CLAS241 - Fourth Century (400-300 BCE)

Plan of the Temple of Apollo at Bassae (Iktinos). Fourth Century. 400 - 300 BCE.

• First example of a Corinthian Column in Greece

  • Only one found in INTERIOR

• Exterior is a typical Doric temple, and it also had interior Ionic columns

  • Ionic columns were “engaged columns” = attached to each other and to side walls

• Temple designed by architect Iktinos

  • Significant because he was the first one to incorporate all three orders

• Plan is odd but likely due to having confined building area and preserving the architecture of an earlier temple at the same site:

• Odd proportions (too long)

  • 15 columns instead of 13 - unlike classical ratio

• Unusual North-South orientation

  • Doesn’t open properly in the East - Most Greek temples faced East-West with an East entrance

• Temple plan consisted of:

  • 6 columns by fifteen; Porches front and back have 2 columns in antis, front porch deeper than back

  • Arrangement behind porch is highly original; a cella and an adyton with a back door

    • The transition from cella to adyton (a back room in a temple), is marked by the new Corinthian Capital column

Cont. Corinthian Capital from the Temple of Apollo at Bassae

• Somehow add this to your analysis of the Temple of Apollo lol idk

Cont. Corinthian Capital from the Temple of Apollo at Bassae

• Doric solves problem of Ionic

• Ionic only looks good frontally

  • When you view it from the side, you can only see side of ram's horn, not the full curve

• Corinthian looks the same from every direction

  • A more decorative version of a doric colum

  • Looks good in 360, but not confined to Doric rules

• Corinthian style architecture same as Ionic but w Corinthian columns

Amazonomachy from the Temple of Apollo at Bassae. Fourth Century. 400 - 300.

• Mixed quality in execution

  • Some figures as good as Parthenon bodies, others have fewer straight lines or look more doughy

• Late fifth century:

  • Large muscles (Parthenon), deep drapery folds, and wet look

• But now, we see in the Fourth century:

  • Exaggerated postures (ex. right amazon pulled off horse fainting w/ downward arm + open mouths, head positions, pleading eyes

  • Theatrical expressions (ex. horse)

  • Deep eyes (ex. left soldier about to get killed)

• Artists looking to Parthenon as example for style and composition

  • Since the Parthenon became famous or artists from acropolis came to work here

  • Ex. Figures like Poseidon and Athena, from the West pediment on Parthenon (story of Poseidon and Athena giving gifts, tree comes up, falling away from e/o)

Theatre at Epidauros (and Polykleitos the Younger). Fourth Century. 400 - 300 BCE.

• Round buildings get more used in the fourth century

  • Many theatres start looking like this in Greece

  • Greek theatres were built their slope into a hill

• Theatres dedicated to Dionysus (god of drama) = all theatres are sacred

• Epidauros is a sanctuary for Asclepius (god of medicine)

  • Threatres = “healing for the mind,” plays often discuss social and psychological problems - allows society to work through these tgt

• Designed like modern theatres

  • Ex. Sections to acquire tickets and walkways

• Seats at top, orchestra in the middle, stage at bottom

  • Seats = cheap benches at top, expensive ones at bottom, few individual seats closer to bottom for chief priest/priestess, VIPS

  • Skene = stage where play occurs, few actors speaking

  • Orchestra = where chorus (group that responds to actors)

  • Audience would look at both skene and orchestra

    • Play depicting countryside, chorus would be “farmers” that would dance and sing

• The architect, Polykleitos, is likely related to the sculptor Polykleitos (Doryphoros/Spear Bearer from High Classical period)

• PERFECT acoustics, you can hear someone talking from the stage even if you’re sitting very far (unknown reason) + you can hear sound waves bend, ex. if someone claps around the stage (watch a tiktok lol)

Choregic Monument of Lysikrates. Fourth Century. 400 - 300 BCE.

