What Were the Myceneans Good at Doing When It Came to Their Art and Architecture

Mycenaean Architecture

The architecture of Mycenaean citadel sites reflects the order's war-like culture and its constant need for protection and fortification.

Learning Objectives

Describe the characteristics of Mycenaean architecture, such as their apply of Cyclopean masonry and the corbel arch

Key Takeaways

Key Points

• The city of Mycenae was the center of Mycenaean culture . It is particularly known for its protective gateway, the King of beasts Gate, and the Treasury of Atreus, an example of a tholos tomb. Mycenaean architecture reflects their warring society. A wide, strong wall built from large, roughly cut stones (known as cyclopean masonry ) was one method of protection, every bit was limited admission to citadel sites and well-protected gates.
• Since a lintel over a doorway could not support the wall above it without collapsing, the Mycenaeans used corbeled vaults and a relieving triangle over lintels to redistribute the weight off the horizontal beam and into the supporting walls.
• The key feature of a Mycenaean citadel site was the megaron , a room that functioned equally the king's audience bedroom. The megaron is entered through a porch with two columns and the main room included iv columns around a central hearth.
• Uniformity amidst the citadel sites throughout the Mycenaean civilization allow us to easily compare components such as megarons.

Key Terms

• post-and-lintel: A uncomplicated construction method using a header every bit the horizontal member over a building void supported at its ends past two vertical columns.
• corbel: A structural member jutting out of a wall to carry a superincumbent weight.
• ashlar: Masonry made of large, square-cut stones.
• megaron: The rectangular nifty hall in a Mycenaean building, normally supported with pillars.
• cyclopean masonry: A type of stonework found in Mycenaean architecture, built with massive limestone boulders that are roughly fitted together with minimal clearance between adjacent stones and no use of mortar.
• citadel: The core fortified area of a town or city.

Mycenaean Architecture

Mycenaean civilisation tin be summarized by its architecture, whose remains demonstrate the Mycenaeans' war-like culture and the authorization of citadel sites ruled by a single ruler. The Mycenaeans populated Greece and built citadels on high, rocky outcroppings that provided natural fortification and overlooked the plains used for farming and raising livestock. The citadels vary from city to urban center but each share mutual attributes, including building techniques and architectural features.

Building Techniques

The walls of Mycenaean citadel sites were oftentimes built with ashlar and massive stone blocks. The blocks were considered also large to be moved by humans and were believed by ancient Greeks to have been erected by the Cyclopes—i-eyed giants. Due to this ancient belief, the apply of large, roughly cutting, ashlar blocks in building is referred to as Cyclopean masonry. The thick Cyclopean walls reverberate a demand for protection and self-defense since these walls ofttimes encircled the citadel site and the acropolis on which the site was located.

Corbel Arch

The Mycenaeans also relied on new techniques of edifice to create supportive archways and vaults. A typical postal service and lintel structure is not potent plenty to support the heavy structures congenital higher up it. Therefore, a corbeled (or corbel) arch is employed over doorways to relieve the weight on the lintel.

The corbel arch is synthetic by offsetting successive courses of stone (or brick) at the springline of the walls so that they project towards the archway's center from each supporting side, until the courses come across at the apex of the archway (oft, the last gap is bridged with a flat rock). The corbel arch was often used by the Mycenaeans in conjunction with a relieving triangle, which was a triangular block of stone that fit into the recess of the corbeled arch and helped to redistribute weight from the lintel to the supporting walls.

Corbeled vault, Tiryns: This photograph shows the offsetting successive courses of stone at the springline of the walls so that they projection towards the archway's eye from each supporting side, until the courses encounter at the apex of the archway.

Citadel Sites

Mycenaean citadel sites were centered around the megaron, a reception area for the king. The megaron was a rectangular hall, fronted by an open up, two-columned porch. Information technology contained a more than or less central open hearth, which was vented though an oculus in the roof to a higher place it and surrounded by 4 columns. The architectural plan of the megaron became the basic shape of Greek temples, demonstrating the cultural shift equally the gods of ancient Greece took the place of the Mycenaean rulers.

