Hoplites in Space: The Style of Star Wars

Work on the current hoplite animation continues well, and all this staring at close-ups of hoplite helmets has prompted me to reflect on a) how stylish they are, and b) how stylish the hoplite style helmets in the Star Wars universe are.
You’ve probably noticed the influence yourself. Let’s have close-up look at it now. The influence of the classic Corinthian style hoplite helmet is most clearly seen in the helmet worn by legendary bounty-hunter Boba Fett:


The bounty-hunter’s helmet shares the hoplite helmet’s full-face design, with the distinctive horizontal eye-strip and narrow vertical gap between cheek pieces. This offers extensive protection, while the anonymity of the piece is also appropriately intimidating. The space helmet adds to this effect by including blacked-out sections where the hoplite helmet would have gaps – a difference no doubt influenced by the different atmospheres of space and planet.

Boba Fett inherited his kit from his bounty-hunter ‘father’, Jango Fett. While the two bounty-hunters made the armour famous, the Clone Wars animated series revealed that the distinctive panoply was actually a customised version of the typical traditional military wear worn on the planet Mandalore. We can see the helmets of Mandalorian soldiers here:
Mandalorian
Hoplite
Mandalorians

Unlike ancient Greeks, the Mandalorians include female soldiers in their ranks. This Mandalorian (right) demonstrates the female form of body armour. There’s a subtle difference in the helmet too – the female helmet includes a nose piece coming down vertically from between the eyes – a feature that makes it even closer to the hoplite helmet. Greeks often wore plumes on their helmets; senior Mandalorians have the option of attaching plumes too.
Female Mandalorian

In another difference from the Greek panoply, the Mandalorians sport armoured trouser legs rather than the re-enforced kilts of the hoplites. Consideration for the demands of space rather than the heat of Greece probably made the trouser leg style more appealing.



Like classical hoplites, Mandalorian soldiers have a sense of their own individuality despite working in groups. This makes them different from the specially bred clone troopers who were created to serve the Republic. As such, it’s appropriate that they look different. The helmets of the clone troopers also owe something to the hoplite helmet; the full face with eye holes style is there, but there is a mouth-shaped ventilation point that is very un-hoplite. Clone troopers wear trousers rather than kilts, but nonetheless, we sometimes see an over-kilt for ceremonial occasions – a welcome nod to hoplite style.
Late Republican Clone Trooper's Helmet

As Republic turns to Empire, the clone troopers are re-equipped. The new helmets are much more rounded – much less like hoplite kit. Dark times indeed. Darth Vadar had to look different from both Mandalorians and clones. His helmet is truly individual; with its wide flare curving out at the base, it owes more to Samurai style than Greek.


For a little something on the classical themes in Star Wars, have a look at Edith Hall’s blog post on the Return of the Jedi and Greek tragedy: http://edithorial.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/may-force-of-greek-storytelling-be-with.html

New Year, New Animation

Happy New Year!

2014 looks to be an interesting year for us at Panoply. Work has begun on the animation we’re making for the ‘Communicating Ancient Greece and Rome’ project (CAGR) run by the University of Oxford’s Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama: http://www.apgrd.ox.ac.uk/.

The animation is being made in collaboration with the Ure Museum, using their superb Euboean lekanis. The protagonist is one of the vase’s hoplites. As he’s originally shown with his helmet pulled down over his face, we’ve been experimenting with facial reconstruction for the few scenes that will show him helmet-free. The vase shows wisps of beard poking out from beneath the helmet, so we knew he had to be bearded. A beard from a contemporary vase acted as a template to build the new one – you can see the steps below. We hope you’ll agree that he looks very dashing!


This image of the vase shows strands of hair and beard poking out


Here he is sporting a beard from a different vase


And here with new beard and hair in place!
We'll keep you posted on his progress as the animation develops.

50,000 Views and a New Animation

That’s right – we’ve past 50,000 views of Panoply’s vase animations, so thank-you and ευχαριστώ again for watching, we really appreciate it.

This latest animation is made from an amphora by the Leningrad Painter – named after the city (now St. Petersburg) where many of his pieces are housed. The Leningrad Painter was an early mannerist painter, working in the early to mid-fifth-century BCE as part of a group known for depicting somewhat exaggerated gestures and for their fondness for scenes that were unusual or drawn from daily life.

On this amphora we see a young warrior being wished well as he leaves for a campaign. He shakes the hand of an older male figure – perhaps his father – whose hair has been outlined with black slip but not filled in, creating the impression of white hair. The warrior is well-prepared for his campaign, with a long thrusting spear, back-up sword, and a traveller’s hat to keep sunstroke at bay. A second male well-wisher is in-between the ages of the two central men, bearded but not yet grey. On the far left, a woman prepares to pour a libation offering; she holds a dish in her left hand and a small jug in her right. Like the man on the right, the woman is bent forward to fit neatly into the curve of the vase, accentuating the focus on the warrior. The handshake, or dexiosis, with a departing warrior became quite a frequently reproduced scene, and – with wars flaring up in most years of the classical period – was one that lots of families would recognise from their own lives.

