Aegean Art

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Aegean Art 2000-1000 BC
The Artist as Record Keeper
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• New Vocabulary
• Idol
• Megaron
• Fresco

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• Aegean Civilizations flourished before Greek
  Civilization
• Includes Cycladic, Minoan, Mycenaean cultures
• Written about in Homers Iliad and from Greek
  myths
• Knowledge of these cultures is a lot less than of
  Egypt and Near East
• No aid from written records
• Linear B- 2000 BC developed in Minoan
  culture-usually palace inventories and records-
  has not helped decipher religion and art

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• Cycladic Art- 2600-1100 BC
• Have left hardly any trace apart from modest
  stone tombs
• Large marble idols buried with the dead-earliest
  life-sized sculpture of the female form
• Idols are nude female figure with arms folded
  across the chest-hints of sexuality
• Were painted (traces of color found)
• Have not seen anything like it before- not like
  earlier fertility figures

Cycladic Idol, 2500-1100 BC
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• Minoan Art -
• Culture named by an archeologist after legendary
  King Minos
• Very fractured style- as if sudden change came to
  the civilization more than once- external forces?
• But artwork reflects a culture that is peaceful
  and playful with no hint of threat
• Until 2000 BC. Still living at Neolithic level-
  then created an urban civilization with palaces
  and trade (with Egyptians)
• Most information comes from Knossos, the Palace
  of Minos- vast enough to survive in Greek legends
  as the home of the Minotaur
• Did not speak Greek or worship Greek Gods- WERE
  NOT GREEK!

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Palace of Minos, Knossos, Crete c.1500 BC

• Carefully planned, sprawling palace- includes
  storerooms, ceremonial rooms, living quarters,
  theaters, grand courtyard
• Includes intricate plumbing system
• Minoan columns are similar to Greek Doric, but
  have wide top, narrow base

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The Queens Megaron, Palace of Minos, Knossos

• Rulers were probably not ruler-gods like Near
  East and Egypt
• Military subjects are absent from the art
• First real fresco-painted on wet plaster

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• Little known about religious life
• Centered on sacred places
• Chief deity was female snake goddess
• No temples, lacked cult statues
• Few religious subjects in art
• Snakes associated with male fertility
• Secular looking- fashion
• Crete has few snakes, so the snake idea was
  probably imported- but no snake goddesses have
  been discovered outside of Crete

Snake Goddess c.1600 BC
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The Toreador Fresco, C. 1500 BC

• Marine life is seen in all artwork- fluid
  movement is more important than drama
• Shows a game, not a bull fight- two of the
  figures are female-figures are Minoan
  style-pinched waists
• playful like dolphins-
• Bull is a sacred animal
• Ambiguous meaning- not sure if one scene, or
  three different actions

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• Pottery-
• Newly designed potters wheel!
• Relationship between shape and decoration
• designs drawn from plant and animal life- fish,
  shells, octopuses- very similar to the wall
  paintings- flowing and rhythmic
• Swirling lines are reminiscent of the sea

Octopus Vase, c.1500 BC
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• Slim, muscular men carrying farming tools-first
  real depiction of muscles in action
• Narrative not as important as the rhythm
• Energetic and physical
• Humorous in nature-figures are singing and
  shouting- most animated so far!

Harvester Vase, 1550-1500 BC
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• Mycenaen Art- (invaded and occupied Minoan
  culture)
• Southeast shores of Greek mainland (1600-1100 BC)
• first thought to have come from Crete because of
  similar art characteristics, but probably were
  early Greek tribes
• Tombs were central to the culture

Treasury of Atreus, 1300-1250 BC
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• 1600 BC, began to build elaborate tombs- buried
  dead on deep shafts covered with beehive
  structures
• More elaborate tombs were only found in Egypt
  from around the same time period
• Largest known vaulted space in antiquity until
  the Roman Pantheon (1500 years later)

Interior, Treasury of Atreus
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• Alongside royal dead, were masks of gold and
  silver
• Similar in purpose to Egyptian death masks
• Lots of personal equipment found such as vessels,
  jewelry, weapons

Rhyton in the shape of a lion 1550 BC
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Vaphio Cup, 1500 BC
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How do we tell the difference between Minoan and
Mycenaen?
Vaphio Cup c. 1500 BC
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• Hilltop fortresses, defensive walls of huge
  stone-
• quite unlike Minoan
• Lions Gate of Mycenae- massive stone relief over
  doorway-
• guardians of the gate- tense muscular,
  symmetrical design suggests influence from Near
  East
• Center of the palace at Mycenae was the audience
  hall called the Megaron- not much remains but
  looks back to simple house plans of earlier times

The Lion Gate, 1250 BC
Hilltop fortresses, defensive walls of huge
stone- quite unlike minoan Lions Gate of Mycenae-
massive stone relief over doorway- guardians of
the gate- tense muscular, symmetrical design
suggests influence from near east Center of the
palace at Mycenae was the audience hall called
the megaron- not much remains but looks back to
simple house plans of earlier ti
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• There is no Mycenaen temple architecture that
  remains (or was even suggested)
• Palaces did contain small shrines
• Religion was probably influenced by Minoan,
  Greek- but its hard to figure this out
• Not sure who this group of deities is
• The divine child is a popular ancient myth
• A familiar view of deities is seen here for the
  first time

Three Deities, 1500-1400 BC