A faun in Greek mythology is a creature that is half man, half goat found in the forests of Europe.  The faun will either help humans on their journey or hinder them, whichever they please.  Discovered October 26tl1, 1830, the Dancing Faun in the House of the Faun is just one of many pieces of artwork in the house, such as the Alexander Mosaic, that exhibit Greek influence. The Dancing Faun in the House of the Faun is thought by many scholars "to be either a second century Greek original, or a very high-quality Roman copy." (1) When it was discovered, Francis Haskell and Nicholas Penny of Taste and the Antique wrote "the fame of this small bronze was instantaneous ...its first cataloger described it as the finest bronze to have been excavated at Pompeii and compared it to the Barberini Faun." (2)  Due to the Dancing Faun's small size it was ideal for reproduction among ancient Roman enthusiasts and was perfect for decorating places in the house.  The Dancing Faun was preserved in pristine condition due to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.  Once a vibrant vacation/trading city, Pompeii fell victim to a massive volcanic eruption that covered the entire town in hot, molten ash. It all happened so quickly that people were turned to stone in whatever position they were last in when the ash fell. While this was very unfortunate for all the citizens and visitors there at the time, Pompeii has become an archaeologists' dream. The majority of the architecture and artwork have been perfectly preserved giving us a snapshot of ancient Roman life. The Romans took many of the cultural values, ideas and artwork from the Greeks once they gained dominion over them. Without Greek influence upon Roman society, their practices of Democracy and iconic Roman architecture as we know it may have been vastly different.

When deciding what I should do for my art project I was inspired to create a two dimensional drawing of the Dancing Faun because it is one of the most iconic and recognizable pieces of artwork from the House of the Faun in ancient Pompeii, Rome.  The House of the Faun was my favorite unit we have studied in this class so far due to its rich history, ties to ancient Rome and extravagant architecture/artwork.  The Dancing Faun is an excellently preserved piece of artwork tying Greek and Roman culture together, making it extremely popular among all collectors worldwide.  The Dancing Faun has been raved about nonstop since its discovery and reproduced many times for the private market.  Additionally I chose to make a two dimensional drawing of something because it was the only form of artwork I was semi-comfortable with my abilities to create.