ARTHIST 101D Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Bullfighting, Rhyton, Cyclades
10 May 2018
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Lecture 8 Aegean Art: Crete and Mycenae
1626-1600 BCE Eruption of volcano Santorini
o Created tsunamis
o City of Akrotiri has a massive volcanic crater, buried under feet of ash
o Buildings in the city have evidence of trade and art
Akrotiri Frescoes (1650-1625 BCE)
Evidence of the trade activity
Emerging and ubiquitous use of the sail and oars
Evidence of port architecture, fortifications/moats (probably to protect goods)
Trading strategy – Cabotage
Jumping to city to city, picking up new stuff and trading in succession
Exchange of ideas, ways of life, culture, literature
o Ex: observing various methods of making iron, etc
Cedar was prized because it resists rotting process for a long time
Iron is from the Sub-Saharan Africa
Egypt was kind of behind on the development of metal tools – may be because of their reliance on
slave labor – no incentive to develop better tools
Cycladic Figurines
2600-2300 BCE
Cycladic Islands
Vary from a few inches to several feet tall
Slender bodies, nose is only facial feature
All are female, suggests that they are fertility symbols
Cycladic lyre player
2700-2500 BCE
Cycladic Islands
Suggests a storyteller/singer
Palace of Knossos
1700-1400 BCE
Recreated by Sir Arthur Evans
Plan of palace complex – ceremonial courts, private dwelling spaces, storage rooms – facilitated
trade
No doors
Light provided by lightwells
Post and lintel architecture: columns slightly taper upward, square base, echinus, capital,
abacus/impost, and then lintel
Interior of palace had frescoes on lime-plastered walls – had a sense of naturalism
Joie de vivre (French for enjoyment in life) describes the vibe
Bull fighting fresco: shows male (tanned) and female (pale) figures (differentiation of gender by
skin color)
o Reminiscent of Egyptian sitting couple
Not much delineation of muscle, just interested in silhouette of bodies
Springiness and energized human figures
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Document Summary
1626-1600 bce eruption of volcano santorini: created tsunamis, city of akrotiri has a massive volcanic crater, buried under feet of ash, buildings in the city have evidence of trade and art. Emerging and ubiquitous use of the sail and oars. Evidence of port architecture, fortifications/moats (probably to protect goods) Jumping to city to city, picking up new stuff and trading in succession. Exchange of ideas, ways of life, culture, literature. Egypt was kind of behind on the development of metal tools may be because of their reliance on slave labor no incentive to develop better tools. Cedar was prized because it resists rotting process for a long time: ex: observing various methods of making iron, etc. Vary from a few inches to several feet tall. Slender bodies, nose is only facial feature. All are female, suggests that they are fertility symbols. Palace of knossos trade abacus/impost, and then lintel.
