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Gallery Talk: Experimenting with Divinity

Two irregularly shaped silver-gray coins with relief decoration on each: the one at left is a profile of a man; the one at right is a man in a throne.
Tetradrachm of Alexander the Great, Babylon, 325 BCE–323 BCE. Silver. Loan from the Trustees of the Arthur Stone Dewing Greek Numismatic Foundation, 1.1965.1176.

Gallery Talk

In-Person
Harvard Art Museums
32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA

This event does not require registration; see further details below.

After Alexander the Great’s death in 323 BCE, the question was no longer if humans could become gods but how. This talk recounts how Hellenistic kings (and queens!) experimented with achieving divinity, from mimicking heroes of yore like Alexander the Great to flaunting giant siege towers like Demetrios Poliorketes to appropriating non-Greek traditions like Arsinoe II. The Hellenistic world was one of immense artistic creativity as it struggled to portray what, if anything, separated the gods from humanity.

Led by:
Joe Currie, Graduate Student Intern, Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art

Please check in with museum staff at the Visitor Services desk in the Calderwood Courtyard to request to join the gallery talk. Space is limited, and talks are available on a first-come, first-served basis; no registration is required.

The Harvard Art Museums offer free admission every day, Tuesday through Sunday. Please see the museum visit page to learn about our general policies for visiting the museums.

The Harvard Art Museums are committed to accessibility for all visitors. For anyone requiring accessibility accommodations for our programs, please contact us at am_register@harvard.edu at least 48 hours in advance. Please include the name and date of the program in the subject line of your email.