What is the scary truth about sirens? Join archaeologist Frances Gallart Marqués as she takes a close look at a group of small Greco-Roman objects that depict sirens: hybrid creatures that straddle the line between beast and human, fear and desire, and life and death. Dr. Marqués observes, “Sirens actually see, they know, and the price that one pays for listening to the sweet, bitter, irresistible song of knowledge is life itself. For to know everything that was and that is to come is to undo the linearity of time, and with that line, all others go as well.” Exploring the hybridity of a komast dancer (a drunken reveler) and bearded sirens represented in a painting on an ancient Corinthian oil flask, Marqués challenges our preconceived associations of sirens and their function in ancient times. This talk is part of "Power Dynamics," a series of art talks that investigating power dynamics in artworks across the collections. Considering intersections of art and power, our curatorial team discuss how artists engage with social and political crises, use art to upset systems of power, and imagine more equitable futures. TAKE A CLOSER LOOK: + The Otterlo Painter, Greek, "Black-figure aryballos: Two heraldic bearded sirens with woman," c. 600–575 BCE. Terracotta. Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Edward W. Forbes, 1950.162. https://hvrd.art/o/291270. + “Hydria (water jar) with Siren Attachment,” Greek, late 5th century BCE. Bronze. Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Grace Nichols Strong Memorial Fund, 1949.89. https://hvrd.art/o/304069. + “Siren,” Roman, 1st century CE. Terracotta. Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Department of the Classics, Harvard University, Gift of Pfeiffer-Hartwell Collection, 1977.216.258. https://hvrd.art/o/287489. + Creature Feature—Merpeople: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eweo4P6bkLM. + Mirror, Mirror—Reflections on the Etruscans and Their Afterlife: Art Talk with Frances Gallart Marqués: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1paOsPGKHw. + Girls Will Be Girls: Art Talk with Frances Gallart Marqués: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RSWCJ_NP-4. --- Speakers: + Frances Gallart Marqués, Frederick Randolph Grace Curatorial Fellow in Ancient Art, Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art; + Lynette Roth, Head, Division of Modern and Contemporary Art, and Daimler Curator of the Busch-Reisinger Museum. Recorded Thursday, September 24, 2020. © President and Fellows of Harvard College. Video: Frances Gallart Marqués. For questions related to permission for commercial use of this video, please contact the Department of Digital Imaging and Visual Resources at am_divr@harvard.edu.