Classical Civilizations: Greece and Rome Flashcards
Lecture 2 (2/2)
Minoan and Mycenaean Cultures timeline
(2200 BCE-1100 BCE)
Minoan and Mycenaean location
Developed on small islands in the Aegean (Cycladic Islands), Crete and mainland of Greece (Peloponnesus)
Minoan and Mycenaean population
Population of 80,000 was supported by agriculture and fishing
Knossos
Palace of King Minos, 1450-1370 BCE
Palace of King Minos Discovery?
following excavations which started in 1900 by Sir Arthur Evans
Palace of King Minos plan?
loose agglomeration around a large central open space
Palace of King Minos design?
Lower level of narrow chambers on one side
Larger chambers; thought to be ceremonial rooms on the upper level
Spacing between the columns in larger spaces suggest a wooden beam structure
Palace of King Minos furniture use
Rulers had tall stone thrones with back others had shorter benches with no back
Palace at Mycenae city type
Naturally defensible city
Megaron
a rectangular hall with a portico in the front and a centrally located hearth
Mycenaean Palace design
Vibrant colors and plant motifs
Lion Gate location and date
Mycenae: 1300 BCE - 1250 BCE
Lion Gate type
Post and lintel structure
Cyclopean masonry
How is the Lions Gate so tall
Corbelling was used to construct the wall very high
Lions Gate Relieving space?
the triangular space between the corbelling
is the Lions Gate the first relief / monumental structure on mainland Greece
Yes
A column is represented in the middle of the Lions gate
wider at the top a feature very similar to columns used in Minoan architecture
Mycenaean culture and architecture was influenced by
Minoans
Mycenae timeline
1550 BCE - 1500 BCE
mainland Greece in the Bronze Age was dominated by
Mycenaean culture
Mycenae city type
fortified city (culture of war?) (offensive vs. defensive?)
Mycenaean people traded as far as
Italy and North Africa
Treasury of Atreus timeline
Mycenae c. 1300 BCE - 1250 BCE
Treasury of Atreus shape
Beehive tomb
Beehive Tomb use
Ruling elite was buried in this type of tomb
beehive tomb construction
Utilizes corbelling technique
Treasury of Atreus size
Largest domical space until Pantheon (Rome)
The Greek Temple plan precedent
plan derived from the Aegean Megaron
Greek temple function
Ceremonial and symbolic
Cella
the enclosed space of the temple (one or two rooms)
Polychromy
use of various colors