1. THE PREHISTORIC AEGEAN
Apah – gardner chapter 4-1 pp

2. The prehistoric Aegean has three geographic areas and each has its own distinctive artistic identity:
CYCLADIC ART -> is the art of the Cycladic Islands in the Aegean
MINOAN ART -> is the art of the large island of Crete
HELLADIC ART -> the art of the Greek mainland with the most important being Mycenaean

3. TROY AND MYCENAE The Iliad Epic poem composed around 750
Author is Homer
Story of the Greek war against Troy
War was provoked when the Trojan prince Paris abducted Helen, the wife of King Menelaus of Sparta
In the late 1800’s the German archeologist Heinrich Schliemann uncovered the historical Troy in Turkey
Later he excavated Mycenae on the Greek mainland

4. MINOAN CRETE
The legend of King Minos of Knossos on the island of Crete
Minos exacted tribute of youths from Athens to feed to the Minotaur (half man-half bull) in a vast labyrinth
The ancient civilization of Crete is called Minoan
Knowledge of Aegean society comes from deciphering document written in scripts called Linear A and Linear B

5. CYCLADIC ART Marble was abundant in the quarries of the Greek islands
Marble used by early Cycladic sculptors to produce statuettes that were small, simple, sleek, and abstract
Reminiscent of modern art

6. (2-additional/chapter 4) WOMAN FROM STYROS Styros - Cyclades, Greece c
(2-additional/chapter 4) WOMAN FROM STYROS Styros - Cyclades, Greece c B.C.E Marble
Marble statues of nude women with arms folded across the abdomen
Stylized figure with triangles dominating – the head, the body, the pubic area
This figure was found at a grave -> we don’t know if this is the deceased, a fertility figure, or a goddess
FLASHCARD

7. (2-additional/chapter 4) MALE LYRE PLAYER Keros – Cyclades, Greece c
(2-additional/chapter 4) MALE LYRE PLAYER Keros – Cyclades, Greece c B.C.E. Marble
Male figures also occur in Cycladic figures -> usually depicted as seated musicians
This figure of a lyre player from Keros shares the same simple, geometric forms of the female figures
Given the absence of a written record it is impossible to say what they mean
FLASHCARD

8. MINOAN ARCHITECTURE Palace of Knossos, Crete
Legend of the Minotaur and the labyrinth
Known for tapered columns

9. PALACE AT KNOSSOS
Largest palace at Knossos was the home of the legendary King Minos
The hero Theseus battles the minotaur
A rambling open structure built along the upper slopes and hilltop of a low hill
Large central court -> residential and administrative units grouped around it
Evidence of the power and prosperity of the Minoans

10. MINOAN PAINTING
Paintings depict bull leaping, ceremonies, processions and nature -> birds, animals, flowers, and marine life
Mural paintings liberally adorned the palace at Knossos -> brightly painted walls, red shafts and black capitals of the wooden columns created a rich effect

11. (2-additional/chapter 4) BULL LEAPING FRESCO Palace of Knossos – Crete, Greece c B.C.E. Fresco
Fresco from the palace of Knossos depicting the Minoan ceremony of bull-leaping
Young men grasped the horns of the bull and vaulted onto its back
Men are presented with dark skin and women are with fair skin -> a common convention of ancient painting
Minoan figures -> pinched waists, long curly hair, highly animated, proud and self-confident bearing
FLASHCARD

12. (2-additional/chapter 4) LANDSCAPE WITH SWALLOWS/SPRING FRESCO Thera – Cyclades, Greece c B.C.E. Fresco
Aegean muralists painted in wet fresco -> requires rapid execution
Perfectly preserved fresco called the Spring Fresco -> the first known pure landscape painting
Undulating and brightly colored rocks, swaying lilies, darting swallows -> captures the essence of springtime
FLASHCARD

13. THE THERAN ERUPTION AND THE CHRONOLOGY OF AEGEAN ART
Massive volcanic eruption on Thera in 1500 B.C.E. -> scholars claimed this caused the collapse of Minoan culture on Crete
New research shows that the Mycenaeans from mainland Greece moved onto Crete -> ended the Minoan civilization