The Ancient Greek Representation Of: Ares/Mars

Many of the Greek classical mythology had been depicted on vases to represent the rich Greek stories of immortality. The online collection from the British Museum shows many great examples of an Archaic Greek vases that showcase major events. The Greek Art chosen for this discussion is called “Representation of: Ares/Mars”, which is one of its associated names. It is an amphora dated around 510 BC-500 BC, which was excavated in Vulci, Italy. The height of the amphora is 59.69 centimeters and the technique used is called black-figure painting. The designs on the artwork are in black on red panels that had the borders of lotus and honeysuckle on the top. Most importantly, the artwork displayed a scene of combat among the Greek gods and goddess named Ares, Athena, Hercules, and Kyknos.

He was known for being the god of war and courage. Most often, he was portrait as a battle lust god. Each deity was known to be represented with sacred animals or objects to signify their purposes. Ares is well associated with a sacred animal of serpent, “which ancient augury identified as portents of war, sedition and ill-fortune” (Astma, “Ares”). In this specific artwork, the god of war could be identified behind Kyknos, who held the serpent shield. Although all three deities wore helm, Ares’ signature element was the warrior’s helm. According to Astma, “Ares can be quite difficult to identify in ancient Greek art as there is little to distinguish him from other warrior figures.” However, one of the most distinctive element of the god of war is the fact that he was mostly dressed as a “standard Greek warrior with a short tunic, breastplate, helm and greaves” (Astma, “Ares”). One observation could be made that Ares closely represent mortal man for his characteristics of wrath, jealousy, and reckless