#hellenistic art

Marble relief of the goddess Nemesis. Nemesis, whose name is related to a verbal root meaning "to apportion" "or to give one one's due," was a deity who punished acts of hubris -- overweening arrogance, a key moral failing in ancient Greek thought. She had a cult from a very early period in the Attic deme of Rhamnous, where a beautiful Roman-era statue of her has been found (now in the National Archaeological Museum, Naples). Nemesis gained in importance in the Hellenistic period, when she was connected with the goddess Tyche (Fortune): Nemesis could be seen as one who balanced out the uneven gifts of Tyche.

This marble relief dates to the 3rd century BCE (early Hellenistic period) and was found at Brindisi (=ancient Brundisium), Italy. In it, Nemesis is shown wearing the polos, a cylindrical headdress that came to Greece from mother-goddesses of the ancient Near East, and holding a phiale, a flat dish used for pouring libations. She tramples on a defeated enemy, perhaps representing hubris. Two winged figures of Nike (Victory) flank her headdress, while six others attend her, three to a side.

statue of a seated girl | c. 100s CE | roman copy of a hellenistic work, found on the Esquiline near the temple of Minerva Medica

Gold armband with Herakles knot

Hellenistic period

3rd–2nd century BCE

Gold inlaid with garnets, emeralds, and enamel

3 1/2in. (8.9cm)

The Herakles knot on this sumptuous armband is enriched with floral decoration and inlaid with garnets, emeralds, and enamel. According to the Roman writer Pliny, the decorative device of the Herakles knot could cure wounds, and its popularity in Hellenistic jewelry suggests that it was thought to have the power to avert evil.