Minoan and Mycenaean Civilization, Hellenic Period

• Developed one of the earliest Mediterranean civilizations based on the Island of Crete. Named after the ruler, King Minos. A sea-faring people

  Minoan
• Worshipped many gods, including bulls, snakes, men, and women.

  Polytheists
• Both a religious ceremony and a sport

  Bull leaping or bull fighting
• Paintings are done in wet plaster or cement

  Frescoes
• Large horizontal paintings are often found on walls

  Friezes
• The most important part of the palace

  Throne Room
• Bird headed lion

  Griffin
• The first advanced civilization in Mainland Greece

  Mycenaean
• Mycenae was also called

  The Peloponnesus
• Religion of Mycenaean

  Mixture of Minoan influences and local deities or Gods
• 2 types of deities of Mycenaean

  Nature of gods and Predecessors of Olympian gods and goddesses
• Mycenaeans adapted the art of Minoans to better express the more militaristic and austere Mycenaean culture.
• Were popular as well as decorative motifs such as spirals and rosettes.

  Geometric Designs
• A masonry made up of huge stone blocks laid mortar

  Cyclopean
• Masonry constructed with stones having polygonal faces

  Polygonal
• Block of stone cut into rectangular shapes

  Rectangular
• CORBEL ARCH - a false corbeling courses from each side of an opening until they meet at a midpoint

  Inclined Blocks
• Name the picture below. Megaron

  
• Most Ancient Stone Sculptures in Europe. The space of the arch is filled by a triangular stone with a relief sculpture of two lions.

  Gate of Lions
• Aka Tomb of Agamemnon

  TREASURY OF ATREUS
• A long deep passageway into an ancient subterranean tomb

  Dromos
• Consisting of a deep rectangular cut into sloping rock a roof stone

  Shaft Grave
• A stone vaulted, shaped like an old fashion beehive

  Tholos
• Inside the tholos and details imitating the dome of heaven
• No walls protecting the palace of Minos
• Where frescoes and friezes can be found?

  Minoan Palaces
• Developed one of the earliest Mediterranean civilizations based on the

  Island of Crete
• Sea-faring people

  Minoan
• Was a complex territory and was not a unified nation back then. Composed of a city-state constantly vying with each other and forming alliances called league

  Greece
• 6 city-states of Greece.
• The era in Greek history during the time of ALEXANDER THE GREAT between the date of the first democracy in Athens and the death of Alexander the Great

  Hellenic
• Son of King Philip II of Macedon. Assumed the kingship over the newly consolidated mainland Greece after his father’s death. Continuing his expansionary policies.


  Alexander the Great
• Capital and largest city of Greece sprawls across the central plain of Attica that is often referred to as the

  Athens
• Bounded by four large mountains: Mount Aigaleo (west), Mount Parnitha (north), Mount Pentelicus (northeast) and Mount Hymettus (east)
• An Athenian fight against Persia

  Themistocles
• Peak of Athenian prosperity (under the Patronage of goddess of Wisdom, Athena)

  Pericles
• The "polis" emerged as the basis of Greek society (each had its own ruler, government and laws)
• CITY-STATES developed on the plains between mountains (Sparta and Athens were most important)
• Developments in art, law-making, philosophy and science

  OUTBURST OF BUILDING ACTIVITY AND CONSTRUCTION
• ATHENS as its center kingdom contains the upper city known as “ACROPOLIS” and the birth of formal politics (democracy) in the leadership of Pericles (under the Patronage of goddess of Wisdom, Athena)