undying essence that defines them, their soul.  Each is unique, and each survives after death.  I believe that we have similar ideas when it comes to this Karma you spoke of,

though that’s not a term my followers and I use.  I believe that a person’s actions, both good and bad, will be tallyed up when they die, and these will determine whether or not they are sent to heaven

or to hell.

Buddha:  I suppose that your ideas oProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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the consequences of one’s actions are similar to mine, but I have no concept of this heaven and hell you speak of.  I believe that the ultimate goal in life is to

reach enlightenment, and so to sort of cease to be, to become one with the world, so to speak.  The goal of life is to cease to feel desire, for anything, since all suffering stems from desire.  When you

cease to desire things, you can see the true nature of reality, and thus you have become enlightened.

Jesus:  So, you’re beliefs center around escaping from suffering by ceasing to feel desire?

Buddha:  Basically, yes.

Jesus:  Hmmm.  Interesting.

Buddha:  Tell me of this heaven and hell that you spoke of earlier.

Jesus:  Certainly.  I believe that the things someone did during their life will be weighed by my Father.  He will then decide if they go to paradise, heaven, or into eternal suffering, hell.  So, the eternal

paradise is a reward for those who did many good deeds during their lives, while eternal suffering is a punishment for those who did foul deeds while they were alive.

Buddha:  And what constitutes ‘good’ or ‘bad’ deeds?

Jesus:  Anything done to help your fellow man, along with following the commandments that my Father laid down, constitutes good deeds.  Bad deeds are actions that intentionally cause harm to

your fellow man, along with breaking my Father’s commandments.

Buddha:  Ah, I see.   Yes, I suppose this is very similar to my belief in Karma, since doing good deeds increases your Karma and bad deeds decrease it, and your Karma is what determines what you

will end up being reincarnated as, be it human, cow, fly, whatever.  Yes, similar indeed.

Jesus:  Do believe that there is one and only one God?

Buddha:  My beliefs do not have a God or gods at their center.  They are more a set of suggestions on how to live a good life and achieve enlightenment, rather than following the rules of a supreme

being.  So, no, I do not believe in one God or any gods at all, for that matter.  Do you?

Jesus:  Yes. My Father.  He is the one God who created the universe from nothing but the Word.  I am His Son, part of Him always. This is one of my core beliefs.

Buddha:  Ah, I see.  That is extremely interesting.  Well sir, I had an extremely good time speaking with you.  You have given me many things to think about.  However, I must take my leave now.

My followers and I need to continue our journey.  I wish you the best and I hope that this conversation was as stimulating for you as it was for me.

Jesus:  Oh, indeed it was sir.  I am just sorry that you have to go.  This conversation has given me much to think about.  I wish you and your followers a safe journey!

Buddha:  Thank you, sir.  Have a very pleasant day, and may your life be peaceful.

Jesus:  The same to you sir.  God be with you.

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Ch. 6 ID Terms 1-5

1. Axial Age (roughly 700 B.C.E. through 100 C.E.)

a.  Armesto states that this image suits this period of intellectual growth for three reasons.

1.  The areas in which the thought of the sages and their schools stretches across Eurasia in an axislike pattern, through regions that influenced each other, more or less.

2. The thoughts of the period have remained central to so much later thought all over the world.

3. Why did this period of concentrated thought occur at all?

b.  The significance of the term axial age is that it gives us an idea of where the major thinking occured (axislike image) and how important it was (and is) for many different philosophies.

2.  Zoroaster/Zoroastrianism

1.  Zoroaster founds religion known as Zoroastrianism between the late seventh and early sixth centuries B.C.E.

a.  Main gods are Ahura Mazda and Ahriman

1.  Ahura Mazda was the good god, present in light and fire

2. Ahriman was the bad god, present in night and darkness

b.  Dualist philosophy- idea of good versus evil, right versus wrong (deals in absolutes, no grey area)

3. Brahmanism (Hinduism)

1. Originates from the Upanishads around 1500 B.C.E.

a.  Belief in Brahman, the essence of the universe

4. Jainism/Vardhamana Jnatrputra

1.  Vardhamana Jnatrputra (the Mahariva) founds Jainism in the sixth to early fifth century B.C.E.

2. Believe in practicing asceticism in order to cleanse the soul of evil (we’re talking about extreme asceticism here)

a.  So extreme to the point that a religious Jainist should not accept anything unless it is freely given (even food)

5. Buddhism

1. Founded by Gautama Siddharta (the Buddha) in the mid-500’s to early 400’s B.C.E.

2.  Believe in escaping from desire- the cause of all unhappiness

a.  Continue to be reborn until achieving a state of ‘nirvana,’ meaning extinction of the flame (the flame being desire)

1.  This is achieved through prayer, meditation, and unselfish behavior

b.  People who achieve this are called Buddhas, the examples of perfection that Buddhists strive for

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Analysis of the Assyrian Ideology

The Assyrian Empire’s ideology was that of domination. When Hatti collapsed around 1000 B.C.E., Kings from Assur used Hatti’s land on the Tigris River to form the Assyrian kingdom.   Over a period of almost 300 years, until 750 B.C.E., the kingdom expanded to its greatest lengths from the Middle East to the Meditteranean Sea.  The conquering of land gave Assyrian ruler King Tiglath-pilaser III power, overconfidence and an urge to continue expanding.   This mindset affects the picture because it depicts the soldiers in the process of obtaining more land, which came from King Tiglath-pilaser III’s conceitedness that he was “…successful enough to contend for more than regional power” (Armesto). Throughout the history of the empire, there was instability, which caused by the monarchy. Until the 620s BCE, Assyria never changed their ideology of domination. Assyrians focused on themselves and material things, such as lavish banquets and gigantic sculptures, rather than focusing on what was needed to help their failing empire. The kings wished to gain more power by owning more land, but they overtaxed their economic and military resources in the process and lost the power they already had instead. Assyrian politics did not change over the course of history and the Assyrians’ unwillingness or inability to change their ideology (as shown in the Conrad-Demarest model) caused over-extension and population overgrowth which in turn led to their downfall.

