Arcturianone
2010-04-18 23:29:31 UTC
The Evolution of Mythological Symbolism in The Classical Greek and
Roman Eras
http://www.astroconsulting.com/FAQs/art_evolution_in_greece_and_rome.htm
Edmond H. Wollmann
San Diego State University: Art in Greece and Rome
Fall Semester, November 24, 2000
Five thousand to 500 B.C.E. reflects a period in history wherein
civilizations generally categorized archetypal references and
connections made between the collective peoples' ideology with Gods
and Goddesses who represented these collective principles of life as
they saw it. This allowed the psychological recognition of our own
eternal nature. The rational had not yet discounted trusting the
implied. The greatest Gods were known by different names: Marduk of
the Babylonians evolves into Zeus of the Greeks, who becomes Jupiter
of the Romans. The classical period is hailed as the turning point in
the acceleration of human consciousness. Not many challenge this
notion. But the power of the mythology transforms, and like it or not
we express these archetypes in varying forms in each successive
society through time, despite the changes in structure of the society
and the labels applied to it.
One of the major shifts in art and consciousness reflected in the
Greek Classical period was the dramatic effort to find a balance
between the representation of the specific and the generic, and to
allow the viewer to be acutely conscious of both (1). This evolving
personification of the Gods (2) becomes apparent in the transition to
the classical period of Greece (500 B.C.E.) e. g., in The Temple of
Aphaia at Aegina and the differing styles of figures of the west
(500-490 B.C.) and east (490-480 B.C.) pediments.
The change in this orientation can be contrasted by the Dying Warrior
of the west pediment, which reflects the impersonal mannequin-like
appearance, with the clearly human suffering a realism of the Dying
Warrior of the later east pediment. The original theme of the west
pediment was the battle of the Greeks and Trojans, but the east
pediment was damaged and it was replaced around 480 B.C. after or
around the defeat of the Persian invasion. The threat to collective
identity with the possibility of the loss of the Greek collective
notion to the conquering Persian barbarians was the developmental
press (3) that spurred the Greeks into the Hellenic strength of
identity preservation. This drove a wedge between Europe and Asia that
forced a distinct difference in not only the future history of both
regions, but led to the transformation and death of the power of the
Gods who once embraced all (only different in name). This change in
representation is a psychological reorientation of the personal and
collective perspective, and brought about the "period of reason" (4)
reflected in the development and movement of mythological
representations up to and through the Roman period until the reactive
rise of the Christian cult (5). The power of the classical age of the
Greeks, lies in the balance of the two sides of this perspective coin,
that was triggered by the need to apply creativity and insight
pragmatically, not discount it completely. The trust in the creative
process was replaced by the demands of objective "proofs." Now we have
consumer iconography that permeates societies, instead of iconography
that reminds us of our relationship to life and the all.
Much of the modern world has been built upon the foundations of these
early cultures and their pantheon of deities with their archetypal
representation. So powerful was this iconography and mythology, it was
aligned with the Greek accomplishments in the classical era and Greek
deities were transformed into the Roman. Here are just a few of the
comparisons of the Gods:
Greek
Roman
Aphrodite
Venus
Ares
Mars
Cronus
Saturn
Gaia
Tellus
Helios
Sol
Hermes
Mercury
Nike
Victoria
Poseidon
Neptune
Zeus
Jupiter
Selene
Luna
The Pantheon was the attempt to restore the balance of this classical
period, with its "eye" or oculus at the peak or Apex of the dome like
the all seeing eye (of the pyramid as is listed on US currency) where
the pantheon of gods converge into one. The founding fathers of the US
were so impressed by the Pantheon, that Thomas Jefferson's home
Monticello (6) was modeled after it (7).
The Pantheon is a temple built under Hadrian that has been called an
architectural masterpiece. Hadrian descended from the Roman veterans
of the second Punic war called Ulpius Trajanus. The Ulpius were from
Italica, Hadrian was the first ruler of Rome born in a province far
from Italy.
There are attachment holes in the pediment of the Pantheon that
indicate there may have been a crowned eagle (Jupiter/Zeus) there
originally. The dimensions of the interior dome are such that a sphere
of 145 Roman foot diameter would fit inside of it. The dome is
supported by concrete aggregate compositions that are heavier at the
base to support the tremendous weight. The oculus was designed to make
the viewer extremely aware of the "cosmic forces" and the ceiling was
originally gilded to appear as a heavenly sphere.(8) Conventional
historical academia leaves out some very important information that
keys us into why Emperors like Hadrian built such monuments.
