Humanities: Ancient Greek Era

It seems that art in the ancient Greek era suggests multiple things to the human eye. For example, take the Minoan priestess with snakes. This one is said to suggest the persistence of ancient fertility cults honoring gods traditionally associated with procreation. This is a statue of a small woman, with disclosed breasts, holding snakes in both hands. Some people suggest that she may represent a popular fertility goddess, or that she may depict a priestess performing specifics of a certain ritual known custom to the cults; ones being dances where the Greeks used live snakes.

The next good example is the Iliad. The Iliad is a tale of war with a focus on the aspect of Achilles as he attempts to reconcile himself. The Iliad takes place in the final days of the Trojan War. Achilles refuses to join Achaean in the battle against Troy. Like Gilgamesh, Achilles is par god and part human. The Iliad brings forth an abundant theme of strength and heroics. "It makes vivid similes, graphic epithets, and lengthy catalogs of particulars." The Iliad has inspired generations of western writers. The Iliad goes hand-in-hand with the Odyssey, making them two strong epics of tales.

Another great example of Greek art would be their drama. Drama in the city of Athens was just as a big of a deal as the Olympics. Unlike the Olympics, theatrical productions were held semi-annually. But like the Olympics, drama was a form of play that addressed the dynamic of a relationship between an individual, a community, and the gods. The Greeks were the first to master the arts of drama culminating it with music, dance, and mime. They also created two forms of it: tragedy and comedy. But it's not exactly what we view as comedy today. Tragedy showed an aspect of death and decay of the crops; to whereas a comedy highlights villagers celebrating the seasonal rebirth.