ipl-logo

'The Black Figure Neck-Amphora With (B) Recovery Of Helen'

995 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Humanities Chapter 2 greek pottery

The Black-Figure Neck-Amphora with (A) Recovery of Helen by Menelaos and (B) Battle Scene is a Greek pottery artifact dating back to the 6th century BCE. The amphora depicts two scenes in black figures against a red background, known simply as a black-figure ceramic. Scene A shows Menelaos, recovering his wife Helen from Paris, while Scene B shows a battle scene between two groups of warriors. The depiction of this story on the amphora served to reinforce the heroic ideals of the Greek society of the time, where bravery and honor were highly valued.
In Scene A, Menelaos standing in the center-left, and Paris is shown in the center-right, with Helen in the far right and an unidentified woman in the far left. The composition of the scene is almost …show more content…

Being abducted, it’s possible that she felt alone, her only source of shelter from the chaos outside being the himation, or outer garment, she can wrap herself in. After being rescued, it is understandable that she would want to rip this garment off, not only to tell Menelaos “It’s really me!” but as a symbol of removing the fear and uncertainty of being in an unfamiliar land. This sequence of emotions mixed in with the outstretched arms toward Menelaos shows Helen in true “damsel in distress” fashion, but a very touching one at that.
In the center Menelaos is seen launching his spear into Paris, perhaps already striking him before this, being that he’s seen already falling to the ground. Menelaos had no plan for a peaceful rescue of Helen; he wanted Paris and all of Troy to pay.
Recovery of Helen by Menelaos in Scene A is a clear demonstration of the ancient Greek’s emphasis on honor and bravery. Menelaos was determined to save his wife, regardless of what he would face along the way. Family honor was important to ancient Greeks, so even if Menelaos started a war with another strong kingdom, it was worth it to save …show more content…

Scene B depicts a battle between two pairs of warriors. This can be confirmed by the direction of each warrior; the two from the right attacking the two on the left, and vice versa. These pairs of warriors most likely represented the two sides of the Trojan War, Sparta, and Troy, considering that the warriors to the right are armed with the same distinct shield Menelaos has in Scene A, implying these are Spartans fighting against Trojans, mirroring Scene A. Scene B expands on Scene A by portraying the war that ensued between the two men after fighting for a woman, as well as the battle for the honor of their

Show More
Related

Black-Figure Neck Amphora

518 Words | 3 Pages

hroughout the history of Ancient Greece, many great works were produced such as statues, buildings and especially pottery. The Black-figure Neck Amphora featured at the Tampa Museum of Art depicts the mythological scene of Herakles battling the Amazon showcases the art style of the period. This large amphora originates from Vulci, Italy made in 520 BC dating from the Late Archaic period. The black-figure technique was developed around 700 BCE originated in Corinth, Greece. This difficult process of creating a black-figure pottery involves placing the clay in a kiln, or a heated oven resulting in the black color that is seen on those vases.

Read More

Helen's Guilt In The Iliad

518 Words | 3 Pages

In this moment Helen understands the value of having the gods on her side and she decides to set aside her pride for safety. When Helen enters to Paris’ bedroom, she takes the opportunity to attack him too and she suggests that he will fall to Menelaus next time (Iliad 3.435). Calmly, Paris defuses the situation and requests that she come to his side. Although this interaction lacks a death threat similar to Aphrodite’s, Helen recognizes that her options in this situation are the identical.

Read More

Vanth In Etruscan Mythology

148 Words | 1 Pages

The first object to catch my eye in the museum was a smaller but ornate jug from the Etruscan period. At first glance I believed the piece to be Greek, with its use of dark matte brownish/reddish, white and black paints used for decoration, and the terracotta material. The black silhouette figure is still clearly visible along with the white defining lines. The ornate patterns look great and have still yet to fade. The only part of the jug that’s seems to be wearing is the foot along with the paint on the face of the figure.

Read More

Black Figure Amphora Essay

901 Words | 4 Pages

The Antimenes painter created a black figure Amphora featuring the fight between Herakles and Apollo c. 520-510 BCE. Although the artist doesn’t cover the entire story, the Amphora adequately represents the myth due to the artist’s depictions of the central figures of the myth. From the tripod locked in perpetual struggle between the two adversaries to the key details that identify the actors in this myth, the artist does an adequate job at representing the myth. The Amphora’s register featuring the myth of Herakles and Apollo was done in the black figure style. This technique is done in such a way that the main parts of the figures such as their body and accessories are mainly black.

Read More

What Is The Difference Between The Iliad And All Quiet On The Western Front

1076 Words | 5 Pages

Both works contain an intense amount of gore and brutality, but even amongst all the chaos of battle there are glimpses of humanity. Although the soldiers of ancient Greek armies fought for different reasons than those of modern warfare, throughout history heroes have shown hints of mercy in their battles. Menelaus was a hero of The Iliad. He fought

Read More

Lansdowne Herakles Analysis

693 Words | 3 Pages

On our field trip to the Getty villa this semester, we had to choose an art piece that stood out to us among the many there. The task at hand seemed easier than it was, as there were many art pieces that held my attention. One thing I kept in mind was that many of the Greek art pieces were either recovered from the bottom of the sea or were Roman duplicates. This meant finding background and details about them would be challenging. Of the art pieces, the Statue of Hercules or the “Lansdowne Herakles” was the one that I chose to write about.