The horoscope of Hadrian survived in at least three manuscripts. The
imperial horoscope came down to us from Hephestian of Thebes, who, in
the fourth century B.C. excerpted it with some others from the
collection of historical horoscopes compiled by Antigonus of Nicaea
(9).
The delineation of the horoscope proceeds to discuss the Moon/Jupiter
conjunction in Aquarius! (humanitarianism) Much of this deification
took the form of astrological symbolism such as this that permeated
these cultures and has been handed down to us. It is evident in our
language and customs today.
It is not often realized to what extent symbolism and languages have
preserved concepts and terms of Graeco-Roman astrology. Astronomers
speak of "conjunction" and "opposition" of planets; one freely
discusses the "aspects" of a given problem. People thank their "lucky
stars" for escaping from a danger. An unsuccessful venture is "ill
starred." The "stars" of the realm of arts, or that of sports are
those who rose to prominence in their respective field of endeavor.
The flag of many a nation reflects astrological symbolism. The "rising
sun" of Japan, the Crescent and Star of the Ottoman empire, as well as
our own flag, in which each state of the Union is symbolized by a
bright star, all of which in turn are set into a blue field,
encompassing them as heaven does the stars--these are but a few
instances chosen almost at random from the numerous national flags
bearing witness to the continued popularity of astral symbolism. The
possibility of the elevation of a human soul and its transformation
into an eternally shining star was a belief which left a profound
impact on artistic style. Roman rulers beginning with Julius Caesar
were ceremoniously "catasterized," i. e. the soul of the departed
officially reported as having ascended skywards. His effigy thus
became the first of any Roman to bear a star-shaped halo, a symbol
transformed into the haloes of the images of countless saints.(10)
Hence, at the funerals of emperors an eagle would be released during
cremation as a symbol of the releasing and freeing of the soul. And as
in astrology, both Jupiter and Zeus reflected the highest and most
etheric aspects of the soul, the divine administration of inspiration
from the higher self. Even Cicero (an opponent of astrology)
unknowingly describes the archetype that Jupiter and Zeus represent:
When he was in the process of making the form of his Zeus and Athena',
says Cicero (Orator 9), 'Pheidias did not contemplate any human model
from whom he took a likeness, but rather some extraordinary vision of
beauty was present in his mind, and, fixing his attention on it and
intuiting its nature, he directed his hand and his art toward making a
likeness from it.' 'To such a degree', adds Quintilian, 'did the
majesty of the work do justice to the deity.'
The archetypes of Zeus and Athena became prototypical standards for
the representation of divinity, standards which in the opinion of the
later Hellenistic and Roman critics, were the products of the
spiritual intuition of a great sage.(11)
In art, Zeus was usually portrayed as bearded, middle aged but with a
youthful figure. In the bronze work below we can see this early
classical depiction (found off the coast of Greece at Cape
Artemision). He most probably was throwing a thunderbolt (power) with
the right hand.
Zeus, the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea, was the supreme ruler of
Mount Olympus and of the Pantheon of gods who resided there. Being the
supreme ruler he upheld law, justice and morals, and this made him the
spiritual leader of both gods and men. Zeus was a celestial god, and
originally worshiped as a weather god by the Greek tribes (again not
unlike Marduk by the Babylonians). But the Greek gods were
unpredictable, and the Greeks liked it that way. Generally, the Greeks
psychology was of extreme creativity and the acceptance of the
physical world as an exploration, and that perhaps life after death
may be boring (of it existed at all). Zeus has always been identified
as being a weather god, as his main attribute is the thunderbolt, he
controlled thunder, lightning and rain (like Marduk of the
Babylonians). The thunderbolt signifies power, and in the Greek
pantheon, the power more of the natural world than of the other world.
Theocritus wrote circa 265 B.C.E.: "sometimes Zeus is clear, sometimes
he rains";
In Homer's epic poem the Iliad he sent thunderstorms against his
enemies. The name Zeus is related to the Greek word dios, meaning
"bright". His other attributes as well as lightning were the scepter,
the eagle and his aegis (this was the goat-skin of Amaltheia). Before
the abolition of monarchies, Zeus was protector of the king and his
family. Once the age of Greek kings faded into democracy he became
chief judge and peacemaker, but most importantly civic god. He brought
peace in place of violence, Hesiod (circa 700 B.C.E.) describes Zeus
as "the lord of justice", and Zeus was also known as
"Kosmetas" (orderer), "Soter" (savior), "Polieos" (overseer of the
polis -city) and also "Eleutherios" (guarantor of political freedoms).