• First evidence of EXTERNAL Corinthian columns, near theatre of Dionysus

  • Takes long for Corinthian columns to become external: compare to the internal column from the temple of Bassae from the start of the 4th century

• After this, we see many Corinthian style temples with exterior Corinthian columns

• Not significant by itself, but important in terms of chronology

• A victory monument, erected on “the street of monuments”

  • A prize given to the winner of a tragedy or comedy contest → the choregos

  • Like modern horse racing where the owner of the horse gets a trophy (not the horse or jockey) - Here, the choregos is the guy who put up the money (not the actors, costume designers, or the play maker)

• If a choregos’ play won, they put a trophy to memorialize themself to show their victory

  • Here, the winning producer was Lysikrates

• The picture is modern. Originally, the column would’ve been open with a statue inside

• 4th century style sculptured decoration on the outside

  • Shows the myth of Dionysus, where he turns pirates into dolphins

Plan of Olynthos. Fourth Century. 400 - 300 BCE.

• By the start of the 4th century, we see regularized urban plans

  • Cities developed haphazardly prior to the 4th century, usually staring to build near a city core - close to a temple or well

• Occupation over two hills

• Based on Hippodamos of Miletus

  • He popularized this Greek urban plan

• Essentially a grid plan going North-South, streets meeting at right angles, and houses (4-5) regularly spaced between

  • Shows advanced urban planning

  • There were neighbourhoods, ex. merchant & religious districts, affluent section w bigger and fancier houses

• Houses look the same architecturally

  • Similar to modern “row housing”

  • Houses were called pastas house (verandas)

• Rooms are usually multifunctional

  • Ex. sunken storeroom turned into a bedroom, could also sell stuff from the window of the storeroom - turning it into a shop

• However, we can recognize that some rooms could perform a function

  • Flue (room with a chimney) = usually kitchen

  • Floor raised around the outside = dining room (andron)

    • Greeks ate on couches on the the raised floor

    • Formal dining parties (symposium) happened in the andron

    • Parties were men only (andros = men room)

    • When parties didn’t happen, it might’ve been used for other functions like a regular dining room, kids playroom, storeroom, etc.

    • Dining rooms more decorative b/c you’d show off to ppl you’d bring in for parties

• In the 5th and 4th century, there’s more control over public vs private

  • Public rooms are more decorative → dining rooms

  • Private rooms are on the second floor, ex. bedroom

  • Control seems to be over women (don’t want outside men to see them)

  • Later, theres less concern/control over what someone sees when they enter ur house

Reconstruction of the Mausoleum – Halikarnassos. Fourth Century. 400 - 300 BCE.

• One of the seven wonders of the ancient world

• Mausoleum = tomb of the dead

  • Mausoleum was a tomb for the king Mausolus, corpse in central room

  • Mausolus was the king of Caria. Halikarnassos was the main city → TURKEY

• His wife commissions the Mausoleum, built by leading sculptors (ex. Skopas)

  • Became a monument to a non-Greek ruler in Greek style

• Basically, the monument fused a Near Eastern idea in a Greek way (using Greek architecture and culture)

  • Ex. the building is ionic, w ionic columns and friezes

• Mausoleum sets the stage for future ruler monuments

  • Ruler monuments were more popular in the near East b/c they had more significant rulers, Greece didn’t have many

  • Similar buildings would be made for Alexander the Great, roman emperors

  • Shows that greek cultural style SPREADS from Athens, to Bassae, to even farther (southern Turkey)

• Overtime, the stone from the Mausoleum was used for other buildings

• Therefore, there’s debate over what the Mausoleum looked exactly like, but we know

  • The Mausoleum had tiers, but size and # of tiers are unknown

  • Relief sculpture and free-standing sculptures on tiers

  • Statues in between columns around the outside

  • Statue of Mausolus on chariot at the top

Amazonomachy from the Mausoleum. Fourth Century. 400 - 300 BCE.

