Greek Art & Archaeology Artworks

petralona skull

a cranium bone of a hominid found in the petralona cave in 1960 dating back to 300,000-400,000 years ago from the early and middle paleolithic, it is the earliest evidence of hominids in Greece

dimini

late neolithic settlement from 3700-3300 excavated by Christos Tsountas in the 1900s, it was walled and had a megaron which is interpreted to mean they had a centralized government and a focus on economic production with craft specialization, cooperation, and social complexity

dimini house models

tiny models of houses were buried underneath the floor of the house along with the children, it represents the importance of the household with growing families and also shows the female power in the house with childbearing and running the household

neolithic mother goddess

the concept that a common mother goddess was worshipped across Europe, N. Africa, and Asia Minor based on figurines with steatopygous female features that could represent various things like fertility depending on whether it was used for rituals, practical uses, toys, or tools; they often have different shaped heads and obviously female bodies

goddess of myrtos

a goddess figurine/jug found in the 1970s in myrtos along with a structure that is believed to be an altar, shrine, and a bench in the same room, it is believed to imitate this mother goddess figure, showing possible religious beliefs during this time but also was functional as a jug, early Minoan II

kernos

a stone found outside the house tombs in gournia in the early 1900s, it is believed to be an offering stone where people could worship their ancestors without disturbing the tombs, showed a developed society where they honored the dead and had religious beliefs regarding connection to those who have passed

gold bee pendant

a gold pendant found in the mallia burial complex, it is a prestigious object that required highly skilled work to be crafted and it possibly belonged to a royal family or someone with high status since it was gold and buried with the family, it shows that the people in Crete had a specialized economy or long distance trade to have such an item

phaistos disk

a disk found in the palace of phaistos that had Linear A writing on it, it was from the middle Minoan where phaistos dates back to and it shows that society was developed enough to have a system of writing that could be used for government, the economy, rituals, and communication

Knossos

the middle Minoan palace excavated by sir Arthur Evans who found this palace that functioned as a center for collection, storage, processing, distribution, manufacturing, trade, religion, and politics, it had spaces for the elite, spaces for economic functions, religious and ritual spaces, and common gathering areas

kouloures

large stone lined pits found in Knossos, phaistos, and mallia that were near a western courtyard and used possibly for grain storage, rituals, as planters, or for other storage since they could have had roofs, this suggests that these palaces were used for storing goods to boost their economy and they had a space where people could easily access this storage

sacred grove fresco

a fresco found in Knossos that depicts women in a grove performing what looks like some ritual dance or procession while a crowd of men watches, this shows a developed society who placed importance on rituals and public gatherings for ritual purposes

phaistos west court

a large courtyard that was paved and had walkways likely being a common meeting area for people going through the palace, it was a center for community and public interaction so it shows that the palace was used for public gatherings and had many people walking through it

kamares ware

early Minoan pottery that had a common design of white details on a dark black background, these pieces of pottery were found across Crete and in the palaces so they could have been for functional everyday use or for rituals, but it showed craft specialization and detailed skills that craftsmen needed to have

priest king fresco

a fresco found in Knossos of the prince of the Lillies from the second palatial (neopalatial) period that suggests they possibly had a priest king that ruled their centralized government from Knossos, especially because they had a throne room in the palace

chieftain cup, master impression, and seal from Knossos

these goods were found in Knossos which include a decorated cup and decorated seals with impressions of some honored person atop a city/mountain, highly detailed pieces like these need skilled craftsmen so it shows the specialization of labor in a developed society, along with a centralized government/mother goddess that was believed to have power

grandstand fresco

a fresco found in Knossos that depicts a tripartite shrine in the palace courtyard near the grand staircase with a procession of women performing some ritual while a crowd of men watches, on the tripartite shrine is the motif of the horns of consecration believed to be a religious symbol found in Crete, it is evidence for some sort of religious belief system that included public rituals and processions along with a mother of the mountain they believed in, snake goddess statuettes

arkalochori axe

a double headed bronze axe found in the arkalochori cave in Crete dating back to the middle Minoan period because of the presence of Linear A writing on the axe, it is believed these axes were used for rituals done in cave shrines, which is why it was found in the cave but it can also show earlier habitation on Crete

