Wednesday, April 11, 2012
7 pm
Canyon Theatre, Boulder Public Library
1001 Arapahoe, Boulder CO
Alexander the Great was never buried in the Alexander Sarcophagus, but it is a monument that helps us understand the impact of his personality on his world. The Alexander Sarcophagus, named because the Macedonian conqueror appears twice in the sculptures that decorate its sides, was carved around 320 BCE for the ruler of Sidon. It shows Alexander as a vital, forceful warrior, as ruler, as semi-divine figure. It creates links between Alexander as king and the prior Persian kings. And it does all of this by melding Persian and Greek traditions. One of the most beautiful and striking works of ancient art, it allows us to understand both the power of images--and the power of Alexander himself.
This lecture is part of the general-interest public lecture series ATTIC NIGHTS, presented by the University of Colorado Department of Classics and the Boulder Public Library with the generous support of Mary E.V. McClanahan.
