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Three Bronze Age

Cultures of the Aegean


Chapter 4
The Prehistoric Aegean

On the following map of Ancient


Greece locate the sites for Cycladic
art, Minoan art on the island of
Crete and the city of Mycenae on the
Peloponnese.

The Prehistoric Aegean

Goals
Identify the geographic area known as the
Aegean.
Discuss the visual aspects and possible
context of the CYCLADIC sculptures.
Discuss MINOAN society and architecture.
Understand the culture and architecture
of Mycenae
Identify important MYCENAEN architectural
achievements.
Discuss the relationship between Minoan
and Mycenaean art and culture

Cycladic Art
Explore the visual aspects and possible
context of the Cycladic sculptures

Figurine of a woman,
from Syros (Cyclades),
Greece, ca. 25002300
BCE. Marble, 1 6 high.
National Archaeological
Museum, Athens.

The Cycladic Figures


Range in size from a few inches to 5 feet
tall
Majority of statues are nude females
Strict conventions- symmetry, arms clasped
below breasts, long necks and featureless
faces produce almost modern look
Found almost exclusively in graves
Originally painted in blue, red, green
asymmetrical motifs- original body
adornment or preparation for burial?
Marking major times of life then buried at
death
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Do the feet
appear like they
would allow
these figures to
stand upright?
Why might this
not be
important?

What does the anonymity of the


face suggest to you?

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Male lyre
player, from
Keros
(Cyclades),
Greece, ca.
27002500 BCE.

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Minoan Culture and Art


Explore the mythology behind the Minoan
culture and architecture.
Understand the elements and nature of
Minoan palace architecture.
Examine the medium, methods, and
imagery of Minoan wall painting.
Explore the developments of Minoan
pottery.
Note that the architecture, the wall
paintings and pottery decoration
reflect the island location natural
defense, marine motifs. Look again at
the map and locate the city of Knossos
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MINOAN ARCHITECTURE:
Excavations by Sir Arthur Evans at Knossos
added credence to the site as the location
of legendary King Minos (hence the name)
the Minotaur and hero Theseus
Period divided into Old Palace Period
1900-1700BCE and New Palace Period 17001400BCE
New thinking suggests that kings didnt
rule but rather a confederation of
aristocrats
these complexes then would function as
sites for religious rituals in courtyards

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Rape of Europa by Titian


Famous painting that
shows Zeus in the form of
a bull abducting Europa.
He takes her to Crete and
from this union was born
King Minos

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King Minos later


refuses to sacrifice a
handsome bull to
Poseidon. As
punishment, Pasiphae,
wife of Minos, is made
to fall in love with
the bull and from that
union was born the
Minotaur, half man,
half bull.
The Greek hero from
Athens, Theseus, later
slays the Minotaur
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Sir Arthur Evans British


Archeologist named the site at
Knossos after this myth in 1900
CE
Spent his life digging at this
site, restoring much of the
palace complex.
The next 2 slides the overhead
view and the floor plan show how
the appearance of the palace
supported his claim tat this was
the site of the maze that housed
the Minotaur - it is a large
rambling, maze like structure

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Aerial view (looking northeast) of the palace at Knossos


(Crete), Greece, ca. 17001400 BCE.
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Plan of the palace at Knossos (Crete), Greece, ca. 17001400 BCE.


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Labrys = House of the Double Axes


eventually became labrinth and
associated with the myth of the maze
created by Daedulus to house the
Minotaur

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Stairwell
in the
residential
quarter of
the palace
at Knossos
(Crete),
Greece, ca.
17001400
BCE.
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Note the distinctive shape of the columns taper to the bottom with
bulbous cushion like capitols. Columns were originally in wood,
replaced with cement during Evans restoration work
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Minoan woman or goddess


(La Parisienne), from the
palace at Knossos
(Crete), Greece, ca.
14501400 BCE. Fragment
of a fresco, 10 high.
Archaeological Museum,
Herakleion.
She has quite a modern
beauty look quite
different to the faces of

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Minoan Wall Painting


As you look at Minoan wall paintings
keep this questions in mind:
What is the subject matter and style
seen in Minoan wall paintings?
What materials and methods were
typically used?
Compare the fresco in the next slide
with Egyptian wall painting. As you
look at the slide open your text to
page 79 Queen Nefertari wall
painting. What differences do you see?

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Bull-leaping, from the palace at Knossos (Crete), Greece, ca. 1450


1400 BCE. Fresco, 2 8 high, including border. Archaeological
Museum, Herakleion.
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Minoan artists used both


buon(wet)fresco and fresco secco(dry)
Preferred profile or full faced views
Bull Leaping- priests or athletes?
Ritual of initiation or fertility?
Dark and pale skins differentiate
genders
Other frescos show bright fields of
color with scenes of nature simplified
and stylized into decorative patterns

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Landscape with swallows (Spring Fresco), from Room Delta 2, Akrotiri, Thera
(Cyclades), Greece, ca. 1650 BCE. Fresco, 7 6 high. National Archaeological
Museum, Athens.

