Ancient Aegean Art Notes Module 4

Historiography (Writing History)

  • Cycladic Sculpture:

    • White marble sculpture found in the Cycladic islands (e.g., Delos).

    • Initially believed to be early Greek sculpture, but no evidence supports the inhabitants spoke Greek.

    • Seen as predecessors to prized Greek art, enhancing their significance and market value.

    • The white marble resembled classical Greek sculpture, increasing prestige.

    • Cycladic and later Greek sculptures were not originally white.

    • Modern artists like Constantin Brancusi and Amedeo Modigliani adapted the clean lines and abstraction of Cycladic sculptures.

    • Folded-arm figurines (FAFs) were attractive to 20th-century collectors, leading to unethical behavior like grave robbing and forgery.

    • Provenance (origin, finder, collection history) is crucial for authenticating FAFs.

Mythic Inspiration

  • Role of Myths and Legends:

    • Myths and legends significantly influence the chapter's context.

    • Hero and monster names appear in geographical features (Aegean), regions (Minoan), and architectural terms (Cyclopean masonry, labyrinth).

    • Myths originate from Homer, a blind poet who composed epics around 750 BCE.

    • Iliad: War between Greeks and Trojans.

    • Odyssey: Odysseus' journey home.

    • These epics are considered the first great works of Western literature, celebrating heroes of a past golden age.

    • Until the late 19th century, Homer's tales were considered entirely fictional.

    • They involve deities like Athena and Poseidon, and monsters like Scylla and Polyphemus.

    • Heinrich Schliemann, an amateur archaeologist, believed the tales had historical accuracy.

    • In 1876, Schliemann found the site of ancient Troy and treasure at Mycenae using Homer's texts.

    • Schliemann was not a trained archaeologist, damaging the archaeological layer of Homer's Troy.

Contentious Restorations

  • Minoan Art Focus:

    • Highlights restoration, preservation, conservation, archaeologist roles, and ethics.

    • Problematic construction at Minoan sites like Knossos has led to heavily "restored" works.

    • The original appearance of these works is now unverifiable.

    • The Minoan Snake Goddess's head and right arm are not original.

    • The Bull-Leaping fresco is a collection of fragments from potentially different locations.

    • Knossos provides historical reminders and prompts debates about uncovering and preserving history.

Chapter Overview

  • Three Regions:

    • Cycladic: Art from the Cyclades, islands circling Delos in the Aegean Sea.

    • Cycl- root relates to circles (bicycle, motorcycle, cyclone).

    • Minoan: Art from Crete, named after the mythical King Minos.

    • Mycenaean (Late Helladic): Art from mainland Greece (Hellas), with Mycenae as a key location.

Objects Overview

  • Artworks Covered:

    • Works notable for controversial and inaccurate restoration.

    • Insights into Aegean island cultures: peaceful and warlike depending on time.

  • Types of Art:

    • Small-scale Cycladic marble sculptures of people and animals.

    • Minoan Palace at Knossos: architectural advancements (corbeled arch) and contentious restoration.

    • Bull-leaping fresco: early fluid gender representations.

    • Hagia Triada Sarcophagus: the only fully painted Minoan sarcophagus.

    • Minoan Marine-Style pottery (e.g., Octopus Vase from Palaikastro).

    • Citadel site of Mycenae: insight into a war-prone culture needing protection.

    • Mycenaean metallurgy: gold, silver, and bronze objects.

    • Mycenaean ceramic vessels: popular trade items found in Egypt, Asia Minor, and Spain.

Chapter Objectives

  • Learning Outcomes:

    • Differentiate Cycladic, Minoan, and Mycenaean art and architecture.

    • Identify visual aspects of Minoan art, architecture, and society.

    • Describe Mycenaean architectural achievements and their cultural context.

    • Discuss the relationship between Minoan and Mycenaean art and culture.

    • Evaluate the role and ethics of archaeology, restoration, preservation, and conservation.

Global Connections

  • Uluburun Shipwreck:

    • Bronze Age shipwreck off the coast of Turkey.

    • Discovered in 1982 by a sponge diver.