bull leaping/bull motif

a recurring theme, fresco subject, and motif scene is the spectacle of bull leaping and just bulls in general, frescoes and seals depict the spectacle/sport of bull. jumping which is something that was done on Crete for the entertainment of the people, a bull head rhyton could have possibly been given to the winner of the leaping

boxers rhyton

a rhyton found in agia triads that depicts scenes of both boxing and bull leaping, which were two common sports from minoan Crete where the winner would be given this rhyton to advertise their victory

marine style pottery

from the late minoan period, marine style pottery was found in Crete with patterns such as marine animals like squid, octopus, fish, and also typical designs like water but also the recurring double headed axe symbol, a lot of this pottery was practical, but it showed their interest in maritime practices and a connection to the sea

Cycladic frying pans

early Cycladic objects that looked like frying pans were found on these islands and on the mainland near the coast, they have designs of water, boats, fish, and what looks to be a female pubic area, it is unsure what these are used for but the spread of where they are found shows interconnection in Greece and movement of people, goods, and ideas

folded arm figurines

Cycladic figurines found in both settlements and graves that were created with details like jewelry, hair, features, and tattoos, they likely could have been totems to honor who was buried in the tomb as a gift to them

minoan goddesses with upraised arms

from neopalatial Crete in the late minoan III period, these palaces on Crete started to have community based shrines where terracotta figures of goddesses with upraised arms decorated with snakes, poppies, birds, and horns of consecration were found in bench sanctuaries along with cult sets, they could have been used as idols in rituals to symbolize fertility, death, sleep, fortune, etc.

sheath with Nilotic scene

in Grave circle B in Mycenae, a sheath from the late bronze age was found depicting a Nilotic scene with animals and hunters, this find suggests that the Mycenaeans were a more hostile group that used violence unlike the Minoans because weapons were found in these shaft graves on the mainland

mask of agamemnon

a gold death mask found in grave circle A in Mycenae from the late Bronze Age by Schliemann who believed the mask was of king Agamemnon, these funerary death masks made of gold are evidence for a wealthy society that existed in Mycenae because they could honor the dead with gold masks, but also an importance placed on honoring the dead

siege rhyton

a rhyton found in grave circle A in Mycenae from the late Bronze Age by Schliemann, on the rhyton is a depiction of a group of people protecting a wall while others fight below, which could be the citadel, it provides evidence of a more violent culture in Mycenae

bull rhyton in Mycenae

a rhyton from late Bronze Age Mycenae was found in excavations of grave circle A and it is similar to the one found in Knossos, this was possibly made in Crete and exported or made by a cretan in Mycenae, but either way it supports the movement of ideas or people from island to mainland with similarities in their rhyton styles

Mycenaean citadel

the late Helladic citadel found in Mycenae which was the area they held their goods and weapons, it had fortification walls (cyclopean masonry) which shows they had something to protect and someone to protect it from, it represents the wealth of Mycenae and also military focus because they had a place to keep these resources safe, it was a defensive center for economic, religious, and administrative life

lion gate

from the 13th century BC, this relief was found at the entrance of the citadel at Mycenae, it is made of limestone and used late Bronze Age tools to create it, on the relief itself is a column with lions/lionesses on each side, which is something scene in other areas like the Hittite palaces which shows a spread of ideas and style, it is of cretan/minoan origin and symbolized political authority

palace of nestor

found in pylos by carl blegen, this is a late bronze age (Helladic) mycenean palace, it had a three part megaron with a throne room which shows a centralized government with a leader, and also tablets with Linear B writing on them showed the reemergence of writing after the loss of Linear A

procession fresco

in pylos at the palace of nestor, this procession fresco was found outside of the megaron depicting people in a ritual procession carrying offerings along with a bull that was to be sacrificed, it is similar to those found in Crete, showing how cretan influences in art show up from Mycenaeans going to Crete or cretan craftsmen coming to the mainland (spread of ideas)

tarzan fresco

another fresco found in pylos of mycenaean soldiers fighting off barbarians, this depiction suggests that the mycenaeans were a more hostile group than others that focused on their military and conquered others by fighting 

