Early Greek Art: Cross-Cultural Influences

      The great wars against Persia highlight the differences between the civilization developing in Greece and the older civilizations of the East. The Greeks beat back the Eastern threat to their freedom and won the opportunity to develop their own culture, accepting outside influences only if they appealed to Greek taste. This paid great dividends in the coming centuries, as the greatest Greek artists, writers, philosophers, and scientists began to explore their world in new ways and to new heights. But the Greeks were not ready to move forward until after they had absorbed many important ideas and influences from the East, Egypt, and other regions during the eighth and seventh centuries BCE. At this earlier time, Greek representational an (art that attempts to depict the world as it appears), for example, was so far behind that of the East that it was easily influenced by forms of Eastern art -- scenes of people, animals, and mythical creatures like griffins and sphinxes. This period in Greek art is actually called Orientalizing because of the strong Eastern influence.
      For Greek art, the opening up of Egypt to Greek merchants and travellers was very important. In Egypt, the Greeks observed monumental statues carved in fine, hard stone and soon imitated these in the finest white marble of their homeland. Greek architects learned how to build great temples in stone after viewing the marvels of Karnak, Luxor, and Memphis. Greek artists began to appreciate the fine skills of drawing and the use of colour after seeing wall painting adoring buildings and tombs all along the Nile. Likewise, metal-working skills, glass making, and other important crafts were picked up very quickly and brought back to Greece. In every case, the Greeks were not simply imitators. They did not merely acquire skills, they also adapted them and applied them to their own needs and tastes. This is one of the keys to the greatness of Greek art and civilization.
     We can see some of the great strides made in Greek art from the Dark Ages to the Persian Wars by looking at temple architecture. Temples changed from modest wood and clay "houses" for cult statues to grand marble showcases from Greek treasures, such as the temple of Artemis at Ephesus. This sanctuary was one of the largest in all the Greek world -- the temple alone occupied an area almost the size of a football field -- and was home to hundreds of marble sculptures of people, gods, and animals.
     Sculpture was transformed from rather abstract figurines in bronze or clay to natural-looking, life-size statues in marble, bronze, or even a combination of gold and ivory. Vase painting also shows a similar transformation, changing from little black stickfigures to wonderfully fluid, idealized characters against a black, red, or white background.
      Greek philosophy and science also took their first tentative steps during the Archaic Period. Thinkers from Miletus, like the astronomer Thales, were the first to ask, "How did the world originate?" and not be satisfied with the answer, "The gods created it." They wanted to know exactly how the Earth was formed and from what. They proposed theories about the world's origin, suggesting that all things had been formed from basic elements such as moisture or air or fire, through various fundamental processes, like condensation and vaporization. These ideas are no longer accepted, but it is significant that the development of philosophy (from the Greek phileo, "to love," and sophia, "wisdom") and a type of systematic science began in Greece.
      Greek literature passed from the age of epic poems like the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer to an age of lyric poetry in dozens of forms. Drinking songs, war songs, poems such by choruses or by a single person love poems, and poems in praise of athletic victories are just a few of the new themes that appeared.
      One of the lyric poets was a woman named Sappho of Lesbos, who was admired by some Greeks as much as Homer. This is remarkable, given women's generally lowly status in Greek society. Even those belonging to wealthier citizen families enjoyed few freedoms; they were married to men chosen for them, had no right to vote or possess property, and could not go to public places unaccompanied.
      Besides lyric poetry, the very first dramatic plays were written in Athens just before th Persian Wars. They were performed in honour of the god Dionysos, god of wine and fertility.

History Continues to Unfold

      By the end of the fifth century BCE, the Greeks were poised to enter their greatest adventure yet. The Persian threat had been beaten back and the way was clear for the Athenians to build their empire and created unprecedented heights of cultural and political achievement. The level of civilization to come in the Classical Period of Greek history would be looked back on by people and empires to come as a golden age.

Writing: ECHOES from the past published by McGraw-Hill Ryderson Ltd.