The new academic year is here. Whether you’re new to the Panoply site or a returning friend, you might find inspiration for teaching with vase animations in our latest publication: ‘Animations of Ancient Vase Scenes in the Classics Classroom’, in the Journal of Classics Teaching, which can be accessed for free via this link:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S2058631015000057. Our Animation Uses page is full of ideas too.
We’ll have a new animation for you soon. Steve has been working hard turning the winning storyboard from the Irish Schools’ Storyboarding Competition into a fully-fledged animation. Winners Eamonn O’Broin and Frank O’Grady of Gonzaga College Dublin will see their story launched at a special event in the UCD Classical Museum. The event is free and open to the public, come along if you’re in the Dublin area! (Thursday 24th Sept. 5.30-7.30pm, presentation at 6).
The new animation will joinThe Processionon display with the vase they’re made from.
War as Spectacle editor and long-time friend of Panoply, Dr Anastasia Bakogianni, caught up with us to record an interview about hoplites and the spectacle of war. You can get the inside scoop here:
Welcome to the start of a new academic year :) You have two new Panoply vase animations to look forward to, which will be out later this month and next.
Today we’re talking to Professor Véronique Dasen, Associate Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. Prof. Dasen talks to us about her work on magic and amulets and about her exhibition, Veni, vidi, ludique (Came, Saw, Playful) to which Panoply contributed Clash of the Dicers.
1) Veni, vidi, ludique has been a magnificent undertaking, exhibiting in three Swiss museums across two years. What is the main aim of the exhibition? Veni, vidi, ludique is an Agora project, supported by the National Swiss Foundation. Its aim is to promote the communication of scientific research to a wide audience. Veni, vidi, ludique shares the results of the latest research on games and toys in antiquity. Ludic practices (that is, activities to do with play) present important material and intangible cultural heritage that has long been neglected. Games and toys provide a wealth of information on stereotypes of gendered roles (such as dolls for girls, carts for boys), religion (toys and rites of passage; games and divination), adult/child relationship, educational principles, and more generally models of socialisation and transmission of cultural values. In an anthropological perspective, they engage wider reflections on our present society.
Above, the play area in the exhibition, 'Clash' plays in the cinema at the far end.
Above, Prof. Dasen discuses some of the artefacts with visiting young people.
2) The exhibition began in the Roman Museum of Nyon, moved to the Swiss Museum of Games in La Tour-de-Peilz, and is now at the Roman Museum of Vallon. Has being in different museums changed the way that the exhibition is displayed?
Each museum develops another aspect of the ancient sources and artefacts. The three museums share the same common title: Veni, vidi, ludique, and a common design, but each has a distinct subtitle according to its focus. The Musée romain of Nyon presented 'Le jeu de la vie', a general synthesis on the role of toys and games in the life cycle, from birth to adulthood. At la Tour-de-Peilz, Swiss Museum of Games, 'Jouer avec l’Antiquité' investigated the reception of Antiquity in modern games, from cards to videogames. At Vallon, Musée romain, 'Les jeux sont faits' reconstructs the games found during the excavation of the Roman villa, suggests rules, and invites the public to play and to test them.
Above, posters for each of the different legs of the exhibition.
At each place, interactivity is promoted by events, such as 'Cafés scientifiques', and by new technologies, such as a smart-guide for mobile phones with QR codes providing extra information, Panoply’s Clash of the Dicers vase animation, and table touch animations that enable visitors to
understand the rules of ancient games. We also created a series of short movies providing reconstructions of games that visitors enjoy because of the bonding it creates. On our website www.venividiludique.ch, and below, you can see how Penthelitha was played in Antiquity.
3) Clash of the Dicers is made from Exekias’ vase depicting Achilles and Ajax gaming. What can we learn from that vase about games and play in antiquity?
This famous vase is one of the earliest of a large series (around 160) produced during 50 years at Athens under the reign of the Peisistratid dynasty. The scene reflects archaic aristocratic ideology. The heroes are two friends, the best Greek warriors. I call it a metaphoric icon*, demonstrating their capacity to concentrate, and to develop strategies. The game, identified as pente grammai**, however, is played with a dice, showing that success or defeat does not only depend from the personal qualities of the heroes, but also from the will of the gods.
* as discussed in V. Dasen, 'Achille et Ajax : quand l’agôn se mêle à l’alea', Revue du Mauss, in press.
** U. Schädler, 'Pente grammai – the Ancient Greek Board Game Five Lines', in J. Nuno Silva (dir.), Board Game Studies Colloquium XI, Proceedings, Lisbon, 2009, p. 169-192.
