The three Bronze Age civilizations that arose in the Aegean region were the Cycladic civilization on the Cycladic Islands, the Minoan civilization on Crete, and the Mycenaean civilization in Greece. The Minoans were renowned sea traders and their palace at Knossos featured impressive frescoes. Archaeological discoveries of these civilizations were made by Heinrich Schliemann in Greece and Sir Arthur Evans in Crete in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. Their artistic traditions included fresco painting, metalworking, and advanced architectural techniques like corbelled vaults.

1. Cycladic
Minoan
Mycenean

2.  Height of the Bronze Age, 3 successive Civilizations
arose, named after their islands they lived on, they
were:
Cycladic Minoans Mycenaean
Their discovery is attributed on the following
archeologist:
 Heinrich Schliemann (Germany) dug through the
ancient ruins of Troy and Mycenae discovering its rich
culture
 Sir Arthur Evans (England) excavated Minoan palaces
in Crete in the 1900s.
Note: “contemporary archeologist” claim these men
created more harm in their discovery and conjectural
restorations.

3. CIVILIZATION TIME PERIOD LOCATION
Cycladic 3000 – 1600 BCE Cycladic Islands in
Aegean Sea
Minoan 1900 – 1375 BCE Crete
Mycenaean 1400 – 1100 BCE Greece

4.  Used buon fresco (true
fresco) as opposed to the
fresco secco (dry fresco) of
the Egyptians.
 Buon fresco required quick
brushwork and spontaneous
executions – achieving more
fluidity in their work.
> Fresco is a painting
technique that involves applying
water-based paint onto freshly
plastered wall. The paint forms
a bond with the plaster that is
durable and long lasting.

5.  Minoans and Mycenaeans adept in
carving in repoussé – French word
meaning “ to push back” ; a type of
metal relief sculpture in which the
back side of the place is hammered
to form a raised relief in front.
 In Aegean Art, repoussé technique
was used in fitting sheet of thin
metal, gold and bronze onto a mold;
the mold is then incised with small
hammers from the backside of the
plate and a design is beaten inside
of the object, leaving a raised
surface on the exterior.

6.  Used Cyclopean Masonry –
a type of construction that
uses rough, massive blocks
of stone piled on atop the
other without mortar. Named
after the mythical humanoid
Cyclops.
 Mycenaeans in creating
Corbelled Arch – a vault
formed by layers of stone that
gradually grow closer
together as they rise until they
eventually meet; the arch
formed is an inverted V-
shaped roof.

8. • The Cyclades are a chain of Greek Islands in the middle of the Aegean Sea.
• They encircle the island of Delos.
• Cycladic marble figurines of abstract male and female forms have been found at burial
sites.These figurines are small, abstract, and rely on geometric shapes and flat plans for their
design and would have been painted.
• .
• .
Map of the Cyclades
Islands
Aegean Civilizations > The Aegean Bronze Age

9. Cycladic Female Figure
A Cycladic female figure.Marble.Cyclades, Greece.Ca.2500 BCE
Aegean Civilizations
The female figurines depict a woman with
her legs together and arms folded over her
abdomen.
Breasts and the pubic region are
emphasized

10. Cycladic Male Figure
A Cycladic male figure with the harp.Marble.Santorini, Greece.ca.2500 BCE.
Aegean Civilizations
The male figures are often depicted sitting
in a chair and playing either a harp or a
lyre

11. The Propalatial Period
The Neopalatial Period
Architecture
Painting
Sculpture

12. What contribution has the Minoan has
done in Art?
What iconic figure is associated with this
culture?
How did the art culture reacted to the
catastrophe that befallen them?

13. • The Minoan civilization was named after the mythical King
Minos, because the first excavator, Sir Arthur Evans, mistook
the many rooms and corridors of the administrative "palace"
of Knossos to be the labyrinth in which Minos kept the
Minotaur.
• The Protopalatial Period, 1900-1700 BCE, saw the
establishment of administrative centers on the island of
Crete.It was during this time that the identifying features of
Minoan civilization, extensive sea trade and the building of
communal civic centers, are first seen on the island.
• The Protopalatial Period ended in 1700 BCE when the
palaces of the island were destroyed and life on the island
was significantly disrupted.The unknown cataclysmic event is
believed to be either an earthquake or an invasion.
Aegean Civilizations > The Minoans

14. • During the height of Minoan civilization, the Minoans
were the greatest sea traders on the Mediterranean
and facilitated cultural exchanges between Egypt,
Greece, Anatolian, and Near Eastern cultures.
• Very little is known about Minoan culture and society,
although evidence from their material culture suggests
a close affinity with nature, marine-life, and especially
the bull.
• Minoan civilization began to fall around 1450, perhaps
following an earthquake or volcanic eruption.The
island of Crete was occupied by the Mycenaeans
before the eventual collapse of Minoan civilization.
Flying Fish
Aegean Civilizations > The Minoans

15. • The palaces excavated on Crete functioned more as
administrative centers with rooms for civic functions,
storage, workshops, shrines around a central,
ceremonial courtyard.
• The palaces had no fortification wall, suggesting a
lack of enemies and conflict, although the natural
surroundings provided a high level of protection, and
the multitude of rooms created a continuous,
protective façade.
• Minoan columns are uniquely shaped, constructed
from wood, and were painted.They are tapered at the
bottom, larger at the top and fitted with a bulbous,
pillow-like capital.
Plan of the Palace at Knossos
c1700 – 1400 BCE, Crete
Aegean Civilizations > The Minoans