(12)
As Jupiter, Zeus maintains the same archetypal deification. Jupiter is
the supreme god of the Roman pantheon, called dies pater, or "shining
father". Jupiter god of light and sky, and protector of the state and
its laws (Roman). Astrology defines him as "protection and abundance"
and in astronomy it is a known fact that Jupiter protects the earth
from many comets and meteoric bombardments because of its orbital
path, that sweeps up much of the material that may fall in upon earth.
Hence, its great size also reflects largess. The Romans worshipped him
especially as Jupiter Optimus Maximus (all-good, all-powerful). This
name refers not only to his rulership over the universe, but also to
his function as the god of the state who distributes laws, controls
the realm, and makes his will known through oracles (Delphi).
Trajan was called Optimus Princeps or "best chief" fashioned after the
archetype of Jupiter. The public had a very positive view of him, and
he did much for the republic, including The Trajan Baths, built on the
Esquiline Hill in conjunction with Nero's Golden house. Now, Trajan
makes use of the Jupiterian archetype to become the benevolent and
powerful "protector" of the people, by using this idea of largess as
propaganda to win the favor of his people and reinforce the Roman
ideals.
The Greeks and Romans shared many of the same gods, but they looked at
life from two completely different perspectives. Greek mythology and
Greek society valued individualism and differences in personality and
character, hence the rise of Horoscopic Astrology (13). Greek
civilization was based mostly on small, self governing city states.
Their is little evidence that although they had their Gods and belief
in astrology, that they had any strong beliefs in any sort of heavenly
existence after death. They believed that the afterlife would probably
be an eternity of unpleasantness and possibly boredom. They were
extremely physically oriented. Only deeds that a man could achieve
during his life that would be remembered after his death, were
important. The artwork of the classical era reflects this love of --
and desire to replicate accurately -- the material world, which was a
world of plenty and was to be enjoyed. The Greeks were very aware of
the contradiction that the virtues that make a human being great are
often those that can also lead to his or her undoing, and their Gods
and heroes were depicted with both strengths and weaknesses. The
Romans, on the other hand, developed a much more disciplined culture
that allowed leadership and power, but for the good of the republic.
They valued power, dominance and engineering much more than the Greeks
who were more avant guard in their creative expression, and not
concerned much with maintaining their power or civilization in good
working order as the Romans were--and did.
The fact that mythology never dies and only changes becomes clear from
the evolution of artworks in conjunction with the consciousness of the
civilizations that spawn them. And whether that expression is utilized
to convey the beneficence of the personality, or of the collectivity
depends on the intent and perspective of the society that deems one or
the other the most valuable. Either one expressing the same largess
seems to have propelled us into great discoveries and developments in
many fields. It is somewhat disconcerting, however, that the power of
both of these cultures seems to have been lost in today's society and
consciousness expression, when Optimus Maximus -- rather than the
noble and high-minded expression of the higher self and best
expression of men -- may simply be a new shoddily built and poorly
designed casino and hotel on the strip in Las Vegas, Nevada.
References
Cramer, Frederick H. (1954). Astrology in Roman Law and Politics.
Baltimore Maryland: J. H. Furst Company.
Carl Gustave Jung, (1971). Collected works, The Type Problem in
Classical and Medieval thought. Princeton University Press.
Kaplan, J.D., (1951) Dialogues of Plato. New York: Pocket Books.
Kleiner, F. S., and Tansey, R. G. (1996). Gardner's Art Through The
Ages. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.
Patterson, Gordon M. (2000). Essentials of Ancient History. New
Jersey: Research & Education Association.
Press, Petra, Michael Friedman (1997). Great Heros of Mythology. New
York: Friedman/Fairfax Publishers.
Pollitt, J. J.. (1998). Art and Experience in Classical Greece. United
Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
Ramage, Andrew, and Nancy H. (1995). Roman Art Romulus to Constantine.
Third Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc.
GE 350, San Diego State University, (1999) Searching for Truth and
Beauty, San Diego: Montezuma Publishing. Aristotle and The Greek View
of Nature, Those Rational Greeks, Reason VS Observation in Science,
Plato, Ptolemy and Al-Biruni, The Creative Process (Scientific
American).
