Greek World (Archaic - Hellenistic Periods)

600 BC - 31 BC

kouros (pl. kouroi)

nude depictions of the Greek idea of a male body

kore (korai)

early (around 530 bc) Greek statues of women always dressed in elaborate clothing

panhellenic sanctuary

site of festivals and games on a regional scale

primary examples are Olympia and Delphi (Sanctuary of Apollo 8th-4th cent. BC)

competitions were regularly organized to honor the gods

place for display and competition between poleis

center of regional ideology and identity

location for articulation of elite identiy

Delphi: Panhellenic Sanctuary: Sanctuary of Apollo: The Siphnian Treasury

530-525 BC

Built by citizens from island of Siphnos as a thanks offering for discovery of gold

example of caryatids and gigantomachy frieze

extensive use of ionic sculptural elements

made entirely of marble

caryatid 

columns carved in the shape of women that support the front of a roof

gigantomachy

God versus Giants

Persian Wars (mid 6th century BC)

Greek cities of Ionia (west coast of Turkey) come under Persian control

499 = Ionian revolt, Persians regain control

492 = Persians attack and gain control of the Aegean islands

490 = Battle of Marathon saves Athens

480 = Athens destroyed by Persians

479 = Battle of Plataea, Greeks come together in temporary alliance to defeat Persians

stoa

a colonnaded porch with a roof and a solid rear wall (or rooms in the rear)

Delphi: Sanctuary of Apollo: The Stoa of the Athenians (c. 478)

Delphi: Sanctuary of Apollo: The Theatre (4th century BC)

major athenian events of 5th century BC - early and high classical

480 - Athens destroyed by Persians

479 - Greeks defeat Persians (battle of Plataea)

477 - Athens sets up Delian League

454 - Treasury of Delian League transferred to Athens

431 - Beginning of Peloponnesian War

404 - Athenian Empire dismantled by Sparta

cavea

seating area for the audience typically constructed on a natural slop of a hillside to form a bowl-shaped space

orchestra

central, circular performance space located at the base of the theatre

skene

structure of Greek theatre located at the back of the stage originally conceived as a tent used for storing costumes and masks and providing space for actors to change and retreat during performances

inlay

contrasting material set into a surface in pieces to form a design

Severe style

sculpture style in the Early Classical period (490-450 BC); marks the breakdown of the canonical forms of archaic art and the transition to the greatly expanded vocabulary of expression 

Lysippos

a great Late Classical sculptor who won such renown that Alexander the Great selected him to create his official portrait

Attalids

Kingdom / Greek state during the Hellenistic period that ruled much of the Western part of Asia Minor from its capital city of Pergamon

Altar of Zeus from Pergamon

199-150 BC

Gigantomachy theme (defeat of the Gauls)

Interior occupied by myth of Telephos (founder of Pergamon)