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#6755
Allie Eby
Participant

While a lot of Greek art is heavily influenced by their pantheon of gods, unlike many of the cultures we have studied so far, this pantheon itself is inherently tied to humanist ideas. The Greek gods are humanized, and which gods people and even cities worshipped were tied very much to preference. This is unusual, and to me is tied to humanism’s focus on individual fulfillment. The gods were also portrayed with human flaws and wants, indicating that humans and their gods were hardly different. This says that humans do not NEED the gods, as they are hardly better than humans, which is a humanist ideal. The existence of mortal demigods and human heroes blessed by the gods further cements this, showing that the gods and humans can easily intermingle. Much of their art also shows a great focus on individuals, their emotions and glorifying an individual’s deeds, such as the focus on the dying warrior. Overall, almost all ancient Greek art highlights some aspect of humanity and individualism.