Endnotes
1). Pollitt, Art and Experience in Classical Greece, Epilogue, page
195.
2). And therefore, the personification of experience is implied.
3). In psychology, developmental press is hypothesized as necessary
for resolution of conflict, which leads to increased efficacy.
4). In my view, this was not a triumph for anything but obviously the
masculine aspects of control, and an overcompensation to meet the
warlike masculine perspective of the Persians by discounting the more
feminine and artistic aspect reflected in the pantheon of Gods and the
art they inspired. Hence, from this point forward historically, the
masculine aspect fosters the patrician perspectives of the republics
in Rome focusing on external manipulation of the environment, at the
cost of trusting the nurturing instincts. This has brought us
wonderful technology and conveniences of the modern era, along with
the destruction of the environment, inequity disguised as democracy,
and potential for world destruction.
5). Which in my view was responsible for the collective psychological
sense of futility that initiated the dark ages. Please see "The
Overcompensational Pendulum", Chapter 1, page 25, The Integrated
Astrological Guide, volume 1, also by the author.
6). Listed on the US currency nickel piece on the obverse.
7). Roman Art Romulus to Constantine, Hadrian and The Classic Revival,
page 213.
8). Roman Art Romulus to Constantine, Architecture, page 215.
9). F. H. Cramer, Astrology in Roman Law and Politics, Astrology in
Rome from Nerva to Severus Alexander, page 164-65.
10). Cramer, F. H., The Rise of Astrology in The Hellenistic World,
1953.
11). Pollitt, Art and Experience in Classical Greece, The Classical
Moment, page 100.
12). Drawn from The Bulfinch Solution: Teaching the Ancient Classics
in American Schools (Salem, NH: Ayer Company Publishers, Inc., l990),
ISBN 0-88l43-ll2-5.
13). Astrology based on the time of birth that gives us an ascendant
(rising constellation) that specifically delineates the personality.
"That he was honored and received the proskynesis (ceremonial
prostration in vogue before oriental rulers) from all men was due to
the fact that Jupiter was in epicentric "attendance" on the sun."
Antigonus on the horoscope of the emperor Hadrian
Edmond H. Wollmann P.M.A.F.A.
© 2010 Altair Publications, SAN 299-5603
Astrological Consulting http://www.astroconsulting.com/
Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/EHWollmann
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/edmond.wollmann
Roman Eras
http://www.astroconsulting.com/FAQs/art_evolution_in_greece_and_rome.htm
Edmond H. Wollmann
San Diego State University: Art in Greece and Rome
Fall Semester, November 24, 2000
Five thousand to 500 B.C.E. reflects a period in history wherein
civilizations generally categorized archetypal references and
connections made between the collective peoples' ideology with Gods
and Goddesses who represented these collective principles of life as
they saw it. This allowed the psychological recognition of our own
eternal nature. The rational had not yet discounted trusting the
implied. The greatest Gods were known by different names: Marduk of
the Babylonians evolves into Zeus of the Greeks, who becomes Jupiter
of the Romans. The classical period is hailed as the turning point in
the acceleration of human consciousness. Not many challenge this
notion. But the power of the mythology transforms, and like it or not
we express these archetypes in varying forms in each successive
society through time, despite the changes in structure of the society
and the labels applied to it.
One of the major shifts in art and consciousness reflected in the
Greek Classical period was the dramatic effort to find a balance
between the representation of the specific and the generic, and to
allow the viewer to be acutely conscious of both (1). This evolving
personification of the Gods (2) becomes apparent in the transition to
the classical period of Greece (500 B.C.E.) e. g., in The Temple of
Aphaia at Aegina and the differing styles of figures of the west
(500-490 B.C.) and east (490-480 B.C.) pediments.
The change in this orientation can be contrasted by the Dying Warrior
of the west pediment, which reflects the impersonal mannequin-like
appearance, with the clearly human suffering a realism of the Dying
Warrior of the later east pediment. The original theme of the west
pediment was the battle of the Greeks and Trojans, but the east
pediment was damaged and it was replaced around 480 B.C. after or
around the defeat of the Persian invasion. The threat to collective
identity with the possibility of the loss of the Greek collective
notion to the conquering Persian barbarians was the developmental
press (3) that spurred the Greeks into the Hellenic strength of
identity preservation. This drove a wedge between Europe and Asia that
forced a distinct difference in not only the future history of both
regions, but led to the transformation and death of the power of the
Gods who once embraced all (only different in name). This change in
representation is a psychological reorientation of the personal and
collective perspective, and brought about the "period of reason" (4)
reflected in the development and movement of mythological
representations up to and through the Roman period until the reactive
rise of the Christian cult (5). The power of the classical age of the
Greeks, lies in the balance of the two sides of this perspective coin,
that was triggered by the need to apply creativity and insight
pragmatically, not discount it completely. The trust in the creative
process was replaced by the demands of objective "proofs." Now we have
consumer iconography that permeates societies, instead of iconography
that reminds us of our relationship to life and the all.
