Mycenae - Decorative Objects

By what were Mycenaean frescoes influenced?

The frescoes of the Minoans

In what buildings were frescoes found? (4)

1 palaces 2 houses 3 workshops 4 public buildings

What were the three stages for creating a fresco?

1 thick layer of lime plaster on stone wall 2 finer layer of plaster added 3 painted while wet

Name six colours and from what they were each made.

1 Black - carbon 2 blue - a copper compound 3 red - haematite 4 white - lime 5 yellow - ochre (clay + iron oxide) 6 green - malachite

Name five frescoes from Akrotiri, a Minoan site.

1 Spring fresco - lilies/papyrus/swallows 2 Blue monkeys escaping dogs 3 two young boxers 4 lady picking saffron 5 ship fresco

What types of scene are shown in Mycenaean frescoes? (5)

1 Women 2 Religious scenes 3 Shields 4 Processions with chariots 5 hunting

What qualities do Mycenaean frescoes have? (4)

1 Use of bold/contrasting colours 2 calm or enigmatic atmosphere 3 attention to detail 4 curving lines - energy

What limitations do Mycenaean frescoes have? (3)

1 no perspective, so no depth 2 figures not to same scale 3 faces are shown with eyes front, face sideways

What do Mycenaean frescoes reveal about Mycenaean values? (4)

1 love of hunting 2 importance of religion (?) 3 love of luxury 4 importance of warfare

What different sorts of jewellery have been found? (4)

1 rings 2 beads (for necklaces) 3 necklaces 4 headdresses

What are the beads made from? (4)

1 amber 2 gold 3 glass 4 lapis lazuli

Who wore jewellery?

Men and women

What scene appears on the Tiryns ring? (5)

1 Goddess on folding chair 2 holding a cup 3 hawk/eagle behind her 4 four lion-headed spirits with jugs 5 ears of wheat/sun/moon

What might the Tiryns ring show?

A religious scene

What is the repoussé technique? (2)

1 Use a hammer and nail 2 hammer from the inside of the object

What does the repoussé method provide?

A feeling of depth

Give three good examples of the repoussé technique?

1 Vapheio gold cups 2 Mask of 'Agamemnon' 3 The pyxis

What was a pyxis used for?

Holding cosmetics or jewellery

Where was the pyxis found?

Grave V, grave circle A, Mycenae

What was special about the pyxis?

The wood survived

How many small gold plates were on this pyxis?

twelve

What scenes were shown on the pyxis? (4)

1 lions chasing deer 2 antelope among palm trees 3 spiral patterns 4 heads of cattle, with bulging eyes

What two techniques were used on the pyxis?

1 repoussé 2 filigree borders

What are filigree borders? (2)

1 Twisted metal wire 2 heated and laid on the gold plates at the edge

What does the technique of inlay involve?

1 one metal is heated 2 and laid on another

Give a good example of inlay.;

The lion hunt dagger

What three materials are used over the bronze?

1 Gold 2 silver 3 niello - a black mixture

What does the technique of cloisonné involve? (2)

1 A fine wire is soldered to metal 2 the spaces are filled with gemstones and glass

What does the technique of granulation involve?

Tiny beads of gold are dropped onto an object

How was pottery made?

1 On a potter's wheel 2 an iron-rich mixture of water and clay was added 3 it was fired in a kiln

What is a pithos and what is it used for? (4)

1 A storage jar 2 up to 1.5 metres high 3 to contain oil or food 4 often half buried in the ground

What is an amphora and what is it used for? (3)

1 a clay storage jar 2 often containing wine or olive oil 3 with two carrying handles

With what designs were amphorae decorated? (3)

1 marine life 2 plant life 3 geometric patterns

What was a stirrup jar and what was it used for? (2)

1 a jar for oil or wine 2 a handle which looked like a stirrup on a horse

With what designs were stirrup jars decorated? (6)

1 double axes 2 spirals 3 leaves 4 chariot races 5 bulls 6 human figures

What was krater and what was it used for? (2)

1 a large bowl 2 used for mixing water and wine

Give one example of a krater.

The Warrior Vase

What was a kylix?

A drinking cup

What is shown on the two Vapheio gold cups? (3)

1 Peaceful cup - capturing a bull with rope round its leg 2 Violent cup - trying to catch the bull in a net 3 but another bull chases off a hunter

Where were the Vapheio cups made?

Probably in Crete

How does Homer describe Nestor's cup in the Iliad? (3)

1 Four handled 2 a pair of golden doves on each handle 3 could barely be lifted when full

How does it differ from the cup found in grave IV? (3)

1 This has a single falcon 2 on its two handles 3 is easy to lift

How was a rhyton used?

a vessel for pouring liquid (probably)

What shape do rhyta take? (3)

1 cone shaped 2 lion head 3 bull head

Where was the lion head rhyton found?

Grave IV, grave circle A

How was the lion head rhyton made? (4)

1 of gold 2 hammered into shape 3 designs made using repoussé 4 and granulation

How did the lion head rhyton work? (2)

1 wine was poured in at the top 2 and came out through its muzzle

What are the features of the bull's head rhyton? (4)

1 gold horns 2 multi-layered gold rosette on head 3 gold plated mouth 4 rest of silver

What types of figurine have been found? (5)

1 Phi 2 Psi 3 Tau 4 women holding implements 5 animals

Why are phi, psi and tau so called?

They look like these Greek letters

Where were the figurines found? (2)

1 Private houses 2 tombs

What were the figurines used for? (2)

1 religious worship 2 as offerings to secure fulfilment of prayer

What animals tusks were used to make objects? (3)

1 boar 2 elephant 3 hippopotami

What objects were made from animals tusks? (5)

1 helmets 2 combs 3 statuettes (small statues) 4 a pyxis 5 furniture inlay

What does the most famous ivory object portray? (2)

1 Two women 2 and a child

What might the three ivory figures be?

A god and two goddesses(?)