Citadel sites were protected from invasion through natural and human-made fortification. In add-on to thick walls, the sites were protected by controlled access. Archway to the site was through one or two large gates, and the pathway into the primary role of the citadel was often controlled by more gates or narrow passageways. Since citadels had to protect the area's people in times of warfare, the sites were equipped for sieges. Deep h2o wells, storage rooms, and open up infinite for livestock and boosted citizens allowed a metropolis to access basic needs while being protected during times of state of war.

Mycenae

The citadel site of Mycenae was the eye of Mycenaean culture. Information technology overlooks the Argos manifestly on the Peloponnesian peninsula, and co-ordinate to Greek mythology was the home to King Agamemnon.

The site's megaron sits on the highest part of the acropolis and is reached through a large staircase. Within the walls are various rooms for administration and storage along with palace quarters, living spaces, and temples. A large grave site, known as Grave Circle A, is as well built inside the walls.

The main approach to the citadel is through the Lion Gate, a cyclopean-walled entrance way. The gate is 20 anxiety wide, which is large plenty for citizens and wagons to pass through, merely its size and the walls on either side create a tunneling event that makes information technology hard for an invading army to penetrate.

The gate is famous for its use of the relieving arch, a corbeled arch that leaves an opening and lightens the weight carried by the lintel. The Lion Gate received its name from its decorated relieving triangle of lions one either side of a unmarried column. This composition of lions or another feline animal flanking a single object is known every bit a heraldic composition. The lions stand for cultural influences from the Aboriginal Well-nigh Due east. Their heads are turned to confront outwards and confront those who enter the gate.

Lion Gate, limestone, circa 1300–1250 BCE, Mycenae, Hellenic republic: The Panthera leo Gate is famous for its use of the relieving curvation, a corbeled arch that leaves an opening and lightens the weight carried past the lintel.

Mycenae is also dwelling house to a subterranean beehive-shaped tomb (also known as a tholos tomb) that was located outside the citadel walls. The tomb is known today as the Treasury of Atreus, due to the wealth of grave goods plant there.

This tomb and others similar information technology are demonstrations of corbeled vaulting that covers an expansive open space. The vault is 44 feet high and 48 feet in bore. The tombs are entered through a narrow passageway known equally a dromos and a post-and-lintel doorway topped by a relieving triangle.

Treasury of Atreus, Mycenae, Greece, circa 1300–1250 BCE.: The Treasury of Atreus and others tombs similar information technology are demonstrations of corbeled vaulting that covers an expansive open space.

Tiyrns

The citadel site of Tiryns, some other example of Mycenaean fortification, was a hill fort that has been occupied over the class of 7000 years. It reached its tiptop between 1400 and 1200 BCE, when information technology was one of the nearly of import centers of the Mycenaean globe. Its most notable features were its palace, its Cyclopean tunnels, its walls, and its tightly controlled access to the megaron and main rooms of the citadel.

Just a few gates provide access to the loma just only 1 path leads to the chief site. This path is narrow and protected past a serial of gates that could be opened and closed to trap invaders. The cardinal megaron is easy to locate, and it is surrounded by diverse palatial and administrative rooms. The megaron is accessed through a courtyard that is decorated on three sides with a colonnade .

Ground plan of the citadel of Tiryns, circa 1400–1200 BCE, Tiryns, Greece: The citadel site of Tiryns is known for its Cyclopean vaulted tunnels that run next to its walls and its tightly controlled access to the megaron and the main rooms of the citadel.

The famous megaron has a large reception hall, the primary room of which had a throne placed confronting the right wall and a primal hearth bordered past iv wooden columns that served equally supports for the roof. It was laid out around a circular hearth surrounded by 4 columns. Although individual citadel sites varied to a degree, their overall uniformity allows us to compare design elements easily. For example, the hearth of the megaron at the citadel of Pylos provides an idea of how its analogue at Tiryns appears.

