Tristan Hughes
๐ค SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
It's called the Tomb of the Diver, after one of the most stunning pieces of ancient Greek art in the world.
A wall painting, rectangular in its design, that depicts a very unique and tranquil scene.
A young man who has just jumped off a tall platform, caught in a perfect dive position, moments away from hitting a pool of water beneath him.
Today, this painting has become a symbol of Pestum and the ancient Greeks in Italy, on display at Pestum's Archaeological Museum.
I was lucky enough to see it up close with Tiziana as my expert guide.
I mean, Tiziana, I have to say, this is one of the most incredible wall paintings I've ever seen.
The details that survive, I mean, it's astonishing.
And of all places, and this, so this is roughly 2,500 years old and you wouldn't believe it at first when you see it because of how much has survived.
What exactly can we see here?
I'm guessing this figure right in the centre, the main character, this is the diver.
So this would be face down in the tomb.
And what other things can we see here?
So we've got this kind of, this platform-like image here, and is there water there?
So what are these other details?
We've got some interesting kind of floral patterns and trees either side.
But what I also love, you can see the pupil of his eye and you can also see like hair as well.
So does that reveal more about the actual figure?
I mean, I haven't seen any other scene like this in any Greek wall painting or Roman wall painting or anything like it.
But talking about paint itself, I mean, so how was this actually created?