Much of the modern world has been built upon the foundations of these
early cultures and their pantheon of deities with their archetypal
representation. So powerful was this iconography and mythology, it was
aligned with the Greek accomplishments in the classical era and Greek
deities were transformed into the Roman. Here are just a few of the
comparisons of the Gods:
Greek
Roman
Aphrodite
Venus
Ares
Mars
Cronus
Saturn
Gaia
Tellus
Helios
Sol
Hermes
Mercury
Nike
Victoria
Poseidon
Neptune
Zeus
Jupiter
Selene
Luna
The Pantheon was the attempt to restore the balance of this classical
period, with its "eye" or oculus at the peak or Apex of the dome like
the all seeing eye (of the pyramid as is listed on US currency) where
the pantheon of gods converge into one. The founding fathers of the US
were so impressed by the Pantheon, that Thomas Jefferson's home
Monticello (6) was modeled after it (7).
The Pantheon is a temple built under Hadrian that has been called an
architectural masterpiece. Hadrian descended from the Roman veterans
of the second Punic war called Ulpius Trajanus. The Ulpius were from
Italica, Hadrian was the first ruler of Rome born in a province far
from Italy.
There are attachment holes in the pediment of the Pantheon that
indicate there may have been a crowned eagle (Jupiter/Zeus) there
originally. The dimensions of the interior dome are such that a sphere
of 145 Roman foot diameter would fit inside of it. The dome is
supported by concrete aggregate compositions that are heavier at the
base to support the tremendous weight. The oculus was designed to make
the viewer extremely aware of the "cosmic forces" and the ceiling was
originally gilded to appear as a heavenly sphere.(8) Conventional
historical academia leaves out some very important information that
keys us into why Emperors like Hadrian built such monuments.
The horoscope of Hadrian survived in at least three manuscripts. The
imperial horoscope came down to us from Hephestian of Thebes, who, in
the fourth century B.C. excerpted it with some others from the
collection of historical horoscopes compiled by Antigonus of Nicaea
(9).
The delineation of the horoscope proceeds to discuss the Moon/Jupiter
conjunction in Aquarius! (humanitarianism) Much of this deification
took the form of astrological symbolism such as this that permeated
these cultures and has been handed down to us. It is evident in our
language and customs today.
It is not often realized to what extent symbolism and languages have
preserved concepts and terms of Graeco-Roman astrology. Astronomers
speak of "conjunction" and "opposition" of planets; one freely
discusses the "aspects" of a given problem. People thank their "lucky
stars" for escaping from a danger. An unsuccessful venture is "ill
starred." The "stars" of the realm of arts, or that of sports are
those who rose to prominence in their respective field of endeavor.
The flag of many a nation reflects astrological symbolism. The "rising
sun" of Japan, the Crescent and Star of the Ottoman empire, as well as
our own flag, in which each state of the Union is symbolized by a
bright star, all of which in turn are set into a blue field,
encompassing them as heaven does the stars--these are but a few
instances chosen almost at random from the numerous national flags
bearing witness to the continued popularity of astral symbolism. The
possibility of the elevation of a human soul and its transformation
into an eternally shining star was a belief which left a profound
impact on artistic style. Roman rulers beginning with Julius Caesar
were ceremoniously "catasterized," i. e. the soul of the departed
officially reported as having ascended skywards. His effigy thus
became the first of any Roman to bear a star-shaped halo, a symbol
transformed into the haloes of the images of countless saints.(10)
Hence, at the funerals of emperors an eagle would be released during
cremation as a symbol of the releasing and freeing of the soul. And as
in astrology, both Jupiter and Zeus reflected the highest and most
etheric aspects of the soul, the divine administration of inspiration
from the higher self. Even Cicero (an opponent of astrology)
unknowingly describes the archetype that Jupiter and Zeus represent:
When he was in the process of making the form of his Zeus and Athena',
says Cicero (Orator 9), 'Pheidias did not contemplate any human model
from whom he took a likeness, but rather some extraordinary vision of
beauty was present in his mind, and, fixing his attention on it and
intuiting its nature, he directed his hand and his art toward making a
likeness from it.' 'To such a degree', adds Quintilian, 'did the
majesty of the work do justice to the deity.'
