Aegean Flashcards
Name: Boxing boys/ Antelope frescoes.
Height: 2.75m
Location found: Complex Beta, Room 1
Current Location: Athens National Museum
Details:
- Three registers with horizontal divisions.
- Upper band - ivy leaves.
Lower band - blue strip.
Middle band - Life size decoration.
- Antelope.
- Linear drawings, defining the shape, and indicating liveliness.
- Boxer boys
- Shaven head with one single lock indicates youth.
- Dark lines are used to define overlap which is further highlighted by the bracelet but it is unconvincing.
- Eyes are frontal with a profile face.
Name: Gold Lion’s Head.
Date: LH I
Location: Shaft Grave IV
Size: 20cm tall
Details:
Name: Battle fresco between Mycenaean light infantry vs. Barbarians
Date: LH IIIB
Location: Pylos hall 64
Details:
- Bodies in every direction to show defeat.
Name: Kamares Ware beaked jug
Date: MM IIB
Location Found: Phaistos
Current Location: Herakleion Museum
Size: 27cm
Detail:
- Made from fast potters wheel making the vessel eggshell thin.
- Whole vessel is painted.
- Polychrome - Surface is painted black/blue and then painted over with light colours. Usually 2 whites and orange colour.
- Abstract pattern like running spirals. Suggested inspiration of the sea.
- Potter is still sensitive to the shape of the vessel.
Name: Neo-Palatial Grand Staircase/Enterance way at Phaistos palace.
Date: Neo-palatial period
Details:
- This is unique to Phaistos.
- Winding pathways may indicate the labyrinth.
- Leads from the western court up through a series of graduated spaces ultimately leading to the ‘royal apartments’.
Name: Spedos Harpist
Date: EC II
Current Location: Athens National Museum
Size: 22.5cm
Details: More features.
- Musicans and poets were prized figures in society indicating that this artefact was special.
- Male.
Name: Mistress of the animals
Location Found: upper level of Xeste 3 room 3a
Height: 2.3m
Details:
Women walking to a seated women who is protected by a monkey and a griffin.
Name: Vapheio Cup 1
Date: LH or LM IB
Size: 10.8cm in diametre.
Details:
- Peaceful Capture of a bull using a decoy cow.
- Naturalistic Representation
- Shows sudden wealth and a change in religous practices.
Name: Middle Neolithic Terracotta figurine of a women.
Date: 4,500 BCE
Location Found: Vasala
Current Location: Volos Museum
Hieght: Unavailable
Details: Schematic, purpose is unknown, large breast, belly and hips indicate wealth or fertility.
Name: Phaistos Disk
Date: MM IIA
Current Location: Herakleion Museum
Size: 16cm in diametre
Details:
- Made out of fired clay.
- Stamped pictograms in a spiral on each side.
Undeciphered.
- So unusual it is suggest it is a fake but other newly discovered items support the authenticity of this disk.
Name: Storeroom
- Date:* Proto-palatial
- Detail:*
- Masses of storerooms at Phaistos
- Long and narrow with no outside access.
- Common features in palaces.
- There is a difference of style between proto-palatial and neo-palatial.
- Majority of structures have stone foundations to mid high then sun-baked brick.
- Pithoi, over 1.5m with lids.
Name/Location: Royal apartments at Phaistos palace.
- Pillars and doorway access.
- Easy access.
- Meeting rooms.
- Guard posts.
- Columns, proto-palatial and neo-palatial, narrow at the base and wider at the top.
Name: Fresco of a boar hunt
Date: LH IIIB
Location: Tiryns Megaron
Details:
- Dog hunting a boar
Name: Spring Fresco
Height: 2.5m
Location found: Complex Delta, Room 2
Current Location: Athens National Museum
Details:
- Depiction of flowers, rocks and birds.
- Red lilies in colour but has the characteristics of white lilies.
- Swallows, linear that capture movement.
Name: Grave Ciricle A
Date: Late MH to LHI
Location: Mycenae
Size: 27.5 m in diametre.
Details:
- 19 bodies.
- Later incorporated into the citadel.
- Bodies would be buried with grave gifts and offerings.
- For the ruling class.