Above, Clash of the Dicers plays in a small cinema within the exhibition.
4) How have people responded to the animation?
Visitors of all ages enjoy the animation. It helps understanding how ancient imagery functions. The condensed image of Exekias is deconstructed in the movie revealing the different sequences that it concentrates. The vivid reactions of these legendary heroes, displaying their feelings, like modern players, make them familiar. However, the educational function of games was the opposite, to learn how to control your emotions! The lively music adds a humorous touch.
5) What other sorts of games and play can be found on ancient vases?
A large range of games are found on Greek vases, but not all. Vase-painters often focus on a specific age category, that of youths before marriage. An erotic tension is present, as ludic activities, such as ball games, allow the interaction of girls and boys. Some games are fascinating because they have disappeared today, such as ephedrismos, a type of “piggyback” game, always played between youths of the same sex because of the physical proximity it creates (see the special issue of Archeothema 31, 2013. Some games look familiar but their rules differ from today, such as the morra game, a hand game played holding a stick in ancient Greece. Its aim differs from the modern one that was traditionally played for money; Greek vases display a game of love and chance: a seducing girl is often opposed to a handsome boy, in the presence of Eros and Aphrodite.
Above, ephedrismos: a classical vase scenes shows young men playing the game.
6) You recently published your research on magic and amulets in antiquity in The Materiality of Magic. Was magic a big part of life in ancient Greece?
Yes! Magic, as a response to the hazards of daily life, was omnipresent. The frontier between game and divination is very thin. For example, we know that in Asia Minor five knucklebones were used as dice to produce oracles. A series of Roman period inscriptions have kept the results of the throws (56 combinations). We created an App, that can be freely downloaded from App Store, where you roll 5 knucklebones and discover the fate that awaits you. As in Antiquity, the oracle can be kept, but today you send it to yourself as an email. A second try is possible if the first result is too bad!
The knucklebones have four sides producing four numbers: 1, 3, 4, 6.
Here are two examples of oracles from Asia Minor:
From the eagle of Zeus
The eagle up in the air flying to the right, will give
a good omen to the traveller. With the help of Zeus, all mighty,
You can do the deed you are driven to do. Fear nothing!
(33111)
From Tyche holding the rudder
Do not hurry! Because it is not nice to go now! So wait!
If you rush in vain desire, you will hurt yourself very much.
Wait until the chance has come, and you will achieve everything.
(11163)
7) Who’s your favourite ancient Greek?
A woman, of course. Researching magical gems let me discover the secret competences of Omphale, the Queen of Lydia, who enslaved Heracles. On gems, she demonstrates her hidden magical power. She takes the place of Heracles as the patron of women’s health, using his club to master threatening incubi, malevolent demons, in the form of a Sethian donkey, demonstrating that ancient women were in control of their body.
In our last post, we shared pictures of the new ancient warfare exhibition in Warsaw which features Panoply’s Hoplites! Greeks at War. This week we have photos Olympus! Olympus: The Greco-Roman Collections of Berlin is an exhibition of Greek and Roman artefacts on loan to the Winnipeg Art Gallery in Canada. The exhibition includes several Panoply vase animations which are displayed in specially built viewports.
Above, Olympus catches the eye on the exterior of the Winnipeg Art Gallery
There has been a lot of excitement surrounding Olympus, as it's the first exhibition of classical artefacts to be shown in the Manitoba region in more than 50 years. Over 160 artefacts have been leant by the National Museums in Berlin, including sculpture, vases, jewellery, and armour from sites such as Olympia, Vulci, and Pergamon.
Above, inside the exhibition, with children looking into one of the Panoply viewports at the back
The Panoply animations appear in special viewports throughout the exhibition, where visitors can watch the animations in-between the artefacts.
Above, children and adults see vase-scenes come to life
The exhibition is on display until the end of October. You can find out more on the exhibition website http://olympus.wag.ca/ and follow it on twitter using the hashtag #olympuswpg.
You may have noticed that we’ve made a few updates to the website. Most excitingly, we've added details of our new publications about the Panoply vase animations. Teachers and lecturers in particular might be interested in,‘Animations of Ancient Vase Scenes in the Classics Classroom’, in the Journal of Classics Teaching, which gives a survey of ways that the animations can be used in teaching and learning. You can access it for free via this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S2058631015000057. Hope you like it! Feel free to share it far and wide :)
Panoply's 'Pelops' in between some of the spectacular vases on show in the Olympus exhibition
Friends of Panoply will know that we are big fans of ancient warfare, so imagine how pleased we are that Panoply animation Hoplites! Greeks at War is featuring in a brand new ancient warfare exhibition at the National Museum in Warsaw!