The archetypes of Zeus and Athena became prototypical standards for
the representation of divinity, standards which in the opinion of the
later Hellenistic and Roman critics, were the products of the
spiritual intuition of a great sage.(11)
In art, Zeus was usually portrayed as bearded, middle aged but with a
youthful figure. In the bronze work below we can see this early
classical depiction (found off the coast of Greece at Cape
Artemision). He most probably was throwing a thunderbolt (power) with
the right hand.
Zeus, the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea, was the supreme ruler of
Mount Olympus and of the Pantheon of gods who resided there. Being the
supreme ruler he upheld law, justice and morals, and this made him the
spiritual leader of both gods and men. Zeus was a celestial god, and
originally worshiped as a weather god by the Greek tribes (again not
unlike Marduk by the Babylonians). But the Greek gods were
unpredictable, and the Greeks liked it that way. Generally, the Greeks
psychology was of extreme creativity and the acceptance of the
physical world as an exploration, and that perhaps life after death
may be boring (of it existed at all). Zeus has always been identified
as being a weather god, as his main attribute is the thunderbolt, he
controlled thunder, lightning and rain (like Marduk of the
Babylonians). The thunderbolt signifies power, and in the Greek
pantheon, the power more of the natural world than of the other world.
Theocritus wrote circa 265 B.C.E.: "sometimes Zeus is clear, sometimes
he rains";
In Homer's epic poem the Iliad he sent thunderstorms against his
enemies. The name Zeus is related to the Greek word dios, meaning
"bright". His other attributes as well as lightning were the scepter,
the eagle and his aegis (this was the goat-skin of Amaltheia). Before
the abolition of monarchies, Zeus was protector of the king and his
family. Once the age of Greek kings faded into democracy he became
chief judge and peacemaker, but most importantly civic god. He brought
peace in place of violence, Hesiod (circa 700 B.C.E.) describes Zeus
as "the lord of justice", and Zeus was also known as
"Kosmetas" (orderer), "Soter" (savior), "Polieos" (overseer of the
polis -city) and also "Eleutherios" (guarantor of political freedoms).
(12)
As Jupiter, Zeus maintains the same archetypal deification. Jupiter is
the supreme god of the Roman pantheon, called dies pater, or "shining
father". Jupiter god of light and sky, and protector of the state and
its laws (Roman). Astrology defines him as "protection and abundance"
and in astronomy it is a known fact that Jupiter protects the earth
from many comets and meteoric bombardments because of its orbital
path, that sweeps up much of the material that may fall in upon earth.
Hence, its great size also reflects largess. The Romans worshipped him
especially as Jupiter Optimus Maximus (all-good, all-powerful). This
name refers not only to his rulership over the universe, but also to
his function as the god of the state who distributes laws, controls
the realm, and makes his will known through oracles (Delphi).
Trajan was called Optimus Princeps or "best chief" fashioned after the
archetype of Jupiter. The public had a very positive view of him, and
he did much for the republic, including The Trajan Baths, built on the
Esquiline Hill in conjunction with Nero's Golden house. Now, Trajan
makes use of the Jupiterian archetype to become the benevolent and
powerful "protector" of the people, by using this idea of largess as
propaganda to win the favor of his people and reinforce the Roman
ideals.
The Greeks and Romans shared many of the same gods, but they looked at
life from two completely different perspectives. Greek mythology and
Greek society valued individualism and differences in personality and
character, hence the rise of Horoscopic Astrology (13). Greek
civilization was based mostly on small, self governing city states.
Their is little evidence that although they had their Gods and belief
in astrology, that they had any strong beliefs in any sort of heavenly
existence after death. They believed that the afterlife would probably
be an eternity of unpleasantness and possibly boredom. They were
extremely physically oriented. Only deeds that a man could achieve
during his life that would be remembered after his death, were
important. The artwork of the classical era reflects this love of --
and desire to replicate accurately -- the material world, which was a
world of plenty and was to be enjoyed. The Greeks were very aware of
the contradiction that the virtues that make a human being great are
often those that can also lead to his or her undoing, and their Gods
and heroes were depicted with both strengths and weaknesses. The
Romans, on the other hand, developed a much more disciplined culture
that allowed leadership and power, but for the good of the republic.
