These were rich trappings, but perhaps what itd expect from a great dynasty, lots of gold, but what light did it shed upon the secrets of Alexanders success? Well, then amid the dust and debris on the tomb floor, the archeologists picked up something which, at first sight, looked rather inconspicuous. It was a delicately crafted ivory carving. As they dug deeper, they found more. They were tiny fragments, most less than an inch long. Pieced together, they formed a hunting scene. But as they examined them more closely, one of the faces stood out. This was the face that would appear on busts and paintings for hundreds of years throughout the Mediterranean.
Now, suddenly a face emerged of someone we recognized, it was a face of a real person. We had discovered the image of the man who was at the center of ultimate power.
They were looking at the face of Alexander the Great. And this was the earliest image of him ever discovered. It was also the first lifelike representation of a king. Up until now, kings have been portrayed by characterless depictions created to a formula. But this marked the moment of another artistic revolution, the birth of the political portrait.
As a portrait, it really captures his political power and strength. It marks the very moment a new artistic idea was born.
words to remember:
exquisite: Of such beauty or delicacy as to arouse delight 优雅的
inconspicuous: Not readily noticeable. 不显眼的
