Aegean Art

Bronze Mirror Back—Judgment of Paris, Etruscan, bronze, c 400-300 BC

Lucas Cranach, The Judgment of Paris, oil on board, 1528

Peter Paul Rubens, The Judgment of Paris, oil on canvas, 1636

The Judgment of Paris, Sevres porcelain, c 1750

Map of Aegean Sea

Three main cultures of the Aegean Cycladic on the Cyclades Minoan on Thera and Crete Helladic including the Mycenaean on the

Mainland

Bronze Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin The discovery of bronze marks the end of

the Neolithic Period in every culture For the peoples of the Aegean, copper and

tin were imported from Europe, Africa and Arabia

The islands of Naxos and Paros had fine sources of white marble which would be transported throughout the islands for sculpture

Two Figures of Women, Cyclades, c 2500-2200 BC, Marble*

Figures of male are rare in Cycladian art

The rare male figures depict actual activities

Seated Harp Player* and Flute Player, Cyclades, c 2700-2500 BC, marble

Woman and Man, Cernavoda, Romania c. 3500 BCE, ceramic 4.5” *

Minoan Civilization By 3000 BC, Bronze Age people were living on Crete, the

largest of the Aegean Islands Crete was economically self sufficient with cattle, grains,

olives and fruits Between 1900-1375 BC, a distinctive culture flourished on

Crete The culture was named Minoan by Sir Arthur Evans who

discovered several large structures on Crete in 1900 He named the culture after King Minos whom, according to

legend, ruled from a palace called Knossos and kept a half man, half bull monster, the minotaur, eventually slain by Theseus of Athens

Written Records The Minoan culture developed its own form

of hieroglyphics and script called Linear A Linear A has defied translation Most written records are known from a

language called Linear B, from mainland Greece, but the information is limited to transportation and tax records

The Old Palace Period 1900-1700 BC The site of the palace of Knossos was first

excavated in 1900 AD by Sir Arthur Evans The site had been occupied by Neolithic

cultures, later replaced by Bronze Age buildings The large structures led Evans to call them

palaces but the original purpose remains unknown

Structures were made of rubble and mud brick with finished, dressed stone

Minoan Pottery Kamares Ware Jug, Crete,

Old Palace Period, c 2000-1900 BC, ceramic*

Around 2000 BC, Minoans began to use a pottery wheel and developed highly colored glazes

Minoan pottery was highly sought after in the ancient world and examples have been found as far away as Egypt and Syria

Metal Work—Pendant of Gold Bees, Crete, Old Palace Period, c 1700-1550 BC, gold*

By 1700, Minoan goldsmiths were producing extremely fine gold objects

Minoan style jewelry typically depicts natural objects, but distills them to simple geometric forms creating a very stylish look

The Minoans very likely acquired some of their smithing skills from the Egyptians

New Palace Period c 1700-1450 BC A volcanic eruption at Thera caused many

earthquakes throughout the Aegean regions that destroyed many Old Palace structures

Many structures, like Knossos, were rebuilt and enlarged

Aerial view of Knossos, c 2000-1375 BC, Crete

Wall Painting Wall paintings were used to decorate large

houses and palaces The paintings were typically large murals with

geometric borders surrounding scenes of nature or every day life

The method employed was fresco—fresco is a technique where one is painting directly onto raw plaster using egg-based tempuras or warm waxes

Preferred colors were yellow, black, red, green and blue

The Dolphin Mural, Knossos, c 1550-1450 BC

The Saffron Gatherers, Thera, c 1630 BC, fresco

Young Girl Gathering Saffron Crocus Flowers, Thera, c 1630 BC, fresco*

Bull Leaping, Knossos, Crete, c 1550-1450 BC, fresco

Woman or Goddess with Snakes, New Palace Period, Crete, c 1700-1550 BC, faience*

Surviving Minoan sculpture consists mainly of small wood, ivory or ceramic objects

Females brandishing snakes are among the most characteristic objects

These objects may have been associated with water, regeneration and protection

Octopus Flask, New Palace Period, marine style ceramic, c 1500-1450 BC*

Vapheio Cup, Sparta, Greece, c 1650-1450 BC, gold*

The Helladic Period 3000-1000 BC The term Helladic is used to designate the

Aegean Bronze Age on the mainland of Greece This period runs concurrent with the Cycladic and

Minoan periods Greek speaking peoples probably came from the

northwest into mainland Greece When the Minoan culture declined starting in 1450

BC, the people of a late Helladic culture called Mycenaean, after the city of Mycenae, occupied Crete and Greece and rose to dominate the Aegean

Helladic Architecture Mycenaean architecture is very distinct

from that of the Minoans The Mycenaeans built huge megalithic

citadels or fortresses as well as huge vaulted stone tombs

The citadel of Mycenae appears in Homer’s epic The Iliad as the home of Agamemnon

Location of Mycenae

Reconstruction of Mycenae

Mycenae

Lion Gate, Mycenae, Greece, c 1250 BC, limestone*

A Mycenaean tomb—called tholos

Like the Egyptians, the Mycenaeans loaded their tombs with treasure

Mask of Agamemnon, Mycenae, Greece, c 1600-1550 BC gold*

More funeral masks

Two Women with a Child, Mycenae, Greece, c 1400-1200 BC, ivory*

Warrior Vase, Mycenae, Greece, c 1300-1000 BC, ceramic*