The role of the court of Philip II and Alexander III of Macedon in the development of Hellenistic art
Although much has been written about the art and history of ancient Greece, it can not be denied that it had and has an uninterrupted influence on modern people. The 21st century man owes his own sense of harmony, rhythm and views to architecture and a general sense of beauty to the Greeks. It is not without reason that many current studies of various fields of human activity open the words "...already the ancient Greeks ..." The reason why the identification with the culture of Greece remains so strong is that this culture belonged to the most humanistic, putting the human at its centre. It was the gods of the Greeks who were created in the image of a man and were often equipped with human attributes.
Getting to know this wonderful culture began with finding the remains of the last Hellenistic period of its development. Thus, the study of the history of the art of ancient Greece began, as it were, from the end, from the last edition in the century preceding its conquest and absorption by Roman civilization.
My study refers to the heyday of Hellenistic culture, which is very interesting and crucial for understanding the processes of Greek history. The decline of the classical period and the transition from "static" to "dynamic", from the non-expressive and distanced style of this era to the deep and vibrant life and emotion of the Hellenistic style.
These changes resulted from the rapid expansion of Greece to the east, which led to an increased penetration of its culture into conquered areas.
After Philip's death, his son and successor Alexander inherited in 336 BC a reformed and modern state equipped with a modern army, an empire surrounding the Aegean Sea.
" Alexander was not deprived of Genius, he had too much of it, but even genius is an amazing product of his surroundings. What Alexander became, to a large extent, was the work of Philip and Macedonia", writes Green (1978: 13)
Young Alexander began a series of spectacular conquests in the East. The expansion of the empire induced major cultural changes: new cities were being established, the language of Greece was imposed, the migration of peoples increased. The sculpture is dominated by a new dynamic, the spiritual layer of sacred works is reduced, and at the same time, the emotional states of the figures are emphasized. And the best artists of this period are, sculptors, painters and Greek architects: Praxiteles, Scopas, Lysippus, Pitas, Nicias and Apelles.
Mixing cultures within Alexander's growing empire has led to the Greek flourishing of these arts and makes the context of his reign unchanging from them.
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Alexander's conquests evoked dramatic cultural changes within his empire that followed throughout the Middle East. In this process, the creation of new Greek cities was crucial, 70 by Alexander (though in fact, it may be less than half of them). Some of these cities were transformed from existing settlements, giving them a new, dynastic name and furnishing Greek legislation. Alexandria in Egypt replaced the city of Memphis as the Ptolemaic capital, and Seleucia - ancient Babylon.
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Plutarch discusses the following thesis: Alexander, son of Philip II, who united Greece, went a step further and expanded the "blessings" of Greek culture throughout the known world. He opposes the "savage" to those nations that benefit from these favors. And the result of their meeting was to be an inhabitant of Greek and Oriental culture - Hellenism.
Hellenization has influenced the cultures conquered by Alexander so far that even contacts between Greek philosophers and Buddhist culture in India are known.
The culture of that time has evolved from a classic, based on divine ideals to a new, more complex one. Now Greek freedom of thought has deepened, while in other countries (India) there are already extensive systems of humanistic philosophy. The Greeks now turned to the man himself, wanting to know his nature, his psychological structure, while the artists began to extract the interior of man, his inner expression and depth. Art was to find a new goal: to satisfy the requirements of ordinary people and rulers, to embellish private houses and palaces.
During Alexander's lifetime, many Asians saw him as a "god on earth", and in later centuries the "romance of Alexander" was born. It is impossible to find a ruler who would be able to merge local cultures into one whole when ruling over such a vast territory. Alexander’s high ideals are consent to religious freedom, equal rights regardless of origin, the possibility of appealing to the king by every citizen, pursuing a political agreement.
As a result of Alexander's actions, Greece and her subordinate world were overrun by a real "oriental revolution" that opened this country to Eastern art, political culture and customs. The Greeks saw in this influence the act of goodness. Conquered by Alexander, they were happier than those who avoided his rule: they had ideals and means to end the hopelessness of their existence.
Alexander persuaded Sogdians to support your parents instead of killing them, and the Persians - to worship their mothers instead of marrying them (...) and the Scythians - to bury their dead instead of eating them!" - Plutarch
The epoch of Alexander the Great and the times that followed it are the arena of dramatic changes in the culture of the Mediterranean. Breaking the power of the Persian Empire led to the crystallization of a new social and political reality. Alexander’s death contractually marks the advent of a new Hellenistic era in which Greek culture has penetrated countries from Asia to the foreland of India.
The largest cultural centre of the Greek world in the classical period was Athens, while the rapid growth of the country to the east enabled the flourishing of new political and artistic centres: Alexandria in Egypt, Antioch in Syria, and Pergamum in Asia Minor.
The art and culture of the Greeks penetrated the Persian Empire as a result of Alexander the Great's conquest of this territory. A new order with a cosmopolitan and strongly individualistic feature was created by diffusion.
