#zeus statue

[casskeeps]

artemision zeus

basic information

name: artemision zeus (or poseidon)

date: 460 bce

artist: unknown

function: depicts a god

size: 2.1 metres - larger than lifesize

original, reconstruction, or copy: bronze original with inlaid materials

subject matter

this statue depicts a god, probably zeus or poseidon, throwing an object in a similar manner to the way we throw javelins. the object he holds, now lost, is our only true hint as to what the true identity of the statue is; if he held a trident, he would be poseidon, but if he held a thunderbolt (the more popular opinion), he would be zeus.

context

now comfortably into the early classical period, sculptors are more interested in depicting dynamic movement and power as opposed to the idealistic perfection of the archaic period.

composition

the pose of the artemision zeus is one of its most notable features; his legs are at different angles, with the left facing forward and the right facing almost oppositely, twisted outwards to give more impression of dynamic moment. the arms are outstretched, the left with the palm down, a guiding marker, and the right holding the lost object, ready to throw it. the overall impression of this pose is one of dynamism and power - the sculptor is concerned with giving an impression of catching the subject in the moment of his action, instead of carefully posing it.

the anatomy, too, is highly remarkable. the abstract shapes of the archaic period have been left behind, and instead, we see careful rendering of features like the ears and eyebrows, with much more attention paid to the details of these individual elements, as opposed to the flat and geometric appearances of earlier statues. there is another interesting feature (that people tend to exaggerate): the arms are slightly too long for the body - they are two centimetres longer than they should be. the effect of this distortion of anatomy is that the lines creates by the limbs are more continuous (think of the aesthetic appeal created by pointe shoes on ballet dancers) and the overall impression of the statue's grandieur and imposing nature is emphasised.

the most remarkable thing about the content of this statue is that it does not depict a youth, instead a bearded man, clearly mature, yet still muscular and strong. we also see more reflection of everyday nature in this statue; instead of a curtain of beaded braids, his hair is tied into a plait, a common hairstyle for the time.

from a distance, it appears that the artemision zeus looks particularly stoic and unfeeling, but there is detail in the face indicative of effort. this is evident in his eyebrows, tilted downwards in the inner corners, and his upper lip, which is tensed in a subdued grimace. the effect of this expression is that it helps to further demonstrate the effort of this action, making the statue more realistic.

other than the slightly-too-long arms, the proportions are, as a whole, largely accurate. the muscles are well-defined and not overly voluminous, although there are areas (such as the intercostal muscles) that could interact more with the muscles around them, and react more to the action; this slightly diminishes the naturalism of the statue, but doesn't detract too much from it overall.

stylistic features

the use of bronze became much more popular in the early classical period, as sculptors became more aware of its higher tensile strength and subsequent capability for more expressive movement.

the depiction of the musculature is much more anatomically accurate than earlier sculpture, although there is still some room for development in the interaction of muscle groups.

scholars

woodford: "a vivid and convincing figure ... but his success was not total"

harris and zucker: "we look at him and we know that he is a god who controls the fates of human beings"

extra information

smarthistory (harris and zucker)

annenberg learner

[evilios]

Hera and Zeus by Erté, 1989

Created by a Russian-French artist and designer Romain de Tirtoff (born Roman Petrovich Tyrtov), these bronze statues of the Greek Deities, Hera and Zeus, are a part of a limited series of 500 pieces. the Gods are depicted wearing elaborate, long deep-blue patterned robes with richly decorated garments underneath. Hera's statuette is accompanied by a bronze peacock.

Photo source: 🏺

[illustratus]

Statue of Zeus at Olympia by Roy Krenkel

[writeshite]

Justice League Zeus: "Ah, long time no see! How long has it been, a few thousand years--?"

Reader: *smacks him* "I was a STATUE."

Zeus: "--well, yes, but--" *Reader smacks him again* "Ooh, I've missed you--" *grabs Reader's hips and yanks him close*

Reader: "Seriously?"

Zeus: "What? You're sexy when you're angry. A lot of people are, actually--"

Reader: "...yeah, suddenly you and Hera are making a lot more sense--"

“Ah, long time no see,” Zeus grinned when he saw you, how long has it been? A few thousand years?”

“Did you miss me?” You asked, having stepped out from Zeus’ arms, “Did you look for me? Or did you find some other man to fuck?”

“No!” Zeus hisses, softening, “No, never.” He gathers you in his arms again, pressing his head against yours. “I wish I could have devoted my eternity to finding you, I do, I really do.”

You hide your face in his chest, “Seriously? Why didn’t you?” You whisper with a harsh longing, and a hurt tone. Zeus doesn’t reply, squeezing you gently in his arms instead. You grimace at his silence, drawing back and slapping him when he doesn’t answer again. “I WAS A STATUE!”

“Well, yes but—“ Zeus stammers, and you backhand him again, shaking, striking a God tended to be a terrible choice. “Oh, you’re sexy when you’re angry. A lot of people are, actually—“

You pause, still shaking, sighing in disbelief, “Suddenly, you and Hera make a lot more sense together,” you sneered and for the first time in your interaction, Zeus’ expression darkens.

