Greek Archaeology Falling Warrior
...ies to raise his body back up. Clinging to the enormous shield and looking downward, one can conclude that the warrior is severely injured. Yet, despite his injuries, he is still not giving up the battle and desperately attempts to survive. Through this agile movement, the sculptor has created a dramatic moment not to be forgotten. The lower leg is positioned in a pushing movement while the upper leg is getting ready to do the same. This shows the attempt of the Falling warrior to use the ground surface as leverage to rise back up. Although the Falling warrior is determined to survive, his injuries obviously lead toward his death Attention to detail is significant throughout the sculpture. The feet and toes are bent and in constant movement (pl.1-1). Both calve muscles are flexed indicating use of the lower legs as a pushing factor (pl.1-2). Thigh muscles are also shown clearly joining the movement of the lower leg. While the lower part of the body seems to be in a struggle of survival, the upper body is more concerned with supporting itself from falling (pl.1-3). The forearm muscles are erected while the joining hand is pushing up off the ground. However, the joining bicep is not as flexed and may perhaps indicate an area of pain (pl.1-4). The chest is also very calm while the left bicep is hard at work, supporting the entire upper body by combining forces with the shield. Detail of the double handle is shown fiercely in conjunction with the warriors left hand (pl.1-5). This shows the warriors strength, as the size of the shield indicates very heavy armor. The helmet clings to the warriors head and a beard is portrayed as well as the eye in profile view, a common trait of that period In comparison to the earlier built, Fallen Warrior at the West pediment at the Temple of Aphaia at Aegina, a major stylistic change can be noted. The Fallen Warrior from the West Pediment, built c. 500 BC, one can see the traditional Late Archaic smile that the warrior has. This is a very unnatural behavior that a real falling warrior would not depict. Also very troubling, is the twist that the warriors body is in. The right leg is crossing the left leg, which would have been very uncommon, and a troublesome position for a real warrior in pain. At the same time, while performing this twist and continuing to smile, the warrior is retracting an arrow from his chest. These traits are well noted by the later sculptor who pays more attention to natural body movement. In the Fallen Warrior on the East pediment, the twist, and changes in masses depicted is much more likely to occur in reality. Also the constant smile is lost as it probably would have been as the real warrior encountered his death. Clearly, the sculptor has mastered the natural form of representation The stylistic difference between the two warriors are very important in dete...