The idea that the ideology of the Assyrians did not change at all is supported by the evidence archaeologists have gained from the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III and the inscription of Tiglathpileser I. The obelisk was created by Shalmaneser to commemorate his victories, his great power, and the tribute he collected from the people he conquered.  Shalmaneser records many times how he crossed the Tigris or Euphrates rivers while they were in flood. Since these rivers had deities associated with them, it makes it look like Shalmaneser was more powerful than the gods, and therefore worthy of great respect and loyalty.  Tiglathpileser I did something similar.  Archaeologists found an inscription that was probably commissioned by Tiglathpileser which commemorates all his great victories and how his power rivaled that of the gods.  He goes as far as to say that he is “King of the four quarters of the world, king of all rulers, lord of lords, king of kings; the lofty prince . . . who rules over the nations, the legitimate shepard whose name is exalted above all rulers.“ He details all the people he has conquered, the battles he fought in, and the great feats he performed (most of which were probably exaggerated).  Both of these records show that the Assyrians never made the shift from militaristic ideology glorifying their ruler to a more peaceful one that promoted stability and peace.  This lack of an ideological shift is partially what led to the fall of their empire.

The mindset of the Assyrians to expand territory caused them to lose control of their empire.  In the inscription King Tiglath-pilaser III recounts his victories over neighboring lands. He boasts about how his greatness and power rivals that of the gods.  He also, in great detail, describes his victories over the lands he conquered, telling how he “subjugated lands and mountains, cities and their rulers, enemies of Ashur, and conquered their territories. With sixty kings [he] fought, spreading terror [among them], and achieved a glorious victory over them. A rival in combat, or an adversary in battle, [he] did not have. To Assyria [he] added more land, to its people [he] added more people, enlarging the boundaries of (his) land and conquering all [neighboring?] territories.” This primary source is translated from the original inscription written by King Tiglathpileser. He intended for all his subjects to read it and for future generations of people to know how great he was, and how much he did for Assyria. The tone of this text is boastful and proud, King Tiglathpileser wanted everyone to know who he was and what he could do. In a picture of the Assyrian army attacking a city, soldiers climb ladders to cross the wall that surrounded the city and use a battering ram to break down the wall. The Assyrians might have used these techniques and pieces of technology often when expanding their empire. King Tiglath-pilaser III is in the picture  holding a bow and arrow, which indicates his power comes from the Assyrians’ fear of his violence. Assyrians, especially kings, thought they were extremely powerful and often glorified themselves. Emperor Ashurbanipal, a selfish emperor, recounts the story of how the people of Suru Bit-Halupe revolted and how he violently and valiantly regained power. The war was not meant to keep order. It appears based on his description that he fought for power and control to verify himself as a great leader. “In the valor of [his] heart and with the fury of [his] weapons [he] stormed the city.” As he fought and won, he hoarded all the conquered goods for himself, and used all the spoils of war to gloat over his conquest. As war raged he violently killed all he captured, and used their bodies as “trophies” of his glory, as “[he] covered the pillar [of the city gate, he built] with their skins.” Emperor Ashurbanipal glorifies himself and dismisses the people who revolted against him.

By not changing their ideology, the rulers of Assyria attempted to expand their empire too much, and eventually lost control of it.  The Conrad-Demarest model explains that “…expansion and conquest fuels attempts at conquest beyond practical limits” (Conrad-Demarest).   The rulers of Assyria felt they had the capability to control a much larger stretch of land than they actually could, and had to appoint regional governors as a result of this hubris. This system could not support the Assyrian ideology of expansion and the conquering of new peoples, which was overtaxing the economy and military resources of the empire.  It was only a matter of time after the Assyrian rulers reached the limit of practical expansion until their empire fell apart.

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Ch. 5 Timeline, First Half (pg.121-136)

Timeline: (pg. 121-136 detail the spread of the Phoenician and Greek cultures)

I. 1,000 B.C.E.- Wenamun treats with King Zeker Baal

Phoenicain colonization begins

End of Greek dark Ages

II. 800 B.C.E.- Carthage is founded by Phoenician traders

III. 750 B.C.E.- Assyria begins expanding its influence, contends for

power in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean

Greek trade expands and Greek colonies line the Mediterranean

IV. 689 B.C.E.- King Sennacherib destroys the city of Babylon

V. 650 B.C.E.- Ashurbanipal takes the throne of Assyria

VI. 620’s B.C.E.- Fall of Assyrian empire, revival of Babylonian empire

VII. 605-562 B.C.E.- Reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, peak of Babylonian Empire

VIII. 500’s B.C.E.- expansion of Greek colonies

Unification of Thracian city-states

The Illyrian, Garamantine, Etruscan, and Spanish civilizations thrive

Carthage seeks to gain control of the Mediterranean

IX. 100 B.C.E.- recording of the Iliad and the Odyssey occured

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