The Iris

ancient Greece

Posted in Ancient World, Antiquities, Getty Villa, Voices

Getty Voices: Classics 2.0

By Villa Teen Apprentices | Published: April 8, 2013
pompeii_graffiti_featured

The real ancient world of Greece and Rome was much like our own: colorful, human, and messy. The Villa Teen Apprentices take it on. More»

Also tagged , , , , , , , Leave a comment
Posted in Ancient World, Antiquities, Voices

Getty Voices: The Ancient Funny

By Eric Bruehl | Published: April 1, 2013
gm_03558301_featured

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: A Greek, a Roman, and a priest walk into a bar… More»

Also tagged , , , , , 4 Responses
Posted in Ancient World, Antiquities, Voices

Mystery Cults and the Mother Goddess

By Erin Branham | Published: March 20, 2013
Orphic Prayer Sheet / Greek
Orphic Prayer Sheet, Greek, 350-300 B.C. Gold, 1 7/16 x 7/8 in. The J. Paul Getty Museum, 75.AM.19. Gift of Lenore Barozzi

Only initiates could take part in the rites of the mystery cult, and they were forbidden to ever speak of what occurred. More»

Also tagged , , , , , , , Leave a comment
Posted in Ancient World, Antiquities, Education, Getty Villa, Voices

Getty Voices: Digging the Sacred

By Erin Branham | Published: March 18, 2013
Engraved Gem (Snake-legged Creature)
Engraved gem with snake-legged creature, Unknown, Roman, 200 - 400 A.D., The J. Paul Getty Museum.

“I can really appreciate the ancient system where borrowing, amalgamating, and generally mixing it up was perfectly acceptable.” More»

Also tagged , , , , , , , , 1 Response
Posted in Ancient World, Antiquities, Exhibitions and Installations, Getty Villa, J. Paul Getty Museum

An Ancient Curse Revealed

By Alexandra Sofroniew | Published: December 12, 2012
Curse Tablet / found in Morgantina, Sicily
Curse Tablet, about 100 B.C., found in Morgantina, Sicily. Lead, 3 11/16 x 1 13/16 in. (9.4 x 4.6 cm). Museo Archeologico Regionale of Aidone

One small but powerful object stands out among the artifacts excavated from the ancient city of Morgantina in central Sicily, now on loan to the Getty Villa from the Museo Archeologico Regionale of Aidone and on view in Gallery 104…. More»

Also tagged , , , , , 2 Responses
Posted in Ancient World, Antiquities, Getty Villa, J. Paul Getty Museum, Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Seven Ways of Seeing “Lion Attacking a Horse”

By Shelby Brown | Published: December 4, 2012
Lion Attacking a Horse / Greek
Lion Attacking a Horse, Greek, 325–300 B.C.; restored in Rome in 1594. Marble, 150 x 250 cm. Sovraintendenza ai Beni Culturali di Roma Capitale—Musei Capitolini

In August, the Greek sculpture Lion Attacking a Horse flew over the back wall of the Getty Villa and took up residence in our Atrium. We have now lived with the sculpture for over three months, and are already lamenting… More»

Also tagged , , , Leave a comment
Posted in Ancient World, Antiquities, Art, J. Paul Getty Museum, Sculpture and Decorative Arts

“Not Like a Coward”: Remembering a Warrior’s Death

By David Saunders | Published: November 12, 2012
Gravestone of Pollis / Greek
Gravestone of Pollis, Greek, made in Megara, about 480 B.C. Marble, 60 1/4 in. high. The J. Paul Getty Museum, 90.AA.129

The intimate association between being remembered and risking one’s life on the battlefield lies at the heart of Homer’s Iliad. The preeminent warrior Achilles famously chose to die young in battle and be forever honored, and this heroic code is well… More»

Also tagged , , , , , Leave a comment
Posted in Ancient World, Antiquities, Art, Education, Getty Villa

Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, and Why Your Kids Need to Know Classical Culture

By Erin Branham | Published: October 17, 2012
A family visiting the Getty Villa explores ancient art, history, and mythology through frescoes from the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum.
Mosaic with boxers: A scene from the Aenied in which two boxers fight to a bloody end for the watching crowd. (The J. Paul Getty Museum, 71.AH.106)

The adventure and derring-do of ancient myth is an easy sell to kids, and parents too for that matter. But I believe your kids need to know more. More»

Also tagged , , , , , , , , , 1 Response
Posted in Ancient World, Antiquities, Art

Grit, Money, Glory: Olympics Then and Now

By Sarah Waldorf | Published: July 30, 2012
Athletes and Competition (Gallery 211) at the Getty Villa

This weekend marked the start of the 2012 Olympics, a spectacle with 10,500 Olympic and 4,200 Paralympic athletes in competition across 26 sports, from handball to taekwondo to the good old-fashioned pentathlon. The Olympics we’re familiar with today are an… More»

Also tagged , , , Leave a comment
Posted in Ancient World, Antiquities, Getty Villa

What Did Ancient Music Sound Like?

By Eidelriz Senga | Published: July 18, 2012
Sarcophagus with Scenes of Bacchus / Roman

Ancient works of art illustrate that music had a strong presence in daily life of classical Greece and Rome. Vase paintings and sculptures in the antiquities collection offer an eye-opening view of the variety of musical instruments that were played, as… More»

Also tagged , , , , , 1 Response

  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Tumblr

    • photo from Tumblr

      myancientworld:

      hehasawifeyouknow:

      This could be my favourite Greek drinking vessel ever!

      ancientpeoples:

      Rhyton (Drinking Vessel) in the Shape of a Donkey Head

      c. 460 BC

      Greek, Attica

      This drinking cup could not have been set down without its contents spilling. It is fashioned after the head of a bridled donkey with a white muzzle, teeth, and ears. Like the naked satyr chasing a fleeing maenad on the vessel’s neck, the donkey belongs to the retinue of the wine god Dionysos. Douris, one of the great Athenian vase painters of first half of the fifth century B.C., decorated this amusing cup.

      Source: The Art Institute of Chicago

      In the morning, I’m making WAFFLES

      This cup has a built-in drinking game: it can’t be put down until empty.


      05/18/13

  • Flickr