Ancient Aegean Cultures Cycladic Minoan Mycenean

1. Ancient Aegean CulturesCycladicMinoanMycenean

4. Phases of Hellenic (Greek) Civilization • Neolithic Culture (3000-1000 BCE) • Cycladic • Bronze Age (2000 -1200 BCE) • Minoan and Mycenaean • Heroic Age (1200 – 750 BCE) • Age of Homer • Archaic Age (750 – 480 BCE) • Classical Age (480 – 323 BCE) • Golden Age (480 – 430 BCE)

5. The Aegean Sea: Homer’s Wine Dark Sea The Mediterranean: Rome’s Mare Nostrum

6. Cyclades

7. Naxos Syros Paros: marble quarries

8. Cycladic Cultures3000-1000 bce • Stepping stones across the Aegean, the Cycladic islands were early settlement sites for migrants who developed a significant culture centuries before the emergence of the civilizations of Crete and Mycenae. • Cycladites developed shipping and traded with mainland Greece, the coast of Asia Minor and the western Mediterranean, from the Neolithic period. • Olive production helped in self-sufficiency.

9. CycladicTombs They buried their dead in box -shaped tombs of a trapezoidal shape, in circular tombs, and in chambers carved on the rock. Top: Cist grave of the Gotta-Pelos culture.Middle: Two-storeyed grave of the Keros-Syros culture.Bottom: Corbelled grave of the Keros-Syros culture

10. Cycladic PaintingFlying Fish fresco

11. Cycladic Pottery:“frying pans”

12. Cycladic Pottery:zoomorphic pots

13. Types of Cycladic Figurines

14. Early Cycladic Figurines: violin shaped

15. Later Cycladic Figurines

18. Pregnant figurine

19. Rare male figurines

20. Hunter and Female Companion

21. Cycladic Musicians

22. Abstraction Cycladic Influence on Modern Art Amedeo Modigliani Constantin Brancusi

23. Minoan Myth and Culture

25. Minoan Civilization 2000-1400 BCE Palace at Knossos - Crete

26. Neolithic Art6000-2600 bce

27. PREPALATIAL PERIOD (2600-1900 B.C.) • Development of a glorious civilization fostered by: • Geographic location • Fertile ground • Long periods of peace • The pre-Palatial period is characterized by: • Extensive use of copper • Growth in fishing, farming and shipping activities • Tin trade • Improvement of construction techniques • Use of precious stones, elephant bone and gold: the various seals from that period are beautiful works of art.

28. Minoan symbols Labrys Bull Snake Goddess

29. Bull-Jumping Gold ring with a depiction of a bull-jumping scene from Phourni. Before 2000 BC.

30. Gold ring with a depiction of the goddess with a griffin from Phourni. Before 2000 BC

31. PALOPALATIAL PERIOD (1900-1700 B.C.) • 1900 BCE: the first palaces were built in Crete: Knossos, Malia and Kato Zakros. • The settlements around the palaces had organized watering, sewage and street systems. • Economy was based on agriculture and thrived on trade: finds from Crete have been located in Egypt and Cyprus. • 1700 BCE: a strong earthquake destroyed most of the palaces.

32. Knossos Reconstruction of palace at Knossos by archeologist, Sir Arthur Evans

33. Palace at Knossos

34. Aerial view of Knossos

37. Queen’s megaron and throne

38. Townhouses Mosaic

39. NEOPALATIAL PERIOD (1700- 1450 B.C.E.) • The palaces were restored and the Neo-Palatial Period, the thriving years of the Minoan civilization, was inaugurated. • The palace was the center of the economic, social and religious life • The class of merchants, manufacturers and priests commanded respect, second only to the King • King was worshipped as a High Priest, along with the Goddess of Fertility. • Women played a prominent role in the Minoan civilization.

41. Snake Goddesses orPriestesses

43. Labrys: double-headed axes

45. Bulls Ca. 1200 bce Ca. 1500-1450 bce Ca. 16th c. bce Ca. 1500 bce

46. Bull Leaping

48. Pottery