[templeof-demeter]

Had the lovely opportunity to visit an art museum featuring an ancient art exhibit for my birthday. It was beautiful and I even cried seeing Demeter on the mixing bowl!

[juztice-posts]

Deathstar delts . . .

[hermesmoly]

An underrated Kronides dynamic we don't often talk about is Hestia & Poseidon, or more rather Poseidon's one-sided proposal towards her:

Homeric Hymn 5 to Aphrodite 18 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th - 4th B.C.) :

"Nor yet does the pure maiden Histia (Hestia) love Aphrodite's works. She was the first-born child of wily Kronos (Cronus) and youngest too, by will of Zeus who holds the aigis,--a queenly maid whom both Poseidon and Apollon sought to wed. But she was wholly unwilling, nay, stubbornly refused; and touching the head of father Zeus who holds the aigis, she, that fair goddess, sware a great oath which has in truth been fulfilled, that she would be a maiden all her days. So Zeus the Father gave her a high honour instead of marriage, and she has her place in the midst of the house and has the richest portion. In all the temples of the gods she has a share of honour, and among all mortal men she is chief of the goddesses. Of these three Aphrodite cannot bend or ensnare the hearts."

First of all good move on Zeus to respect his elder sister's wishes (regardless of the type of ruler you see him as he was very fair in this situation), second it's interesting seeing the word sought, like it was a stubborn request on Poseidon's (and Apollo's) part up until Zeus gave his verdict. Also interesting is the supposed timing of these proposals, considering Apollo is his fellow rival it implies Apollo was an adult/old enough to seek Hestia out. If they sought Hestia at the same time, does that mean that a.) Poseidon wasn't married to Amphitrite yet? (In one way that's logically impossible if Triton's daughter Pallas is Athena's childhood friend, which implies Amphitrite and Poseidon married early enough to have Triton to be old enough to have Pallas) Or b.) that he was already married but would be willing to divorce Amphitrite if Hestia had said yes?

I like to think that Apollo and Poseidon's proposals happened in different time periods, Poseidon during or after the Titanomachy (in which Hestia just said no/would think about it and just never responded) and during Apollo's proposal is when Hestia asks Zeus to let her be a virgin goddess. (It just seems weird to me if a Poseidon- especially a married Poseidon- would just seek Hestia's hand out of the blue with no hint of intentions before, unless he specifically did that to compete with Apollo though that seems unlikely.)

It leaves me just asking why Poseidon wanted to marry Hestia. I personally think he wanted to marry her because he had a crush on her (the same way a kid would have a crush on an older girl in movies) and that he was a littleee bit jealous that Zeus and Hera were lovers/married and wanted a sister-wife for himself (which yes, incest is ew but this is greek mythology we HAVE to abandon the "incest is bad" metric when it comes to gods. Most of the gods during the Titan era married their sibling/cousin so Poseidon may have had a similar mindset).

Also kinda interesting that Poseidon loved Hestia and Demeter and was able to respect Hestia's wishes but not Demeter's. Smh bro.

[loverofdoves]

so my altars got a bit of an upgrade recently. 8 years of worship has brought me here and im so happy 🥰

[blueiscoool]

A Marble Head of ‘Zeus' Was Found in the Ancient City of Aphrodisias

Most human heads, if they were to stand on their own, measure just under 10 inches tall. However, it seems that the ancient Greek god Zeus had a much bigger noggin. The king of the gods’ head stood 22 inches tall.

At least, a recently discovered marble bust of Zeus did.

Archaeologists in Turkey discovered the loose Zeus head on land that now falls in the Western Turkey province of Aydin, but was once the ancient city of Aphrodisias (named for the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite). In the time of Roman rule, the empire looked upon the city with favor—Julius Caesar himself claimed to be a descendent of Aphrodite (whom the Romans called Venus). A temple dedicated to the goddess was the first building constructed in what became the center of the city.

According to a statement posted on social media by Turkey’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the statue head was found 164 feet from the remains of the Temple of Aphrodite, which itself was built in 3 B.C. Experts estimate that the statue of Zeus was built around the same time, if not a little bit later.

With its wide eyes, bushy eyebrows, and mostly missing nose, the marble head—which has since been cleaned of any remaining ancient dirt—is a striking piece of artwork. Unfortunately, however, the rest of Zeus appeared to be on the loose.

With a marble noggin over twice the size of the average human’s, it stands to reason the rest of the statue would tower well over 10 feet tall in all its finely hewn glory.

Except the head may have never even had a leg (or neck, or torso) to stand on.

The back of Zeus’s marble head appears to be attached to the makings of an architectural console—a decorative bracket used to support a shelf or window-head. This could mean that, instead of a full representation of Zeus, the unearthed head is just … a head (albeit an exquisitely crafted one). But the quality craftsmanship isn’t a surprise, considering its Aphrodisias origins.

