Aegean Art

1
Aegean Art

• Cyclades, Minoan, and Mycenaean

2
Unit Concepts

• 1. Aegean civilization was roughly contemporary
  with Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations.
• It was thought to be mythological until 1870.
• It was a forerunner to the Greeks.
• It was composed of the Cycladic, Minoan, and
  Mycenaean styles.

3
Aegean Map
4
Homers Myths

• Homer wrote of mythical ancient Greeks who were
  heroes.
• He wrote the Iliad about Agamemnon, Achilles,
  Helen, and Paris. He also wrote The Odyssey
  about Odysseuss journey home.
• It was all thought to be mythological until
  archaeologists found the ruins for Ancient Troy.

5
Famous Archaeologists

• Heinrich Schliemann
• He was a businessman until the age of 36, when he
  decided to become an archaeologist.
• He discovered the ruins of Troy and helped
  uncover ruins in ancient Mycenae, perhaps the
  city of Agmemnon.

• Sir Arthur Evans
• Became interested in Med. seals while at Oxford
  and went to Crete to learn more.
• Bought the property and uncovered the ruins of
  ancient Knossos. Named it the Minoan culture
  after King Minos.

6
Cyclades

• Cyclades refers to a group of islands just to the
  east of Crete. They look like theyre in a
  circle, thus the Cyclades.
• Inhabitants were sailors, fishermen, and traders.
  No evidence of writing, but we have pottery,
  metalwork, and sculptures.
• Most famous artwork are the marble idol
  sculptures. Very simplified, geometric shapes.
  Assumed that they are objects of worship.

7
Minoan vs. Mycenaean

• Myceanaean Culture
• Very military and warlike. Myths are about war
  the Iliad.
• Built citadels and tombs. Architecture was built
  to protect from invasion, not for beauty.
• Forerunners to the ancient Greeks.

• Minoan Culture
• Open culture. Traders and fishermen. Colorful,
  happy, lively works of art.
• Beautiful palace, but built for beauty and
  freshness, not for protection.
• Conquered by Mycenaeans

8
Thera/Santorini

• Volcanic island that erupted around 1500 B.C.
• In the ashes, a flourishing culture was exposed.
  They had winding streets and nice houses, even
  indoor plumbing. Most comfortable living
  conditions.
• No bodies. Must have evacuate
• Left behind some beautiful frescoes. Very
  artistic culture. Landscapes, animals, humans,
  boats, warriors.

9
Boxing children

• Have similar look to Minoan frescoes. Very
  lively and active figures. darker skin for the
  males. Curvilinear and dynamic. But without the
  wasp waists of Crete.

10
Ship fresco
11
Mycenaean Architecture

• Mycenaeans were fighters. So much of their
  architecture were citadels. They would choose a
  high, rocky hill, and built a fortress on top.
• There would be living quarters, etc. The focus
  of the citadel was the megaron, Greek for large
  room.
• Most of the citizens would live in small mud
  brick houses. Then, when under attack, they
  would retreat to the citadel.

12
Megaron

• The megaron was the throne room.
• The basic plan for a megaron was pretty simple.
  A large open room with four columns in the center
  with a circular hearth.

13
Lion Gate

• The citadels were cut out of massive, irregular
  blocks of hewn stone. The Greeks called the
  walls Cyclopeans, because it seemed that it had
  been placed there by giants.
• They would use post and lintel construction for
  doorways, usually with a triangular space on top.
  This one has two lions protecting the entrance.

14
Tholos

• A tholos was a beehive tomb. Its made by
  corbeling stones on top of each other, with each
  one slightly on top, overlapping the one below
  it.
• A dromos is the long walkway leading to the tomb.

15
tomb of clytemnestra

• Clytemnestra was the wife of Agamemnon, who
  murdered him when he returned from Troy.
• Once body was inside the tholos, the triangle and
  door were blocked in with bricks.

16
funeral Mask

• In many of the tholos uncovered, wonderful
  objects were uncovered such as this funeral mask.
• It is thought that these masks would secure a
  persons identity in the afterlife.
• Although stylized, this definitely was modeled
  after a specific person.
• This particular mask has been mistakenly called
  the Mask of Agamemnon.