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Tristan Hughes

๐Ÿ‘ค Speaker
13691 total appearances

Appearances Over Time

Podcast Appearances

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

It's called the Tomb of the Diver, after one of the most stunning pieces of ancient Greek art in the world.

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

A wall painting, rectangular in its design, that depicts a very unique and tranquil scene.

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

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.

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

Today, this painting has become a symbol of Pestum and the ancient Greeks in Italy, on display at Pestum's Archaeological Museum.

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

I was lucky enough to see it up close with Tiziana as my expert guide.

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

I mean, Tiziana, I have to say, this is one of the most incredible wall paintings I've ever seen.

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

The details that survive, I mean, it's astonishing.

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

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.

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

What exactly can we see here?

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

I'm guessing this figure right in the centre, the main character, this is the diver.

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

So this would be face down in the tomb.

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

And what other things can we see here?

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

So we've got this kind of, this platform-like image here, and is there water there?

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

So what are these other details?

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

We've got some interesting kind of floral patterns and trees either side.

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

But what I also love, you can see the pupil of his eye and you can also see like hair as well.

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

So does that reveal more about the actual figure?

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

I mean, I haven't seen any other scene like this in any Greek wall painting or Roman wall painting or anything like it.

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

But talking about paint itself, I mean, so how was this actually created?

The Ancients
Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

Do we know about that?