The ancient city, which sprung up around 3 B.C., became a hub for sculptors because of its proximity to rich marble quarries. As more and more sculptors went to Aphrodisias to work, more and more finely crafted marble statues (and raw marble) were sent out across both the Roman Empire and the rest of the Hellenistic world. This allowed for the city to amass a great deal of wealth. In fact, according to Arkeonews, The artisans of Aphrodisias’ portrait sculptures, building facades, and representations of the gods were highly sought-after across the empire as a result of the caliber and sophistication of their craftsmanship.

But, unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Aphrodisias’ status as an artistic hotbed of the empire was short-lived, and ended around 7 A.D. after an earthquake from which the city never recovered. It was then sacked numerous times and, by the middle ages, Turkey had assumed control.

Still, the recovered Zeus bust serves as a historical reminder of the ancient city’s wealth of artistic talent and role in the sprawling empire.

By Connor Lagore.

[apollosbisexualass]

The ending for Trials of Apollo is kinda sad. He talks about being abused by Zeus for 4000 years to the point where even a certain smell could trigger him. Then at the end of the series, he should be happy that he’s a god again, but, he has to go back to his abuser

[perseas-wellyboots]

People are like Rick Riordan is such a great author who's not afraid to change status quo and ignore major flaws in his stories like JK Rowling and I'm like are you sure?

That sentiment might have worked if PJO was the only series in Riordanverse but with the addition of HOO and ToA it rings entirely false.

In PJO the major problem that needed to be tackled storytelling wise was Gods not claiming their children and their neglectful nature along with rise of Kronos.

Both those issues were ignored by Zeus and then in the end when they swore an oath on Styx, we assumed that it will be better.

However straight into HOO series from The Lost Hero, we see that Zeus did not change at all and instead made a bigger mess of events by closing Olympus and forbidding Gods from leaving Olympus. So we learn that not only does he ignores a problem that could potentially end the Gods twice???? but he's actively part of the problem.

The Gods could be better as a whole if they had someone competent in charge.

The Trials of Apollo series however changes the status quo entirely, the previous both series were from POV of demigods, so they and along with them we could only assume how Gods work and that the Gods neglecting demigods is a choice by them. But in ToA, Zeus goes from zero to hundred, not only is he a incompetent paranoid leader but he's also a tyrant and abuser. He abuses all his children and any disrespect results in huge punishment.

The Gods like a human family are stuck in a cycle of abuse but unlike in human family their abuser would not just die naturally one day. He is with them forever.

Apollo even identifies himself with Meg and thinks Zeus as a Beast for himself and yet no resolution is found at the end of the series and we just go on.

The Sun and the Star and The Chalice of Gods only continues the status quo.

True change of status quo and revolution would be Zeus being overthrown. In the root of both wars the major issue that causes high casualties is Zeus's carelessness.

I would love a book from Apollo's POV where he recruits his siblings and plans a revolution to overthrow Zeus because the immortal and mortal world and demigods, all of them would benefit being free of him.

TL;DR: Most of RR's writing has very similar problems as JKR's writing and even though I enjoy the PJO series more than HP series, I think RR fans should stop preaching holier than thou attitude.

JKR is problematic outside of her poor writing in HP (racism transphobia) and so is rick (with his neutral stance on genocide in palestine and playing both sides card, using this to promote his book, his islamophobic writing and not to forget how badly piper was wrote in TLH and she did not get much better until ToA)

[infinitetbr]

[olympianbutch]

I am so incredibly charmed by the makeshift altar I fixed on my desk 🫶🏻😭

[writeshite]

Arthur Curry: "You seriously don't remember why you got turned into a statue?"

Reader: "No, I don't! But come on, what could I have possibly done that would justify--"

Reader: *flashbacks to riding Zeus like a bull, a murderous looking Hera looming overhead*

Reader: "....okay, maybe a little my fault--"

"A little?" Arthur raised his brow, curious to understand the circumstances.

"Ok, maybe a lot," you replied, remembering how greatly you enjoyed being flaunted around Olympus by Zeus; with no womb to plant his progeny, he could enjoy you without the threat of Hera killing you, or so he hoped. As did you.

[sag-dab-sar]

Shrine to Zeus and Hera March 25, 2024

-🌿-

Zeus Basileus, Hera Basíleia

King and Queen of the Gods

Mighty ones who strike fear in the hearts of immortals and mortals alike

Zeus Patér, Hera Mētėr

Father and Mother

Gracious ones may I seek comfort in your care

— By IzkurEreškigal

-🌿-

"Any thought that it is right for you to listen to, no one neither man nor any immortal shall hear it before you." — Zeus to Hera

I am aware this passage is a quarrel between them, but the fact that Zeus states this to be the case at all has always stuck with me and this statue reminds me of the sentiment— Zeus confiding with his Queen

[transbutchblues]

i am the happiest devotee alive LOOK AT THIS !! ZEUS’S HEAD !!!