Megaron hearth at the citadel of Pylos: Due to the uniformity of citadel plans throughout the Mycenaean culture, we can get an thought of how the hearth of the megaron at Tiryns looked past comparing it to its counterpart at Pylos. The holes at the corners of the surrounding square once held wooden columns.

Mycenaean Metallurgy

The Mycenaeans were masterful metalworkers, as their aureate, argent, and bronze daggers, drinking cups, and other objects demonstrate.

Learning Objectives

List the items found in Mycenaean burial sites that demonstrate the Mycenaeans' skill in metallurgy

Cardinal Takeaways

Key Points

• Grave Circle A and B, at Mycenae, are a series of shaft graves enclosed by a wall from the 16th century BCE. These grave sites were originally excavated by Heinrich Schleimann, and the grave goods found at that place demonstrate the incredible skill Mycenaeans possessed in metalwork.
• Aureate death masks were unremarkably placed over the face of the wealthy deceased. These death masks record the main features of the expressionless and are fabricated with repoussé , a metalworking technique. When compared to other masks, the Death Mask of Agamemnon is most likely a fake.
• Bronze daggers inlaid with gold, silver, and niello are a common grave practiced found at Mycenaean burial sites. These daggers correspond international trade and cultural connections betwixt the Mycenaeans and the Minoans, Egyptians, and Nearly Eastern cultures .
• Rhytons were also crafted out of golden and silver. Some, such as the Silver Siege Rhyton, were used for ritual libations .
• Other objects of gold, silver, and bronze have been excavated from Mycenaean grave sites and cities, including armor, jewelry, signet rings, and seals.

Key Terms

• diadem: A crown or headband worn as a symbol of sovereignty.
• repoussé: A metalworking technique in which a thin canvass of malleable metal is shaped past hammering from the reverse side to create a design in low relief.
• rhyton: A container, having a base of operations in the class of a head, from which fluids are intended to be drunkard.
• niello: Any of various black metallic alloys, made of sulphur with copper, silvery or lead, used to create decorative designs on other metals.

Grave Circle A at Mycenae

Grave Circle A is a gear up of graves from the sixteenth century BCE located at Mycenae. The grave circle was originally located outside the walls of the urban center but was later encompassed within the walls of the citadel when the city'south walls were enlarged during the thirteenth century BCE.

The grave circumvolve is surrounded past a second wall and only has one entrance. Inside are half dozen tombs for nineteen bodies that were cached inside shaft graves. The shaft graves were deep, narrow shafts dug into the ground .

The trunk would exist placed within a rock coffin and placed at the bottom of the grave forth with grave goods. The graves were frequently marked past a mound of earth above them and grave stele .

The grave site was excavated by Heinrich Schleimann in 1876, who excavated ancient sites such as Mycenae and Troy based on the writings of Homer and was determined to notice archaeological remains that aligned with observations discussed in the Iliad and the Odyssey. The archaeological methods of the nineteenth century were different than those of the 20-showtime century and Schleimann's want to discover remains that aligned with mythologies and Homeric stories did non seem equally unusual as it does today. Upon excavating the tombs, Schleimann declared that he establish the remains of Agamemnon and many of his followers.

Grave Circle B

An additional grave circle, Grave Circle B, is likewise located at Mycenae, although this ane was never incorporated into the citadel site. The two grave circles were elite burial grounds for the ruling dynasty . The graves were filled with precious items made from expensive material, including gilded, silver, and bronze.

