vocab ch 1-2 greek history

Epiphany

The visible manifestation of a deity, here associated with the goddess Potnia appearing to mortals.

Lustral Basin

A sunken room with steps, thought by Evans to be for ritual purification but possibly bathrooms.

Throne Room

Room with a gypsum "throne," flanked by griffons; possibly cultic rather than royal in function.

Griffons

Mythical creatures with a lion's body and eagle's head, often guardians of sacred spaces.

Ladies in Blue / Lady in Red

Frescoes depicting high-ranking or sacred women in ceremonial contexts.

Taureador

Human athlete performing bull-leaping, often shown grasping horns or vaulting over the bull.

Frieze

Horizontal decorative band with painted or sculpted scenes, often wrapping around walls.

Rhyton (pl. Rhyta)

Ritual vessel, often conical or animal-shaped, used for pouring liquids in ceremonies.

Stucco Relief

Decorative element carved into wet plaster, sometimes painted afterward.

Bull-Leaping

A ritual or sport involving acrobatic leaps over bulls, perhaps with religious or initiatory meaning.

Sacred Grove Fresco

Fresco showing ceremonial activities in a natural, sacred setting, possibly linked to goddess worship.

Ideology

The characteristic manner and content of thinking of an individual, group, or culture, expressed through the integrated assertions, theories, and aims that together form a coherent sociopolitical program.

Xestes 3

Large, multi-story ceremonial building at Akrotiri, known for the Saffron Gatherers fresco.

Iconography

Use of images and symbols to represent ideas or beliefs.

The Spring Fresco

The earliest known example in the Aegean of a landscape painting, located in Akrotiri.

Dais

Raised platform for ceremonies, thrones, or offerings

Intermediary

Figure or being (e.g., blue monkey) acting as a go-between for humans and gods.

Hegemony

Dominant political or cultural influence; text emphasizes Akrotiri had reciprocal, not hegemonic, contact with other cultures.

Mari (Tell Hariri)

Ancient city in modern Syria, founded in the 3rd millennium BCE; major trade and political center on the Euphrates.

Zimrî-Lîm

Amorite king of Mari (~1779–1760 BCE), known for palace frescoes emphasizing kingship and ritual authority.

Lîm Dynasty

Short-lived Amorite dynasty at Mari (5 kings, including Yahdun-Lîm, Yasmah-Adad, and Zimrî-Lîm).

Hammurabi

Babylonian king who destroyed Mari (~1760 BCE).

Investiture Panel

Wall painting in Court 106 depicting divine sanction of kingship.

Investiture

Ceremony conferring authority or power, often shown in palace art.

Hieratic Scale

Artistic convention where important figures (e.g., kings) are shown larger than others.

Cuneiform

Earliest writing system using wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets.

Sacrificial Procession

Ritual offering scene emphasizing king’s mediator role between gods and people.

Function

Ritual legitimation, political propaganda, myth.

Audience

Who saw them, and under what conditions.

Crocus / Saffron Flower

Linked to fertility, healing, menstruation, and ritual purity.

Landscape Painting

Earliest example at Akrotiri (Spring Fresco), stylized and immersive, often without human figures.

Intermediary

Figures (e.g., the blue monkey in the Saffron Gatherers) acting as mediators between humans and deities.