• Sculpture that survives from Mausoleum, depicting Greeks vs Amazons

• Although Mausolus was a non-Greek and the sculpture shows “Greeks superior to non-Greeks”, he probability had it in his tomb because:

  • He’s probably thinking of it as "I’m superior” (generalizes it as group better than a non-group)

• Basically, it recontextualizes what Greek style/art means, fits a general message that one group is better

  • Shows that Greek art was popular, and that Mausolus was in touch with best sculptors in the world by having stuff in Greek style

  • He appropriates Greek material, showing he’s as good as the stuff that came before

The picture shows:

• Amazon dragged off horse, Amazons chopped up on ground, referencing:

  • Tyrannicides chop

  • Temple of Apollo at Bassae amazons getting pulled off hair, also seen at Parthenon with centaur getting pulled by hair

• We see a mix of 5th and 4th century in the way they’re executing stuff

  • Slightly bigger and more expressive eyes, dramatic pose, big musculature

• But from the 4th century onwards, we see more DRAMA and THEATRICALITY in the face and body posture (pose + the way they’re expressing themselves)

  • Ex. girl on the ground pleading not to get hit, one hand down, another hand up to stop them (might’ve lost her shield or smth)

  • This frieze is similar to the frieze from Apollo at Bassae, but more emotion/drama

• If this was from the classical period, even if she was on the ground - her hands would be by her side, standing up, no expression on face

  • Similar to: the women abducted by centaurs at Parthenon/Temple of Aphaia at Aigina, where it shows no expression and no sense that they’re fistfighting

Hermes and Baby Dionysos - Praxiteles. Fourth Century, 400 - 300 BCE.

• 2.15 m - marble

• Sculpted by Praxiteles

• Found from the text

• Languid “S” curve

  • Contrapposto stance exaggerated (Hermes), balanced by Dionysus

• Playfulness

  • Dionysus grabbing the grapes held by Hermes, wanting wine

• Smokiness = fumato → Lack of harsh lines (ex. undercut of pectoral)

• Nice flow of overall piece (s curve, fumato, balance from Dionysus)

• What’s new?

  • More expression (ex. deeper eyes/heavier lids), hair curls more dramatic, babies look more accurate

Aphrodite from Knidos - Praxiteles. Fourth Century. 400 - 300 BCE.

• 2.04 m

• Sculpted by Praxiteles

  • Contrapposto, “S” curve, fumato → 4th century but more detailed

• Cult statue (architecture)

• Overt sexuality, fully nude female statues are new - modelled after a prostitute

  • Aphrodite = goddess of love sex

• Either taking off/on her clothes

• Pudica = playful?

  • New shorthand: Hand covering genitalia (esp for women)

    • Like the Tyrranicides chop

• Sexual or playful?

• Statue inside a round (knidos: new in fourth century)

  • Can be viewed 360

  • Genitalia can be seen in other angles

Meleager – Skopas. Fourth Century. 400 - 300 BCE.

• 1.23 m

• Sculpted by Skopas

• No fumato

  • More definition in body (ex. hair, face, clavical, pubic hair, scrotum)

    • clear-cut muscles

• More torsion

  • Pulls the left shoulder forward to balance the rightward thrust of the hip, to emphasize the importance of the immediate view (3/4 view)

  • Compare to a statue with no torsion: discus thrower

  • The full-frontal view of Classical sculpture, seen in the broad expanse of the torso, is now declining

• Trying to convey an emotion (ex. face)

  • Ambiguous expression - self-absorbed far away look? or determined and humanly involved

  • Deeper cut eyes

Apoxyomenos (Scraper) – Lysippos. Fourth Century. 400 - 300 BCE.

• Called “the scraper” - cleaning body with olive oil + sand

• 2.05 m

• Sculpted by Lysippos

• Breaks frontality/square approach

  • Invades viewers space

  • Must use multiple viewing angles to understand piece

  • Unlike Hermes grapes

• Better torsion

  • Contrapposto but muscles more bunched/twisted in the back

• Symmetry now is 1:8 (Kouros were 1:6)

  • Taller to fix foreshortening - looks perfect when you look up

• Better biomechanics, use of different viewer angles

Head of Alexander the Great. Fourth Century. 400 - 300 BCE.

