Art History: Aegean
The Mediterranean was a major highway that connected the cultures of antiquity. It bridged Africa, Asia, and Europe for trade and war. One branch of the Mediterranean between Greece and Turkey, called the AEGEAN sea, was a hotbed for cultures and wars (Troy)
Cycladic (circle north of Crete) + Minoan (Crete) + Helladic (mainland) = Aegean art.
Up until the 1850's much of Aegean history came from the Iliad and the Odyssey, an 8th C. BCE Epic by Homer.
We know LESS about Aegean art than we do about Egypt or the ancient Near East, due to a lack of deciphered writings. As a result, their art has to fill in the gaps.
EARLY CYCLADIC ART
Wealthy due to obsidian trade, which influenced funeral practices. Buried dead in stone lined pits sealed with a stone slab. Weapons, jewelry, and pottery were given as offerings in these tombs. "Frying pans." Round flat objects with handles, which may have been a palette for cosmetics, or an early form of mirror.
Some burials had striking white figures, nude with arms folded, and toes extended. Figures vary in size (5ft - a few inches), but form is consistent enough to assume a governing canon was likely used. Some are pregnant, some are male, and some play instruments. WHAT DID THEY REPRESENT?
Likely used as sort of votive "idols" in daily shrines. Signs of repair on found statues indicate they were "used" and cherished before burying with the deceased.
MINOAN ART
More art Found here than on Cyclades. Associated with the legendary King Minos (Icarus, Minotaur). Major flowering of Minoan art and architecture occurs about 2000 BCE. They constructed great "palaces" at Knossos (and other locations). Destroyed by earthquakes about 1700 BCE. Second phase of building on top, larger, more grand. Demolished by an earthquake about 1450 BCE.
THE PALACE AT KNOSSOS
Arthur Evans dubbed the palace of Minos. Reconceived and reconstructed the palace in concrete between 1900-1930 CE. Consisted of courts, halls, workshops, storerooms, residential quarters all linked by staircases and porticos. Clay pipes even drained the palace complex.
Unusual columns: cushion like capital, tapering column length, oval rather than circular. Painted black, red/white. Remains a mystery as to the columns origins.
Haphazard layout probably influenced legend stating the Minotaur lived within the twisting labyrinth. No exterior fortifications, was on an island, maze like quality may have been defensive for interior.
Does have an underlying logic: central courtyard, which were surrounded by the most important rooms. Was more than a palace - had workshops and granaries, trade, etc. Was well organized despite appearances. "Palace" is a misnomer.
Much of what remains is only the sub and ground levels, scholars speculate that upper floors were far more elaborate.
WALL PAINTINGS, KNOSSOS
Grand rooms within the palaces of Minoan society (and elsewhere) were painted with elaborate murals. Most found in horrendous condition, so what we see today is the result of extensive restoration.
Bright mineral colors applied to either wet or dry plaster with no shading. The subjects that appear most frequently suggest ritualistic activity. Other themes show naturalistic scenes as their subject:
Queen's Megaron
Found in a light well, the mural was restored and moved to what Arthur Evans called the "Queen's Megaron" in the east wing.
Blue and yellow dolphins swim on the wall, animated by the curving shapes and forms they comprise. Common trait of Minoan art: lively natural forms. The Minoans respect the sea, as evidenced by the frequent theme of sea life. Seems more "casual" than rigid timelessness of Egyptian art, though they did have contact with each other.
Spring Fresco
Preserved by a volcanic eruption. Painted with the mineral colors likely found on the small island's (Thera) landscape. Lillies flower from the rich volcanic soil, swallows dart throughout the scene with the form represented by a few simple black lines.
MINOAN POTTERY
Like the wall paintings, pottery was decorated with paintings of the natural scenes associated with the small Aegean islands. Painted with lively organic forms that harmonize with the curvature of the vessels themselves. Huge rough vessels used to store goods, smaller delicate thin-walled vessels made for palace usage.
Octopus Vase
Stirrup jar - two round handles flanking a narrow spout, decorated with a wide-eyed black octopus. Algae is represented between the tentacles.
Extraordinarily dynamic and naturalistic quality. Forms perfectly express the shape of the vessel, emphasizing the jars swollen belly. Tentacles echo the handles of the vessel. Exactly beneath the spout, the tentacle curves to loop the exact same size as the jar's opening.
CARVED MINOAN STONE VESSELS
Carved vessels of soft stone, either from black steatite (serpentine, locally available), or from stones imported from other Aegean islands. Traces of gold indicate many we're gilded.
Rhyton (plural rhyta) had a large hole at its top and a smaller hole at the base. Used for pouring liquid offerings or drinking.
HARVESTER VASE
Twenty-seven slim muscular men (mostly nude to the waist), move around with a seemingly raucous energy. Dynamic movement echoes wall paintings. The leader (cloaked) carries a sistrum, a rattle that originated in Egypt. This, with the figures composite view, indicates obvious Egyptian contact.
