User:Marvins-island/sandbox

Alexander Mosaic - Bibliography


 * 1) Cohen, Ada. The Alexander Mosaic : Stories of Victory and Defeat. Cambridge University Press, 1997. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat00989a&AN=ford.575735&site=eds-live.
 * 2) Moreno, Paolo. Apelles: The Alexander Mosaic. Milano: Skira, 2001. Print.
 * 3) Ferro, L. The Alexander Mosaic and the House of the Faun. The Iconic Light of Geometric Relationships. Vol. 809, Springer Verlag. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-95588-9_197. Accessed 7 Oct. 2019.
 * 4) Bieber, Margarete. “The Portraits of Alexander.” Greece & Rome, vol. 12, no. 2, 1965, pp. 183–188. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/642314.
 * 5) Collins, Andrew W. “THE ROYAL COSTUME AND INSIGNIA OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT.” The American Journal of Philology, vol. 133, no. 3, 2012, pp. 371–402., www.jstor.org/stable/23269873.
 * 6) Merola, Marco. “Alexander PIECE by PIECE.” Archaeology, vol. 59, no. 1, Jan. 2006, pp. 36–40. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=vth&AN=19097574&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Lead
EDITED: The Alexander Mosaic is a Roman floor mosaic originally from the House of the Faun in Pompeii (an alleged an imitation of Apelles' painting). It is typically dated in the second half of the century between 120 and 100 B.C. It depicts a battle between the armies of Alexander the Great and Darius III of Persia and measures 2.72 by 5.13 metres (8 ft 11 in × 16 ft 10 in). This work of art is a combination of different artistic traditions such as Italic, Hellenestic, and Roman. The mosaic is considered “Roman” based on the broader context of its time and location in relation to the later Roman Republic. The original is preserved in the Naples National Archaeological Museum. The mosaic is believed to be a copy of an early 3rd-century BC Hellenistic painting.

Description
This mosaic depicts the moment when King Darius, the Great Ruler of Persia, turns and flees from the onslaught of the Greek military general Alexander the Great. He storms into the scene on his trusted horse, Bucephalus. The scene depicts the crucial moment in the battle where a reversal of momentum can be seen in the energies of the various figures. The mosaic depicts the retreat of the Persians and the chaos that remains around the battlefield. On the ground and in the background men are dying amidst the fighting. The figure placement is heavily concentrated at the bottom of the mosaic leaving the background essentially empty. An original Greek painting was made prior to the Alexander Mosaic. The original painting was commissioned by, Cassander, who became ruler of Macedon between 317 and 316 B.C. The artist was Philoxenus, who was under the influence of the Greek painter Apelles.

Battle
EDITED: The mosaic illustrates a battle in which Alexander attempts to free Macedonians from Persians by defeating their leader Darius. The Battle scene is comprised of over 50 men. Alexander breaks through enemy lines diagonally and is headed towards a northeastern direction where Darius is located. Alexander defeated him at the Battle of Issus and two years later at the Battle of Gaugamela. The work is traditionally believed to show the Battle of Issus.

The Alexander Mosaic is believed to be a copy of a Hellenistic Greek painting made during the 4th century BC. The style of the mosaic is distinctly Greek in that it depicts close up portraits of the main heroes of the battle. Typically within Greek battle scenes the heroes are difficult to define within the commotion. It is a commonly accepted belief of the Alexander mosaic that one must use the Greek original to interpret the meaning of the Roman copy. The debate among scholars over the significance of the Roman copy is that it cannot and should not be interpreted in the same cultural and historical context as the Greek original. Some believe that in doing so, it takes away both context and achievement from Roman artists. The mosaic is held to be a copy either of a painting by Aristides of Thebes, or of a lost late 4th-century BC fresco by the painter Philoxenus of Eretria. The latter is mentioned by Pliny the Elder (XXXV, 110) as a commission for the Macedonian king Cassander.

