Achitecture and Sculpture.
From Athens and Arcadia on one side of the Aegean Sea and from Ionia, Lycia, and
Karia on the other, this book brings together some of the great monuments of
classical antiquity --among them two of the seven wonders of the ancient world,
the later temple of Artemis at Ephesos and the Mausoleum at Halikarnassos.
Drawing on the Greek and Lycian architecture and sculpture
in the British Museum--a collection second to none in quality, quantity, and
geographical and chronological range--this lavishly illustrated volume tells a
remarkable story reaching from the archaic temple of Artemis, the Parthenon, and
other temples of the Athenian Acropolis to the temple of Apollo at Bassai, the
sculptured tombs of Lycia, the Mausoleum, and the temple of Athena Polias at
Priene. Ian Jenkins explains each as a work of art and as a historical
phenomenon, revealing how the complex personality of these buildings is bound up
with the people who funded, designed, built, used, destroyed, discovered, and
studied them. With 250 photographs and specially commissioned line drawings, the
book comprises a monumental narrative of the art and architecture that gave
form, direction, and meaning to much of Western culture.
Karia on the other, this book brings together some of the great monuments of
classical antiquity --among them two of the seven wonders of the ancient world,
the later temple of Artemis at Ephesos and the Mausoleum at Halikarnassos.
Drawing on the Greek and Lycian architecture and sculpture
in the British Museum--a collection second to none in quality, quantity, and
geographical and chronological range--this lavishly illustrated volume tells a
remarkable story reaching from the archaic temple of Artemis, the Parthenon, and
other temples of the Athenian Acropolis to the temple of Apollo at Bassai, the
sculptured tombs of Lycia, the Mausoleum, and the temple of Athena Polias at
Priene. Ian Jenkins explains each as a work of art and as a historical
phenomenon, revealing how the complex personality of these buildings is bound up
with the people who funded, designed, built, used, destroyed, discovered, and
studied them. With 250 photographs and specially commissioned line drawings, the
book comprises a monumental narrative of the art and architecture that gave
form, direction, and meaning to much of Western culture.
literature and theater.
The
origins of Greek theatre lie in the revels of the followers of Dionysus, a god
of fertility and wine. In keeping with the god's special interests, his cult
ceremonies are exciting occasions. His female devotees, in particular, dance
themselves into a state of frenzy. Carrying long phallic symbols, known as
thyrsoi, they tear to pieces and devour the raw flesh of sacrificial
animals.
But the Dionysians also develop a more structured form of
drama. They dance and sing, in choral form, the stories of Greek myth.
In the 6th century BC a priest of Dionysus, by the name of
Thespis, introduces a new element which can validly be seen as the birth of
theatre. He engages in a dialogue with the chorus. He becomes, in effect, the
first actor. Actors in the west, ever since, have been proud to call themselves
Thespians.
According to a Greek chronicle of the 3rd century BC, Thespis
is also the first winner of a theatrical award. He takes the prize in the first competition for tragedy,
held in Athens in 534 BC.
Theatrical
contests become a regular feature of the annual festival in honour of Dionysus,
held over four days each spring and known as the City Dionysia. Four authors
are chosen to compete. Each must write three tragedies and one satyr play (a
lascivious farce, featuring the sexually rampant satyrs, half-man and
half-animal, who form the retinue of Dionysus).
The performance of the
plays by each author takes a full day, in front of a large number of citizens
in holiday mood, seated on the slope of an Athenian hillside. The main feature
of the stage is a circular space on which the chorus dance and sing. Behind it
a temporary wooden structure makes possible a suggestion of scenery. At the end
of the festival a winner is chosen.
The theater of Ancient Greece, or ancient Greek
Theater, is a culture that developed in ancient Greece between the years 550 BC and 220
BC. Athens, which became a significant cultural power
during this period, was its centre. This was part of a festival called the Dionysia, which honored the god Dionysus. Tragedy (late 6th century BC), comedy
(486 BC), and the satyr play were the three dramatic genres to emerge there. Athens exported the
festival to its numerous colonies and allies in order to promote a common cultural identity. Western theater originated in
Athens and its drama has had a significant and sustained impact on western culture as a whole.
origins of Greek theatre lie in the revels of the followers of Dionysus, a god
of fertility and wine. In keeping with the god's special interests, his cult
ceremonies are exciting occasions. His female devotees, in particular, dance
themselves into a state of frenzy. Carrying long phallic symbols, known as
thyrsoi, they tear to pieces and devour the raw flesh of sacrificial
animals.
But the Dionysians also develop a more structured form of
drama. They dance and sing, in choral form, the stories of Greek myth.
In the 6th century BC a priest of Dionysus, by the name of
Thespis, introduces a new element which can validly be seen as the birth of
theatre. He engages in a dialogue with the chorus. He becomes, in effect, the
first actor. Actors in the west, ever since, have been proud to call themselves
Thespians.
According to a Greek chronicle of the 3rd century BC, Thespis
is also the first winner of a theatrical award. He takes the prize in the first competition for tragedy,
held in Athens in 534 BC.
Theatrical
contests become a regular feature of the annual festival in honour of Dionysus,
held over four days each spring and known as the City Dionysia. Four authors
are chosen to compete. Each must write three tragedies and one satyr play (a
lascivious farce, featuring the sexually rampant satyrs, half-man and
half-animal, who form the retinue of Dionysus).
The performance of the
plays by each author takes a full day, in front of a large number of citizens
in holiday mood, seated on the slope of an Athenian hillside. The main feature
of the stage is a circular space on which the chorus dance and sing. Behind it
a temporary wooden structure makes possible a suggestion of scenery. At the end
of the festival a winner is chosen.
The theater of Ancient Greece, or ancient Greek
Theater, is a culture that developed in ancient Greece between the years 550 BC and 220
BC. Athens, which became a significant cultural power
during this period, was its centre. This was part of a festival called the Dionysia, which honored the god Dionysus. Tragedy (late 6th century BC), comedy
(486 BC), and the satyr play were the three dramatic genres to emerge there. Athens exported the
festival to its numerous colonies and allies in order to promote a common cultural identity. Western theater originated in
Athens and its drama has had a significant and sustained impact on western culture as a whole.