John Boardman

Britain’s most distinguished historian of ancient Greek art recounts what the Parthenon and its sculptures meant to the citizens of 5th-century BCE Athens. Surprising, questioning, challenging, enriching: the Pocket Perspectives series celebrates writers and thinkers who have helped shape the conversation across the arts. Mixing classic and contemporary texts, reissues and abridgements, these are bite-sized, fully illustrated reads in an attractive, affordable and highly collectable package.

From one of the world’s leading authorities on ancient Greek art, a groundbreaking account of how Greek images were understood and used by other ancient peoples, from Britain to ChinaIn this book, acclaimed archaeologist and art historian John Boardman explores Greek art as a foreign art transmitted to the non-Greeks of antiquity—peoples who weren’t necessarily able to judge the meaning of Greek art and who may have regarded the Greeks themselves with great hostility. Boardman examines how and why the arts of the classical world traveled and to what effect, from Britain to China, from roughly the eighth century BCE to the early centuries CE. In some places, such as Italy, Greek images were overwhelmingly successful. In Egypt, the Celtic world, the eastern steppes, and other regions with strong local traditions, they were never effectively assimilated. And in cultures where there was a subtler blend of influences, notably in the Buddhist east, classical images served as a catalyst to the generation of new styles. Along the way, Boardman demonstrates that looking at Greek art from the outside provides a wealth of new insights into Greek art itself, and he raises important questions about how images in general are copied and reinterpreted.

An elegant, concise, and generously illustrated exploration of Alexander the Great’s representations in art and literature through the agesIn this book, John Boardman, one of the world’s leading authorities on ancient Greece, looks beyond the life of Alexander the Great in order to examine the astonishing range of Alexanders created by generations of authors, historians, and artists throughout the world—from Scotland to China. John Boardman draws on his deep knowledge of Alexander and the ancient world to reflect on the most interesting and emblematic depictions of this towering historical figure. From Alexander’s biographers in ancient Greece to the illustrated Alexander “Romances” of the Middle Ages to operas, films, and even modern cartoons, this generously illustrated volume takes readers on a fascinating journey.

The German gem-engraver, medallist, and amateur scholar Lorenz Natter (1705-1763), was so impressed by the size and quality of the collections of ancient and later engraved gems which he found in Britain that he proposed the publication of an extraordinarily ambitious catalogue – Museum Britannicum – which would present engravings and descriptions of the most important pieces. He made considerable progress to this end, producing several hundred drawings, but in time he decided to abandon the near completed project in the light of the apparent lack of interest shown in Britain. Only one of the intended plates in its final form ever appeared, in a catalogue which he published separately for Lord Bessborough’s collection. On Natter’s death the single copy of his magnum opus vanished mysteriously, presumed lost forever. All hope of recovering Natter’s unpublished papers seemed vain, and their very existence had come to be doubted. Yet they were to be found more than two hundred years after his death, in Spring 1975, when the classical scholar and renowned expert in gems, Oleg Neverov, chanced upon them at the bottom of a pile of papers in the archives of the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. Neverov and his colleague Julia Kagan carried out the initial research on the Hermitage manuscripts and produced the first published account of this archival treasure. The present volume builds upon their earlier work to produce the first comprehensive publication of Museum Britannicum, offering full discussion in English and presenting Natter’s drawings and comments alongside modern information on the gems that can be identified and located through fresh research. This book is the result of a ten-year collaboration between scholars on the Beazley Archive gems research programme at Oxford’s Classical Art Research Centre and the State Hermitage Museum. It fulfills Natter’s vision for the Museum Britannicum – albeit two and a half centuries late – to the benefit of art historians, cultural historians, curators, and gem-lovers of today.