Name: Reconstruction of the throne room
Location: Nestor’s Palace.
Details:
- Artist impression of the throne room.
- Frescoes arent real
Name: Dokathismata Figurine
Date: EC II
Location Found: Dokathismata
Current Location: Athens Museum of Cycladic Art
Size: 39.1cm
Details: Typical of Dokathismata figurines.
- Later figure.
- More angular with broad shoulder creating a triangular effect.
- Knees usually unbent.
Name: Ti - ri- po- de tablet.
Date: Unknown
Location: Pylos
Details:
- Michael Ventris decoded it.
- Linear B.
- Script was also found in Crete.
Name:‘Frying Pan’
Date: EC II
Location Found: Syros
Current Location: Athens National Museum
Size: 30cm in diameter
Details: Function unknown.
- Found among grave goods.
- Decorated with typical Cycladic running spiral motif which may indicate the sea.
- Middle is decorated with a profile ship with schematic oars and fish.
- The triangular portion of the artefact has been taken to represent the female pubic bone.
Name: Pithos
Date: EH II
Location Found: Lerna
Current Location: Argos Museum
Size: 63cm
Details: Common technique was used called Matt-Painted ware which is a dark decoration on light.
Date: MM I
Location Found: Petsophas (Peak Sanctuary)
Current Location: Herakleion Museum
Size: 23cm
Details:
- Clay votive figurines.
- Originally painted in polychrome.
- Used to buy off deities.
- Unknown whether these were thank you or please offerings.
- Women stance had arms out, slightly raised indicating worship.
- Symbol of prayers.
- Numerous in number.
Name: The Lion’s Gate
Date: LH IIIB
Details:
- Main enterance to the citadel of Mycenae.
- Grand enterance.
- Typical of Late bronze age.
- Cyclopian Masonary.
- Lintel Stone.
- Middle Minoan Period remains of Old palace at Phaistos.
- The whole palace is a set work.
- Palace was the centre of power of the villages surrounding it.
- MM period was a period of grand architecture, new skills, groups joined together to pull in resources which needs planning therefore suggests a leader or person of authority..
- MMIII A the palace suffered major structural damage due to a large earthquake.
- Religious and secular power was centred together in the hands of a few individuals.
Name/Location: Lustral basin at Phaistos palace.
Date: Neo-palatial.
- Adjoins the royal apartments.
- A small sunken chamber accessed by a narrow winding staircase, with a bench across one wall.
- There was also proto-palatial lustral basins east to the royal apartments.
- Feature of all palaces.
Name:‘Nestors cup’
Date: LH I
Location: Shaft Grave IV
Size: 14.5cm tall.
Details:
- Gold cups with 2 birds on the handle.
- Called Nestors cup because of the Iliad.
Name/Location: Central court at Phaistos palace.
Date: Proto-palatial
- Centre court, large open space proto-palatial (MM).
- Grand large open space called ‘anteroom to the magazines’. This room opens onto the central court.
- This space could be for bull leaping, religious ceremonies, sports, used for meeting place.
- Grand passage way from central courts to ‘royal apartments’.
Name: House of Tiles
Date: EH II
Location: Lerna
Size: 12 x 25m
Details:
- This is called a corridor house.
- Two storey.
- Called the ‘Hose of Tiles’ because of the large number of terracoota tile found around the site.
- Unclear of the use and the significance of the house.
Name: Floor Design in Throne Room of Nestor’s Palace.
Date: LH IIIA
Location: Throne Room, Nestor’s Palace.
Details:
- Plaster designed to look like stone work.
- One special square with an octopus which is a celebration of the sea and matches the myth of the palace.
Name:“Siege Ryton”
Date: LH I
Location: Shaft Grave IV
Size: 22.9cm tall.
Details:
- Silver.
- Before Trojan War.
- Figure 8 shields.
- Warriors suggest a city siege.
Name: Ivory Triad
Date: LH III
Location: Mycenae
Size: 7cm
Details:
- Ivory
- 2 goddesses and a child.
- Imported from Crete or done by Cretian artist.
Date: MM I
Location Found: Petsophas (Peak Sanctuary)
Current Location: Herakleion Museum
Size: 17.5cm
Details:
- Clay votive figurines.
