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A moving scene on this Classical Greek Vase: A Hoplite
soldier in full armor going off to war, shaking hands with a friend (father?).
A woman (wife? mother? friend?) brings a last drink for the long, dusty
and dangerous road. Interesting--people shook hands then just as now.
And a trusty Pooch is right there, keeping an eye on the bearded one. A geometric design anchors the scene with a "floor" and "ceiling", along with organic leaves and branches to fill in some quiet spots. (British Museum, Photo by M. Markowski) The Chinese at this time had achieved a fine technical mastery of terra cotta, but was highly stylized and lacked the humanist tendencies of the Greeks. |