Journey back to witness the largest tailgater in the Ancient Mediterranean World, the Ancient Greek Olympic Games. In episode 18, we discover the origin of the Olympics based on archaeological and written evidence, and delve into their mythic foundations. Explore representations of the foundation myths at Olympia, like the Twelve Labors of Hercules and the race of Pelops against King Oinomaos. Trace the tragic lineage of the doomed House of Atreus and connect the ancient heroic funerary tradition with the Olympics and other Greek games.

iPod version. For HD video visit ancientartpodcast.org. The Art Institute of Chicago recently opened their brand new galleries of South and Southeast Asian art. Episode 17 of the Ancient Art Podcast takes a close look the new installation, space, and hundreds of objects exhibited. Learn about the decisions curators make when exhibiting artwork and how both ancient and modern cultural ideas affect the installation. While exploring the symbolism and iconography found throughout Hindu and Buddhist art, we'll closely analyze one particularly exemplary work of sculpture, the 12th century Indian statue of the Divine General Kartikeya.

The Art Institute of Chicago recently opened their brand new galleries of South and Southeast Asian art. Episode 17 of the Ancient Art Podcast takes a close look the new installation, space, and hundreds of objects exhibited. Learn about the decisions curators make when exhibiting artwork and how both ancient and modern cultural ideas affect the installation. While exploring the symbolism and iconography found throughout Hindu and Buddhist art, we'll closely analyze one particularly exemplary work of sculpture, the 12th century Indian statue of the Divine General Kartikeya.

iPod version. For HD video visit ancientartpodcast.org. Picking up where episode 15 left off, we dive into the emergence of sculpture in Ancient Greece. We look closely at one exemplary piece, a marble statue of a youth from ancient Athens, the so-called “Metropolitan Kouros” of ca. 590–580 B.C. We’ll see how the early Greek kouros type is borrowed directly from Egyptian statuary. We also explore sculpture’s original function and message in Ancient Greece plus the social context in which sculpture develops.

Picking up where episode 15 left off, we dive into the emergence of sculpture in Ancient Greece. We look closely at one exemplary piece, a marble statue of a youth from ancient Athens, the so-called “Metropolitan Kouros” of ca. 590–580 B.C. We’ll see how the early Greek kouros type is borrowed directly from Egyptian statuary. We also explore sculpture’s original function and message in Ancient Greece plus the social context in which sculpture develops.

Examining a variety of artwork from the Ancient Greek Orientalizing Period and Archaic Period, episode 15 takes a brief look at the historical climate that gave rise to Greek sculpture. We explore Greece’s cultural contact with Egypt during the Saite Dynasty, with particular attention to the Greek colony of Naukratis. A variety of Egyptian and Near Eastern influences helped shape the developing Greek arts, which laid the foundation for the legacy of Western Civilization.

iPod version. For HD video visit ancientartpodcast.org. Examining a variety of artwork from the Ancient Greek Orientalizing Period and Archaic Period, episode 15 takes a brief look at the historical climate that gave rise to Greek sculpture. We explore Greece’s cultural contact with Egypt during the Saite Dynasty, with particular attention to the Greek colony of Naukratis. A variety of Egyptian and Near Eastern influences helped shape the developing Greek arts, which laid the foundation for the legacy of Western Civilization.

iPod version. For HD video visit ancientartpodcast.org. Using an ancient statue of the Egyptian god Ra-Horakhty at the Art Institute of Chicago, episode 14 ties together many themes explored in earlier episodes of the podcast and delves into the classic sculpted male form in Egyptian art.

Using an ancient statue of the Egyptian god Ra-Horakhty at the Art Institute of Chicago, episode 14 ties together many themes explored in earlier episodes of the podcast and delves into the classic sculpted male form in Egyptian art.

Ancient and contemporary come together in a poetic embrace in this exploration two monumental works of artistic achievement, “The Chicago Panels” by contemporary American artist Ellsworth Kelly and the Parthenon Frieze from Ancient Greece.