The Altar of Zeus from Pergamon, Turkey is one of the most famous Hellenistic sculptural ensembles. Erected in about 175 BCE, the monument’s west front has been reconstructed in Berlin, Germany. Before it was relocated, the altar was framed by an Ionic stoalike colonnade with projecting wings on the sides of a broad central staircase which was resting on a platform. A four hundred foot sculpted frieze can be found wrapped all around the altar platform, decorated with around one hundred life sized figures depicting a violent battle between the god and giants for the supremacy of the earth. The monument has two projecting wings flaking the entrance staircase, the giant relief figures seem to break out go their enclosing frame to climb and crawl the actual steps used by the worshipers.
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The war story between the gods and giants traditionally symbolized to the Greeks the struggle of civilization and order equated with their culture, over the forces of barbarism and chaos associated with all other cultures. The rulers of Pergamon sought greater significance in this, because they viewed themselves as the saviors and protectors of the Greek Culture. The designers in the Pergamene period also used the frieze to make a connection with Athens, whose defeat of the Persians was legendary. An example of this connection is how closely the figure of Athena resembles the Athena located on the Parthenon’s east pediment. As in the Parthenon pediment, the figured move parallel to the background plane of a strong diagonal which emphasized their speed of movement. The entirety go the Altar of Zeus can be related to the Parthenon. Both of the structures were made after the Greeks had a large military victory. They wanted to celebrate and show off their victories by building enormous
The war story between the gods and giants traditionally symbolized to the Greeks the struggle of civilization and order equated with their culture, over the forces of barbarism and chaos associated with all other cultures. The rulers of Pergamon sought greater significance in this, because they viewed themselves as the saviors and protectors of the Greek Culture. The designers in the Pergamene period also used the frieze to make a connection with Athens, whose defeat of the Persians was legendary. An example of this connection is how closely the figure of Athena resembles the Athena located on the Parthenon’s east pediment. As in the Parthenon pediment, the figured move parallel to the background plane of a strong diagonal which emphasized their speed of movement. The entirety go the Altar of Zeus can be related to the Parthenon. Both of the structures were made after the Greeks had a large military victory. They wanted to celebrate and show off their victories by building enormous