Across Wine Dark Seas | Metropolitan Museum of Art
Classical Greek art is widely celebrated and recognized, but the exceedingly creative work that preceded it is not as well known. This publication expands the conversation about ancient Greek art to the era before the Parthenon—a transformative moment beginning in the eighth century BCE that saw the advent of the city-state, the foundation of Panhellenic sanctuaries and festivals, the first use of the Greek alphabet, and the compilation of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. These coincided with ancient Greek diasporas that heralded an era of dynamic cultural exchange. Across Wine-Dark Seas explores how Greek art of this period was exposed to the visual culture of Egypt, Africa, Persia, Iberia, and beyond, and how these regions incorporated Greek themes into their own artworks.