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Illustrates the wide reaching


influence of the Cretan culture
during the New Palace period
Thera an Island in the Cyclades
Imaginative landscape- hills, rocks
and flowers
First pure landscape painting

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The Development of Minoan


Pottery
Identify the predominant imagery in the
painted images in Minoan pottery
Themes reflect the seafaring way of life

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Kamares-ware jar,
from Phaistos
(Crete), Greece, ca.
18001700 BCE. 1 8
high. Archaeological
Museum, Herakleion.

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Marine Style
octopus jar, from
Palaikastro
(Crete), Greece,
ca. 1500 BCE. 11
high.
Archaeological
Museum,
Herakleion.

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MINOAN SCULPTURE
Wood, ivory, precious metals &
faience
Goddess with Snakes - water,
regenerative & protection
Traditional Cretan clothing
Deity or Attendant?

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Snake Goddess, from the


palace at Knossos (Crete),
Greece, ca. 1600 BCE.
Faience, 1 1 1/2 high.
Archaeological Museum,
Herakleion.

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Harvesters Vase Rhyton ritual pouring vessel


carved from soapstone
Originally covered in gold leaf
Freedom of figures, movement and
overlapping
Emotionally expressive

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Harvester Vase, from Hagia Triada (Crete), Greece, ca. 1500 BCE. Steatite,
originally with gold leaf, greatest diameter 5. Archaeological Museum,
Herakleion.

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Mycenaean Culture and Art


Relate significant aspects of
archeological excavations at Mycenae.
Understand the link between culture and
architecture of Mycenae.
Note the relationship between Minoan
and Mycenaean art and culture.

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Heinrich Schliemann German


Archeologist
used the writings of Homers Iliad
& Odyssey to locate sites.
Excavated at Mycenae, Tiryns and
finally discovered the site of Troy
Proved that Greek Mythology had
some basis in fact.

39

Early photograph
of Heinrich
Schliemann

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Schliemanns Greek
wife wearing some
of the many
treasures that they
excavated and kept

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The Trojan Horse


replica that
stands at Troy
site of the
famed Trojan War

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Schliemann also
dug at Mycenae,
earned himself a
place on a Greek
postage stamp.
Seen here with the
Lions Gate at
Mycenae

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Mycenean Art and Architecture

As you look at the citadel of Mycenae,


think about how Mycenaean palaces are
different from the Minoan palaces.

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Aerial view of the citadel at Tiryns, Greece, ca. 1400


1200 BCE. Notice the defensive wall surrounding the
complex
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Mycenae home of Agamemnon- leader


of the Greek forces that attacked
Troy
Fortification walls built 3 times,
the 2nd time (c.1250BCE)expanding
the area
Referred to as Cyclopean Wallsblocks so large that the mythic one
eyed Cyclops had to have built them
Monumental Lion Gate entrance
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Reconstruction drawing
of citadel of Mycenae
with fortifications
What does the presence
of these walls tell
you?

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Corbeled gallery in the


walls of the citadel,
Tiryns, Greece, ca.
14001200 BCE.

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Three methods of spanning


a passageway:
(a) post and lintel,
(b) corbeled arch,
(c) arch.

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Plan of the palace and


southern part of the
citadel, Tiryns, Greece,
ca. 14001200 BCE.
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Megaron enter from the courtyard


through a porch, a vestibule then
into a central hearth
Hearth surrounded by 4 columns that
support the ceiling
Roof raised to admit light and allow
smoke to escape
The Megaron was the plan adapted by
later Greeks to build their temples

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Lion Gate, Mycenae, Greece, ca. 13001250 BCE. Limestone, relief panel, 9 6
high.

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Within the fortification walls, in 1876


Schliemann discovered Grace Circles. In Grave
Circle A he thought he had uncovered the
grave of Agememnon
At last I look on the face of Agamemnon
but the wrong time period
Funerary mask c 1600BCE gold 12
Now doubt about authenticity not beyond
Mr. Schliemanns orchestrations
Stylistically different to 4 other masks
Suspiciously groomed a la C19th style in
beard and hair
(period vision)

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Funerary mask, from Grave Circle A, Mycenae, Greece, ca. 16001500 BCE. Beaten
gold, 1 high. National Archaeological Museum, Athens.
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Mycenaens used shaft graves or tholos tombs


Shaft graves vertical pits 20feet deep
Opulent burials for the ruling class
Schliemann found over 30 lbs of gold
objects in shaft grave
Tholos tombs developed by 1600BCE replacing
older shaft graves
Burial now above ground- beehive tomb
round form created using corbelled vault 43
feet high
Tomb then covered with earth to create a
mound

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Inlaid dagger blade with lion hunt, from Grave Circle A, Mycenae, Greece, ca.
16001500 BCE. Bronze, inlaid with gold, silver, and niello, 9 long. National
Archaeological Museum, Athens.

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