ADSactly Art History - The Reign of Alexander The Great as a Catalyst For The Impact Of Greek Culture on the Areas of the Middle East

Both the time of Alexander and the Hellenistic dynasties, which took power after his death, is marked by a significant change in thinking about art. In some respects, the idea is directed towards the ostentatious expression of military power. The impact of Hellenization has left its mark on the art and architecture of the newly conquered territories in the east. A characteristic feature of the art of the period in question is the surprising spread of twin styles in very spatially and temporally distant places: from Persia to India, Siberia; from V to the I century BC. Intensive migrations of peoples favoured this tendency. This is his influence and authority on the art of Persia, Mesopotamia and Bactria.

Persian art was heavily influenced by the Greek, as we can see on the examples of coins and seals from that area. While the classic shapes of figures and performance materials are preserved, the detail has changed: the horses in the hunting scenes received the Greek appearance (sharp noses, raised mane). To this day, there are not many examples of Seleucid sculptures. An example of a preserved sculpture is the representation of Heracles in the rock ridge at Behistun. Heracles was locally assimilated with god Verethragna (Boardman, 1995: 79).

In search of Hellenistic influences on the sculpture of the Middle East, attention should be paid to architecture (although urban planning and engineering were often un-greek). Highly Hellenized areas were centers such as Hatra, Ashur, even Palmira and Syria. They were the core of the Seleucid kingdom, and the Parthian kings declared Philo-Hellenism. Greek ornamental art was present throughout the entire Persian territory. The Parthians managed to separate the decorative and constructional function of the columns, used them to decorate the facades, thus disturbing the proportions of the shaft and the capitol - an example of the facade of the temple in Uruk (pictured).

Another Greek influence is plant ornaments with acanthus leaves, often in unprecedented functions, for example as a frieze element. The use of these Greek elements, however, was subordinated to local customs in design.

In the western regions, the rulers of Commagene worshiped Persian deities, presenting them in a typical Greek outfit, combining Eastern formalism (representations of kings) with classical sculpture (depictions of deities). Greek Heracles (here integrated with the Persian Verethragna) is depicted naked with anatomy resembling a classic style. The Parthian artists showed the local deities with the characteristic of them frontality, and their costumes have a strongly expressive trait, originally created to give the shape of the body underneath, and now simplified, in the form resembling a rope's ridge. The frontalism of the figures seems to be somewhat strange and can be explained by their role: they impose divine authority on subjects.