From Palaikastro: Marine-style octopus flask, ca. 1500 BCE Harvesters Vase, from Hagia Triada, ca. 1500 BCE. Steatite, with gold leaf; bottom is reconstructed. View from sea of Thera (Santorini), a volcanic island north of Crete View toward caldera of volcano and emerging island of hardened lava Street with houses, Akrotiri (pre-1628 BCE) Collapsed staircase Inside of house, Akrotiri Brazier, above, and storage jar, right. From Akrotiri, covered by eruption of volcano, 1628 BCE Plaster cast of bed frame (and some cordage), from house at Akrotiri From Akrotiri (Thera), young fisherman, before 1628 BCE From Akrotiri (Thera), young woman, gathering crocus flowers (before 1628 BCE) From Akrotiri (Thera): Spring fresco, before 1628 BCE From Akrotiri (Thera): Ship flotilla fresco, showing overseas expedition (before 1628 BCE) View of citadel of Mycenae Plan, citadel of Mycenae: 1) entrance (Lion Gate) 2) Grave Circle A 3) Megaron 4) Redoubt with sally port and hidden spring Ca. 1300 BCE H. Schliemann and friends at Lion Gate, Mycenae Lion Gate, Mycenae, and projecting bastion at right Entrance to Megaron of palace at Mycenae View to south over existing remains of Megaron (hearth is under tarp) to plain of Argos Reconstruction of Megaron of Pylos (Palace of Nestor) View of Grave Circle A at Mycenae, enclosed Shaft Graves, ca. 1600 BCE Reconstructed drawing of Grave Circle A, with retaining wall and stelai From Shaft Graves: Mask of “Agamemnon,” ca. 1600 BCE From Shaft Graves: funerary sheets of gold for a child’s body Lion Rhyton, from Shaft Graves, Mycenae Inlaid daggers, from Shaft Graves, Mycenae. Now in National Museum, Athens. Bronze blade with lion hunt in a Minoan style, inlaid gold, silver, and electrum, using niello technique (niello is the black background, made of copper, lead, sulphur, borax). Tholos tomb, called the “Treasury of Atreus,” ca. 1300 BCE Detail, showing relieving triangle Reconstructed façade of Treasury of Atreus Section, tholos tomb Half-column, partly restored, from Treasury of Atreus, now in Athens Note enormous lintel block inside the “Treasury of Atreus” Inner corbelled dome of “Treasury of Atreus” Warrior Vase (krater, for mixing wine), from Mycenae, ca. 1200 BCE Suit of Mycenaean armor, with boars’-tusk helmet, from tholos at Dendra, now in Nafplion Museum. Ca. 1300 BCE Imports founds at Mycenae: jewelry and vessels from Egypt; below, Canaanite transport amphorae (from area of Syria) Phaistos Disk, Linear A Linear B tablets, National Museum, Athens The Ancient Near East Copper portrait of an Akkadian ruler, perhaps Naram-Sin (ruled 2254-2218 BCE) Found in Nineveh, mutilated in antiquity, probably 612 BCE Jacques de Morgan seated by Stele of Naram-Sin, found at Susa (Iran), ph ...

1. From Palaikastro:
Marine-style
octopus flask,
ca. 1500 BCE
Harvesters Vase, from Hagia Triada,
ca. 1500 BCE. Steatite, with gold leaf;
bottom is reconstructed.
View from sea of Thera (Santorini), a volcanic island north of
Crete
View toward caldera of volcano and emerging island of
hardened lava
Street with houses, Akrotiri (pre-1628 BCE)
Collapsed staircase
Inside of house, Akrotiri

2. Brazier, above, and storage jar, right.
From Akrotiri, covered by eruption of
volcano, 1628 BCE
Plaster cast of bed frame (and some cordage), from house at
Akrotiri
From Akrotiri (Thera),
young fisherman,
before 1628 BCE
From Akrotiri (Thera),
young woman,
gathering crocus flowers
(before 1628 BCE)
From Akrotiri (Thera): Spring fresco, before 1628 BCE
From Akrotiri (Thera): Ship flotilla fresco, showing overseas
expedition (before 1628 BCE)

3. View of citadel of Mycenae
Plan, citadel of Mycenae: 1) entrance (Lion Gate) 2) Grave
Circle A 3) Megaron
4) Redoubt with sally port and hidden spring Ca. 1300 BCE
H. Schliemann and
friends at Lion Gate,
Mycenae
Lion Gate, Mycenae, and projecting bastion at right
Entrance to Megaron of palace at Mycenae
View to south over existing remains of Megaron (hearth is
under tarp) to plain of Argos

4. Reconstruction of Megaron of Pylos (Palace of Nestor)
View of Grave Circle A at Mycenae, enclosed Shaft Graves, ca.
1600 BCE
Reconstructed drawing of Grave Circle A, with retaining wall
and stelai
From Shaft Graves: Mask of “Agamemnon,” ca. 1600
BCE
From Shaft Graves: funerary sheets of gold for a child’s body
Lion Rhyton,
from Shaft Graves,
Mycenae
Inlaid daggers,
from Shaft Graves,
Mycenae. Now in
National Museum,