Interpretations depend on identifying the tools they're carrying. If they are hoes and bags of seed, it's likely a sowing festival. If they are winnowing forks and whetstones, it's a harvest festival. Some scholars think that the images depict warriors in triumph, or forced labor.
RHYTON IN THE SHAPE OF A BULLS HEAD
Painted rock crystal for the eye (red pupil, black iris, white cornea) very lifelike. Gilded wood horns. Incisions dusted with white powder evoked a shaggy texture to simulate fur. Hole in neck to fill vessel, second hole below the mouth served as a spout.
Egyptian wall paintings show Cretans carrying similar bull-headed rhyta, indicating identified Minoans with such vessels (iconic). The prevalence of bulls motifs, and altars decorated with horns indicate the animal played a large religious role. Ceremonial vessels perhaps smashed after usage?
SNAKE GODDESS
Religious life on Minoan Crete centered on natural places (caves, mountain peaks, groves), no temples or large cult statues have ever been discovered there. Found two statuettes.
Female wearing a flounced dress, a snake in each hand, and a headdress topped by a feline creature. Bared breasts. Tiny waist is characteristic of Minoan human representation (like on harvester vase). Snakes sometimes associated with earth gods, or male fertility. Their location in burial pits (based on what was found with them) suggests they were either a representation of a mother goddess or her attendants.
CITADELS
Cities centered around citadels or palaces. Tablets with an early form of Greek were found at citadel in Pylos. These settlements were literally the ancestors of the Greeks.
Exploited topography of the site, natural defenses. Large stone blocks making walls 20ft thick. Tunnels to well water. Mycenaeans are assumed to be more warlike because of this.
Nature-Loving Minoans / War-Loving Mycenaeans.
Mycenae and The Lion Gate
Corbeled gate. Principal entrance to the citadel of Mycenae. Heavy lintel directs weight to the strong posts flanking the door. Relieving triangle, 25 tons. Animals may be sphinxes or griffons. Stand in a HERALDRIC pose, mirroring each other with their front paws on Minoan styled altar and Minoan column.
At 10 feet high, it is the first large scale sculpture on the Greek mainland. Influence from near east (rigid guardians). MEGARON - large building built for an audience hall - main feature in citadels.
Tiryns and Corbeled Vaults
Casemate: Room or passage to store weapons. Also as shelters during an attack. Corbeled.
Mycenaean tombs, were Corbeled beehives. Covered in earth
Mask of Agamemnon
The Mediterranean was a major highway that connected the cultures of antiquity. It bridged Africa, Asia, and Europe for trade and war. One branch of the Mediterranean between Greece and Turkey, called the AEGEAN sea, was a hotbed for cultures and wars (Troy)
Cycladic (circle north of Crete) + Minoan (Crete) + Helladic (mainland) = Aegean art.
Up until the 1850's much of Aegean history came from the Iliad and the Odyssey, an 8th C. BCE Epic by Homer.
We know LESS about Aegean art than we do about Egypt or the ancient Near East, due to a lack of deciphered writings. As a result, their art has to fill in the gaps.
EARLY CYCLADIC ART
Wealthy due to obsidian trade, which influenced funeral practices. Buried dead in stone lined pits sealed with a stone slab. Weapons, jewelry, and pottery were given as offerings in these tombs. "Frying pans." Round flat objects with handles, which may have been a palette for cosmetics, or an early form of mirror.
Some burials had striking white figures, nude with arms folded, and toes extended. Figures vary in size (5ft - a few inches), but form is consistent enough to assume a governing canon was likely used. Some are pregnant, some are male, and some play instruments. WHAT DID THEY REPRESENT?
Likely used as sort of votive "idols" in daily shrines. Signs of repair on found statues indicate they were "used" and cherished before burying with the deceased.
MINOAN ART
More art Found here than on Cyclades. Associated with the legendary King Minos (Icarus, Minotaur). Major flowering of Minoan art and architecture occurs about 2000 BCE. They constructed great "palaces" at Knossos (and other locations). Destroyed by earthquakes about 1700 BCE. Second phase of building on top, larger, more grand. Demolished by an earthquake about 1450 BCE.
THE PALACE AT KNOSSOS
Arthur Evans dubbed the palace of Minos. Reconceived and reconstructed the palace in concrete between 1900-1930 CE. Consisted of courts, halls, workshops, storerooms, residential quarters all linked by staircases and porticos. Clay pipes even drained the palace complex.
Unusual columns: cushion like capital, tapering column length, oval rather than circular. Painted black, red/white. Remains a mystery as to the columns origins.
Haphazard layout probably influenced legend stating the Minotaur lived within the twisting labyrinth. No exterior fortifications, was on an island, maze like quality may have been defensive for interior.
Does have an underlying logic: central courtyard, which were surrounded by the most important rooms. Was more than a palace - had workshops and granaries, trade, etc. Was well organized despite appearances. "Palace" is a misnomer.