The amount of gilt, silver, and previous materials in these tombs not merely depict the wealth of the ruling class of the Mycenae but also demonstrates the talent and artistry of Mycenaean metalworking. Reoccurring themes and motifs underline the culture's propensity for war and the cross-cultural connections that the Mycenaeans established with other Mediterranean cultures through trade, including the Minoans, Egyptians, and even the Orientalizing style of the Ancient Near E

Gold Decease Masks

Repoussé decease masks were found in many of the tombs. The decease masks were created from thin sheets of golden, through a careful method of metalworking to create a low relief .

These objects are fragile, advisedly crafted, and laid over the face up of the dead. Schleimann called the near famous of the expiry masks the Mask of Agamemnon, under the assumption that this was the burial site of the Homeric king. The mask depicts a man with a triangular face, bushy eyebrows, a narrow nose, pursed lips, a mustache, and stylized ears.

This mask is an impressive and beautiful specimen merely looks quite different from other expiry masks establish at the site. The faces on other decease masks are rounder; the eyes are more bulbous; and at least 1 bears a hint of a smiling. None of the other figures have a mustache or even the hint of beard.

In fact, the mustache looks distinctly nineteenth century and is comparable to the mustache that Schleimann himself had. The artistic quality between the Mask of Agamemnon and the others seems dramatically different. Despite these differences, the Mask of Agamemnon has inserted itself into the story of Mycenaean art.

Mycenaean death mask: Mycenaean decease mask with a hint of a smile. Gold, circa 1600–1500 BCE. It was plant in Grave Circle A, Grave Shaft IV, at Mycenae, Greece.

Mask of Agamemnon: The Mask of Agamemnon, identified by Heinrich Schliemann. Golden, circa 1600–1500 BCE (?). Information technology was constitute in Grave Circle A, Grave shaft V, at Mycenae, Greece.

Bronze Daggers

Decorative bronze daggers found in the grave shafts suggest in that location were multicultural influences on Mycenaean artists. These ceremonial daggers were made of bronze and inlaid in silver, gold, and niello with scenes that were clearly influenced from foreign cultures.

Two daggers that were excavated depict scenes of hunts, which suggest an Ancient Near East influence. Ane of these scenes depicts lions hunting prey, while the other scene depicts a lion hunt. The portrayal of the figures in the lion chase scene draws distinctly from the way of figures found in Minoan painting. These figures accept narrow waists, broad shoulders, and big, muscular thighs.

The scene between the hunters and the lions is dramatic and full of energy, some other Minoan influence. Another dagger depicts the influence of Minoan painting and imagery through the delineation of marine life, and Egyptian influences are seen on a dagger filled with lotus and papyrus reeds forth with fowl.

Mycenaean hunting dagger: A mycenaean hunting dagger with a scene of a lion hunt. Bronze with gilt, silver, and niello inlay. Circa 16th century BCE. Information technology was found in Grave Circumvolve A, at Mycenae, Greece.

Gilt and Silver Drinking Cups

A diverseness of gold and silvery drinking cups have also been constitute in these grave shafts. These include a rhyton in the shape of a bull'south caput, with gilded horns and a decorative, stylized golden flower, fabricated from silver repoussé. Other cups include the golden Loving cup of Nestor, a large ii handle cup that Schleimann attributed to the legendary Mycenaean hero Nestor, a Trojan State of war veteran who plays a peripheral role in The Odyssey.

The Cup of Nestor: The Cup of Nestor. Gold, circa 1600–1500 BCE. It was constitute in Grave Circumvolve A, Grave Shaft 4, at Mycenae, Greece.

A silverish rhyton called the Argent Siege Rhyton was likely used for ritual libations. The Argent Siege Rhyton is unique for its depiction of a siege. The scene is only preserved on a portion of the rhyton, but a landscape of trees and a fortress wall are clearly recognizable. The figures in the scene appear to exist in various positions, some men fight each other. An archer crouches with his bow and arrow, while others throw rocks downwards from the wall at the invaders.

A tertiary rhyton in the class of a bull'southward caput suggests a similarity with the Minoan culture, like the dagger mentioned earlier. The rhyton consists primarily of silver with gilt-leaf accents. Its purpose as a ceremonial vessel arguably places the bull in a role of significance in the Mycenaean culture.

