Classical Art and Archeology - Exam 2

Women collecting saffron and Goddess receiving saffron from a monkey and a worshipper, Xeste 3, Akrotiri, Minoan, in situ,

"Throne Room", Palace at Knossos, Minoan culture

Hagia Triada sarcophagus, Minoan/Mycenaean hybrid.

What do all of these objects and paintings suggest about the nature of Minoan and Mycenaean religious beliefs and practices?

The two cultures had similar and almost identical religious beliefs - same sacred symbols, bull, snake goddess, many gods

composition

The organization of the formal elements in a work of art

Line

The concrete visualization of a point moving through space - thick or thin? continuous or broken?

Color

The property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way it reflects or emits light. - cool or warm, how is it used?

light and shadow

shading produces a sense of depth consistent with our assumption that light comes from above

Space

can be actual or an illusion (3-D vs. 2-D)

Proportion

size relationship between constituent parts of a single object or figure

Perspective

ways of representing 3-D space on a 2-D surface. overlapping, gradation, linear perspective?

Scale

size relationships of different objects

ortification walls and Lion Gate at Mycenae, in situ, Mycenaean

The Treasury of Atreus, Mycenae - in situ, Mycenaean

Palace at Pylos ("Palace of Nestor"), Pylos, Mycenaean

The contributions - both positive negative - of Schliemann's work at Troy and Mycenae

Positive:
negative: he used dynamite, potentially destroying several artifacts. He thought he was discovering Troy so he falsely identified several artifacts

Megalithic

A large stone used in some prehistoric architecture

relieving triangle

in Mycenaean architecture, the triangular opening above the lintel that serves to lighten the weight to be carried by the lintel itself

cyclopean masonry

A method of stone construction, named after the mythical Cyclopes, using massive, irregular blocks without mortar, characteristic of the Bronze Age fortifications of Tiryns and other Mycenaean sites.

ashlar masonry

carefully cut and grooved stones that support a building without the use of concrete or other kinds of masonry

Tholos

A temple with a circular plan. Also, the burial chamber of a tholos tomb.

Tumulus

An artificial mound of earth and stones placed over a grave

Dromos

passage leading to a tholos tomb

Corbelling

In architecture, a construction, technique in which each course of stone projects slightly beyond the one below. Corbelling can be used to create space spanning forms that resemble the arch, the vault, and the dome, thought they do not bear weight in the same way.

Megaron

great, central hall of the house, usually containing a center hearth

Tarzan" fresco fragment (River Battle), from the Palace at Pylos, Mycenaean, watercolor copy

Dagger with Hunting Scene, Found in Grave Circle A, Mycenae, Mycenaean

Mask of Agamemnon, from shaft grave V, grave circle A, Mycenae, Mycenaean

Terracotta krater, c. 750-735 BCE

Stele

A carved stone slab used to mark graves or to commemorate historical events.

connoisseurship

expert knowledge - uses the skills of visual analysis to compare art of the same time

Amphora

a tall ancient Greek or Roman jar with two handles and a narrow neck.

Krater

An ancient Greek wide-mouthed bowl for mixing wine and water.

Centaur

mythical figure, half man and half horse

Statuette of a snake goddess. Early Aegean, Minoan Bronze Age, Late Minoan I Period or Modern, Minoan? or Fake

pastiche

Mix of incongruous parts; artistic work imitating the work of other artists