Thanks again for watching – there are more projects in the offing and we’ll keep you updated


Source image with permission of Jean-David Cahn AG (www.cahn.ch)

Panoply and the Iris Project

This week, Panoply is delighted to be featured in the Iris Project’s web magazine, Iris Online. The Iris Project is a superb educational charity that supports the promotion of classical languages and culture to children and teenagers. As such, the article (written by Sonya) is aimed at teenagers. It explains what we’ve been doing at Panoply and offers suggestions for vase-related storyboarding activities. You can find it (along with lots of other interesting articles) at: http://www.irisonline.org.uk/index.php/features/features-archive/140-animating-ancient-vases

The Iris Project has just opened The East Oxford Community Classics Centre, hosted by Cheney School. The Classics Centre will be a vibrant new Classics learning venue for people of all ages to attend events, workshops, lessons, and exhibitions. We’re looking forward to attending their opening celebration this evening, a highlight of which will be a talk by Prof. Mary Beard. Check out the array of enticing forthcoming events at: http://irisproject.org.uk/index.php/east-oxford-community-classics-centre/programme-of-events

Our thanks also go out to the Classics Library for their feature on Panoply: http://www.theclassicslibrary.com/2013/10/17/animating-greek-vases-sonyanevin/. The Classics Library provides news, info, and resources for classics teachers. If you haven’t already, look them up!

Lifo: Panoply featured in Greek Media

We’re very proud that Panoply featured recently in an article in the Greek publication Lifo.gr. The article is in a column, written by Dr Vasiliki Pliatsika (ΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΗ ΠΛΙΑΤΣΙΚΑ), that celebrates ‘objects, people and stories from the world of antiquity’. Dr Pliatsika praises the Ure Discovery project as a fresh and inviting way to enjoy ancient vases. In less than a month, more than 20,000 people have watched the animations and the article has been picked up and re-posted by bloggers and news-sites around the world. So a big ‘hello’ if you’re a new visitor, and a μεγάλο ‘γεια σε’ to all our Greek visitors. You can read the article in Dr Pliatsika’s column at: http.www.lifo.gr/team/evrymata/42222

Vase Remixes

While Panoply create animations from ancient Greek vases, this post is dedicated to other artwork born from the vase. First up on the photostream, you’ll see a brilliant little piece by cartoonist, Matt, who brought Greek vases to the front page of a UK broadsheet during the 2012 Olympics. This link will take you to an article about his curious career as a cartoonist: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/9888271/Matt-cartoons-25-years-of-a-gentle-genius.html

The photostream also includes pieces based on the distinctive style of so much ancient Greek pottery, with its use of strong contrast and intricate boarders. There’s a piece by Robert Weigand, who brings a 20th century biker twist to the classic vase scene and one from Andre Asai (aka asaifactory on deviantart.com) who brings the Star Wars universe to ancient Greece – a modern myth in an ancient style!

Outstanding mention goes to Ron Hutt, for his project, Greek Myths Redux http://ronhutt.org/. In this imaginative series, we see contemporary social issues explored through images that reflect ancient myth and art: the Fates weaving DNA, a Muse playing computer games, Athena filming Apollo, and Heracles fighting alongside ‘stem-cell warriors’.

Ancient Greek vases were created for a contemporary audience. Their scenes reflected contemporary interests in myth and daily life, offering us offer a glimpse into the headspace of a bygone people. But while classical vase scenes are specific to a time and place, they’re so old that they can also remind us of the enormous scale of human history – of just how much time has gone before us and will do after, and of the power of art to capture a moment within that huge picture. By drawing on the style of ancient vases, these re-workings encourage consciousness of our time’s own brief moment of cultural space within the huge timescale of human history. Whilst they’re largely playful, they can also prompt us to reflect on what scenes we feel would capture today’s zeitgeist, and perhaps to ask how we might like to be regarded two or three thousand years from now. What would you have on your vase?

Ure Discovery and Beyond

Well, after eight enjoyable months, the Ure Discovery project is complete, with the final animation posted today. Massive congratulations to all the teenagers who took part, plus pats on the back for Amy Smith and Guja Bandini from the Ure Museum at the University of Reading, and for Annette Haworth of AACT, creator of the Ure Discovery museum trail.

We hope you’ve enjoyed watching the animations and reading the info pages. If you’re a teacher or other educator using the animations in teaching then we’d love to hear your feedback and any of the great ideas you’ve had about using the animations in class - just drop us a line through the contacts page.

We have exciting plans for the future, so please click Follow at the bottom of the blog if you’d like to get notifications on updates, interviews, and new materials. You can also follow Sonya on Twitter @SonyaNevin.

Our next major project is an online subscription-based service giving access to more extensive animations, plus further teaching resources including lesson plans, specialist background information, and a wide range of educational activities. The first set of animations will be based on four great vases that are on the UK A-level syllabus. So expect something truly amazing next year, with animations made from some of the finest vessels from antiquity. The material will be aimed at teachers for use in the classroom, based on our knowledge of classics teaching and input from classics and ancient history teachers from around the UK and beyond. If there’s anything you’d like us to include, please let us know :)

We’re also continuing to work with museums and schools to create more pupil-led animations that will be added to the open-access material on Panoply.
Watch this space...