Ancient Greek Culture

Paper Summary:

This paper attempts to provide a clear picture of the humanistic world of the ancient Greeks. It looks at how the humanistic attitudes of the ancient Greeks, where the individual was of prime importance, contrasts sharply with many other ancient cultures and civilizations. It examines how classic Greek art and literature, illustrated by examples such as as the "Nike of Samothrace" and Homer's "Odyssey," illuminate not only the ancient Greeks themselves but also our modern age. It shows how it was from the Greeks that art and culture truly emerged, with its respect for beauty and simplicity, the physical concepts of nature and the humanistic view of man.

From the Paper:

"A later work of Hellenistic sculpture is the Laocoon group, which shows the Trojan priest Laocoon and his sons being strangled by sea serpents, due to Laocoon's defiance of the Greek god Apollo (others say he offended Poseidon by warning the Trojans about the Trojan horse). The spectacular torment of Laocoon and his sons is presented with all the devices of realism--the torturous poses, straining muscles and swelling veins. This piece, according to Pliny, the Roman scholar, was fashioned by Athanadoros, Agesander and Polydoros, three sculptors from the Greek island of Rhodes, famous for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world."

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