Geometric krater, 740 BCE

Abstract ornamentation and figure painting. A mourning scene and a procession in honor of the deceased are depicted. Krater was used as a grave marker and libations were poured into it. 

Kroisos, (Anavysos Kouros), Marble, 530 BCE (Archaic) 

Grave marker for Kroisos who died in a battle. Still adheres to the Egyptian style but we can see a more naturalistic approach in his proportions and more rounded modeling of face, torso and limbs.

(archaic smile means he's dead)

Dying warrior, from the east pediment of the Temple of Aphaia, Aegina, Marble, 480 BCE

Shows transition to the Classical period. Posture is more natural, exhibits a new self-consciousness (in his pain he does not face the viewer)

Epigonos, Dying Gaul, Roman marble copy of a bronze original from the altar of Zeus in Pergamon, 230 BCE (Hellenistic) 

Shown as a barbarian with bushy hair and mustache, but also as a noble warrior so to elevate the victory of the Pergamene. Typical Hellenistic pathos. 

Exekias, Achilles and Ajax playing a dice game, black-figure amphora detail, 540 BCE

Shapes of figures reflect the vase's shape. Great tension in the figures. They are playing but also holding their spears, ready to jump into battle. Great detail incised into their capes. 

Polykleitos, Doryphoros, marble copy of bronze original,

450 BCE (Classical)

Polykleitos sought to portray the perfect man and impose order to human motion. His harmonic proportions and balanced body became the standard for aesthetic beauty. 

Riace Warrior, Bronze, 450 BCE 

The bronze statue has inlaid eyes, silver teeth and copper lips. A more pronounced contrapposto. Evidence for the active art export happening in Ancient Greece.

Iktinos and Kallikrates, Parthenon, 447 BCE

High Classical

Perfect beauty can be achieved by using harmonic proportions (x=2y+1)

Doric order of columns and frieze. Statue of Athena Parthenos in the cella.

Nike of Samothrace, 190 BCE, Hellenistic baroque

Nike in the moment of landing on a warship. Her drapery seems wet from the water. The original setting was in the middle of a fountain that resembled the sea.

Altar of Zeus, Pergamon, 175 BCE Hellenistic

Raised to celebrate the victory of King Attalos I against the Gauls. The gigantomachy frieze (gods vs. giants) alludes to the victory. It is unconventionally placed at the bottom of the temple under the stylobate (almost upside-down structure)

Seated Boxer from Rome, Bronze, 100 BCE

Traditional theme, but with Hellenistic approach. The boxer is old and defeated, with a broken nose and battered ears. He evokes sympathy in the viewer.