Portraits of the Ptolemies

Portraits of the Ptolemies
Author: Paul Edmund Stanwick
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2010-07-22
Genre: Art
ISBN: 0292787472

As archaeologists recover the lost treasures of Alexandria, the modern world is marveling at the latter-day glory of ancient Egypt and the Greeks who ruled it from the ascension of Ptolemy I in 306 B.C. to the death of Cleopatra the Great in 30 B.C. The abundance and magnificence of royal sculptures from this period testify to the power of the Ptolemaic dynasty and its influence on Egyptian artistic traditions that even then were more than two thousand years old. In this book, Paul Edmund Stanwick undertakes the first complete study of Egyptian-style portraits of the Ptolemies. Examining one hundred and fifty sculptures from the vantage points of literary evidence, archaeology, history, religion, and stylistic development, he fully explores how they meld Egyptian and Greek cultural traditions and evoke surrounding social developments and political events. To do this, he develops a "visual vocabulary" for reading royal portraiture and discusses how the portraits helped legitimate the Ptolemies and advance their ideology. Stanwick also sheds new light on the chronology of the sculptures, giving dates to many previously undated ones and showing that others belong outside the Ptolemaic period.

The Ptolemies, the Sea and the Nile

The Ptolemies, the Sea and the Nile
Author: Kostas Buraselis
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2013-07-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 1107355516

With its emphasis on the dynasty's concern for control of the sea – both the Mediterranean and the Red Sea – and the Nile, this book offers a new and original perspective on Ptolemaic power in a key period of Hellenistic history. Within the developing Aegean empire of the Ptolemies, the role of the navy is examined together with that of its admirals. Egypt's close relationship to Rhodes is subjected to scrutiny, as is the constant threat of piracy to the transport of goods on the Nile and by sea. Along with the trade in grain came the exchange of other products. Ptolemaic kings used their wealth for luxury ships and the dissemination of royal portraiture was accompanied by royal cult. Alexandria, the new capital of Egypt, attracted poets, scholars and even philosophers; geographical exploration by sea was a feature of the period and observations of the time enjoyed a long afterlife.

Art in the Hellenistic Age

Art in the Hellenistic Age
Author: Jerome Jordan Pollitt
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 348
Release: 1986-06-12
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9780521276726

This 1986 book is an interpretative history of Greek art during the Hellenistic period.

Handbook of Greek Sculpture

Handbook of Greek Sculpture
Author: Olga Palagia
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 798
Release: 2019-07-22
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1614513538

The Handbook of Greek Sculpture aims to provide a detailed examination of current research and directions in the field. Bringing together an international cast of contributors from Greece, Italy, France, Great Britain, Germany, and the United States, the volume incorporates new areas of research, such as the sculptures of Messene and Macedonia, sculpture in Roman Greece, and the contribution of Greek sculptors in Rome, as well as important aspects of Greek sculpture like techniques and patronage. The written sources (literary and epigraphical) are explored in dedicated chapters, as are function and iconography and the reception of Greek sculpture in modern Europe. Inspired by recent exhibitions on Lysippos and Praxiteles,the book also revisits the style and the personal contributions of the great masters.

A Companion to Greco-Roman and Late Antique Egypt

A Companion to Greco-Roman and Late Antique Egypt
Author: Katelijn Vandorpe
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 911
Release: 2019-03-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 1118428404

An authoritative and multidisciplinary Companion to Egypt during the Greco‐Roman and Late Antique period With contributions from noted authorities in the field, A Companion to Greco-Roman and Late Antique Egypt offers a comprehensive resource that covers almost 1000 years of Egyptian history, starting with the liberation of Egypt from Persian rule by Alexander the Great in 332 BC and ending in AD 642, when Arab rule started in the Nile country. The Companion takes a largely sociological perspective and includes a section on life portraits at the end of each part. The theme of identity in a multicultural environment and a chapter on the quality of life of Egypt's inhabitants clearly illustrate this objective. The authors put the emphasis on the changes that occurred in the Greco-Roman and Late Antique periods, as illustrated by such topics as: Traditional religious life challenged; Governing a country with a past: between tradition and innovation; and Creative minds in theory and praxis. This important resource: Discusses how Egypt became part of a globalizing world in Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine times Explores notable innovations by the Ptolemies and Romans Puts the focus on the longue durée development Offers a thematic and multidisciplinary approach to the subject, bringing together scholars of different disciplines Contains life portraits in which various aspects and themes of people’s daily life in Egypt are discussed Written for academics and students of the Greco-Roman and Late Antique Egypt period, this Companion offers a guide that is useful for students in the areas of Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and New Testament studies.

