Essay on Representations and Images
Quick overview: The Images Essay (11:00)
Option 1
Two pieces in a museum
How a culture sees abstract ideas (masculinity, virtue, old age, divinity, and so on) is often reflected in its artwork. What can two different works of art depicting the same idea, but from different times or places, tell us about how the cultures that produced them?
For this option, you need to choose two works of art from the ancient world having to do with religion that (a) represent the same idea or concept but (b) come either from different periods or from different places in the ancient world.
In your essay, compare three things that these works have in common, using those comparisons to make an argument about what these two artists believed in and the insights this gives us into the cultures they came from.
Choosing your subjects
- Your two works of art must represent the same idea or concept. For example, you can choose two priestesses, two demigod heroes, two fertility goddesses, etc. The idea is to look for how similarities and differences in representations of the same idea tell us about the cultural beliefs and expectations that shaped the artists and their own culturally-conditioned visions of that idea.
- Your works of art must be from the ancient era (before 500 CE), and they must be from either two different places or two different periods. This allows you to talk about two separate societies and how they represent the same concepts differently. The two pieces can be in any visual medium: sculpture, painting, relief, etc. They do not have to be in the same medium as long as they are depictions of the same idea or concept.
- Ideally, you should experience the artwork face-to-face by attending a museum in person. Possible venues include: Metropolitan Museum’s Egypt Collection; Metropolitan Museum’s Greek and Roman Art Collection; Brooklyn Museum of Art’s Ancient Egyptian Art Collection; and Fordham Museum of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Art. You are, of course, not limited to these venues, and you are not limited to New York. If you are not able to attend a museum in person because of ongoing restrictions, you may find imagery of artworks that meet the requirements on museum websites instead.
Writing your paper
- Choose three aspects of the works you can discuss for both pieces that seem to reflect how the artist felt about the subject and what the subject stood for.
- Some possibilities include facial expression, dress, use of technique or medium, stiffness/fluidity, apparent strength/weakness, idealism/realism, or any other elements offering some kind of insight into what the artist was trying to convey. Describe and discuss your subjective impressions of these three aspects in the two works.
- For each aspect, compare how it manifests in the first piece; then talk about how the second piece is similar or different and in what way; and finally talk about what these similarities or differences tell us about what each artist believed about their subject and what that might tell us about the cultural beliefs they came from in relation to the subject being depicted.
- For example: say the works you’ve chosen are two sculptures depicting a goddess of love from different cultures, and one has a crafty expression while the other has an innocent expression. The different facial expressions can be used to talk about how each artist, and the cultures they came from, might have thought about things like the gods’ attitudes toward their roles in creating relationships between mortals; the nature of love; the motivations of the gods, etc.
- Make an argument about how consistently the same core idea was seen in the two times or places that produced these two works. If art is an expression of cultural values, what do the differences between these works tell you about the respective cultures they come from? What do their similarities tell you about what these ancient cultures have in common?
- You do not need to preface your essay with background about the periods, the media used, etc. This essay is about your subjective reactions to these two dspecific works and what you believe they are telling you about the beliefs and social expectations of the cultures they came from.
- On a separate “Works Discussed” page after your essay:
- List the title of each work, the artist, the approximate date it was created, the city or region it came from originally, and the name of the museum gallery where the work can be found.
- Paste in photographs of the items. If it’s permitted at the museum, take a picture of the items while you’re there. If it’s not, find pictures of those specific items on the museum’s web site.
IMPORTANT
- Watch the video.The overview video explains what I want you to cover in the essay and what I’m expecting in terms of arguments, evidence, and structure.
- Before you upload,make sure your essay meets the Requirements for All Papers, including formatting, structure, and citations. You will be marked down drastically if your paper is not properly cited. For how to do citations and bibliographies, see the Research and Citation Center.
Option 2
The ancient world on film
Every depiction of an historical event, whether in prose, poetry, painting, theater, or film, involves an artist using history to convey his or her own beliefs. What do the creators of the film and the authors of the source material it was based on want you to believe?
