For the Glory of the Deities, Warriors, and Athletes

Part I

Art and Architecture of Ancient Greece

Class 08

Ancient Greece

Beginnings of Greek Culture

c. 1100 – Collapse of Mycenaean civilization

New waves of migrations to mainland, Aegean Islands,

and coastal areas of Asia Monor

Origins of migrants not known

Brought iron culture / technology

Detail map showing some of the main centres of Greek culture during this period.

Map marking the area dominated or colonized by the Greeks

during the middle of the 1st Millennium

Greek Civilization_ Timeline

1050-900 Proto-geometric

900-700 Geometric

(776 Olympics)

700-625 Orientalizing

625-480 Archaic

480-450 Early Classical or

Severe Style

(Transitional Period)

450-400 Mature Classical

400-325 Late Classical

325-31 Hellenistic

27 bc Roman Conquest

Greek artists sought a level of

perfection.

This led them continually improve

upon their past

accomplishments through

changes in style and approach

Periodization of Greek art reflects

the definable stages in stylistic

development rather than

political development

Beginnings of Greek Culture

All immigrants spoke some form of the same language.

Fusion of new migrants and earlier inhabitants came to be called

Greeks.

Established independent communities.

Developed into city states (polis) in the 9th & 8th centuries.

Autonomous regions having a city as the political, economic, religious,

and cultural center (Athens, Corinth, Sparta)

Depended on manufacturing & commercial skills & military might

Development of Greek Culture

7th c. BCE

Adopted two sophisticated new tools from Asia Minor

Manufacture and use of coins

Alphabetic writing

Emergence of Athens as the Most Powerful City State

Originally;

Corinth (the oldest city state) was most powerful

By 6th c. BCE;

Athens became most powerful in commerce and culture

594 BCE in Athens;

Solon was political leader. He developed judiciary, constitutional government with a popular assembly and council

Athens - Rise of Democracy

End of 6th c. BCE;

Representative government with every community having

its own assembly and magistrates

Assembly – all citizens participated.

All had equal right;

- to own property

- freedom of speech

- to vote

- to hold public office

- to serve army or navy

However, citizenship was elite male prerogative (privilege)

Democracy in Athens

Citizenship?

Census in 309 BC;

21,000 citizens

10,000 Foreign residents

400,000 Others (women, children, slaves)

Even though citizenship is strictly patriarchal,

the idea of rights and responsibilities was an important

new concept in governance

Warfare with Persia (490-479 BCE)

490 BC - Persians attacked Marathon

480 - Persians destroyed Athens

479 – unified Greek armies with Athenian leadership destroyed

Persian fleet at Salamis

Athens emerged as the leader of city states

After war - re-building the destroyed cities; celebrated Greek culture

Pericles rebuilt Athens. Temples on the Acropolis.

Athens’s artistic achievements unrivaled.

431- 404 : War between Athens and Sparta. Athens collapsed.

New Threats to City States

4th c. - New rival from Macedonia

359 - Philip II – Became King of Macedonia

338 - Defeated Athens; conquered other city states

336 - Philip II was assassinated

Son Alexander (21 yrs) consolidated Greek city states as a

united Greece

Lead conquest against Persia

334 - Conquered Syria and Phoenicia and occupied

331 - Conquered Egypt and founded the seaport Alexandria

326 - Reached India. Troops refused to go any further

323 - Died of fever on the way back home

Hellenistic Rulers: After Alexander

Alexander’s Empire – No consolidation of power

Generals divided the land among themselves

They were known as Hellenistic (Greek-like) rulers

They were patrons of culture

Egypt ruled by the Ptolemies became rich and powerful

Alexandria – Center of learning

Other major Hellenistic cities; Pergamon, Antioch, Jerusalem, Athens

Flourished between 4th and 3rd centuries

Religious Beliefs & Sacred Places

War between the sky gods and earth gods (Titans or giants)

Sky gods live atop Mt. Olympus

Gods were immortal, visualized in human form, and attributed human

weaknesses and emotions

Zeus & Hera – Ruling god and goddess

Apollo – Healing, arts, & the Sun

Poseidon – Ocean, sea

Ares – War

Aphrodite – Love

Artemis – Hunting and the moon

Athena – Powerful goddess of wisdom

Sanctuaries

Places sacred to one or more gods or goddesses

Enclosed with walls

Placed one or more outdoor altars or shrines

Also had a sacred natural element such as a tree, a rock or a spring

Additional buildings added over time. Palatial home for gods.

One or more temples

Several treasuries for storing valuable offerings

Various monuments & statues

Housing for priests & visitors

Outdoor theater for ritual performances

Stadium for athletic events

Beginnings of Architecture

Earliest public buildings: Sanctuaries

Built at awe-inspiring locations

Simple rectangular structures

Made with wood, mud, and thatch (leaves)

Probably used columns and lintels

No remains

No evidence of private dwellings

Beginnings of Art

Earliest evidence of art – Pottery (vase) painting

Proto-geometric vase painting (1050-900 BC)

Use of geometric forms in painted decoration

Reduction of human and animal forms to simple

geometric forms

Technique

Painted designs with a slip and fired

The slip turned dark-brown on firing, standing out against the

orange color of the unslipped parts of the vase

Forms of Greek Pottery

Proto-geometric and Early-geometric Pottery

Attic Proto-geometric shoulder-handled

amphora (storage jar) Made in Athens end of

the 11th century BC.

Attic Early-Geometric Amphora from Keramikosht:69.5cm 9th century BC.

NAM

Attic Geometric Jug, late 9th century BC. BM

A Lidded box(Pyxis) with a finely modelled lid handle and

intricate decoration. Geometric made in Athens ca.850

Geometric Amphora 8th Century BC.

Huge Attic Geometric Amphora.Mid 8th century BC.

ht:1.55m

Geometric Period

Dipylon Vase

c. 600 BC

Compare with Aegean Pottery

Attic Geometric Krater - Funeral Pyre, Lamentation, Chariot

Procession and and Games afdter the middle of the 8th century

Orientalizing style

Orientalizing Style

This scene shows the heavenly twins or dioscuri,

Castor, Pollux with their dog. They are returning from an exploit of some

kind. Signed by Exekias the

painter ca.540-530BC

Black-figure and

Red-figure

Techniques

Black-figure Technique

The other side of the Athenian Jar above from late 6th.c BC. by Exekias (The dioscuri). Here the scene is Achilles and Ajax playing

dice.

Ajax playing dice.

A Closer detail of Achilles and Ajax

Red-figure Technique

Red-figure Attic cup or Kylix by the

Painter Epiktetos. The scenes include Theseus slaying the Minotaur, ca.520BC

Diam 11.

Andokides Painter.

From an red-figure amphora: Herakles

and the two-headed dog Cerberus.

ht:58.6cm. ca.510BC

A Museum Case of Funeral Lekythoi: figure painting on a

white ground.

An oil or perfume flask in the form of

a kneeling boy binding a victory

ribbon around his head. ca.540-530BC

ht:10in. AMA