Much of what remains is only the sub and ground levels, scholars speculate that upper floors were far more elaborate.
WALL PAINTINGS, KNOSSOS
Grand rooms within the palaces of Minoan society (and elsewhere) were painted with elaborate murals. Most found in horrendous condition, so what we see today is the result of extensive restoration.
Bright mineral colors applied to either wet or dry plaster with no shading. The subjects that appear most frequently suggest ritualistic activity. Other themes show naturalistic scenes as their subject:
Queen's Megaron
Found in a light well, the mural was restored and moved to what Arthur Evans called the "Queen's Megaron" in the east wing.
Blue and yellow dolphins swim on the wall, animated by the curving shapes and forms they comprise. Common trait of Minoan art: lively natural forms. The Minoans respect the sea, as evidenced by the frequent theme of sea life. Seems more "casual" than rigid timelessness of Egyptian art, though they did have contact with each other.
Spring Fresco
Preserved by a volcanic eruption. Painted with the mineral colors likely found on the small island's (Thera) landscape. Lillies flower from the rich volcanic soil, swallows dart throughout the scene with the form represented by a few simple black lines.
MINOAN POTTERY
Like the wall paintings, pottery was decorated with paintings of the natural scenes associated with the small Aegean islands. Painted with lively organic forms that harmonize with the curvature of the vessels themselves. Huge rough vessels used to store goods, smaller delicate thin-walled vessels made for palace usage.
Octopus Vase
Stirrup jar - two round handles flanking a narrow spout, decorated with a wide-eyed black octopus. Algae is represented between the tentacles.
Extraordinarily dynamic and naturalistic quality. Forms perfectly express the shape of the vessel, emphasizing the jars swollen belly. Tentacles echo the handles of the vessel. Exactly beneath the spout, the tentacle curves to loop the exact same size as the jar's opening.
CARVED MINOAN STONE VESSELS
Carved vessels of soft stone, either from black steatite (serpentine, locally available), or from stones imported from other Aegean islands. Traces of gold indicate many we're gilded.
Rhyton (plural rhyta) had a large hole at its top and a smaller hole at the base. Used for pouring liquid offerings or drinking.
HARVESTER VASE
Twenty-seven slim muscular men (mostly nude to the waist), move around with a seemingly raucous energy. Dynamic movement echoes wall paintings. The leader (cloaked) carries a sistrum, a rattle that originated in Egypt. This, with the figures composite view, indicates obvious Egyptian contact.
Interpretations depend on identifying the tools they're carrying. If they are hoes and bags of seed, it's likely a sowing festival. If they are winnowing forks and whetstones, it's a harvest festival. Some scholars think that the images depict warriors in triumph, or forced labor.
RHYTON IN THE SHAPE OF A BULLS HEAD
Painted rock crystal for the eye (red pupil, black iris, white cornea) very lifelike. Gilded wood horns. Incisions dusted with white powder evoked a shaggy texture to simulate fur. Hole in neck to fill vessel, second hole below the mouth served as a spout.
Egyptian wall paintings show Cretans carrying similar bull-headed rhyta, indicating identified Minoans with such vessels (iconic). The prevalence of bulls motifs, and altars decorated with horns indicate the animal played a large religious role. Ceremonial vessels perhaps smashed after usage?
SNAKE GODDESS
Religious life on Minoan Crete centered on natural places (caves, mountain peaks, groves), no temples or large cult statues have ever been discovered there. Found two statuettes.
Female wearing a flounced dress, a snake in each hand, and a headdress topped by a feline creature. Bared breasts. Tiny waist is characteristic of Minoan human representation (like on harvester vase). Snakes sometimes associated with earth gods, or male fertility. Their location in burial pits (based on what was found with them) suggests they were either a representation of a mother goddess or her attendants.
CITADELS
Cities centered around citadels or palaces. Tablets with an early form of Greek were found at citadel in Pylos. These settlements were literally the ancestors of the Greeks.
Exploited topography of the site, natural defenses. Large stone blocks making walls 20ft thick. Tunnels to well water. Mycenaeans are assumed to be more warlike because of this.
Nature-Loving Minoans / War-Loving Mycenaeans.
Mycenae and The Lion Gate
Corbeled gate. Principal entrance to the citadel of Mycenae. Heavy lintel directs weight to the strong posts flanking the door. Relieving triangle, 25 tons. Animals may be sphinxes or griffons. Stand in a HERALDRIC pose, mirroring each other with their front paws on Minoan styled altar and Minoan column.
At 10 feet high, it is the first large scale sculpture on the Greek mainland. Influence from near east (rigid guardians). MEGARON - large building built for an audience hall - main feature in citadels.
Tiryns and Corbeled Vaults
Casemate: Room or passage to store weapons. Also as shelters during an attack. Corbeled.
Mycenaean tombs, were Corbeled beehives. Covered in earth
Mask of Agamemnon