AP Art History
Aegean & Greek Art
AEGEAN
INTRODUCTION
The three civilzations that flourished 5000-3000 years ago were the direct
forerunners of the first true European civilization of Greece.
 Geographically, the Cycladic Islands, the Island of Crete and the region of
Mycenae (on mainland Greece) comprise the region of the Aegean.
 Populations first settled in the region during the lower paleolithic and
established village life during the early neolithic period. The region reached
its peak during the 2nd millenium BCE.
 The three cultures were dominated by the sea, that allowed them to
develop with a wealthy trade economy, and acted as a natural defense
against their enemies.
CHRONOLOGY
 Cycladic (Cyclades Islands) 3000-1600 BCE
 Minoan (Crete) 3000-1400 BCE
 Mycenean 1400-1100 BCE
Cycladic Art
Sculpture - Most examples date from the neolithic period and are female.
 Seated Man With Harp, 3rd.millenium BCE
 Statuette of a Woman, c2500-2000 BCE
Minoan Art
The people of the Minoan civilzation flourished on the island of Crete. They
established a wealthy network of trade that enabled them to be
economically self-sufficient. Minoans reached their peak c1600 BCE. Much of
what we know about the Minoan culture is due to the archaeological work of
Sir Arthur Evans.
Architecture-primary examples were built at the Temple Complex at
Knossos.
 Palace of Knossos, c1700-1400 BCE
 Queen's Megaron, Palace of Knossos, c1700-1400 BCE
 King's Apartment, Inner Court with peristyle, Palace of Knossos c17001400 BCE
Painting - artists worked on a large scale using the fresco technique.
Typically, murals were views of nature and/or scenes of human activity and
had painted geometric borders.
 Toreador Fresco (Bull Jumping) Palace of Knossos, 1450-1400 BCE
 Landscape with Swallows (Spring Fresco) Thera (presently Santorini),
c1630-1500 BCE
Sculpture - were primarily small religious subjects made in ivory, wood,
precious metals and stone.
 Snake Goddess Palace of Knossos, c1600 BCE
 Rhyton Palace of Knossos, c1500-1450 BCE
Mycenaean Art
The site of the ancient Mycenaean civilization was discovered in the late
19th century by archaeologist Heinrich Schleimann. The people of the
Mycenaean culture were influenced by the Minoans. But unlike the peaceful
Minoans, the culture of the Mycenaeans was dominated by military
encounters and the building of fortifications and strongholds. These
buildings were once referred to a cyclopean because the mammoth rocks
were believed to have been moved by the fictitious giant Cyclops people.
Architecture
 Corbeled Gallery Citadel at Tiryns, c1400-1200 BCE
 Lion Gate, Mycenae, c1300-1250 BCE
 Treasury of Atreus, Mycenae, c1300-1250 BCE