A Classical Archaeologists’s Life: The Story so Far shows that a scholar’s life is not all scholarship, though much of this book is devoted to the writing of books and, especially, travel to classical and other lands. Boardman is a Londoner, born in Ilford and attending school in Essex (Chigwell). His teenage years were spent often in air raid shelters rather than with ‘mates‘ (all evacuated). There are distinctive ‘aunties’, the rituals of daily life in a London suburb. The non-scholarly figures live large in this account of his life, marriage, children, new houses. At Cambridge he learned about classical archaeology as a necessary addition to reading Homer and Demosthenes, even being obliged to recite the latter. And those were the days of Bertrand Russell’s lectures in a university reawakening after the war. Thence to the British School at Athens to learn about excavation (Smyrna, Knossos, later Libya). His return from Greece was to Oxford, not Cambridge, at first in the Ashmolean Museum, then as Reader and Professor. A spell in New York gives an account of the city before the troubles, when Petula Clark’s Down Town was dominant. There is much here to reflect on university life and teaching, and on the reasons for and problems with the writing of his many books (some 40), with reflection on the university, colleges and their ways. Travels are well documented – a notable trip through Pakistan and China, in Persia, Egypt, Turkey – with comment on what he saw and experienced beyond archaeology. A lecture tour in Australia provides comment beyond the academic. He visited Israel often, lecturing and publishing for the Bible Lands Museum. Several tours in the USA took him to most of their museums and universities as well as many other sights, from glaciers to alligators. This book is a mixture of scholarly reminiscence, reflection on family life, travelogue, and critique of classical scholarship (not all archaeological) worldwide, illustrated with pictures of travels, friends, home life, and, for a historian, a reflection on experiences of over 90 years.

An illustrious scholar presents an elegant, concise, and generously illustrated exploration of Alexander the Great’s representations in art and literature through the agesJohn Boardman is one of the world’s leading authorities on ancient Greece, and his acclaimed books command a broad readership. In this book, he looks beyond the life of Alexander the Great in order to examine the astonishing range of Alexanders created by generations of authors, historians, and artists throughout the world—from Scotland to China.Alexander’s defeat of the Persian Empire in 331 BC captured the popular imagination, inspiring an endless series of stories and representations that emerged shortly after his death and continues today. An art historian and archaeologist, Boardman draws on his deep knowledge of Alexander and the ancient world to reflect on the most interesting and emblematic depictions of this towering historical figure.Some of the stories in this book relate to historical events associated with Alexander’s military career and some to the fantasy that has been woven around him, and Boardman relates each with his customary verve and erudition. From Alexander’s biographers in ancient Greece to the illustrated Alexander “Romances” of the Middle Ages to operas, films, and even modern cartoons, this generously illustrated volume takes readers on a fascinating cultural journey as it delivers a perfect pairing of subject and author.

John Boardman has updated his classic account of one of the most popular historic artistic traditions among Western audiences. In the twenty years since the last edition was released, valuable evidence has come to light which has dramatically enhanced our understanding of the art of this ancient civilization. We now know conclusively that Greeks in fact lavished their sculptures with realistic colour paint, and also worked with a wealth of other materials on a major scale, including wood and precious metals, proving that our view of ‘classic’ pure white marble of the age is a Renaissance construction. We can identify the work of individual artists, and schools of artists, and have a clearer picture than ever of how art and artistic ideas travelled throughout the Greek world. Boardman encourages the reader to consider the beautiful pieces that have been preserved in their original context, rather than as the isolated installations of our modern galleries, weaving into the discussion of the art objects insights into the society that produced them. Illustrated in full colour throughout for the first time, this fifth edition showcases more vividly than ever the artistic endeavours of the ancient Greeks.

Dionysos carried the blessing of wine to the whole world, and his triumphant return from India became a popular subject for the arts of Greece and Rome in many media. It became associated with Alexander the Great’s comparable victories and later served as a message of immortality for any mortal prince. The iconography survived the ancient world into Renaissance and neo-Classical arts, and may even have contributed to the practices of modern circus parades with their wild animals, maenad-snake-charmers and clown-satyrs: an unusual, indeed unique, survival.

