Verovering van Carthago door Scipio Africanus 1560 - 1580

This etching by Gerard van Groeningen depicts Scipio Africanus' conquest of Carthage. Observe the frenzied clash of bodies, where the motif of the 'stricken warrior' recurs. The image reverberates with echoes of ancient battles, of heroes felled, and cities sacked. Consider the symbolism of fallen figures. We see it in the friezes of Pergamon, where giants succumb to the gods, or in the somber depictions of defeated foes in Roman triumphal arches. It is the pathos formula, potent through time. The motif evolves, shifting from the glory of conquest to the lament of loss, yet its emotional core remains intact. Groeningen evokes not just a historical event, but the timeless drama of human conflict, a drama etched deep within our collective psyche. The cyclical patterns of history remind us that such imagery is not confined to the past but resurfaces, constantly reinterpreted, echoing through time.