Two confronted female heads with faces overlapping, reverse type of an electrum coin from Lesbos / 454-427 BCE (Classical Greece)
The banner of Lesbos, home of the famous poet Sappho, was inspired by one of the most interesting monetary types in antiquity.
Unlike others cities, Lesbos changed monetary types from one issuance to another. This provided great variety—notably this unusual depiction of two female heads overlapping.
Lesbos's cities were members of the Delian league from the start. They provided ships to the alliance, but then revolted in 428 BCE and the victorious Athenians sent cleruchs (settlers) to occupy the island.
Fortress of Eleuthera in Attika, bordering the territory of Boeotia / 370-360 BCE (Classical Greece)
Field camps were built at the end of a day's march to provide protection in case of a surprise enemy attack.
They were widely-used when attacking cities during sieges. The camps are where soldiers would eat, sleep, and store their weapons, food rations and spoils—often for months at a time. It's also where a soldier would take refuge when and if things went badly in battle.
Building a good fortified camp or fortifying a village or small city in the enemy's territory may have meant the difference between victory and defeat.
As sieges would stretch on, a good fortified camp meant that an army could safely remain in unfriendly lands and exert pressure on the enemy. This could be done by burning or taking their crops, by preventing resupply, or simply by exerting their demoralizing presence.
Establishing a fortified position in enemy lands in order to constantly raid it was a common tactic in the Peloponnesian War. Athens employed it at Pylos from 425 to 409 BCE, and so did the Spartans with a more devastating effect over a weakened Athens when they fortified Dekeleia from 413 to 404 BCE.
Hoplite practicing hepatoscopy (divination by the study of the liver) / 525-500 BCE (Archaic Greece)
Soldiers on the move mostly slept under the sky on beds of reeds, for in most cases tent materials were too great a burden.
They ate two meals a day—one at mid-day (except when battle was expected), and then dinner. They usually cooked these meals themselves. In most cases, the meal consisted of maza, a sort of barley porridge. The Spartans did things differently; they had dedicated cooks in their armies.
When the soldiers need to relieve themselves, they simply went wherever they could outside of camp, as there was no special location for this act.
There was little in the way of entertainment in military camps. The Spartans, however, did have some techniques for avoiding boredom. After their regular practice and exercise, they had a sort of contest of singing songs by the poet Tyrtaios, and the winner received a prize in meat.
Even in a war camp, the gods had to be honored. Whenever possible, sacrifices were made and seers were consulted, often about the tides of battle.
Inspired by The Art of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, by Kate Lewis, with courtesy from Titan Books.
(Behind the scenes)
Lesbos is an island situated in the north-east of the Aegean Sea. Lesbos rebelled against the Athenians, leading to its eventual surrender to Athens. Lesbos is notable in real life for its 18-million-year-old petrified forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to fossilized remains of a once vast swathe of vegetation and forest. The art team used their artistic license to grow the trees into dense forests of tangled roots and branches, a maze for our hero to navigate. The atmosphere of the forest is oppressive, with temple ruins appearing from the murky background, and a sense of dread lingering behind every corner.
Finished concepts by Hugo Puzzuoli show the red and yellow accents in the rock of the petrified trees, caused by intense volcanic activity millions of years ago.
Inspired by The Art of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, by Kate Lewis, with courtesy from Titan Books.
(Behind the scenes)
The Medusa has been portrayed in many different ways over the years, from a beautiful young woman, to a monstrous creature with a serpent's body and tail. The art team decided to move away from these depictions, concentrating on the details of her appearance. The snakes are based on actual Greek species found on the islands and mainland Greece. Her dress is made from large swathes of snake skin, suggesting even bigger serpents once existed. "Medusa is represented in her Greek form, as a humanoid woman, rather than in the Roman version that would follow," explains art director Thierry Dansereau. She is, after all, a woman transformed by an ancient artifact, rather than the will of the gods.
Perseus fleeing after cutting off Medusa's head, Athena to the right. Scene from a red-figure hydria / 475-425 BCE (Classical Greece)
Perseus was the Greek hero who ultimately killed Medusa. He was the son of Zeus and Danai, and he promised to obtain the head of Medusa to King Polydektes. Medusa was a gorgon, a female monster that had living snakes on her head instead of locks of hair. Her gaze petrified all who locked eyes with her, and turned them to stone.
Perseus went to the Hesperides to acquire the weapon that would help him defeat Medusa. They also gave him a sack to hold her head (kibisis). He received a sword [harpe) from Zeus, winged sandals from Hermes, a shiny shield from Athena, and the ability to hide from Hades.
When Perseus entered Medusa's cave, he used the shield's reflection to avoid eye contact, and successfully decapitated her.
Perseus used the head of Medusa as a weapon, but later gave it as a gift to Athena, who placed the head of the gorgon (gorgoneion) on her shield, or the Aegis.
Inspired by The Art of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, by Kate Lewis, with courtesy from Titan Books.
(Behind the Scenes)
Where better to have the home of the notorious Medusa, famous for turning her victims to stone, than in a petrified forest. As one of the most well-known creatures from Greek myth, featuring in countless books, movies, and historical records, it was a challenge for the development team to strip away the previous incarnations and start fresh. In mythology, Medusa was one of the three Gorgons, sisters with wings and snakes for hair, able to petrify onlookers. The Medusa in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is a woman, transformed by a First Civilization artifact into a creature of great power. As such, her temple features the classic geometry and architecture of First Civilization constructions, and is the only open-air First Civilization temple in game.