These changes have influenced sculptural art, painting, architecture and urban planning, religion and spirituality. Works of art at the turn of the ages were characterized by new dynamics, stronger expressiveness, sometimes so-called "Baroquisation." The decorative art developed significantly, and the use of floral ornament became popular.
The decline of democracy on the model of Athens is also a new political situation and the so-called worship of rulers. Its fruit is the growing visibility of the art of portraying rulers. These performances have undergone changes that have expressed the clearer application of divine attributes to rulers.
The Hellenistic kingdoms that were created later dominated the whole Middle East for several centuries and the echoes of this era were to last for another thousand years.
Authored by @highonthehog
References
Images: sources linked below
Photographs taken by @highonthehog
• Green, P. Hellenistic History and Culture, University of California Press, 1996
• Boardman, J., Griffin, J., Murray, O. The Oxford History of the Classical World,Oxford, 1986
• Kumaniecki, K. Historia kultury starożytnej Grecji i Rzymu, PWN, Warszawa 1964
• Hammond, N. G. L., Dzieje Grecji, Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, Warszawa 1994
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Greece has so much history to learned about the rise and fall it's quite volatile, but look at their real current situation now, they have economic crises.
indeed, history and art are beautiful and serve as an inspiration for generations. unfortunately, it is no longer the same state as it used to be, the sum of bad decisions and the lack of good leadership are taking its toll .
Time for a resurgence. I want the kind of inspiration that the ancient art can provide.
Art, freedom and creativity will change society faster than anything.
Keep steemit.
Surely, it has already begun, thanks for reading.
Agreed, arts do help, and that is why we have a first amendment.
Wonderful
Thank you !
I like the post. Of course,it is very good to highlight old civilizations. Thanks you sharing the post.
much appreciated.
its really a good post,i like it
Thank you !
Hey i studied something on the internet
Wait
Let me go call my mom. She will be so proud
Say halo to your mom from me. :)
I did :)
She said "Helouuu" back to you too :)
Your mom will be proud of you when you grow up. I think you're more intelligent than you think.
very nice art. thanks for sharing.
My pleasure, thanks for reading.
Wowwww! Very wonderful art
isn't it :D
Great read! Thanks @highonthehog! I think there is one great article to make about the lost Greek kingdoms of Bactria and north-west India, which survived the disintegration of Alexander's empire for a while. And you may be the Steemian for it :)
Thank you, and as you go deeper, it gets even more interesting. When you take a closer look at the Greco- Buddhist art, the connection is striking and you begin to wonder... ;)
I really liked some of the pictures you used. I know lots of greeks, also my girlfriend is greek. I will use some of this stuff to impress them :P
Thanks for sharing the knowledge!
thanks for dropping by, good luck !
Wonderful and beautiful culture. Great post you gat!
thank you for the appreciation, I honestly enjoyed writing about it.
This is such a good post and I enjoyed reading it. Almost anything about Greeks seems always amazing to learn.
isn't it! I totally have the same feeling, I can dig in the topic for hours and I never get tired, how cool is that!
Good review.
Thanks. I appreciate it.
You can never speak of art and not mention the Greeks and you can not certainly speak of history and not mention the Greeks, this century has it has from the ancient Greece, we owe it all to them.
Those are some pretty nice art from that time. Were they better than us or we surpass them.
That's about right my friend. The ancient Greek civilization has greatly influenced what is right now modern Europe and some parts of Asia minor. Some of this evidence is present there until today, in all the aspects of life. I see also how the cultures prior to the Greeks evolved and in the end, you can see how all is intertwined. Of course, the history of Alexander is not like any other. Were they better, wouldn't say that though.
Alexander, I'm always fascinated with his story, great achievements for a life
Its an amazing post , a good insight in history
people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture are like trees without roots.
I couldn't have said it better myself. thanks for reading.
Glad you replied
Thankyou for your support
Great post ... loved it
Glad you have enjoyed it.
Thanks for sharing this really enjoyed that post 👏
Thanks , there might be more to come :)
👍
very nice sir....... I, being a student of history and International Relations, have learnt plenty from this article.....
That is awesome, I'm happy to give you a bit of an insight on this topic, although I'm sure you probably know a lot about it if you are studying history. ( by the way, in a woman:-)
ohhhh really sorry about that....
eeeeeh no worries ;)
thanks mate :)
I see Alexander as a hero of mine...... Just skimmed through... I'll be back to read this... Bookmarked.
Thanks for the time spent in putting this together
Hey, he seemed to be a pretty interesting young man. I often wonder how our modern World would look like if he had lived few decades longer...
Nice thought. Very different, I must add. Gonna be paying close attention to your blog. Following :) cheers
buen trabajo , me encanto ,suerte y éxito
Muchas Gracias, igualmente :)
Hello, soy nueva me puedes apoyar con mis post, por favor, gracias
Seguro, si sigues un buen trabajo serás recompensada. Siempre escribe articulos que aporten un gran valor para la red y conecta con mas personas y comunidades dentro de Steemit. Eso te ayudara a tener mayor presencia. Good luck!
