Ancient/Medieval Art - Chapter Four

What epic poems celebrated a heroic age in the Aegean?

Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey.

Which archeologists revealed real Bronze Age civilizations behind the myths?

Schliemann (Troy & Mycenae) and Evans (Knossos).

What are the three main Aegean cultures?

Cycladic (Cyclades islands), Minoan (Crete), Helladic/Mycenaean (mainland).

What characterized Cycladic art?

Abstract marble figurines.

What characterized Minoan art?

Palaces, frescoes, marine motifs.

What characterized Mycenaean art?

Fortified citadels, tholos tombs, gold masks.

What material was abundant in Cycladic islands like Naxos?

Marble.

When were Cycladic figurines produced?

ca. 2600-2300 BCE.

What features define Cycladic female figurines?

Nude, arms folded, triangular pubic area, swelling belly.

Where were Cycladic figurines produced?

Graves and settlements.

What might Cycladic figurines represent?

Fertility symbols, goddesses, or the deceased.

What medium was used for details on Cycladic figures?

Paint (eyes, mouth, jewelry, patterns).

Example of a Cycladic female figure?

Figurine of a Woman from Syros.

Male Cycladic figures are rare. What form do they take?

Seated musicians (e.g., harp player from Keros).

Why is Cycladic interpretation difficult?

Looting and lack of archaeological context.

What geometric qualities define Cycladic sculpture?

Simplified triangles, ovals, and flat surfaces.

When did Minoan civilization emerge?

ca. 2000 BCE.

What was the Old Palace period?

ca. 1900-1700 BCE, destroyed by earthquakes.

What was the New Palace period?

ca. 1700-1400 BCE, palaces like Knossos reubuilt.

What were Minoan palaces used for?

Administrative, commercial, and religious centers.

What myth is linked to Knossos Palace?

The Labyrinth and the Minotaur.

What unique architectural feature did Minoans use?

Inverted tapering columns.

What advanced systems did Minoan palaces have?

Light wells, staircases, terracotta drainage.

What painting technique did Minoans pioneer?

True buon fresco (pigments on wet plaster).

How does Minoan fresco differ from Egyptian fresco?

Egyptians painted on dry plaster (fresco secco).

What is depicted in the Bull-Leaping Fresco?

Acrobat vaulting over a bull in ritual sport.

What gender convention appears in Minoan art?

Women with light skin, men with dark skin.

What is the Spring Fresco from Thera known for?

Earliest pure landscape painting.

What does the spring Fresco depict?

Swallows, lilies, volcanic rocks in vibrant colors.

What fresco shows women harvesting flowers linked to puberty rites?

Crocus Gatherers (Thera).

What is the Sarcophagus of Hagia Triada?

Painted limestone (ca. 1450-1400 BCE) showing funerary rituals.

What themes dominate Minoan frescoes?

Nature, rituals, communal gatherings, fluid motion.

What is Kamares Ware?

Polychrome pottery (white & red on black), ca. 1800-1700 BCE.

What motifs appear on Kamares Ware?

Spirals, waves, abstract marine motifs.

What is Marine Style pottery?

Light ground with dark marine creatures (octopuses, dolphins).

Example of Marine Style?

Octopus Flask (ca. 1500 BCE, Palaikastro).

Did Minoans produce large cult statues?

No, only small figurines.

Example of a Minoan religious figurine?

Snake Goddess (ca. 1600 BCE).

What features does the Snake Goddess display?

Bare breasts, flounced skirt, snakes in hands.

What might the Snake Goddess symbolize?

Fertility, ritual, or divine power.

What is the Harvesters Vase?

Stone vessel relief showing harvesters in motion.

Why is the Harvesters Vase significant?

Early depiction of anatomy and facial expression.

Why did Mycenaean culture flourish?

ca. 1700-1180 BCE.

What was the Mycenaean world like compared to Minoan Crete?

More hostile, militaristic, and fortified.

What type of masonry did Mycenaeans use?

Cyclopean masonry (huge stone blocks).

What is the megaron plan?

Central hall with hearth and four columns.

What is the Lion Gate at Mycenae?

Corbeled arch with relief lions, ca. 1300-1250 BCE.

What are shaft graves?

Deep burial pits with weapons, jewelry, masks.

Where are famous shaft graves located?

Grave Circle A at Mycenae

What are tholos tombs?

Beehive-shaped, corbeled dome tombs.

Example of a tholos tomb?

Treasury of Atreus (ca. 1300-1250 BCE).

What grave object is linked to Homer’s king?

Funerary Mask of “Agamemnon.”

How was the Mask of Agamemnon made?

Repoussé (hammered gold sheet).

What do Mycenaean grave goods show?

Wealth, hierarchy, and warrior elite culture.

Example of Mycenaean metalwork?

Vapheio Cups (gold, bull capture scenes).

What is the Warrior Vase?

Krater with soldiers marching, ca. 1200 BCE.

How does the Warrior Vase compare to Minoan frescoes?

More rigid, schematic, militaristic.

What themes dominate Mycenaean fescoes?

Warfare, order, discipline.

How is Mycenaean art influenced by Minoans?

Lion hunt daggers with Minoan style figures.

What foreign influences appear in Mycenaean art?

Borrowed motifs from Egupt & Mesopotamia.

When were early Cycladic figurines produced?

ca. 3000-2000 BCE.

When was the Old Palace period on Crete?

1900-1700 BCE.

When was the New Palace period on Crete?

1700-1450 BCE.

When did the eruption of Thera occur?

ca. 1628 BCE.

When were shaft graves constructed at Mycenae?

ca. 1600-1450 BCE.

When did Mycenaeans occupy Crete?

After 1450 BCE.

When was the possible Trojan War?

ca. 1250 BCE.

When did the Bronze Age collapse?

ca. 1200-1180 BCE.

When were Homer’s epics written down?

800-700 BCE.

Was Greece inhabited in the Paleolithic?

Yes, with village life by the Paleolithic.

When did Aegean civilizations flourish compared to Mesopotamia & Egypt?

Later, around ca. 2000 BCE.

What geography shaped Aegean life?

Seas and mountains → seafaring trade, isolated communities.

What resources were abundant in Cycladic islands?

Obsidian, silver, copper, marble.

What do Cycladic burials reveal?

Social hierarchy (simple vs. wealthy graves).

What culture celebrated nature, rituals, and fluidity in art?

Minoans.

What culture emphasized militarism and fortifications?

Mycenaeans.

What Aegean culture produced abstract marble figurines?

Cycladic.

Which Aegean culture painted frescoes with marine life?

Minoan.

Which Aegean culture built tholos tombs and citadels?

Mycenaean.

What event marks the transition to the Greek Dark Ages?

Collapse of Mycenaean palaces ca. 1200 BCE.