• Sculpted by Lysippos

  • Less frontal and stuff

• Tilt of the head

  • Capture inner qualities of the person, not exactly like actualy face

  • For A.T.G, he was never satisfied - always thinking for what’s next

• Deep cut eyes

• Anastole

  • Small hair curl in the middle of forehead

• Physiognomics: connecting facial signs to personality, like analyzing animal faces to understand humans or depicting ideal features linked to cultural superiority

  • Physical hair = metaphor

  • Longer 3-D hair > Lion’s mane > Courage

  • Tilt of the head > Thinking about future

  • Sharp eyes

• Appears in other media like coins

• Copied in antiquity - shorthand

  • Ex. Pomepei the great has an anastole > reference to A.T. G

Alexander Sarcophagus. Fourth Century. 400 - 300 BCE.

• NOT Alexander’s coffin, but made after his death

• Temple-like work

• Depicts Macedonians vs Persians

• Engaged in lion hunt

  • Lion in the middle chomping on horse

• Overhand chop beside lion (Tyranncides)

  • Like Dexelias relief - horse rearing, spear to kill lion

• Alexander wears a lion hat > earliest 3-D portrait of him > imitating Hercules

• Shows 4th century poses, dynamism, and theatricality

  • More dynamic/force/energy: pulling head

Grave Stele of Dexileos. Fourth Century. 400 - 300 BCE.

• Ca. 390 BCE

• Gravemarker

• Athens - kerameikos

• Style from Acropolis

• New: pose and energy

  • Head from Parthenon

  • Male wet look

  • Amazon falling away pose

• Sumtuary law of 310 BCE - only columns w sculpture

Attic Panathenaic Amphora. Fourth Century. 400 - 300 BCE.

• Black-figure technique

• Victor prizes for Panathenaic games celebrating Athena 

• Style never really changes 

• Usually depicts Athena on one side and a scene from the games on the other

  • Here it shows an armed Athena, with a scene from the “pankration” (like wresting and boxing) on the other side

• Looks Archaic = archaistic 

  • Athena  

• Painters inscribed the name of the “archon,” chief magistrate, of the year on these pots, so that may can be dated precisely

Alexander Mosaic. Fourth Century. 400 - 300 BCE.

• Battle of Isos: a Roman copy of a lost Greek painting

• Depicts the turning point in the battle

  • Persian King Darius admits defeat and flees while Alexander charges forward, spear ready, symbolizing the power shift and collapse of Persian resistance

• No longer a pebble mosaic, but made of tesserae (2 mil)

  • Tesserae = small cubes of coloured glass + stone 

• Background empty

• Except for the debris of battle, the foreground is also empty

• Focus on the figures

  • Modelled with foreshortening and bold use of light and shade

  • Foreshortening of horse 

• Reflection in shield of killed Persian 

Lion Hunt Mosaic – Pella. Fourth Century. 400 - 300 BCE.

• Lion hunt with Alexander the Great (on the right)

• Alexander the Great:

  • Downward chop

  • About to get killed, but friends distracted the lion, lion killed

• Figural mosaic (looks like a picture or painting)

• Pebble mosaic

• 3 colours

• Little overlapping of figures and little use of shading

• Emphasis on diagonal lines and contours

  • Metal contours - lead for details

  • Gives little sense of space

• Refers to royal activities

Stag Hunt Mosaic – Pella. Fourth Century. 400 - 300 BCE.

• Bordered, but panel in the middle is called an “emblema”

• Light figures against a dark background

• Musculature modelled by shading

• Displays various views of the body

• Contours strengthened by strips of terracotta or lead

• Pebble mosaic

  • But more closely packed and uniform in size

• Colours other than black and white are used: yellow, brown, red added to highlight details and contribute to shading