GUIDE 5Unit 1AEGEAN ARToThe Cycladeso.docx

GUIDE 5
Unit 1
AEGEAN ART
o
The Cyclades
o
Crete
o
Mycenae
See metaphor of Teacher as Ariadne (end)
The palace at Knossos – one of the most famous archaeological
sites in the world.
It was here that King Minos supposedly had his labyrinth.

THE AEGEAN WORLD
These three civilizations are unified under one name –
Aegean civilizations.
The Cyclades
2500 - 2000
B.C.
Crete / Minoan culture
2000 - 1200
B.C.
Mycenae
1400 - 1200
B.C.
All we know about these civilizations - we know from
archaeological excavations.
None of the Aegean civilizations left any literary sources but
only myths.
Geography and development of civilizations
Compare three great ancient cultures.
(In one line)
Egypt -

*
Mesopotamia -
*
Aegean -
*
When & how was the Aegean world discovered? –
*
What were the contributions of these outstanding men into the
history of archaeology?
Heinrich Schliemann
-
*
Arthur Evans –
*
In your book you have this expression: “The Bronze Age
civilizations of pre-Hellenic Greece…”
What could it mean?
Pre-Hellenic
-
*

[
explain the term]
Bronze Age - *
Please note that all three Aegean civilizations laid the
foundation for Greece [
Hellenic Greece
].
All together they made the
beginning of the Greek civilization
.
Unfortunately,
in the book
Aegean and Greek sections are placed in two different chapters,
and I also had to “cut” Greece – between two units.
Just for you to know - we are already in ancient Greece!
=====================
The Cyclades
=====================
*
[
dates, peak of flourishing]

[Pronunciation:
SEE’-kla-DEEZ’]
Where are the
Cycladic islands
located?
[Find on the map, do not just rewrite from the text]
In which sea -
*
Close to which coast?
-
*
Name the major ones -
*
Where has most of survived art culled from
*
*
[What is the general name for this type of marble figurines?]

What do they represent?
-
*
(based on your book suggestions)
Head
-
*
[
Describe their appearance]
Torso(
body
)
–
*
The
Cycladic Idol
from the VMFA in Richmond.
You may be able to see it when you go on your museum trip.
As a matter of fact, some scholars disagree with the theory of

“fertility goddess”.
Can you see that in the Cycladic idol all sexual features are
downplayed as opposed to the Palaeolithic Venuses (remember
Venus of Willendorf?).
The Cycladic figures look very ‘girlish’.
Besides, all of them were found in the graves. All we can guess
is that they, being linked with burial rituals, most likely had a
religious function.
Male figures of musicians are
also mentioned in your textbook.
Here is one of them…
Seated harp player
ca. 2800–2700 B.C.
Marble; H. with harp 11 1/2 in.
Image credit: Metropolitan museum
==============
Crete
/
Minoan Civilization
==============

Dates:
*
[
Take dates from above]
On what
island
did the Minoan civilization emerge? -
*
Why the Cretan culture is called
Minoan
? -
*
This is where the word
labyrinth
came from as well (supposedly).
Labyrinth
–
*
[the modern-day meaning]

I am going to tell you the myth of the Minotaur in more detail
that it is told in your book.
Not only because it is a fascinating story but also to show you
how popular the myths were as a source of inspiration for many
- from the ancient vase-painters to Picasso.
Image credit:
altreligion.about.com
This is how it happened and why the Aegean sea received its
name “Aegean”…
The
Minotaur
was a monster, half bull, half human,
the offspring of Minos’ wife and a wonderfully beautiful bull.
Poseidon (God of Sea) had given this bull to
Minos
in order that he should sacrifice it to him,
but Minos could not bear to slay it and had kept it
for himself. To punish him, Poseidon had made Pasiphae
fall madly in love with it.
When the Minotaur was born Minos did not kill him.
He ordered to build the
Labyrinth
, famous throughout
the world. Once inside, one would go endlessly

along its twisting paths without ever finding the exit.
To this place the young Athenians were each year
taken and left to the Minotaur. There was no possible way
to escape.
In whatever direction they ran
they might be running straight to the monster;
if they stood still he might at any moment
emerge from the maze. Such was a doom that awaited
fourteen Athenian youths and maidens.
Pablo Picasso.
Minotaur Caressing the Hand of a Sleeping Girl
(1933
).
© 2007 Estate of Pablo Picasso
At once
Theseus
came forward and offered to be one of the victims.
He told his father that if he succeeded, he would change the
black sail (that this ship carried because of its cargo of misery)
to a white one, so that
Aegeus
could know long before the ship came to land that his son was
safe.
Park Sculpture; Image credit:
When the young victims arrived in Crete …Minos daughter
Ariadne
was among the spectators and she fell in love with Theseus
at first sight as he marched past her.

She told Theseus that she would bring about his escape if he
would promise to take her back to Athens and marry her.
As may be imagined, he made no difficulty about that, and she
gave him a ball of thread,
which he was to fasten at the door.
This he did and, certain that he could retrace his steps
whenever he choose; he walked boldly into a maze looking for
the Minotaur. He came upon him asleep and fell upon him,
pinning him to the ground; and with his fists – he had no other
weapon – he battered the monster to death…
All stories agree that when they drew near to Athens he forgot
to hoist the white sail (Ah children-children!…). The black sail
was seen by his father, King Aegeus, from the Acropolis, where
for days he had watched the sea with straining eyes.
It was for him the sign of his son’s death and he threw himself
down from a rocky height into the sea, and was killed.
The sea into which he fell was called the
Aegean
ever after.
(
Short version from Edith Hamilton’s book “Timeless Tales on
Gods and Heroes”)
Gabriel Rossetti, 19
th

century. Image credit:
So, you have just learned from this myth a few names and facts.
I hope this will help you to remember them. Please sum up here
“Who is who”
King Minos
-
*
Minotaur
-
*
Labyrinth
-
*
Aegeus
-
*
Now let us get back to the book.
There were
3 periods
in the history of
Minoan

civilization:
1.
*
2.
*
3.
*
We will be studying the last two -
Middle Minoan
&
Late Minoan
periods.
The Middle Minoan Period
or the period of the “
…
“
or
*
[second name for this period]
What was the major art form in architecture
?
(… tomb, pyramid or shrine, palace)
*