Above, the impressive National Museum in Warsaw
‘Hoplites. On the Art of War of Ancient Greece,’ opened this month and will run until the end of December. Its curator is Dr Alfred Twardecki, Curator in Chief of the Collection of Ancient and East Christian Art. The exhibition features a fabulous collection of ancient artefacts, including a rare hoplite shield with an intact surface and interior fittings, a selection of wonderful helmets, and red and black figure vases showing scenes of ancient warfare.
Above, exhibits in the 'Hoplites' exhibition
Hoplites! Greeks at War has been included in the exhibition to provide a visual impression of hoplite warfare and to offer a creative slant on vases and iconography. The animation is on display in the exhibition gallery and received a warm response at the opening reception.
Above, ancient warfare enthusiasts crowd to watch Hoplites! at the exhibition opening.
In an exciting innovation, Hoplites! is on display with new audio. Dr Twardecki and a small team of students recorded a new sound-track based on the war poetry of the Spartan poet, Tyrtaios. Visitors to the exhibition can hear fragments 10 and 11 of Tyrtaios’ poetry sung in the original ancient Greek. I have included an English translation from fragment 11 below so that you can see just how appropriate it is for a warfare exhibition. It also provides a good example of what a confusing place the archaic Greek battle-field could be, with missiles flying this way and that as well as spears and swords taking a swipe:
You know those who dare to go into close-range
and press toward engagement at the front
die in less numbers, with ranks behind them
protected; those who run, lose all esteem.
The list is endless of the ills that hurt
the man who learns to think the coward’s thoughts…
Plant foot by enemy’s foot, press shield on shield,
Thrust helm at helm, and tangle plume with plume,
Opposing breast to breast: that’s how to fight,
With the long spear or sword-grip in your hand.
You light-armed men, wherever you can aim
from the shield-cover, pelt them with great rocks
and hurl at them your smooth-shaved javelins,
helping the armoured troops with close support.
Tyrtaeus 11 (Greek, 7th century BCE)
We hope that this will be the first step in a long and productive collaboration between Panoply and the National Museum in Warsaw. We are part of the team established by Prof. Katarzyna Marciniak of the University of Warsaw for a project called 'Our Mythical Childhood... The Reception of Classical Antiquity in Children’s and Young Adults’ Culture in Response to Regional and Global Challenges'. If the project is funded, Panoply will make a series of vase animations from the NMW's fabulous collection of ancient vases, showing how mythical creatures filled the imaginations of the ancient Greeks and how they continue to inspire art and education today. The animations would be available to visitors to the museum to watch alongside the vases they are made from and they would be posted on the Panoply site for free world-wide access. Wish us luck with the application!
The National Museum in Warsaw is open from Tuesday-Sunday. You can find out more about its exhibitions and permanent collection through its website at: http://www.mnw.art.pl/en/, and there is more on 'Hoplites. The Art of War of Ancient Greece' on the exhibition webpage.
Photos courtesy of The National Museum in Warsaw.
This week, we’re pleased to be celebrating the winners of the Iris Schools’ Storyboarding Competition. Congratulations to Eamonn O’Broin and Frank O’Grady of Gonzaga College, Dublin! Their winning storyboard will be transformed into a vase animation over the summer and, come September, it will form part of the display in the UCD Classical Museum.
Above, at Gonzaga College: winners Eamonn O’Broin and Frank O’Grady with their storyboard, with Panoply animator Steve Simons, curator Dr Jo Day and classics teacher Dr Lucy Corcoran.
The competition challenge was to interpret the scene on the vase below and to plan a short animation based on that scene. The competition was sponsored by The Classical Association of Ireland – Teachers (CAI-T, http://www.caiteachers.com/) as a way to encourage young people to interact thoughtfully and creatively with ancient artefacts. The competition was open to all under-18s in Irish schools that study classical civilisation or ancient languages. Gonzaga College has a fine tradition of teaching both Classical Studies and Latin and Greek, and Eamonn and Frank’s win is another feather in the cap of this classics-loving school.
You may recognise the vase. It is indeed the same vase that featured in The Procession. The Procession’s story was planned by MA students studying at University College Dublin. The MA students storyboarded The Procession as part of an exhibition they put together for the museum about creating and using vases in antiquity. The exhibition provided competition entrants with plenty to think about regarding vases, while The Procession offered an example of what vase animations are and what might be going on in the scene. The chance to have two animations made from the same vase is an excellent way to show how different people interpret artefacts and respond creatively in different ways. Two isn’t the limit! Although the competition might be closed, you (or your class) can still look at the vase and plan your own alternative storyboards.