Rhyton in the form of a balderdash'due south head: Mycenaean. Circa 1600–1500 BCE. Found in Grave Circumvolve A.

Other Objects

Additional gilt trinkets include signet rings that describe images of hunts, combat, and animals, along with other decorative jewelry, such as bracelets, earrings, pendants, and diadems (headbands designating their wearers' sovereign status).

Bronze armor, including breastplates and helmets, were also uncovered in excavations of the tomb sites.

Gilt diadems: Circa 1600–1500 BCE. Institute in Grave Circumvolve A.

Mycenaean Ceramics

The Mycenaeans were talented potters whose ceramic styles and decorations reflect their skill and the values of their civilisation.

Learning Objectives

Depict the figurines, rhytons, kraters, and other ceramic objects made past the Mycenaeans

Fundamental Takeaways

Key Points

• Mycenaean pottery can be identified past the types of clay and painting the artists used to create and decorate their vessels . Dissimilar pottery centers preferred different clay, slips , and motifs . Popular themes include nature, marine life, narratives, and abstract design.
• The Warriors Vase depicts a static scene of a woman bidding goodbye to armed warriors. The vase, from Mycenae, is busy with minimal color and a uniform blueprint. This vase represents the civilisation 'south dependence on warfare.
• Mycenaean rhytons crafted from terra cotta were usually conically shaped and painted to represent different animals, such every bit a boar or a bull; they also had other details added to them.
• Modest-scale Mycenaean figurines made from terra cotta are abstract elementary figures, often of women, that are just painted and detailed. The figures accept bodies that are rounded or stand up with outstretched arms, their legs are represented by cylindrical bases.

Central Terms

• rhyton: A container, having a base in the form of a head, from which fluids are drunk.
• krater: An aboriginal Greek vessel for mixing h2o and wine.
• figurine: A pocket-size carved or molded figure; a statuette.

Mycenaean Ceramics

The Mycenaeans created numerous ceramic vessels of various types and decorated them in a variety of styles . These vessels were popular exterior of Greece, and were oft exported and traded around the Mediterranean and take been institute in Egypt, Italia, Asia Minor, and Spain.

2 of the primary product centers were the Mycenaean cities at Athens and Corinth. The products of the 2 centers were distinguishable by their color and ornamentation. Corinthian clay was a stake yellow and tended to feature painted scenes based on nature, while the Athenian potters decorated their vessels with a rich ruby-red and preferred geometric designs.

Vessels

The most pop types of vessels included kraters —large, open-mouth jars to mix wine and water—pitchers, and stirrup jars, which are so named for the handles that came above the peak of the vessel. Mycenaean vessels usually had a pale, off-white background and were painted in a single color, either carmine, brown, or black.

Popular motifs include abstract geometric designs, animals, marine life, or narrative scenes. The presence of nature scenes, particularly of marine life and of bulls, seems to propose a Minoan influence on the style and motifs painted on the Mycenaean pots.

Vessels served the purposes of storage, processing, and transfer. There are a few different classes of pottery, mostly separated into ii main sections: utilitarian and aristocracy.

1. Utilitarian pottery is sometimes decorated, made for functional domestic use, and constitutes the majority of the pottery made.
2. Aristocracy pottery is finely made and elaborately decorated with great regard for detail. This form of pottery is mostly fabricated for property precious liquids and for decoration.

Stirrup Jars

Stirrup jars, mainly used for storing liquids such equally oil and wine, could accept been economically valuable in Mycenaean households. The organisation of common features suggests that a stopper is used to secure the contents and the contents are what make the jar a valuable household particular.

The disc holes and 3rd handle may have been used to secure a tag to the vessel, suggesting it had commercial importance and resale value . The locations where stirrup jars have been found reflect the fact that the popularity of this vessel type spread apace throughout the Aegean, and the use of the stirrup jar to place a specific commodity became important.