What did you learn about development of a new form of
writing?
-
*
Which one was an early form of Greek?
-
*
Toreador Fresco
from the palace at Knossos.
Middle Minoan, c. 1500.
Although the work is referred to
as the Toreador Fresco,
it is pretty much agreed that
it is not at all a bullfight
but something more along
the lines of a bull dance.
Unfortunately, the picture of
this remarkable wall painting
was taken out from the last
edition.

Yet, I want you to know this
world famous work of art.
“ … a trio of acrobats performs daring feats.
Why are they doing it?
Perhaps the dance is part of a ceremony of religious ritual,
particularly because the bull
was commonly worshiped in ancient Crete?
……...
Are these the children who might have been “devoured” by the
beast?
Was the notorious labyrinth of Greek myths actually the palace
of Knossos,
with its
maze
like floor plan?”
~
“Understanding Art”, Rathus-Fichner, 7
th
edition, p. 279
Palace at Knossos
- Give the most spectacular characteristics of the palace.
One of theses features gave birth to the
myth of Labyrinth.
[

Try to keep one characteristic - one line]
*
*
*
Date:
*
Columns
–
*
[Anything unusual about their form?]
Terms
Magazine –
*
Rosette
–
*
By the way, in Russia the stores and shops are called
“magazines.”
I guess, this term came to Russian language from Greek along

with many other words.
Here is one more room in the
palace at Knossos
.
This particular fresco ismentioned in your book but there is no
picture.
I thought it would be nice if you could see how it looks.
“… delicately painted dolphins swim across the surface of the
wall, giving one impression of looking into a vast aquarium.”
Many years ago, when I was travelling around the
Mediterranean Sea, I visited the fish market abundant with of
all kinds of sea creatures.
But it was a lovely little octopus that attracted my attention.
The octopus’ tentacles formed a design that looked strikingly
familiar. Looking at it I thought:
“
Wait …It looks like a popular motif in Minoan art…”
Please take a look at the
mural
above (wall painting).
Do you see the design on
the left side of the horizontal frieze?
Don’t you think my theory is plausible?

When the art historians talk about the marine life, being a
source of artistic inspiration for the Minoans, they mean, in the
first place, the numerous renditions of the fish, dolphins and
other sea animals. Yet, it was exciting to discover on my own
the probable origin of the abstract design.
I was thinking about some anonymous artist living long-long
time ago and how one day he noticed the gracious rhythm of the
octopus’ tentacles, and how he must be excited to put it in paint
as a decorative pattern. Or could it be just my imagination?
In any case, the octopus did fascinate the imagination
of ancient Minoans.
Take a look at this vase…
Palace-Style Pithos (Storage Jar) with Octopus Design
Late Minoan Period II (ca. 1450 B.C.)
From the Palace of Minos at Knossos, Crete
Baked clay; H. 74.5 cm; 1911.608
©The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology/Oxford, UK
Well, I hope my story gave you an excuse
to take a closer look at some decorative designs of
Minoan art.
=====================
Mycenae
====================

Dates:
*
[Indicate the peak of Mycenaean supremacy]
Heinrich
Schliemann
, a German archaeologist, in the end of the 19
th
century made a sensational discovery of
Troy
and
Mycenae
.
When
did the Mycenaeans come to the Greek mainland?
-
*
What language
did they speak?
-
*
What arts were they versatile in? -
*
How long
was the peak of their
supremacy
last? -

*
[dates?]
How
did it end? -
*
In what way the Mycenaeans had been related to the beginning
of the Greek people? -
*
Why
is the Mycenaean architecture presented mostly by the
fortifications
?
*
E.g., the
citadels
in the major cities of
*_
and
*---___
[Find them on map in your book]
The
citadels
(fortresses) were strictly functional. Still they say about the
Mycenaeans

that “they had not lost their
aesthetic sense.
” Explain how you understand this statement.
*
*..…
[name]
Describe this construction
*
Use and explain the terms
:
lintel
-
*
pillars
-
*
beveled
(stone)
-
*
Tholos
or
*

[write down the second name of this type of tomb].
S
haft-grave
-
*
[what could you tell about this type of tomb?]
Which type came to be used first? -
*
*-
__
[name]
*
[Why such a name?]
Dromos
-
*
Tholos -
*
Pay attention at
domed ceiling
and how it was made [Describe].
*

In the picture you see a different tholos. Yet the principle of
construction is the same.
Image credit: AICT
What was the Homer’s favourite epithet for Mycenae?
-
“
*
”
Why so?
-
*
Funeral Golden Mask
from the tomb at
*
*___
[date]

What was a technique of producing such masks? -
*
What was the end of the Mycenaean civilization? -
*
What does the last phrase in your book state? -
*
Now, please ch
eck yourself whether you have put correctly the dates at the
beginning of this guide.
The Cyclades
2500 - 2000
B.C.
Crete / Minoan culture
2000 - 1400
B.C.
Mycenae
1400 - 1200
B.C.

Take one more last look at the map.
Find the sites of all three civilizations.

GUIDE 5Unit 1AEGEAN ARToThe Cycladeso.docx

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