For this option, you need to choose a film that is set in the ancient world that relates to religion and that is based on an ancient primary source. In your essay, compare the agenda of the filmmakers with the agenda of the authors of the primary source. Describe and discuss the similarities and differences in how these creators reshaped this event for their own purposes. Use these similarities and differences to make an argument about the ways in which this particular event is leveraged to impose ideas on audiences and about what this event means to the people who create art about it.
Choosing your subjects
- First, choose and watch any feature-length film set in the ancient era (3500 BCE to 500 CE). You can also choose two episodes of a television series set in the ancient world.
- Then find the ancient primary source material it was based on and read it. For example, if you chose the movie 300, which is about Spartans fighting Persian invaders at the Battle of Thermopylae, the primary source you’d need would be the main ancient account of that battle, which is in Book 7 of The Histories by the famous historian Herodotos. Your primary source(s) must come from the ancient world (before 500 CE).
- Some suggestions for possible films or series and their corresponding sources are below. The list is not exhaustive, and you are not limited to this list as long as the film you choose is set in the ancient world and is based on ancient primary sources.
Writing your paper
- Choose three moments or depictions from the film and find the corresponding events or depictions in the primary source.
- For each moment or depiction, describe and discuss how it appears in the film and how it is presented similarly or differently in the primary source material.
- Use these similarities or differences to make an argument about (a) the agenda of the primary source author and how it compares to the agenda of the filmmakers, and (b) the ways this historical event is used by others to present their own ideas, and what this tells us about the shape and meaning of this event’s impact and legacy on history.
- Please take note:This essay is about the agenda of the primary source author as much as the filmmakers’. Do not use the source to “fact check” the film and list what it got “wrong”. You must consider the primary source to be at least as skewed, manipulative, and agenda-driven as the film.
- On a separate “Works Discussed” page after your essay, list the title of film, year, director, stars and studio. Then list the book or books you drew your written evidence from, using standard citation style. The references to the primary source must also be properly cited in the text as usual.
IMPORTANT
- Watch the video.The overview video explains what I want you to cover in the essay and what I’m expecting in terms of arguments, evidence, and structure.
- Before you upload,make sure your essay meets the Requirements for All Papers, including formatting, structure, and citations. You will be marked down drastically if your paper is not properly cited. For how to do citations and bibliographies, see the Research and Citation Center.
Some possibilities for the film and sources option include, but are not limited to, the following. Note that is a general list of films depicting the ancient world and some may not have much bearing on religion. Links to most of these primary sources can be found on the ancient texts page on my website.
Greece and Greek Mythology
| Film | Subject / Possible primary sources to compare |
|---|---|
| 300 (2007) or The 300 Spartans (1962) | Battle of Thermopylae Herodotus, The Histories book 7 |
| 300: Rise of an Empire (2014) | Battle of Salamis Herodotus, The Histories book 8 |
| Agora (2009) | Hypatia Socrates Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History, 7.15; John of Nikiu, Chronicle 84.87-103; The Suda, Life of Hypatia |
| Alexander the Great (1956) or Alexander (2004) | Alexander Plutarch, Alexander; or Arrian, Anabasis |