- Originally painted in polychrome.
- Used to buy off deities.
- Unknown whether these were thank you or please offerings.
- Male stance had hands on chest indicating worship.
Name:Grave Stelai
Date: LH I
Location: Grave Circle A, Shaft Grave V
Size: 1.34 m tall.
Details:
- Limestone.
- Raised relief.
- Running spiral motif.
- Man on a chariot running towards an individual.
- The scene may depict funerary games or the power of the deceased in life.
Name:‘Hunting Dog’ Fresco
Date: LH IIIB
Location: Pylos hall 64
Details:
- Rocky landscape is a common fresco technique.
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Location Found: Xeste 3, room 3a
Height: 1.43m
- Veiled and dancing.
- South Wall of room 5, west house
- 12 ships between two towns.
- Dolphins indicate it is a sea with them leaping
- Dolphins above the ship are trying to show they are further back.
- LM IA period.
- Left town
- Representation of animals and buildings.
- Populated landscape.
- Impressionistic structures trying to represent houses.
- Figures are tiny with little detail; Heads are meant to represent people.
- Right town
- Port.
- People welcoming home the ships.
- Women are on top of the tower.
Name: Breasted jug with swallow motif
Date: LC IA
Current Location: Athens National Museum
Height: 18.4cm
Name: Teracotta Sarcophagus
Date: LH IIIA-IIIB
Details:
- Women mourning and a battle scene (opposed chariots).
- Painted decoration.
Name: Treasury of Atreus
Date: LH IIIB
Location: Mycenae
Details:
- Biggest and grandest tomb.
- Robbed in antiquity.
- Ashlar masonary.
Name: Gold Seal-Ring
Date: LH I
Location: Mycenae Chamber Tomb
Details:
- Emphasis on musclature.
- Female is in charge.
- Similar to LM II ring.
Name: Gold Bee Pendant
Date:
Location Found:
Size:
Details: Two bees appear to be manipulating a granule of honey.
- Sophisticated skills used such as filigree and granulation which was probably learned through contact with the near east.
- Bi-lateral symmetry which was a common feature of the Early Minoan period.
Name: Lady of Phylakopi
Date: LH II/ LH III
Location: Found in Melos but from Mycenae
Size: 45cm tall
Details:
- Deity.
- Clay.
Name: Fresco of a women
Date: LH IIIB
Location: Cult centre at Mycenae
Details:
- Two right hands.
- Frontal eye on profile face.
- Nipples are represented but it is unlikey she is naked.
- Reflection of what the artist knows rather than what the artist sees.
Name: Hedgehog bowl
Date: EC II
Location Found: Chalandriani
Current Location: Athens National Musem
Size: 10.8cm
Details: Hedgehog drinking from a bowl.
- Zoomorphic vessels.
- Important symbol that is associated with tombs.
- The intensity of labour, delicacy and uniquness suggest a special function.
- Miniature friezes in room 5 of west house at Thera.
- Assembly on a hill
- Impressionistic.
- Wearing Minoan like lioncloths.
- Coastal Town
- Roof with people standing on it.
- Flocks of Sheep & Goats
- animals are not realistic.
- Warriors
- Odd helmets, perhaps mainland Greece.
- Shipwreck
- bodies floating in the water, chaotic.
- Scene may represent an invasion
Name: Pylos Hunters
Date: LH IIIB
Details:
- Huge dogs.
- Suggestions of broken terrain.
Name: Goddess of Myrtos
Date: EM IIIB
Location Found: Myrtos
Current Location: Agios Nikolaos
Size: 21.1cm
Details: Female figure
- Hollow bell-liked body decorated with red paint.
- She is holding a jug which serves as a spout leading into her body.
Name/Location:Referred to as fisher boys found West house, room 5 on West and North wall at Thera.
Height: 1.22m
Detail:
- Different types of fish.
- Both boys are standing one foot in front of another.
- One boys is a side view.
- The other is in a more common stance with head and legs profile but chest is frontal.
- Facial features.
- Eyes frontal, almond shape and painted profile on the face.
