AHIS 120g 1st Edition Lecture 5 Current LectureAncient Greek culture - Crete/Minoan (c. 1500 BCE)- Mycenaean (c. 1300 BCE)- Archaic (c. 500 BCE)- Early Classical/Transitional (c. 480-50 BCE)- High Classical (c. 450 BCE)- The Mediterranean was one of the primary highways that connected the cultures ofantiquity. - Different cultures of the Aegean Sea produced distinct art forms.o Stylized marble representations of the human figure, frescoes and large palaceswith elaborate adornments on their walls dominate Crete.o Despite the absence of extensive writing, these works of art provide valuableinsights into Aegean practices and ideals.Minoan art- This large island is located northwest of Egypt, is divided by mountain ranges and withfew extensive areas of flat, arable land.o This geography, along with continuous migration throughout the Bronze Age,encouraged diversity and independence among the population: Minoancommunities tended to be small and scattered. - The apex of Minoan civilization occurred about 2000 BCE, when Crete’s urbancivilizations constructed great ‘palaces’ at Knossos.o The first Aegean script, known as Linear A, appeared. - Palace at Knossos (1500 BCE)o Buildings of this period are our main source of information for Minoanarchitecture. o Overall appearance is flat but a second level might have existed.o Knossos may have been the most powerful Cretan center with its mostimpressive structures included courts, halls, shrines, storerooms, staircases, etc.o Conspicuously lacking are exterior fortifications to protect the complex; Minoansmay have had little fear of invasion. o Post and lintel construction. o Builders at Knossos framed the walls with timbers and constructed them out ofrubble masonry or mud brick.o Columns were often made of wood with a stone base. Their form was unusual: a smooth shaft tapered downward from agenerous cushionlike capital. Often the shaft was oval in cross section rather than round. o The plan of the complex may appear confusing and haphazard.  Mazelike arrangement of rooms and a general lack of emphasis onentrances may have been part of an internal defensive strategy. o However, there is an underlying logic. A large central court, onto which important rooms opened, divides theplan on a north-south axis. o The overall effect of Knossos is modest; individual units are relatively small andthe ceilings low. o Exactly how the grand structures of Crete functioned, and who lived in them, isstill subject of debate. o Bull-Leaping (c. 1150 BCE) Dates from the Mycenaean occupation of Knossos.  Human figures—two light skinned and the other dark skinned—have longlimbs and small waists, and they are painted in profile.  Strong washes of color, and animated through stylized poses,demonstrate the continuity of Minoan practice into the Late Period. Similarities with prehistoric imagery: the importance of the bull.o Snake Goddess (c. 1650 BCE) Female figure raising a snake in each hand and wearing a headdresstopped by a feline creature and bares her breasts. Ancient religious associated snakes with earth deities and male fertility,and because of this statuette’s bared breasts, some scholars haveassociated them with a mother goddess. Comparison with prehistoric imagery: Woman of Willendorf (30000 BCE). - Minoans did not create a large number of death structures. o Minimal funerary architecture has been found. Mycenaean art- Noticeable characteristic of Mycenaean culture is their highly fortified cities located inmountains. o Consistent use of megaliths for their public constructions.o Constructed these fortifications of large stone blocks laid on top of each other,creating walls that were at times 20 feet thick.- They exploited the site’s topography for defense purposes and often expanded andimproved their walls in several building phases.- Mycenaeans primarily focused on welfare, contrasting with the nature-loving Minoans. - Lioness Gate (c. 1250 BCE)o Two massive stone posts supported a huge lintel to form an opening. o The corbel relieves the weight resting on the vast stone lintel, which itself weighs25 tons; this form of construction is known as a relieving triangle.o Designed to manipulate any visitor’s approach to the residents’ military advantage.- Treasury of Atreus (c. 1300 BCE)o Circa 1600 BCE, the ruling elite began to bury their dead in deep rectangular shafts, making them at ground level with stones shaped like stelai. As time passed, the elite built more dramatic tombs, in a round form known as tholos. o This tomb is the best-preserved and largest at Mycenae.o A great pathway, or dromos, lined with carefully cut and fitted ashlar masonry, led to a spectacular entrance. o The door sloped inward, a style associated with Egyptian construction. o The tomb itself consisted of a large circular chamber dug into sloping ground andthen built up from ground level with a corbel vault: courses of ashlar blocks protruded inward beyond one another up to a capstone.  Largest stones are on the bottom, smaller ones at the top. o Furthermore establishes Mycenaean civilization as a highly militaristic one.- Vaphio Cups (c. 1500 BCE)o Treasures found within tombs raise interesting questions about the interactions between Minoans and Mycenaeans.o Many objects show Minoan influence.o The outer layer was embossed with scenes of bull catching—a theme of Minoan roots—while the inner lining is smooth.o Analysts suggest that different artists crafted them; a Minoan and Mycenaean.  The “finer” cup must be Minoan on account for its peaceful quality, and the other a more violent Mycenaean complement made by a Mycenaean artist. - Mask of Agamemmon (c. 1600 BCE)o The monumental tholos tombs exalted the dead by drawing attention to them, asmany contained lavish goods.o Death masks of hammered gold, covering the faces of dead males have been found. o Far from naturalistic, each mask displays a distinct treatment of physiognomy: some faces are bearded while others are clean-shaven. This suggests that the goldsmiths individualized the masks somewhat to correspond to the deceased’s appearance. Archaic art (c. 800-480 BCE)- Temple of Hera I (c. 550 BCE)o Appears low and