Read More

Analysis Of The Trojan Women

765 Words | 4 Pages

This different perspective on war makes for a successful anti-war movie because it is more relatable to the general population who do not experience war on the front lines. The Trojan Women served as a relevant film in 1971, providing a different perspective on the loss of soldiers, the media, and anti-war protests related to the Vietnam War. The biggest theme of both the Vietnam War and Trojan War was the sense of loss felt citizens of the United States of America and Troy. The Trojan Women follows a group of women, highlighted by Hecuba, Cassandra, and Andromache.

Read More

Glory In The Iliad Analysis

1434 Words | 6 Pages

In Book 3, Hector spurs Paris by taunting and insulting him, calling him a “curse to [his] father, [his] city, and all of [his] people” for his lack of courage and perseverance (3.58). This prompts Paris to present the idea of a duel against Menelaus, in which they will “fight it out for Helen and all her wealth” (3.86). Other times, this fighting spirit is regained through leaders’ compliments and encouragement. Before the war begins again after the duel between Menelaus and Paris, Agamemnon was “quick to salute [Idomeneus] and sing his praises” (4.292). He urges Idomeneus to “be that fighter you claimed to be in all the years gone by,” which spurs Idomeneus to “cut down Phaestus” (5.48).

Read More

Exekias In Ancient Greek Art

1316 Words | 6 Pages

Theseus is stabbing the Minotaur with two young girls and two young men on either side of them watching the hero succeed. The young girls and men represent the sacrifices that had been made and would have been made if Theseus had not succeeded, with skin color differentiating the sexes using the well know

Read More

The Consequences Of War In Homer's The Iliad

1661 Words | 7 Pages

Nicole Tschida ENG 210 Paper 1 2-26-18 The Iliad and The Consequences of War The plot of the Iliad takes place in the middle of the war between the Greeks and the Trojans that lasted for ten years. This conflict according to Homer and ancient Greek mythology occurred because the Trojan prince Paris abducted Helen, the wife of Menelaus, brother to king Agamemnon. In this paper, I will be examining the consequences of war, as outlined by Homer.

Read More

The Sacred Canopy Analysis

870 Words | 4 Pages

Heavily influenced by Max Weber, Peter Berger was interested in finding the meaning of social structures. This theme is apparent throughout his book The Sacred Canopy (1967), in which he drew on the sociology of knowledge to explain the sociological roots of religious beliefs. His main goal is to convince readers that religion is a historical product, it is created by us, yet also has the power to govern us. Society is a human product. Berger made it very clear from the beginning that society is a dialectic phenomenon; it was produced by us and it produced us too.

Read More

The Role Of Quarrels In The Trojan War

405 Words | 2 Pages

Another prominent theme in my opinion is a commentary on war, that is that war is a series of pointless and unimportant quarrels by those in power that only affect the people beneath them. I believe this theme is represented by the gods picking sides in a small fight where the context is not mentioned in the book heavily, however the start of the Trojan War was Paris saying that Aphrodite was more beautiful than Athena or Hera, this angered the two goddesses so when Aphrodite gave Paris the most beautiful mortal Helen, (who was already married to Menelaus) to him as a gift they saw an opportunity. They backed the now rising Acheaens led by Meneleaus and Agamemnon on a mission to sack Troy and receive Helen, and more importantly get revenge

Read More

The Importance Of Heroic Code In The Iliad

1570 Words | 7 Pages

In the epic poem, the Iliad written by Homer, several characters taking part in the warfare between the Achaeans and the Trojans are portrayed as embodying the heroic code of courage, physical strength, leadership, arete of value of honour, and the acceptance of fate. The heroic code is illustrated by the actions of the Trojan prince, Hector and the Achaeans strongest warrior, Achilles. Both of these characters display the Greek’s image of a hero, and can also let the reader discern what the society admires, looks up to and aspires to in its heroes. There are also characters who fail to be heroic, such as the Trojan “vivid and beautiful” prince, Paris. These characters in the Iliad illustrate the qualities that Ancient Greek society values.

Read More

Menelaus: A Greek Hero

538 Words | 3 Pages

Menelaus exemplifies the qualities of a courageous hero based on his actions in the Trojan War. To begin with, the Trojan War began when Paris abducted Helen, Menelaus’ wife. Menelaus commanded for her back, but the Trojan side had refused to return her (Megas). The Greeks assembled

Read More

Vengeance And Justice In Homer's Iliad

786 Words | 4 Pages

During the Trojan war Gods picked sides depending on who they thought was justified or to get revenge. The Gods used mortals as pawns in their game of the revenge and justice. Aphrodite saved Paris in an act of justice, rather than letting the cowardly Paris die at the hands of Menelaus. This angered the Greeks and even ones close to Paris. Helen expresses what everyone thinks of him, “‘You’ve come back from the fight.

Read More

More about 'The Black Figure Neck-Amphora With (B) Recovery Of Helen'

Related Topics

Open Document