16. • The bull-leaping fresco found in the palace of Knossos is one of the
seminal Minoan paintings.It depicts the Minoan culture's fascination
with the bull and the unique event of bull leaping all painted in the
distinctive Minoan style.
• The Minoan city of Akrotiri on the island of Thera was destroyed by a
volcanic eruption, which preserved the wall paintings in the town's
homes.
• Kamares-ware is pottery made from a fine clay.These vessels are
painted with marine scenes and abstract flowers, shapes, and
geometric lines.
• Marine-style vase painting depicts marine life and scenes with organic
shapes that fill the entire surface of the pot, using a technique known
as horror vacui.Unlike Kamares-ware, Marine-style scenes are
painted in dark colors on a light surface.
Toreador (Bull Leaping) Fresco
C1400 BCE
Aegean Civilizations > The Minoans

17. •Spring Fresco
•c 1650 BCE
•One of the earliest landscapes in existence
•Joyful patterns of undulating lines and fanciful
plant forms dominate the composition
•Cheerful application of color in biomorphic
bands
•Geometrically simplified swallows fly through
the air

18. •Snake Goddess
•C1660 BCE, gold and ivory
•Image of a goddess? Or priestess?
•Minoan thin waists, exposed breast
•Flounced skit in layers, apron layered over top
•Wide-eyed expression
•Cat image on head dress
•Holds snake in each hand

19. Architecture
Metallurgy
Ceramics

20. • Mycenaean architecture reflects their warring society.A wide, strong
wall built from large roughly cut stones (known as cyclopean masonry)
was one method of protection, as was limited access to citadel sites
and well protected gates.
• Since a lintel over a doorway could not support the wall above it
without collapsing, the Mycenaeans used corbelled vaults and a
relieving triangle over lintels to redistribute the weight off the
horizontal beam and into the supporting walls.
• The central feature of a Mycenaean citadel site was the megaron, a
room that functioned as the king's audience chamber.The megaron is
entered through a porch with two columns and the main room
included four columns around a central hearth.
• The city of Mycenae was the center of Mycenaean culture.It is
especially known for its protective gateway, the Lion Gate, and the
Treasury of Atreus, an example of a tholos tomb.
• The city of Tiryns is known for its thick fortification walls and single
access gateways which could be closed at will to entrap enemies.Its
megaron is entered from a colonnaded courtyard.
Lion Gate.Limestone.
c.1300-1250 BCE.
Mycenae, Greece.
Aegean Civilizations > The Mycenaeans

21. • Grave Circle A and B, at Mycenae, are a series of
shaft graves enclosed by wall from the 16th century
BCE.These grave sites were originally excavated by
Heinrich Schleimann in 1876, and the grave goods
found there demonstrate the incredible skill
Mycenaeans possessed in metalwork.
• Gold death masks were commonly found placed over
the face of the wealthy deceased.These death masks
record the main features of the dead and are made
with repoussé, a metalworking technique.When
compared to other masks, the Death Mask of
Agamemnon is most likely a fake.
Mycenaean Death Mask
Aegean Civilizations > The Mycenaeans
Mycenaean Hunting Dagger

22. Mycenaean Hunting Dagger
Mycenaean hunting dagger with scene of a lion hunt.Bronze with gold, silver, and niello
inlay.Ca.16th century BCE.Grave Circle A, Mycenae, Greece.
Aegean Civilizations
Bronze daggers inlaid with gold, silver, and neillo are also a common grave good
found at Mycenaean burial sites.These daggers represent international trade and
cultural connections between the Mycenaeans and the Minoans, Egyptians, and
Near Eastern cultures.
Other objects of gold, silver, and bronze have been excavated from Mycenaean
grave sites and cities, including armor, jewelry, signet rings, and seals.

23. Nestor's Cup
Nestor's Cup.Gold.Ca. 1600-1500 BCE.Grave Circle A, Grave Shaft IV, Mycenae, Greece.
Aegean Civilizations
Drinking cups, or rhytons, were also
crafted out of gold and silver. Some, such
as the Silver Siege Rhyton, were used for
ritual libations.

24. • Mycenaean pottery can be identified by the types of clay and painting
the artists used to create and decorate their vessels.Different pottery
centers preferred different clay, slips, and motifs.Popular themes
include nature, marine life, narratives, and abstract design.
• The Warriors Vase depicts a static scene of a woman bidding farewell
to armed warriors.The vase, from Mycenae, is decorated with minimal
color and a uniform design.This vase represents the culture's
dependence on warfare.
• Mycenaean rhytons crafted from terracotta were usually conically
shaped with added details and paint to represent different animals,
such as a boar or a bull.
• Small scale Mycenaean figurines made from terracotta are abstract
simple figures, often of women, that are simply painted and
detailed.The figures have bodies that are either rounded or stand with
outstretched arms, their legs represented by cylindrical bases.
Warrior Vase
Aegean Civilizations > The Mycenaeans

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