Remarks on the Gesture of Darius on Alexander Mosaic from Pompei
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26485/AAL/2024/70/4Keywords:
Alexander Macedon, Darius, Mosaic, Pompeii, Hellenistic art, The gesture of Persian king, visual communicationAbstract
The Alexander Mosaic from Pompeii is one of the icons of the Hellenistic art in Italian rendering. Theatrical gesture of the defeated Persian king has been approached in literature from different angles however always assuming originality of artistic transmission. Current paper offers a different view situating the gesture within visual conventions, attempting to contextualise it within the frames of common visual semiotics. The gesture can be derived from the Neo-Assyrian depictions of the defeated enemies asking for mercy and possibly surrendering to the victors. Similar convention continued in Achaemenid art and is safe to assume that from there it was adopted in Hellenistic visual communication. It is possible that the Sasanian depictions continue to employ the same convention. Association between the artistic model and actual battle-field custom, even is not confirmed otherwise, is likely as presentation of an unarmed right hand seems clear mark of defencelessness, a basic condition of surrender.
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