They valued power, dominance and engineering much more than the Greeks
who were more avant guard in their creative expression, and not
concerned much with maintaining their power or civilization in good
working order as the Romans were--and did.
The fact that mythology never dies and only changes becomes clear from
the evolution of artworks in conjunction with the consciousness of the
civilizations that spawn them. And whether that expression is utilized
to convey the beneficence of the personality, or of the collectivity
depends on the intent and perspective of the society that deems one or
the other the most valuable. Either one expressing the same largess
seems to have propelled us into great discoveries and developments in
many fields. It is somewhat disconcerting, however, that the power of
both of these cultures seems to have been lost in today's society and
consciousness expression, when Optimus Maximus -- rather than the
noble and high-minded expression of the higher self and best
expression of men -- may simply be a new shoddily built and poorly
designed casino and hotel on the strip in Las Vegas, Nevada.
References
Cramer, Frederick H. (1954). Astrology in Roman Law and Politics.
Baltimore Maryland: J. H. Furst Company.
Carl Gustave Jung, (1971). Collected works, The Type Problem in
Classical and Medieval thought. Princeton University Press.
Kaplan, J.D., (1951) Dialogues of Plato. New York: Pocket Books.
Kleiner, F. S., and Tansey, R. G. (1996). Gardner's Art Through The
Ages. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.
Patterson, Gordon M. (2000). Essentials of Ancient History. New
Jersey: Research & Education Association.
Press, Petra, Michael Friedman (1997). Great Heros of Mythology. New
York: Friedman/Fairfax Publishers.
Pollitt, J. J.. (1998). Art and Experience in Classical Greece. United
Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
Ramage, Andrew, and Nancy H. (1995). Roman Art Romulus to Constantine.
Third Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc.
GE 350, San Diego State University, (1999) Searching for Truth and
Beauty, San Diego: Montezuma Publishing. Aristotle and The Greek View
of Nature, Those Rational Greeks, Reason VS Observation in Science,
Plato, Ptolemy and Al-Biruni, The Creative Process (Scientific
American).
Endnotes
1). Pollitt, Art and Experience in Classical Greece, Epilogue, page
195.
2). And therefore, the personification of experience is implied.
3). In psychology, developmental press is hypothesized as necessary
for resolution of conflict, which leads to increased efficacy.
4). In my view, this was not a triumph for anything but obviously the
masculine aspects of control, and an overcompensation to meet the
warlike masculine perspective of the Persians by discounting the more
feminine and artistic aspect reflected in the pantheon of Gods and the
art they inspired. Hence, from this point forward historically, the
masculine aspect fosters the patrician perspectives of the republics
in Rome focusing on external manipulation of the environment, at the
cost of trusting the nurturing instincts. This has brought us
wonderful technology and conveniences of the modern era, along with
the destruction of the environment, inequity disguised as democracy,
and potential for world destruction.
5). Which in my view was responsible for the collective psychological
sense of futility that initiated the dark ages. Please see "The
Overcompensational Pendulum", Chapter 1, page 25, The Integrated
Astrological Guide, volume 1, also by the author.
6). Listed on the US currency nickel piece on the obverse.
7). Roman Art Romulus to Constantine, Hadrian and The Classic Revival,
page 213.
8). Roman Art Romulus to Constantine, Architecture, page 215.
9). F. H. Cramer, Astrology in Roman Law and Politics, Astrology in
Rome from Nerva to Severus Alexander, page 164-65.
10). Cramer, F. H., The Rise of Astrology in The Hellenistic World,
1953.
11). Pollitt, Art and Experience in Classical Greece, The Classical
Moment, page 100.
12). Drawn from The Bulfinch Solution: Teaching the Ancient Classics
in American Schools (Salem, NH: Ayer Company Publishers, Inc., l990),
ISBN 0-88l43-ll2-5.
13). Astrology based on the time of birth that gives us an ascendant
(rising constellation) that specifically delineates the personality.
"That he was honored and received the proskynesis (ceremonial
prostration in vogue before oriental rulers) from all men was due to
the fact that Jupiter was in epicentric "attendance" on the sun."
Antigonus on the horoscope of the emperor Hadrian
Edmond H. Wollmann P.M.A.F.A.
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