How I love gandhara sculpture! Saw some beautiful examples in India.
Lucky you, I dream of going to India and Nepal. For now, I can only enjoy the shots from my books :)
India is so fascinating! You must find a way to get there! I have been painting India for the last 18 years!
I should go to India and look at the art. I do not know much about that but I am a fan of art and history and I draw too.
If you are a fan of art and history, you will find India very inspiring. There are sites (Ellora, Khajuraho, Mahabalipuram, etc.) that are worthy of Florence and Venise. And there is a feeling of eternity in India that is indescribable.
wonderful article .. thanks for sharing this history
Thank you for reading and kind words :*
follow you .thanks
How good to be in the history of art, and also in his post is reflected the footprint left at that time, for study, admire it and keep in mind that man is manifested by liv lived or imagined ... thanks @adsactly
I've learned a lot of history since I'm in the steemit community. I like this. That's why I feel good working in this network.
Yes, we can all learn from each other, this is so cool, everyone brings something unique to the table .
nice post.. hi friend please vote me thanks for u friend
A great read! Alexander had some very progressive and includisive ideals and if he had had a son like his father had, history would very different! There was such chaos after his death that lead to the break up of the empire and animosity between the individual rulers of the different territories that the strides that had been made became unsustainable in favor of power grabbing. Great stuff, keep them coming!
I agree and I see that you know what you're talking about. Sure, if you want to read more, I invite you to check profile.
I followed you but haven’t check out your other articles yet. Keep up the great work!
there have many thing to learn from grecce history... we need to learn about the history and apply to our daily life
Was Greece a country with a democracy or a republic or did their government change over the years? I love history and I prefer republics over democracies for governments. I do like the art too. I draw too. I like to learn about Alexander too. I think Greece and Rome and Babylon and Assyria and other empires fell for similar reasons. There are patterns found in history. Thanks for sharing, hehe. I'm Oatmeal Joey Arnold. You can call me Joey.
https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@kenergy/one-line-art-challenge
A very readable, informative overview of Greek culture and its influence on other cultures. I remember pouring over Plutarch's "Lives" in high school (not assigned- I had odd reading habits). I was convinced everything he said was historically accurate. Of course, over the years I came to realize that not just Plutarch, but all sources have to be regarded critically. Still, that book influenced me and contributed to my lifelong interest in history. Your map is fascinating, in that many of the place names have endured in some form. Although, "Iberia" did puzzle me, enough to prompt investigation. It seems I'm not the only one to be puzzled--people of the Caucasus have also given the matter some thought and looked for a connectionbetween their ancient kingdom and the Iberian peninsula. Very enjoyable piece, especially for a fan of history.
Greek art is wonderful, it has given so much that the rest of the world should be grateful for such an immense contribution to humanity.
Thanks for your post.
Blessings.
yes, you are absolutely right. Wow, I have checked your profile, I see that you also contribute to the culture ;)
amazing job, any concerts in Caracas in May/June, may be there with my boyfriend ..?
Thanks for going through my profile, they are welcome when they want, if they come to Caracas do not hesitate to write me, to invite them to my presentations.
great, I will.
All the best:D
Greek art at it's best..... It's indisputable how Greek art has influenced humanity and the world at large; I'm Nigerian, and I enjoyed every bit of this; bless you for sharing
well it's certainly not boring, I dunno how they have found the time for appreciating art in this period full of battles, hehe ;)
Muy interesante e informativo, sobre el arte antiguo en Grecia. Saludos desde Venezuela.
Gracias , saludos desde Munich!
Does anyone ever wonder how life must have been during this period in history. Makes you think.
yes, I wonder all the time...and I have some good clues and few theories ;)
It is nice to enjoy good historical art, good friend contribution, things like this need to know and remember them
@adsactly
thanks for dropping by, cheers!
yeah, Alexandar is a great ruler in his time period and rules the whole world with his military mind he such a power and brilliant leader. He rules the whole world with great planning and power hungry and diplomatic. One thing I like the horse battle mostly he used in his life. Greek has great history that grabs the attention of anybody. I'm a hobbyist of history whenever I have time I visit also such historic places. Its always grabs my attention and increase the interest of me and took into the past. This article show one of the best acient times and the moments. I personally feels history means a lot!
Wonderful, interesting post. I see you have done your research.
Have a vote for your effort.
yes it is my favorite topic :)
wonderful art
Wow,
Great history and nice art.
Excellent Contribution.
Happy Steeming.
thank you for appreciating my post:)
Nice work, love Greek art <3
thanks :)
Woooooow... This brings back my library memories as an undergraduate at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. I studied classics... Classics is an eyes opener. It's the foundation of the modern world. Most of the modern civilizations can be traced to ancient Greece. If you ask me Greece is supposed to be the richest country in the world. Quite unfortunately it's wallowing in economic crisis. This post is an interesting one. It tells me classicists are on steemit.