    • Excavated by Dr. George Bass and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) over 11 seasons.

    • Dated to late 14th century BCE (around 1300 BCE).

    • Significance: Provides insights into Mediterranean trade routes, cargo, and cultural exchange.

    • Cargo included raw materials (copper, tin, glass ingots), finished goods (jewelry, weapons).

    • Evidence of multicultural interactions: goods from various regions (Egypt, Near East, Mycenae).

    • Ship's cargo suggests a royal shipment.

  • Cultural Time Capsule:

    • The shipwreck captures a distinct moment in time, illustrating interconnected history.

    • Contemporary to Tutankhamun's reign in Egypt and the flourishing of Troy in Asia Minor.

    • Mix of artifacts demonstrates overlapping cultures and trade interactions.

  • Intersecting Timeline:

    • Course material does not move strictly chronologically across regions.

    • Examples:

      • Warka Vase older than Palette of King Narmer.

      • Stele of Hammurabi newer than Palette of King Narmer.

      • Snake Goddess newer than the Great Sphinx, older than Ashurbanipal Hunting Lions/Ishtar Gate.

    • The Met Museum's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History is helpful for visualizing these intersections.

Resources and Environment

  • Aegean Environment:

    • Lands around the Aegean Sea are fertile with a pleasant climate.

    • Plentiful food, game, and seafood supported population growth.

    • Resulted in large architectural complexes and art objects celebrating the land and sea.

    • The Greek mainland and Aegean islands exchanged raw goods, finished products, and ideas with neighbors.

Nautical Archaeology

  • Growth of the Field:

    • Nautical archaeology has significantly advanced the larger field of archaeology in the past 60 years.

    • 1960: Dr. George F. Bass pioneered scientific underwater excavations.

    • 1972: Bass founded The Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA).

      • INA oversees the study and preservation of shipwreck sites (Uluburun, Phoenician shipwreck at Bajo de la Campana).

    • 1976: INA partnered with Texas A&M University to establish the first Nautical Archaeology Program.

      • Offers M.S. in Maritime Archaeology and Conservation, and Ph.D. in Anthropology.

  • Insights from Shipwrecks:

    • Sunken ships and buried treasures help historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, and art historians.

    • Provide insights into cultural connections via international coastal trade routes.

    • Excavation of the Byzantine Serçe Limanı Shipwreck (c. 1025 CE) shows cross-cultural artistic interaction in the Middle Byzantine period.

    • Battle of Bạch Đằng Research Project aims to recreate maps of the cultural landscape associated with Vietnamese battles and warships lost in 1288 CE.

Cycladic Art

  • Overview:

    • The Cyclades are a group of Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, encircling Delos.

    • Known for white marble, mined during the Bronze Age and Classical history.

    • Location in the center of trade between Greece, Egypt, Asia Minor, and the Near East.

    • Indigenous civilization reached its peak during the Bronze Age.

    • Later occupied by Minoans, Mycenaeans, and Greeks.

  • Cycladic Sculptures:

    • Best known for small-scale marble figurines.

    • Stylistic shifts from geometric to organic forms between the late fourth and early second millennium BCE.

    • Purpose unknown, but all discovered in graves.

    • Used in funerary practices, but precise function unclear.

    • Some found intact, others broken; some show use during the deceased's life, others are absent.

    • Male and female forms not specifically identified with a gender during burial.

    • Figures based on simple geometric shapes.

  • Cycladic Female Figures:

    • Abstract female figures follow a consistent mold.

    • Carved statuettes of nude women with arms crossed over the abdomen.

    • Bodies are roughly triangular, feet kept together.

    • Head is an inverted triangle with a rounded chin, nose protrudes.

    • Modeled breasts and incised lines draw attention to the pubic region with a triangle.

    • Swollen bellies might indicate pregnancy or fertility.

    • Incised lines provide small details like toes and delineation of arms and stomach.

    • Flat back and inability to stand suggest they were meant to lie down.

    • Traces of paint indicate they were once colored, with demarcations for eyes, mouth, and hair.

    • Dots were used for decoration like bracelets and necklaces. Provenance is crucial.