Verified Document

Greek Artifacts The Civilization Of Term Paper

Our last artifact is titled Pair of Armbands with Triton and Tritoness Holding Erotes, made in the Hellenistic period, circa 200 B.C.E. These jewelry objects were apparently designed for a woman of high Greek culture, for they are made from solid gold and are fashioned in the shape of two loosely-coiled snakes or serpents. Whomever designed these intricate and beautiful objects realized the special properties of gold, for the woman lucky enough to wear these could easily slip her arms through the loops, due to the malleability of solid gold. The two figures located at the tops of each piece are representations of Triton and Tritoness, most closely associated with the Greek god of the sea Poseidon.

As Seyffert points out, Poseidon who "ruled over the sea and all its gods and all its creatures," had a son named Triton which may be related to an object known by the same name with three upright prongs attached to a long handle, often used for fishing by ancient Greeks. Also, as Homer mentions in one of this lesser-known poems called the "Helice," Poseidon, "on leaving his palace, is clad in a golden robe and wields in his hand...

"(506). Obviously, the creator of these exquisite pieces of jewelry fashioned them in gold in honor of Poseidon and his son Triton. Also, Tritoness may indicate that the female figure is the wife of Triton, due to both figures holding infants in their arms.
Thus, these artifacts illustrate the cultural and social heritage of ancient Greece as one of the most important Western civilizations of all time. They also prove that the ancient Greeks were superb artisans who always attempted to reveal the intricacies of Greek culture through their work, whether in the form of a simple vase for holding wine or the highly-detailed beauty of a pair of armbands meant to adorn the smooth arms of a Grecian lady.

Bibliography

New Greek and Roman Galleries." The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Internet. 2007.

Retrieved at http://www.metmuseum.org/special/greek_roman/images.asp.

Seyffert, Oskar. The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Religion, Literature and Art.

New York: Gramercy Books, 1995.

Sources used in this document:
Bibliography

New Greek and Roman Galleries." The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Internet. 2007.

Retrieved at http://www.metmuseum.org/special/greek_roman/images.asp.

Seyffert, Oskar. The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Religion, Literature and Art.

New York: Gramercy Books, 1995.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Greek Roman Empire
Words: 818 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Greek and Roman History The Greek and Roman civilizations each played an important part in shaping the history of today. It is interesting to look at these two cultures and the major contributions of each. Greek History The Greek civilization was defined in the 5th century BC by the Golden Age. Athens was home at this time to "statesmen such as Pericles, Solon and Lycourgos. Pericles, who lived from 495 to 429 B.C., was responsible

Islamic Civilization Islam, As a Religion, Has
Words: 1173 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Islamic Civilization Islam, as a religion, has been adopted and is practiced by a variety of different ethnic groups and cultures around the world; and each ethnic group has had an influence on Islamic culture. As Islam spread out from its home in Arabia, the followers of Mohammed were joined by a number of different ethnic groups who adopted Islam. From Spain to Persia, India to Indonesia, Islamic Civilization is a

Homer's Life and Epics and Their Effect and Contribution to Western...
Words: 2309 Length: 8 Document Type: Term Paper

Homer was a legendary Greek poet who is traditionally credited as the author of the major Greek epics the "Iliad and the Odyssey," as well as the comic mini-epic "Batracholmyomachia" (The Frog-Mouse War), the corpus of Homeric Hymns, and various other lost or fragmentary workd such as "Margites" (Homer pp). Some ancient authors credited him with the entire Epic Cycle, which included other poems about the Trojan War as well

Theory That Civilization Began When People First Made Beer
Words: 1210 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Beer and Civilization Beer Production and the Birth of Civilization At various points in human history, developments in civilization have occurred due to various catalysts. Eighteenth century was characterized by the emergence of the Enlightenment, where secularization and rationalization became the dominant forms of socio-political thinking. Nineteenth century, meanwhile, was known for giving way to Industrial Revolution, leading to the emergence and development of modernism and capitalism that prevailed from the 20th

History of Economic of the 4 Periods in Ancient Civilization
Words: 5166 Length: 16 Document Type: Literature Review

Economics in Ancient Civilization It is said that "Rome was not built in a day." Indeed, the Roman Empire was the last of a series of civilizations to emerge in the Mediterranean by the First Millennium, B.C. Precursors to the culture most identified as the seat of Western political economy, the Ancient Egyptians, Etruscans, Greeks, Syrians, Carthaginians and Phoenicians all had contact with the Romans, and eventually were incorporated through territorial

Western Civilization Mesopotamia Historical and
Words: 3480 Length: 12 Document Type: Literature Review

Prior to the solidification of society in the major cities of Greece, the period called the Greek Dark Ages (c. 1100-750 BC) shows that there was a great deal of trade and cultural influence between Greece, Egypt, and the Assyrian/Babylonian cultures, This was a time in which the alphabetic script was brought to Greece, and the basis of culture and technology developed. Because of the influences of the other

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now