Beleg van Burg, 1584 c. 1587 - 1591

This print, made in 1584 by Frans Hogenberg, shows a bird's-eye view of a city under siege, dominated by the chaotic swirl of battle. Consider the flags. These emblems, though small here, echo through time. We see their ancestors in ancient Roman standards, and their descendants in modern national banners. Flags are more than cloth; they are potent symbols of identity, loyalty, and power. They stir deep emotions, capable of uniting people or driving them to war. Note the dense massing of soldiers. This represents a kind of collective body. In the ancient world, the phalanx projected order, the very image of civilization against chaos. Here, the image is of war, a kind of ritualized violence meant to resolve conflict but often unleashing primal, destructive forces. Consider the psychological weight of such a scene, the dread and excitement that grip soldiers and civilians alike. Symbols of conflict evolve, but the underlying human drama remains a constant.