Ancient Faces

Ancient Faces
Author: Susan Walker
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 172
Release: 2000
Genre: Egypt
ISBN: 9780415927451

Published in conjunction with an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, February-May 2000, the first major showing in North America of stunning painted mummy portraits that represent a confluence of ancient Egyptian and Roman cultures and the Graeco-Roman painting tradition. The catalog concentrates closely on the paintings, their artistry, and their social context and meaning. Seven contributed essays set the context. The 122 color and 23 bandw illustrations are fully discussed and described by editor Walker, who is affiliated with the British Museum. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Royal Bronze Statuary from Ancient Egypt

Royal Bronze Statuary from Ancient Egypt
Author: Marsha Hill
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 394
Release: 2004
Genre: History
ISBN: 9789004123991

Egyptian bronze statuary has proven particularly intractable to chronological investigations. This study exploits clues offered by bronze royal statuettes to make identifications or stylistic assignments. A fuller understanding of the artistic milieu and role of small royal bronze statuary results.

The Ptolemies, the Sea and the Nile

The Ptolemies, the Sea and the Nile
Author: Kostas Buraselis
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2013-07-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 1107033357

This book examines how the power of the Ptolemies depended upon control of waterways, the easiest form of communication in the ancient world.

Visions of the Future in Roman Frontier Kingdoms 100 BCE–100 CE

Visions of the Future in Roman Frontier Kingdoms 100 BCE–100 CE
Author: Richard Teverson
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 326
Release: 2024-09-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 104010391X

This is the first book-length exploration of the ways art from the edges of the Roman Empire represented the future, examining visual representations of time and the role of artwork in Roman imperial systems. This book focuses on four kingdoms from across the empire: Cottius’s Alpine kingdom in the north, King Juba II’s Mauretania in the south-west, Herodian Judea in the east, and Kommagene to the north-east. Art from the imperial frontier is rarely considered through the lens of the aesthetics of time, and Roman provincial art and the monuments of allied rulers are typically interpreted as evidence of the interaction between Roman and local identities. In this interdisciplinary study, which explores statues, wall paintings, coins, monuments, and inscriptions, readers learn that these artworks served as something more: they were created to represent the futures that allied rulers and their people foresaw. The pressure of Roman imperialism drove patrons and artists on the empire’s borders to imbue their creations with increasingly sophisticated ideas about the future, as they wrestled with consequential decisions made under periods of intense political pressure. Comprehensively illustrated and providing an important new approach to Roman material culture at the edge of empire, Visions of the Future in Roman Frontier Kingdoms 100 BCE–100 CE is suitable for students and scholars working on Rome and its frontiers, as well as Roman material culture more broadly, and those studying the aesthetics of time in art and art history.

Alexandria and Alexandrianism

Alexandria and Alexandrianism
Author: J. Paul Getty Museum
Publisher: Getty Publications
Total Pages: 316
Release: 1996-09-26
Genre: Art
ISBN: 0892362928

One of the great seats of learning and repositories of knowledge in the ancient world, Alexandria, and the great school of thought to which it gave its name, made a vital contribution to the development of intellectual and cultural heritage in the Occidental world. This book brings together twenty papers delivered at a symposium held at the J. Paul Getty Museum on the subject of Alexandria and Alexandrianism. Subjects range from “The Library of Alexandria and Ancient Egyptian Learning” and “Alexander’s Alexandria” to “Alexandria and the Origins of Baroque Architecture.” With nearly two hundred illustrations, this handsome volume presents some of the world’s leading scholars on the continuing influence and fascination of this great city. The distinguished contributors include Peter Green, R. R. R. Smith, and the late Bernard Bothmer.