ARCHAIC PERIOD: 700–480 BCE

Early Archaic/Protoarchaic (Orientalizing): 700–600 BCE Daedalic Style: emerged primarily in Crete and then spread

Genelaos Group

• 560–550 BCE

• From the Samian Heraion in Samos

• Long statue base originally with six labeled statues

  • We have all the labels but not all the statues

• Left side: statue inscribed with name Phileia and sculptor’s signature 

• Right side: reclining male figure of “...arches”, who dedicates the group

• In between: 4 cuttings for standing statues, two of which are preserved: korai Philippe and Ornithe

• Overall group representative of aristocratic family dedicating statuary, father and mother with daughters and son

• We see new types of garments that become characteristic of Archaic draped figures (esp. korai)

  • Emphasis on form of body underneath, position of legs implied motion 

  • Becomes characteristic of korai in later 6th c. BCE

• Marks an important way (significant change) in which drapery and garments are depicted by sculptors 

  • Folds of cloth emphasized body position, forms 

  • Different types of folds being implying different fabrics–aristocratic implication

  • Reclining male figure: aristocratic opulence; pose adopted from near eastern models

    • See this in contemporary greek vase painting scenes (esp in depictions of symposiums)

• Draped males is VERY rare, usually free standing male statues are depicted nude

• Large scale familial grouping

•  Both men and women have opulent drapery, women are pulling fabric with their right arm to emphasize their legs and clothing (becomes a common way to depict women)

• Not a lot of heads preserved

Nike from Delos

• Ca. 550 BCE

• Naxian marble

• Sculpture Archermus of Chios?– nearby inscribed column

  • Blurred regional differences among islands by this time

• “Running gorgon” (knielauf) pose– formal indicator of rapid movement in frontal figure

  • Combo of profile and frontal forms 

  • Simplistic, schematic rendering of dress and folds

  • Wings are ultimately derived from depictions of winged demons in near eastern art

  • Stylized wings originally attached to back–developed from depictions of gorgoneia

• Has polos headdress

Terrace of the Lions at Delos

• Ca. 600 BCE

• Dedicated to Apollo by the Naxians 

• 9–12 squatting lions situated along the sacred way leading to the Sanctuary of Apollo & Artemis 

  • Very weathered

  • (only comparable one in Greece) Monumental avenue comparable to Egyptian avenues of sphinxes/recumbent animals leading to temple complexes

• Most of the lions are in Delos but some were taken by Venetians 

  • Taken in 18th c. for Venetian victory over the ottomans

Naxian Sphinx from the Sanctuary of Apollo

• Delphi

• Ca. 560 BCE

• Naxian marble sphinx on 30 ft high ionic capital 

  • Ionic capital is similar to capitals seen at the temple of Dionysus in Naxos which dates to the 7th c. BCE

  • Naxos set up similar sphinxes around delos at this time

• Base connects statue with Naxos

• Attention to detail–patterning of feathers, ribcage, hair 

  • Similar to egyptian styles

• Oval head; large flat eyes

Kouros from the Sanctuary of Poseidon

• Sounion

• Ca. 590–580 BCE

• Monumental votive statue, 10 feet tall

• One of the only early kourai found in Attica

• Weird looking ears–they look like ionic column volutes 

• More stylized/linear muscular articulation, strongly–defined knees and shins

• Cycladic production? Forehead curls, back muscles–island sculptural workshop established in athens?

  • But also stylized and linear muscular definition typical of Attic production

Kore from Attica/”Berlin Kore”

• First half of the 6th c. BCE, these are a little less common 

• Different face shape, lips, eyes from other early attic sculpture 

• Wears polos with meander, holds pomegranate–depiction of Persephone? Grave dedication for a deceased woman?

• Incised and painted decoration on chiton; well–preserved traces of color 

• broad , projecting pleats of fabric; folds along edge of mantle predicates later archaic stylized folds of cloth

“Kleobis and Biton” from Delphi

• Ca. 580–570 BCE

• Pair of over life–sized twin kouroi made of island marble

• Partially preserved inscriptions naming Argive sculptor 

  • Herodotus–describes statues set up by Argives at Delphi in honor of Kleobis and Biton (Hist. I.31)

  • Could also be depictions of divine twins, Dioscuri

• Few examples of non–funerary representations of individuals (mortals) in Archaic Greece

• Daedalic hairstyle, flat face, almond–shaped eyes, simplistic rendering of musculature 

  • Local school combining older traditions with new ones ?

West Pediment of the Temple of Artemis, Mon Repos, Corfu

• Both pediments had architectural sculptural

• TRULY monumental!!!

• Only west pediment are well preserved

• Earliest datable stone peripteral temple with architectural sculpture 

• Stone metopes on exterior, some with sculpture

• West pediment over 10 ft tall in center

• Combines epiphanic central figure with smaller flanking figures that extended meaning, imply narrative

  • No coherence of subject or scale; flanking figures, simply smaller, denoting lesser importance 

  • Hierarchy of scale 

• Gorgon in central portion of the pediment in knielauf pose

  • Similar t terracotta plaques from Italy used as antefixes

  • Similar gorgoneia centered in pedimental space in S. ITaly/Sicily

  • Apotropaic devices–used to ward off evil 

• Style of figures, panthers recalls Corinthian black–figure vase painting; heraldic animals become common theme in pedimental sculptures

  • Connected to Artemis as Potnia Theron

•  Progeny of Medusa shown flanking her–pegasus and Chrusaor, sprouted from beheading, although Perseus absent 

  • Synoptic: compressed narrative, showing elements from same storyline but at different points in myth 

• Gigantomachy scenes in corners–become popular architectural theme

Pediment from the Hekatomepedon (?), “Bluebeard temple”, Athenian Acropolis

• ca. 560 BCE,

• Both pediments seem to reflect the same theme: lions eating bulls in central scene