Description and Analysis
EDITED: The mosaic features a plethora of figures in a very large space. The two most distinguished and recognizable figures are Alexander the Great and King Darius III of Persia. Alexander is depicted in a profile view facing the left side of the mosaic. He is posed in action killing a man with a spear or  javelin in his right arm. He features a Roman nose and a stoic look in combat. Alexander wears a breastplate depicted with the head of Medusa,  a famous Gorgon. This can be seen as a reference to the gorgon’s magical head. The head of Medusa’s power to turn people to stone was used as a protection in Greek mythology. One other interpretation of the head of the Medusa its use as a reference to divine birth. Both of these theories contribute to the power presented in this depiction of Alexander the Great.

Alexander is poised on top of his horse,  Bucephalus,  a very celebrated horse in antiquity. He is depicted with a lot of curly soft-textured hair. His hair is typical of Greek royal portraiture that was established in the 4th century BC. Alexander’s gaze is trained on the Persian King Darius. Note that Alexander does not wear a battle helmet in the mosaic so that he could be recognized as the great conqueror. After Alexander the Great was declared king of Asia around 330 BC, he adopted a new royal court style. His costume was rethought and redesigned with a new royal insignia and an emphasis on decadence. Scholars believe Alexander had a specific notion of what it was to be a king in Asia and to be the Great King, therefore he required his dress to be magnificent to command his new conquered people. Alexander intended to replace Darius as king of Persia with a highly expanded autocracy while commanding respect and authority.

Darius is easily recognizable as the other large figure in the mosaic. Darius and his chariot takes up a large portion of the mosaic in the right half of the depiction. There are various precarious elements surrounding him. In the background Darius’ charioteer whips the horses to flee from the battle scene. There is visible fear and anxiety in the Persian kings face, seen especially in his furrowed brows and deep frown. Darius is positioned holding a rope or rein in his left arm while his right arm is outstretched towards Alexander. Directly in front of the king’s chariot is a soldier holding the reins to his horse. The horse is a large figure that draws much attention because of its backward facing positioning. The horse's hindquarters are facing the audience with a raised tail. This may be seen as a reference to the Persian defeat and weak leadership displayed.

Contextualizing Both Greek and Roman versions
There is limited evidence in existence today to contextualize many if not most of rediscovered Roman artworks. The Alexander Mosaic depicts a rich subject narrative of two historical figures engaged in a defining battle. This imagery was most likely placed in the House of the Faun to incorporate and evoke the power of Alexander the Great into Roman canonical depictions. This mosaic is fully capable of communicating a broader message due to its find date and location site. The mosaic communicates a rich Greek and Roman historical background, especially through its commemoration of a Greek decisive win over the Persians.

Issues arise when connecting the Greek original painting and the Roman mosaic. Unlike the Alexander Mosaic, which has definite grounding, the Greek original has no dated or mapped find location. Due to scholarly research and hypothesizing there are numerous answers that circulate this object however the date and location of the original Greek painting remains uncertain. Because this mosaic depicts an ancient scene, scholars postulate that the painter Apelles was asked to paint an equestrian portrait of Alexander the Great while the general was in Ephesos in 334 BC. Alexander was known for his great accomplishments and military campaigns so it would have been acceptable that Alexander would be depicted in a battle scene or in one of his many campaigns. There is no evidence to support when exactly the painting was commissioned and created. Without a definite archeological location of where the original was produced it is difficult to discern whether the portrait was created in the midst of battle or if it was produced as a commemoration of a war won.

There are many specific and intricate details in the Alexander Mosaic. These details can be used as clues to contextualize the scene and to learn more about this historical event. The limitations with this body of knowledge are that these details do not provide full contextualization for the significance of this battle scene inside an ancient Italian home.

Modern history
The Alexander Mosaic was preserved due to the volcanic ash that collected over the mosaic during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the city of Pompeii in 79 AD. This Roman artwork was found inlaid into the ground of the House of the Faun in between two open peristyles. The mosaic was used to decorate the exedra. An exedra is an open room or area that contains seating that is used for conversing. The House of the Faun was a large estate comprised of one whole block in Pompeii; this is an area of about 3,000 square meters.

As a significant artwork and piece of history, the scene of the Mosaic remained in the social and cultural sphere. The mosaic was rediscovered in 1831 in Pompeii, Italy, and was later transported to Naples in September 1843. The Alexander Mosaic is now displayed on a wall and preserved in Naples. It is currently on display at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale. In 1956, the Alexander Mosaic was featured on 1,000 Greek drachma banknotes.