Greek ArtPortals to Immortality-Greek Grave Stelae For those of us who live in modern times, the "melancholy look" we find in sculpture in cemeteries around the world is something we let's take it for granted. Although its authenticity has been lost to us, this so-called appearance dates back to 5th century Greek funerary sculpture. For us, it is completely natural to associate such a look with death. However, as the verse above makes clear, the Greeks viewed death somewhat differently than we do. For them, death freed their souls and brought them true happiness: so why does their funerary sculpture seem so pensive and thoughtful? Indeed, unlike today where the dead are only represented figuratively, by a sobbing angel or a sad cherub, the Greeks represented their dead as they were alive - a life full of uncertainties and burdens, but also simple pleasures that were worth it. . The Greeks succeeded in combining these two juxtaposed experiences and harmonizing their contradictions to represent in stelae the individual whose simplicity and complexity were a reflection of the bitter sweetness of life. Nowhere is this combination more successful than in the Greek funerary stele of the 5th century BC. The 5th century BC BC comprised two distinct periods: Early Classic and High Classic. However, these two periods shared a particularly contradictory view of life, constantly exploratory and modestly idealistic, which made the subjects of the stele, at the moment of their death, all the more human to the observer. Neither the preceding archaic period, nor the following 4th century, nor earlier civilizations capture as convincingly for the observer the poignancy of death as a stele from the fifth century BC could. The period from the 5th century BC is sometimes called the Golden Age, which is the peak of Greek art and civilizations; and ironically, its beginning and end are war! “480 BC marked the defeat of the Persians and 404 BC the start of the Peloponnesian War and the collapse of Athenian democracy. “Perhaps the culturally significant buildings and sculptures that were destroyed and the many lives lost during the long war with Persia could make the funerary monuments and stelae even more personal to the Greeks at that time. For some reason, the Greek stele from this particular period, between two historically significant moments (480-404), stands alone in more ways than one..