Aegean Art & Architecture Notes
Aegean Art and Architecture Several closely related but distinct cultures developed on islands and peninsular adjacent to the Aegean in the third and second millennia BCE. The Cycladic culture was named for the islands forming an irregular circle north of Crete. The culture on the mainland is called Helladic. Together these separate cultures forms the civilization known as Aegean. Until the second half of the nineteenth century, much of the civilization was known from the Iliad and the Odyssey, but much of the evidence has contradicted Homer's tales.
The Early phase corresponds roughly to the predynastic and old kingdom period of Egypt, and Sumerian and Akkadian culture in Mesopotamia. The Middle phase is contemporaneous with the Middle Kingdom in Egypt and the rise of the Babylon in Mesopotamia. And the Late phase occurs at the same time as the Second Intermediate period and the start of the New Kingdom in Egypt.
These cultures each produced distinct art forms. Stylized marble representations of the human figure and frescoes are paramount in the Cyclades. Large palaces with elaborate adornments on their walls dominate on Crete. Citadels and grave goods remain from the Greek mainland.
Cycladic Figures, c. 2700-2300 BCE, Cycladic [4.2, 4.3]
Figures included in Cycladic burials. The figure is nude, with arms folded across the waist, and toes extended. The flat body is straight backed, while a long thick neck supports a shieldlike face at a slight angle. Long trianglelike nose, small pointed breasts, triangular pubic area. Some even appear pregnant. Thought them to be idols, and were pictured to have central roles in religion focusing on a mother goddess. Could have been made for funerary purposes. May have functioned in Cycladic daily life within household shrines. The largest figures may have been statues. Some have signs of repair, so they were used.
“Palace” Complex at Knossos (Crete), c. 1600-1400 BCE, Minoan [4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.8] (plan;
The Early phase corresponds roughly to the predynastic and old kingdom period of Egypt, and Sumerian and Akkadian culture in Mesopotamia. The Middle phase is contemporaneous with the Middle Kingdom in Egypt and the rise of the Babylon in Mesopotamia. And the Late phase occurs at the same time as the Second Intermediate period and the start of the New Kingdom in Egypt.
These cultures each produced distinct art forms. Stylized marble representations of the human figure and frescoes are paramount in the Cyclades. Large palaces with elaborate adornments on their walls dominate on Crete. Citadels and grave goods remain from the Greek mainland.
Cycladic Figures, c. 2700-2300 BCE, Cycladic [4.2, 4.3]
Figures included in Cycladic burials. The figure is nude, with arms folded across the waist, and toes extended. The flat body is straight backed, while a long thick neck supports a shieldlike face at a slight angle. Long trianglelike nose, small pointed breasts, triangular pubic area. Some even appear pregnant. Thought them to be idols, and were pictured to have central roles in religion focusing on a mother goddess. Could have been made for funerary purposes. May have functioned in Cycladic daily life within household shrines. The largest figures may have been statues. Some have signs of repair, so they were used.
“Palace” Complex at Knossos (Crete), c. 1600-1400 BCE, Minoan [4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.8] (plan;