Identifier Quest No.1 | APAH

Great Altar of Zeus and Athena at Pergamon + the Athena and the Giants relief; Greek Hellenistic; marble; State Museum, Berlin Form 35.64 by 33.4 metres White marble remains; would've been painted brilliantly in its age High relief sculpture creates great drama, shadow, contrast More prominent gods and figures are in higher relief Function Worship of the Greek pantheon of Gods and their dominance over their enemies Optimism of the Greek spirit in confronting the unknown and unfamiliar cultures (like the Giants) Representation of Greek prowess and might Sacrifices may have been offered at the top of the stairs Content A battle of the Greek mythological pantheon of gods vs. the Giants to determine the controller of the universe Athena Fights Alkyoneus, the main giant, as his mother looks on in horror Appears confident and triumphant as she fights Being crowned from behind by a winged Nike Uses battle snakes to aid in defeating the giants Earned name Athena "gigantolteira" = slayer of the giants Zeus Battles 3 Giants at once, with the help of an eagle (above) and his lightning bolt Cloaked in realistically ruffled robes 2 of the three giants he has already defeated; they lie in (youthful) ruin around him Context Created during the Hellenistic Period (c. 200-150 B.C.E.) in Pergamon, modern-day Turkey, 20 miles from the coast. Alexander the Great "Hellenized," or spread Greek influence, from Egypt to the Indus Valley during his reign. When Alexander the Great died, his four generals inherited his land and reign. One of the generals saw the hilltop of Pergamon as geographically desirable, and therefore built the city of Pergamon. In the 1800s, the Prussians wanted to achieve/mimic French and British culture, so they created the Pergamon Museum. The Pergamon Museum of Berlin recreated the Altar of Zeus and Athena at Pergamon very realistically (lots of artistic effort by the Museum.) In ancient Pergamon, the altar would've been surrounded by a library of 200,000+ scrolls, a royal palace for the king, and a garrison for soldiers. The altar was never fully completed because King Prusias II attacked Pergamon in 156 BCE.

(look up picture of Athena and the Giants relief as well)