Sarpedon Krater
Monday, May 30, 2022
1:03 PM
Classifying Art:
Attic red-figured calyx-krater signed by Euxitheos (potter) and Euphronios
(painter)
Attic--coming from Athens
Red-figured--figures on the ceramic are red with black background
Calyx-krater--the shape of the ceramic
Big. Held wine. Two big handles. Mixed water and wine.
Symposium--aristrocratic drinking party. Only attended by men. Discuss
politics, cities, culture etc. Usually took place in a specific part of the house
"andron".
Object was found in a tomb. Possible situations:
Big. Held wine. Two big handles. Mixed water and wine.
Symposium--aristrocratic drinking party. Only attended by men. Discuss
politics, cities, culture etc. Usually took place in a specific part of the house
"andron".
Object was found in a tomb. Possible situations:
• Funeral ritual. Libation
• Items buried with dead person if associated with them
Imagery:
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Sarpedon is young, dying, bleeding, calm facial expression
Thanatos on the right, god of death
Hypnos, god of sleep on the left
Hermes in the mdidle, guiding sarpedon to the resting place
Zeus sent gods to protect sarpedon's body
Fear of dying in battle; negligence of bodies
Homer, Iliad 16.419-461
The Myth:
• Homer's Iliad
• Takes place during trojan war. Sarpedon in the war
• Sarpedon fights Patroklos. Patroklos is a lover of a god (I forgor) but
mortal
• Zeus watches Sarpedon dying and ponders if he should save him or not
"the heart in my breast is balanced two ways as I ponder"
• "Hera of the ox eyes" epithet
• Hera says the other gods won't approve if he saves him, but suggests he
send death and sleep to carry Sarpedon away to Lykia when he goes
down
• Treat sarpedon with dignity as a mortal
• "Zeus cried tears of blood" can be interpreted as rain, Zeus tears mixed
with blood of the battlefield, or he actually cried blood idk
• In Iliad, Zeus calls Apollo. In ceramic, it is Hermes
Monotheistic Religions
Polytheistic Religion
• One god
• Good and evil
• Set of rules
• Perfect character
• Freedom to honor any god
• No right or wrong thing to do
• Flawed characters
• Morality-interaction with gods and
Monotheistic Religions
Polytheistic Religion
• One god
• Good and evil
• Set of rules
• Perfect character
• Morality--1 god
• Divine being
• Afterlife goal
• God sending others to
interfere for them
• Creator. Omnipresent. All
knowing
• Freedom to honor any god
• No right or wrong thing to do
• Flawed characters
• Morality-interaction with gods and
humans
• No clear idea of afterlife (no heaven or
hell) not as important
• No one set of rules--no one book
• Gods can transform. Lots of
interferences
• Physical appearance
• Represented with different elements of
nature. Also divided jobs
• Lack of Faith=/disbelief
Roman gods based off greek gods and are mostly the same with some
differences
Differences in interacitions with gods, humans
Myths meanings can be changed
Morality comes from interactions instead of written rules
No clear afterlife. Honouring gods doesn't reward good afterlife, only rewards
present life
Myth in ideological purpose: keeps people in their place
Myths dramatize consequences of mortals overstepping god's boundries
Hybris--dishonor, presumptious, insolence
Identification with myths--can be problematic because myths can be
interpreted in many ways. Not always one image.
Hero Cult--practice from 9th BCE. Associated with heroes and idolized heroes,
fantasies.
In Rome, emperors used mythologized themselves and predecessors.
"Apotheosis" process. Propaganda
Mythos (story) logos (truth, speech) debate in philosophy and mythology