Mycenaean stirrup jar: Terracotta. c. 1350 BCE.

Warrior Vase

The Warrior Vase (c. 12oo BCE) is a bell krater that depicts a adult female bidding good day to a group of warriors. The scene is elementary and lacks a groundwork.

The men all acquit circular shields and spears and wear helmets. Attached to their spears are knapsacks, which advise that they must travel long distances to battle. On one side, the soldiers wear helmets ornamented with horns. The soldiers on the other side wear hedgehog-mode helmets. A single woman stands to the left with her arm raised and a group of identically dressed and heavily armed men is marching off to the correct.

In that location is no way to tell which woman is waving bye, as all the figures are generic and none specifically interacts with her, nor do they interact with each other. The figures are stocky and lack the sinuous lines of the painted Minoan figures.

Furthermore, while the men all face right with wide stances and appear to move in that direction, their flat feet and twisted perspective bodies inhibit whatever potential for motility. Instead the figures remain static and upright. The imagery depicts a simple narrative that in the warrior culture of the Mycenaeans must have frequently been reenacted.

Warrior Vase: Warrior Vase. Terra cotta. c. 1200 BCE. Mycenae, Hellenic republic.

Many scholars observe that the style of the figures and the handles of this thirteenth century BCE vase are very like to eighth century BCE pottery. Similar spearmen are also depicted in 8th century BCE pottery which introduces a curious 500 year gap in styles.

Figurines

Pocket-sized terra cotta figurines and statuettes are found throughout Mycenaean grave sites and cities. The purpose of these figures is unknown, although they may acquit a votive or cult association. Some figurines found in children's tombs may be toys.

The most mutual style depicts female person figures and are from the fourteenth and thirteenth centuries BCE. The figures are small-scale and are divided into two categories:

1. Those that look similar the Greek letter of the alphabet phi (phi-types), with a rounded upper body shape.
2. Those that look similar the Greek letter psi (psi-types), which have outstretched arms.

Both figures have heads that are narrow and pinched into a triangle. Details such equally the eyes, mouth, and olfactory organ are painted on. The bases of the figures are cylindrical and their legs seem to be painted as a visual afterthought. These figures are painted simply with stripes and zigzags, oft on the upper body, and details such as eyes are also added in with paint, while breasts are portrayed with clay protrusions.

Phi figures: Mycenaean phi figures. Terracotta, c. 13th century. BCE. Mycenae, Greece.

Psi effigy: Mycenaean psi effigy. Terracotta, c. 1280 BCE. Tiryns, Greece.

There are few examples of large-scale, freestanding sculptures from the Mycenaeans. A painted plaster head of a female person—perhaps depicting a priestess, goddess, or sphinx —is 1 of the few examples of large-calibration sculpture.

The caput is painted white, suggesting that it depicts a female. A red band wraps around her caput with bits of hair underneath. The eyes and eyebrows are outlined in blue, the lips are cherry-red, and ruby circles surrounded past pocket-size red dots are on her checks and mentum.

Female person head: Female head of a priestess, goddess, or sphinx. Painted plaster. c. 1300-1250 BCE. Mycenae, Hellenic republic.

Rhytons

Rhytons are elaborate, decorative drinking cups that frequently take the shape of animals. They are usually made of precious materials, such as golden or silver, just they may also be made of terra cotta.

Several Mycenaean rhytons have been excavated, and include 1 in the shape of a boar'due south caput and some other in the shape of a balderdash's head. The balderdash-headed rhyton may have been influenced past or intended for trade with the Minoans. Both of these rhytons are conically shaped, painted in a unmarried colour with abstract shapes, and have defining features, such as ears and eyes.

Balderdash-headed rhyton: Bull-headed rhyton. Terracotta, circa 1300–1200 BCE. Mycenae, Greece.

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