- Hairstyle is shaved head with one deliberate ling lock left in order to indicate youth.
- Room 5, west house, east wall.
Height: 21cm
- Way blue line indicate river and suggests an Egyptian influence.
- Palm trees, ducks, Griffin (near eastern phenomenon).
- Idealised landscape.
More fanciable artwork.
Name: Theatrical area of Phaistos palace
Date: Middle Minoan Period
Details:
- Triangular open space, tiered seating.
- Common feature in all palaces.
- Raised pathways that usually intersect and leads to the proto-palatial entrance way.
Most likely a processional pathway. - Partially preserved drains. Show they had an understanding of hydraulics (post earthquake).
- Feature on all sites.
Name: Gold Death Mask 2
Date: LH I
Location: Shaft Grave V
Size: 26cm tall.
Details:
- Unknown if this mask is real.
- Known as Agamenmon Death Mask.
Name: Dimini-Ware Pottery
Date: Late Neolithic
Current Location: Athens National Museum
Height: 25.5cm
Details: Polychrome decoration, abstract pattern
Name: Warrior Vase
Date: LH IIIC
Location: Grave Circle A
Size: 41cm tall
Details:
- Pictorial vase.
- Rows of soliders with odd shaped sheilds and helmets.
- Women are in a posture of mourning.
- An animal is under each handle.
Found by a window on the north wall at room 5 of the west house at Thera.
Date: LC IA
Height: 30cm
- Stone covered in plaster that is then painted.
- Special object.
- 3 legged.
- Dolphin design - 2 dolphins nose down, 1 belly up to indicate liveliness. Dolphins are not realistic.
- Sea scape effect, similar to coral/seaweed and is replicated on top of the bowl.
- Similar on all sides.
Location Found: Xeste 3, room 3a
Height: 1.43m
- Wounded girl.
- Thick legs.
- Arm down with hands rubbing ankle.
- Eyes wide open with pupil in upper eye indicating pain.
Name: Zeus Krater
Date: LH IIIA
Location: Cyprus
Size: 37.5 cm tall
Details:
- Male figure holding a scale, a man with a bow so most likely a heroic scene.
- May represent wealth or boar like strenght of the figure.
- Octopus on the other side of the vase in order to fill up space.
- A combination of narrative and icons
Name: Lyre Player
Date: LH IIIB
Location: Pylos, Throne Room.
Details:
- Griffin (without wings) and possibly a lion flanking the throne.
- Ties together with the fresco in the hallway.
-
Name: Lion’s Hunt Dagger
Date: LH I
Location: Grave Circle A, Shaft V
Size: 23.8cm long.
Details:
- Bronze inlayed with gold, silver, and neillo.
- One side is a lion hunting deer, the other men are hunting lion.
- This suggests a warrior culture.
- Thought to have been imported from Minoan Crete.
Name: Vapheio Cup 2
Date: LH I or LM IB
Size: 10.8cm in diametre.
Details:
- A bull evades a net and attacks two hunters.
- Net implies the intention.
Name: Stag Hunt Fresco
Date: LH IIIB
Location: Pylos Room 43
Details:
- Found in bathroom and possible fell from upstair area.
- Hunting and war is a common theme.
Name: Gold Sauceboat
Date: EH II
Location Found: Arcadia
Current Location: Louvre
Size: 17cm
Details: Characteristic of the bronze age.
- Because this vessel is made of gold it suggests a special function.
- The foot suggests the use of a potter’s wheel.
Location Found: Xeste 3, room 3a
Height: 1.43m
Details:
- Girl with necklace.
- Undergarment exposes breast. This could be court wear or religious wear.
- Patterns on skirt.
- Adult.
- Transparent garment suggests movement.
Eyes are detailed.
Name: Gold death mask 1
Date: LH I
Location Shaft Grave IV
Size: 30.3cm
Details:
- Embodies a face of the deceased.
- Male only.
- Likely bore resemblance to the person.
Name: Lid of Stone Pyxis
Date: EM III / MM IA
Location Found: Mochlos
Current Location: Herakleion Museum
Size: 11cm in diameter
Details: Dog carved into the handle.
- Linear decoration carved into the stone.