5. Athens.
Bronze blade with lion hunt in a Minoan style, inlaid gold,
silver, and
electrum, using niello technique (niello is the black background,
made of copper, lead, sulphur, borax).
Tholos tomb, called the “Treasury of Atreus,” ca. 1300 BCE
Detail, showing relieving triangle
Reconstructed façade
of Treasury of Atreus
Section, tholos tomb
Half-column, partly
restored, from
Treasury of Atreus,
now in Athens
Note enormous lintel block inside the “Treasury of Atreus”

6. Inner corbelled dome of “Treasury of Atreus”
Warrior Vase (krater, for mixing wine), from Mycenae, ca. 1200
BCE
Suit of Mycenaean armor, with
boars’-tusk helmet, from tholos at Dendra,
now in Nafplion Museum. Ca. 1300 BCE
Imports founds at Mycenae:
jewelry and vessels from Egypt;
below, Canaanite transport
amphorae (from area of Syria)
Phaistos Disk, Linear A
Linear B tablets,
National Museum,
Athens

7. The Ancient Near East
Copper portrait of an Akkadian
ruler,
perhaps Naram-Sin
(ruled 2254-2218 BCE)
Found in Nineveh, mutilated in
antiquity, probably 612 BCE
Jacques de Morgan seated by
Stele of Naram-Sin, found at
Susa (Iran), photo ca.1898
Stele of Naram-Sin
(ca. 2230 BCE),
originally set up in
Sippar, then looted by
Elamites as war booty,
ca. 1190 BCE, & taken to
Susa (Iran), now in Louvre.
6’ 7” high.
Detail of Naram-Sin, in horned helmet Detail of fallen opponent

8. Portraits of Gudea of Lagash (inscribed), diorite, ca. 2100 BCE
Gudea, with architectural plan of the
temple he built for the god Ningirsu,
diorite, ca. 2100 BCE
Detail, plan on his lap
Hammurabi’s Laws, inscribed on a diorite
stele, ca. 1760 BCE, now in the Louvre
Layard’s (19th c.) reconstruction of Nimrud (Kalhu), on the
Tigris River, ca. 865 BCE
Assyrian wall relief, Nimrud, Palace of Ashurnasirpal, ca. 860
BCE:
beseigers approach citadel on inflated skins
Assyrian Wall relief, Nineveh, Palace of Ashurbanipal, ca. 640
BCE:
royal lion hunt

9. Assyrian wall relief,
dying lions, royal hunt,
Nineveh, ca. 640 BCE
Assyrian wall relief, Nineveh, Palace: King Ashurbanipal and
Queen Ashursharrat
celebrate in a garden, ca. 645 BCE.
Khorsabad, reconstruction: Palace of Sargon II, late 8th c. BCE
Lamassu guard gate to palace, Khorsabad, in excavation photo
from 1840s
Lamassu in Paris
Impression from Persian cylinder seal, 5th century BCE:
lamassu, king,
winged solar disk of Ahura Mazda (divinity, light & wisdom),
date palms
Layard’s reconstruction of Ashurnasirpal’s Throneroom at
Nimrud

10. Babylon, reconstructed view Hanging Gardens
Babylon, Ishtar Gate, now in Berlin,
early 6th century BCE
Babylon, reconstructed views
Amenhotep III
British Museum
colossal size,
granite
Parthenon, Athens (Pentelic marble)
Athenian red-figured kylix (drinking cup), clay

11. Crouching
Aphrodite
British Museum
Room in
House of the Vettii,
Pompeii
Interior view,
Pantheon, Rome
(Temple to All Gods,
now a church)
Prehistoric Europe and the Near East
Woman from
Willendorf
ca. 28,000-25,000
BCE
Head of a woman, Brassempouy, ca. 25,000-20,000 BCE

12. Human with feline
head
ca. 40,000-35,000
BCE
Wooly mammoth
ivory
Bison, cave in France (Le Tuc d’Audoubert), ca. 15,000 BCE
clay on top of rock, fashioned into reliefs
Bison,
Altamira Cave,
Spain
ca. 13,000 BCE
Ice Age Europe (ca. 15,000 BCE), some glaciers still in place
note differences in coastlines—they are further out in sea
Lascaux cave, France: Hall of the Bulls, ca. 16,000 BCE

13. Lascaux, other chambers
of cave
Detail, Lascaux: horse with signs (?)
Lascaux: well scene, with rhinoceros, human, and bison
Western Europe,
Palaeolithic sites
Chauvet Cave, France
Discovered 1994,
now considered the
oldest cave with paintings
(37,000-28,000)
Chauvet: bear prints,
bear skull set up on rock
Plan of Chauvet
Cave

14. Chauvet: bulls, horses
Chauvet: felines, rhinoceros
Chauvet: one of many
hand stencils
Hand stencils
Peche-Merle Cave (France): hand stencils, spotted horses
Section, showing Cosquer Cave (access now underwater),
found 1985, known to public since 1991
Cosquer: auks (or penquins)