The competition was judged by curator Dr Jo Day, Dr Aude Doody and Dr Alan Ross, all from the UCD School of Classics, while Panoply animator Steve Simons flew in to offer advice on what would or wouldn’t work well in animation. The judges were impressed by all the responses to the vase made by the entrants. The winners’ entry stood out, however, and was admired for the clarity and unity of its story, its re-watchable quality, and the fact that it will help visitors to understand the vase scene. Curator Jo Day has said of the winning storyboard: ‘We really liked the inventive way the characters use the whole scene, hanging from the decorative border and dropping in to the action. As a teaching tool it encourages you to think about how the whole vase works together, front and back, figures and decoration.’
Above, a tricky decision as the winner is chosen.
Steve visited the winners’ class in Gonzaga College to talk to them about how vase animations are made. He had a special meeting with Eamonn and Frank so that the two winners could explain their vision for the animation in person.
Above, Steve talks vase animation with pupils at Gonzaga College, Dublin.
The new animation will be launched at a special event at the University College Dublin Classical Museum in September – watch this space for more details. Well done to everyone who took part in the competition. A big thank-you to competition sponsors, Classical Association of Ireland – Teachers. And finally, another massive CONGRATULATIONS to Frank and Eamonn.
All over Europe, museum-lovers have been gathering for night-time celebrations of the collections and activities in Europe’s wonderful museums.
At Panoply, Steve and I have been delighted that some of our vase animations have been included in these splendid events. In Germany, 40 museums took part in Leipzig’s annual event, The Long Night of the Museums. Panoply’s involvement came via a special vase animation screening at Leipzig University’s Institute of Classical Archaeology and Antiquities Museum. The screening, including Hoplites! Greeks at War, Heracles, and The Cheat, gave visitors a chance to see vase scenes come to life and invited them to look afresh at the ancient vases in the museum’s collection. An elegant, neoclassical hall provided a charming backdrop to this celebration of classical culture.
This screening of Panoply animations was the brainchild of Dr. Hans-Peter Müller, who is a researcher at the Leipzig Museum of Antiquities, with specialism in modern conservation and restoration practices, particularly work with casts of ancient statues. The event was hosted by Marco Blechschmidt, an archaeology postgraduate student at the University of Leipzig. Marco provided an insightful commentary throughout the evening, giving an introduction to the Panoply Project, explaining the mythological and historical background to the animations, and presenting information on the vases the animations were made from. The event was attended by young and old proving once again that no one is too young for the beauty of ancient vases or too old for the joy of animation.
If you’d like to get involved in the Long Night of the Museums, visit the project website to find out about Long Night 2016 and to see images of other events from this year.
If you’d like to license vase animations for your museum or gallery, feel free to get in touch via our contacts page.
In other news, the winner of the Irish Schools Storyboarding Competition has been chosen. Photos and a full account will follow soon. Watch this space or follow us on Twitter (via the link above) or Facebook for updates.
It's been a busy and cheerful couple of months for the Panoply Vase Animation Project.
We've celebrated the release of a chapter about the Panoply vase animations in Advancing Engagement: A Handbook for Academic Museums, Volume 3.
Written by me (i.e. Sonya!) and Amy Smith, curator of the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology, ‘Using Animation for Successful Engagement, Promotion, and Learning’ offers details on the vase animation projects undertaken at the Ure Museum and guidance on including animation and storyboarding activities in teaching and museum practice. It’s also been a real pleasure to read the other chapters in the book, which offer insights into all sorts of projects and good practice in leading museums.
Another enjoyable development has been Panoply’s contribution to the 9th Nyon International Festival of Archaeological Films.Hoplites! Greeks at War was flying the flag for vase animation and we’re really pleased that it was shown at such a fantastic event.
This evening we’re exploring another artist’s experiments with ancient Greek pottery by attending the opening of The Labours of Herakles exhibition at the Museum of Classical Archaeology, Cambridge. Marian Maguire has created original artwork drawing on black-figure vases, imagining Herakles as a New Zealand pioneer, taming the land. Wonderful work. You can see examples online and the exhibition is running until 15th August 2015.
In exciting further developments, we will have a new animation for you next week, and Steve is busy at work on a truly wonderful piece that will be out in the summer...