mycenaean pottery

wheel made pottery that was minyan ware in the middle Helladic and banded wares in the late Helladic, a lot of it was functional and not as detailed as other pottery, it being wheel made shows technological advancements in a developing society

psi and phi figurines and kourotrophos

small mycenean figurines that have a banded style and female figures with bird-like faces, likely ritual/religious items found near altars, kouroTrophos is holding a daughter so it could represent fertility, a continuation of using idols and ritual figurines

warrior vase

a late Helladic vase depicting mycenaean soldiers going off to war in an organized fashion, they had circular shields, spears, and helmets which are all things found in other depictions of battles in places like Egypt, could suggest the mycenaeans were the sea people but definitely shows they were a militaristic group

mycenaean boar tusk helmet

this late helladic/Bronze Age mycenaean helmet was found in grave circle A in Mycenae and it seems to resemble the type of helmet both depicted in the tarzan fresco at pylos and the helmets described in the Iliad, a connection to both of these shows that the Mycenaeans were a group that turned to violence and also it gives evidence that the Iliad was referring to the late Bronze Age mycenaeans

toumba at lefkandi

this oblong shaped tomb structure was a post-bronze age tomb created in the iron/dark age and lasted into the archaic period, it has a thatched roof and mudbrick walls, and inside is the burial of a man cremated in a vessel and a woman inhumated next to him along with gold goods and their horses, it shows that whoever was buried here was highly honored and elite especially because people wanted to be buried near them which could be cult-activity in this wealthy area

dipylon amphora

late geometric funerary amphora from the kerameikos cemetery found near the dipylon gate, it was used to pour libations that would sink into the ground to honor the person buried there and mark who was buried, the vase had animal friezes, meanders, and prothesis, it is a highly skilled thing to craft that takes a long time, so a specialized dipylon master would have made it, it shows wealth for those who could afford it, a care for the dead, and specialization of labor for someone to be able to make this

eleusis amphora

from the geometric period 670-650 BC found in eleusis near Athens on its side with a skeleton of a child in it, it likely was used as a grave marker to preserve the childs body and honor his death, it is one of the earliest protoattic style using black figure in scenes like odysseus blinding the cyclops, animals fighting, and the beheading of medusa, it depicts these mythological scenes from later stories showing a continuation of this storytelling and it also places importance on honoring the dead

tomb of the wealthy athenian lady

it is a tomb/vase filled with imported luxury items like jewelry, pottery, cosmetics, and others that shows the high social rank and wealth of the woman in a society that trades with others, it was found near the agora and acropolis from 850 BC in the geometric period, it shows the shift to public monuments for burials and luxury goods only being for the wealthy

temple model for Hera at argos

from the 8th century BC geometric period, this is a model of what temples began to look like as they were created for ritual purposes, it shows the evolution from altars in palaces to tripartite shrines to cave shrines and peak sanctuaries to community ritual spaces and now to temples, community can gather for ritual purposes and also show off their wealth and how they work together to build these grandiose structures

aristonothos krater

this krater for mixing water and wine for serving dats back to 650 BC and was found in an Etruscan tomb in Cervetri, it was made by a greek artists for an Etruscan patron and depicts a scene from a homeric epic of odysseus blinding the cyclops and another scene of a naval battle likely between greeks and Etruscans, it has the first Greek artist’s signature Aristonothos

Chigi vase

from 650 BC in the geometric style, it was found in an Etruscan tomb near Veii in Italy and is a protocorinthian polychrome vase, this shows the spread of greek pottery styles to Italy and as people and ideas moved, it influenced what styles were preferred, on the vase hoplites are depicted showing it came from a place that had a military or a dispute

macmillan aryballos

a small detailed vessel used to carry oil or perfumes and is typical for protocorinthian/geometric pottery, even though it is small, it is highly detailed and carries valuable goods inside, showing wealth in that area

temple of zeus at olympia

made in the early-mid 400s BC as a temple to honor zeus where rituals would occur for the public and gifts would be given, it was highly decorated with pediments that depicted gods and metopes that depicted the 12 labors of Hercules, inside the temple was a large statue of zeus holding nike, it shows the new style of early classical art and a continuation of ritual events and offerings being given in a public setting just on a more grandiose scale