| Atlantis (2011) | Atlantis myth Plato, Timaeus and Critias |
| Barefoot in Athens (1966) | Socrates Plato, Phaedo, Apology |
| Clash of the Titans (1981, 2010) | Theseus Plutarch, Theseus; Ps.-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca; Ovid, Metamorphoses |
| Damon and Pythias (1962) | Damon and Pythias, Syracuse Cicero, On Duties 3.45; Diodorus Siculus 10.4 |
| Electra (1963) | Elektra Euripides, Elektra; Sophocles, Elektra |
| The Fury of Achilles (1962) | Achilles, Trojan War Homer, Iliad Books 1, 9, 16-19 |
| Helen of Troy (1956) | Helen, Trojan War Homer, Iliad 3, Odyssey 4, 23; Euripides, Helen; Ovid, Heroides 16; Isocrates, Helen |
| Hercules (1997), Hercules (2014), or The Legend of Hercules (2014) | Hercules Ovid, Metamorphoses 9, 12; Apollodorus, The Library; Euripides, Herakles; Apollonios Rhodios, Argonautika 1.1175–1280 |
| Iphigenia (1977) | Iphigenia Euripides, Iphigenia at Aulis |
| The Odyssey (1997) or Ulysses (1955) | Odysseus Homer, Odyssey [focus on key events of the film] |
| The Trojan Horse (1961) | Trojan War, Aeneas Virgil, Aeneid Book 2 |
| The Trojan Women (1971) | Greek subjugation of Troy Euripides, The Trojan Women |
| Troy (2004) | Achilles, Trojan War Homer, Iliad [focus on key events of the film] |
Rome and the Roman Empire
| Film | Subject / Possible primary sources to compare |
|---|---|
| Agora (2009) | Hypatia Socrates Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History, 7.15; John of Nikiu, Chronicle 84.87-103; The Suda, Life of Hypatia |
| Attila (2001) | Attila Jordanes, Origin and Deeds of the Goths 36-53; Procopius, History of the Wars 3.4 |
| Boudica (2003) | Boudica Tacitus, Annals 14.29–39, Agricola; Cassius Dio, Roman History 62 |
| Caligula (1980) [warning: explicit sex] | Caligula Suetonius, Caligula; Cassius Dio, Roman History 59 |
| The Centurion (1961) | Battle of Corinth Polybius, The Histories book 38 |
| Centurion (2010) | Roman Britain Tacitus, Agricola |
| Cleopatra (1963, 1999) | Cleopatra, Caesar, Antony Plutarch, Caesar and Antony |
| Coriolanus (1963) | Coriolanus Plutarch, Coriolanus; Livy 2.33–2.40 |
| Decline of an Empire (2014) | St. Katherine of Alexandria Saints lives of Saint Katharine of Alexandria |
| Druids (2001) | Vercingetorix, Julius Caesar Julius Caesar, Gallic Wars book 7; Cassius Dio 40:33–41, 43:19; Plutarch, Caesar 25–27 |
| Duel of Champions (1961) | Horatius Livy 1.24-26 |
| The Eagle (2011) | Roman Britain Tacitus, Agricola |
| Empire (2005 Mini-Series) | Augustus Suetonius, Augustus; Nicolas of Damascus, Life of Augustus; Cassius Dio, 45–56 |
| The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) | Rome under Commodus Cassius Dio 73; Herodian 1.15; Historia Augusta, “Commodus” |
| The First King: Birth of an Empire (2019) | Romulus and Remus Livy 1.4-6; Dionysius 1.71-87; Plutarch, Romulus; Ovid, Fasti; Appian, Roman History book 1 |
| Gladiator (2000) | Rome under M. Aurelius, Commodus Cassius Dio 73; Herodian 1.15; Historia Augusta, “Commodus” |
| Hannibal (1959) or Hannibal (2006) | Hannibal Barca, 2d Punic War Cornelius Nepos, Hannibal; Livy 21-30; Plutarch, Fabius |
| Hero of Rome (1964) | Scaevola, Lars Porsena, formation of Roman Republic Livy 2.1-21 |
| I, Claudius (1976) [1-2 episodes] | Claudius Tacitus, Annals 11–12; Suetonius, Claudius |
| Julius Caesar (1953, 1970, 2002) | Julius Caesar Plutarch, Caesar; Suetonius, Divine Julius |
| Messalina (1960) | Messalina. Claudius Suetonius, Claudius 26-29, 37; Tacitus Annals 11-12; Cassius Dio 60-61 |
| Pompeii: The Last Day (2003) or Pompeii (2014) | Eruption of Vesuvius, Roman Italy Pliny the Younger’s letters to Tacitus, #65 and #66 |
| Quo Vadis? (1951, 2001) | Persecution of Christians under Nero Tacitus, Annals 13–16; Suetonius, Nero; Cassius Dio 61–63 |
| Rome (2005–2007) [use 1-2 episodes] | Collapse of the Roman Republic Various (see me) |
| Fellini Satyricon (1969) | Imperial Rome, homosexuality Petronius, Satyricon |
| Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal (1937) | Scipio Africanus, 2d Punic War Polybius 10; Cornelius Nepos, Hannibal; Livy 26-29; Valerius Maximus 3.7; Plutarch, Marcellus and Fabius |
| Siege of Syracuse (1960) | Archimedes, Siege of Syracuse Plutarch, Marcellus; Livy 21-23 |
| The Sign of the Cross (1932) | Persecution of Christians under Nero Tacitus, Annals 13–16; Suetonius, Nero; Cassius Dio 61–63 |
| Spartacus (1960) or Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010) | Spartacus, Roman galdiators/slavery Appian, Roman History 116–120; Plutarch, Crassus 8–11 |
Egypt
| Film | Subject / Possible primary sources to compare |
|---|---|
| Cleopatra (1963, 1999) | Cleopatra, Caesar, Antony Plutarch, Caesar and Antony |
| Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) | Moses, Hebrew exodus Old Testament, Exodus |
| The Prince of Egypt (1998) | Moses Old Testament, Exodus |
| A Queen for Caesar (1962) | Cleopatra Plutarch, Caesar and Antony |
| The Ten Commandments (1956) | Moses, Hebrew exodus Old Testament, Exodus |
Israel, Canaan, Biblical Stories
| Film | Subject / Possible primary sources to compare |
|---|---|
| Abraham (1993 miniseries, 1994 film) | Abraham Old Testament, Genesis books 11–25 |
| David and Goliath (1960), David and Bathsheba (1951) | David, kingdom of Israel Old Testament, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel |
| Esther and the King (1960) | Esther Old Testament, Esther |
| Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) | Moses, Hebrew exodus from Egypt Old Testament, Exodus |
| Jacob (1994) | Jacob and Esau Old Testament, Genesis 25–50 |
| Jason and the Argonauts (1963) | Jason Ovid, Metamorphoses; Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica |
| Jesus of Nazareth (1977) | Jesus New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John |
| Joseph (1995) or Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1999) | Joseph Old Testament, Genesis 37–50 |
| King David (1985) | David, kingdom of Israel Old Testament, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel |
| Last Days of Sodom and Gomorrah (1962) | Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham, Lot Old Testament, Genesis 14-19 |
| The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) | Jesus New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John |
| Masada (1981 Mini-Series) | Siege of Masada Josephus, The Jewish War book 1 |
| The Nativity Story (2006) | Birth of Jesus New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John |
| Noah (2014) | Noah, Great Flood Old Testament, Genesis 6-9 |
| One Night with the King (2006) | Esther Old Testament, Esther |
| The Passion of the Christ (2004) | Jesus, the Crucifixion New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John |
| The Prince of Egypt (1998) | Moses Old Testament, Exodus |
| The Red Tent (2014 miniseries) | Dinah (daught. of Jacob) Old Testament, Genesis 30, 34 |
| Risen (2016) | Aftermath of the Crucifixion, Roman Judea New Testament, Acts of the Apostles |
| Samson and Delilah (1949) | Samson and Delilah Old Testament, Judges 13-16 |
| Sins of Jezebel (1951) | Israel under Ahab Old Testament, 1 Kings 16-22 |
| Slave of Dreams (1995) | Joseph Old Testament, Genesis 37–50 |
| Solomon and Sheba (1959) | Solomon and Sheba Old Testament, Kings or Chronicles; Josephus, Antiquities book 8 |
| A Story of David (1960) | David, kingdom of Israel Old Testament, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel |
| The Ten Commandments (1956) | Moses, Hebrew exodus from Egypt Old Testament, Exodus |
Mesopotamia, Persia, Asia
| Film | Subject / Possible primary sources to compare |
|---|---|
| Esther and the King (1960) | Esther Old Testament, Esther |
| Gautama Buddha (2007) | Siddhārtha Gautama The Buddhacarita,Lalitavistara Sūtra, and other Buddhist biographies |
| Intolerance (1916) [Part 1 only] | Iron Age Babylon Herodotus 1.70–144; Josephus, Antiquities 10–11 |
| One Night with the King (2006) | Esther Old Testament, Esther |
| Queen of Babylon (1954) | Semiramis, Babylon Diodorus Siculus, 2.4-20 |