Scipio indtager Veii 1574

Tobias Stimmer’s woodcut depicts Scipio’s siege of Veii with dynamic energy. Ladders lean against the city walls, teeming with soldiers clashing amidst billowing smoke. Consider the recurring motif of the ladder, a symbol found across cultures. In antiquity, it evokes not just physical ascent but spiritual striving, as seen in the biblical Jacob's Ladder. Here, the ladder is inverted, representing the chaos of warfare, the collapse of order, and the overturning of social structures. Note also the psychological intensity of the battle. The expressions of anguish and fury, etched with stark lines, tap into our collective memory of conflict. It reminds us of the visceral, often brutal nature of human struggle. These archetypal images transcend time, resurfacing in various guises, each reflecting its historical moment while resonating with primal human experiences.