Image
Image on a vessel

 Kleophrades Painter (Greek, active 505 - 475 BC), Red-Figure Pelike with Two Youths in Conversation. Greek, Attic, ca. 480 BC. Ceramic. Gift of the Thalia N. Carlos and Chris M. Carlos Foundation.

When the founders of the United States were considering what system of government they wanted to create following independence from Britain, they took inspiration from the classical models of democratic Athens and republican Rome. The system of government that they devised is in large part the same system that we follow in the United States today. But what did the ancient examples that inspired modern American democracy actually look like?

In this video, Curator of Greek and Roman Art Ruth Allen discusses what we can learn about government and citizenship in two works of art in the Carlos Museum's collection.