The Greeks in Asia

In spite of Alexander the Great's conquests in the Mediterranean and beyond, the Greeks were not empire builders, claims art historian Boardman (The Greeks Overseas). Rather, as he elegantly demonstrates in this richly illustrated chronicle, the Greeks left their cultural, literary, religious, and artistic marks on every culture with which they came into contact. Examples abound. Greek engravers in Persia developed a new "scaraboid" shape for seals, which came close to being portraits of the heads of various figures, and Persian buildings also displayed Greek style "egg-and-dart" moldings even as Greek art itself moved from away from this style. Coins in Greek kingdoms in the east often featured the head of the emperor and the figure of Zeus on its reverse; the legends on Greek coins often featured the word "savior," while Indian coins referred to their kings as "maharaja." Greek influence also extended to the Indian theater, where theatrical masks and fragments of a Greek play have been found. According to Boardman, there is a good chance that depictions of the life of Buddha in reliefs and on stage were influenced by the classical Greek model of theater. Boardman draws on art, architecture, and archaeology to offer a fascinating, if not entirely innovative, glimpse into the interaction of Greek and Asian culture. (June)