• serpentine/snakey guys in the corners who have blue beards and we are not really sure who they are 

• Number of monumental and small–scale pedimental sculpture found on archaic Athenian acropolis 

  • Attributed to a number of temples, shrines, and treasuries

• Large limestone pediments originating either from:

  • Old Athena temple predating existing foundations partially underlying Erechtheion (Dörpfeld Foundations)

    • Foundations are reused later 

    • More people tend to think bluebeard temple was where these foundations are 

  • Or from second early temple to south under later Parthenon–mention of Hekatompedon in late archaic inscriptions 

  • We think these structures were demolished so old parthenon could begin being built circa 510 BCE

• First large stone temple to Athena, inaugurated around the same time as Panathenaic games

• 2 pediments preserved, both depict lions feasting on bulls, one side in center of composition along corners 

  • Near eastern in origin, apotropaic significance

• In corners are compositions terminating towards corner

  • Greater consistency of scale in restricted space –but not entirely true to scale

• Corners of the pediment with central lion composition depict Herakles westling Nereus and three enigmatic entwined snake–men (“bluebeard”) holding 3 different attributes–Typhon or Geryon 

  • Attributes–water, grain, and bird–represent earth, air, and sea? Or unification of different political divisions of athens?

  • Relation to autochthonous (earth–born/indigenous) ancestors of Athens, Kings Cercrops and Erechtheus, also snake–like attributes 

• More formal arrangement of and unifications of center and flanks of pediment–development from arrangement at Corcyra 

Athens, Acropolis, Herakles Pediment

• Number of fragments of smaller pediments in similar style found throughout Acropolis

  • Either in high relief or small freestanding figures in front of relief background

• Belong to small shrines (naiskoi) or treasury–like family dedications

• ¾ show scenes with Herakles–importants early Doric hero 

  • Episodes from early mythical history of Athens 

• Introduction of hero to divine status on Olympus

Selinus, Temple Y: Metope with Europa on the bull

• ca. 560/550

• Series of metopes from Selinus, Sicily – some of earliest from Greek world

• Temple Y: unknown temple, similar metopal composition as Sicyonian Treasury although different style

• No connection among various myths represented in metopes

• Spatially restricted scenes – become norm for metopal panels; western origin for sculpted metopes?

• Europa and the Bull: flatter figures but developments in rendering of dress and folds

Selinus, Temple C (Temple of Apollo?), Metopes

• One of the best preserved architectural programs in the archaic greek world 

• 550–530 BCE

• Metopes!

• Adorned primary facade of temple C, found on ground near original position (very nice and convenient secondary deposition)

• “Smorgasbord of myths”: PErseus and Medusa, Herakles, quadrigas, Orestes

• Higher relief, more rounded figures 

• Also spatially restricted 

• Emphasis on frontality– “epiphanic” 

• Facial features and anatomy seem stylistically earlier than contemp mainland work– “provincial”

• But anomalies foreseeing later developments make dating difficult–e.g. More elaborate folds in garments–long period of construction 

  • Difficult to evaluate according to scene constructed form mainland works; regional schools

Marble Sculpted Column Drum, Didyma, Temple of Apollo

• ca. 540–530 BCE

• Large poleis of east Greece cosntructing large, complex marble isonic temples by this time

  • Peer–polity interaction: fostered competition amongst Greek city–states in region, to build larger and more elaborate temples 

  • Samos, Ephesus, Didyma: Ionic temples preserving sculpted column drums with female figures

    • Processiural scenes 

  • Constructed entirely in marble!!! Often quite large and are dipteros 

  • Built with local marbles (from Anatolia)

Treasury of the Siphnians

• Delphi

• Ca. 530–525 BCE

• most complete example of combo Doric/ionic structure 

• Pediment, frieze, scroteria, sculpted moldings, caryatids 

• Strong ionic influence at panhellenic sanctuary

• East Pediment

  • Best–preserved pediment; story relating directly to sanctuary

  • Herakls and apollo struggling over ythian tripod at Delphi, flanked by other dieties and Zeus at center

    • Allusion to first sacred war between Amphictyonic League of Dephi and Phocian city of Kirrha?

  • Chariot teams in corners

• Frieze

  • Probs most famous element of the treasury

  • West and south friezes display stylistic unity (“Master A”) and east and north (“Master B”)

    • Master A: flatter, more archaic style, more 2D figures with heavier outlines, comparable to attic Black–Figure vase painting

    • Master B: younger contemporary of Master A? More rounded, soft and modeled figures; growing softness/plasticity of folds of patterns in dress; more naturalistic features; different depths in carving creating illusion of 3 space with overlapping figures. Comparable to attic Red–Figure vase painting

    • Movement toward greater naturalism resulting from cross–influences among different artistic traditions 

  • East 

    • 2 thematically related scenes

    • Achilles and Menon fighting over body of fallen soldier

    • Zeus seated among Olympian deities, weighing souls to determine the outcome of the struggle

    • Strong themes of divine justice (not unsurprising considering the oracle and will of apollo at the sanctuary)

  • North Frieze

    • •Establishment of divine order by Olympians out of previously chaotic world of giants

    • •West and South friezes less well-preserved, but probably complementary themes

• Caryatids

  • Illustrates increasing trend towards ornate drapery and hairstyle

  • Chiton, ionic–style himation

    • Carved with thick, deeply–undercut pleats folding back against themselves: 3D effect

  • Cycladic school of sculpture becoming dominant around mid–6th c. BCE

  • Emerging uniformity of style among mainland, cycladic islands, ionia to the east 

• Dated by Herodotus, who mentions that Siphnians had just built a treasury