"Systemic thinking" is the process of understanding how systems influence one another within a world of systems and has been defined as an approach to problem solving by viewing "problems" as parts of an overall system, rather than reacting to a specific part, outcome, or event. This book provides a complete overview of systemic thinking, exploring a framework and graphical technique for understanding and identifying new ways to more efficiently solve problems and create solutions. Demystifying the conjunction of systems concepts and systemic diagramming techniques, this comprehensive pocket guide introduces and explains the basis of systemigrams, how to create a systemigram and a SystemiShow, illuminates multiple complex problems, and provides an overview of what purpose they serve for today's industry professionals. Systemic Thinking: Building Maps for Worlds of Systems: Includes illustrative systemigrams and case studiesIncludes the SystemiTool software, developed by the authorsProvides an overview of systemic thinking, particularly with regard to systemigramsIncorporates graphical representations of systemigramsInstructs how and when to implement a systemigram when a problem arises An invaluable book for industry professionals—specifically, technical leaders in industry and business trying to confront complex problems—Systemic Thinking is also ideal for postgraduate students in engineering and business management.

Renowned Classical archaeologist John Boardman here turns his attention to a rather different class of artefact - the Ordos Bronzes, a group of objects found in the borderlands of north China. Boardman deals in particular with what have traditionally been identified as belt-plaques, analysing them stylistically and iconographically to create groups with a possible historical association in terms of studios, place and date of manufacture.

This volume is intended to supply some supplementary information about the gems and cameos published in A Collection of Classical and Eastern Intaglios, Rings and Cameos, published in 2003 as BAR 1136. In particular more information is presented on some of the pot-antique gems in the collection, and on the later gem mounts in which many of the Classical gems are now presented. There are also two more general essays about the reception of Classical gems and techniques in the Renaissance and 17th-19th centuries.

By examining the links and interactions between elements of a system, systems thinking is becoming increasingly relevant when dealing with global challenges, from terrorism to energy to healthcare. Addressing these seemingly intractable systems problems in our society, Systems Thinking: Coping with 21st Century Problems focuses on the inherent opportunities and difficulties of a systems approach. Taking an engineering systems view toward systems thinking, the authors place a high value on the thinking process and the things applied to this process.In the hopes of initiating critical thinking and encouraging a systems response to problems, the book provides pragmatic mechanisms to understand and address co-evolving systems problems and solutions. It uses several contemporary and complex societal issues, such as the Iraq war, the Google phenomenon, and the C2 Constellation, to illustrate the concepts, methods, and tools of a system as well as the meaning of togetherness in a system. The text also interweaves the meanings of complexity, paradox, and system to promote the improvement of difficult situations. Featuring a holistic, nonlinear way of looking at systems, this book helps readers better organize and structure their thinking of systems in order to solve complex, real-world problems.

The World of Ancient Art is an innovative exploration of the arts of antiquity, beginning with the earliest European cave paintings and continuing right up to the coming of Christianity and Buddhism in the Old World, and to the arrival of the Spaniards in the New World. Dividing the ancient world into three broad climatic categories – the northern nomadic, the temperate farmers and city-dwellers, and the tropical – Boardman focuses on common solutions that Man the artist has devised for the problems posed by his environment, a factor that also determined the nature of his society and its arts.

Between the 6th and 4th centuries BC, Phoenician workshops produced green jasper scarabs which demonstrated both Greek and Persian influences. This volume presents a fully illustrated catalogue of examples drawn from across the area of Phoenician influence, including Spain, Sardinia, North Africa and theEastern Mediterranean. The scarabs, which are held in collections worldwide, are catalogued according to their cultural influences: Egyptian, Levantine, Hellenistic and miscellaneous. Within each of these four groups the scarabs are organised iconographically, with scenes including beetles, boats, birds, gods, fantastic creatures, warriors and kings, chariots, trees and animal attacks. John Boardman's introduction discusses the style, function and source material of the scarabs and the location of the workshops.

For many people there is no more satisfying expression of Greek art than its sculpture. It was the first, the only ancient art to break free from 'conceptual' conventions for representing men and animals, and to explore consciously how art might imitate nature or even improve upon it.The first stages of this discovery, from the semi-abstract beginnings in the eighth century BC to the more representational art of the early fifth century, are explored and copiously illustrated in this handbook.

Athenian black figure vases bear the work of consummate artists, like Exekias, who depicted on them scenes of myth and everday life which deepen our knowledge and understanding of Greek antiquity. John Boardman enables the reader to study the many aspects of the vases, and to grasp the essential style of a painter or group of painters, without having to consult a number of expensive, and not always easily available, publications. A final section is devoted to the mythological scenes and other decorative features of the vases.