We have been enjoying Gregory Nagy’s series of posts on Hēraklēs at Classical Inquiries[1]. The Hēraklēs myths have inspired many artworks from classical times onward: he is probably the most represented of all the ancient Greek heroes. So we have prepared two galleries with a selection. This first includes depictions of the Labors of Hēraklēs. In The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours Gregory Nagy provides the background to the… Read more
In January 2024, I went back to the Department of Prints and Drawings in the Louvre to access some paintings and drawings which are not shown in the Museum. I followed the same procedure to have the authorization to look at, consult and take pictures of the specific artworks kept at the Louvre. I wanted to see a painting, which was acquired by the Louvre a few years before the… Read more
There are many references to monsters in ancient Greek texts, some with detailed descriptions. This Gallery illustrates how just three of them were depicted in the visual arts: Scylla, the Hydra, and the Chimera. Scylla When Circe warns Odysseus that his journey must take him past the dangers posed by Scylla, who lives up in a sheer cliff face, she provides a vivid description of what he will face: …… Read more
Image A: Hēraklēs supported Athena on the left. Geryon on the right supported by his mother Callirhoe (barely visible). Orthros already slain by a Hydra-poisoned arrow. [Geryon addresses Menoites] “Do not with talk of chilling death try to frighten my manly heart, nor (beg me) … for if I am by birth immortal and ageless, so that I shall share in life on Olympos, then it is better (to endure)… Read more
Head of Helios In this post, following the one on Thera, I offer you a safe and virtual journey through time to another Greek island of the Aegean Sea. Rhodes is well known for its famous statue of the Kolossos of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but the Kolossos (the god Helios) was destroyed during an earthquake in c226BCE, and it was not rebuilt according… Read more