Dark Ages to Geometric Period

• Dark Ages (Architectural Term) = Protogeometric Period ( Pottery Term) 1100 - 900 BCE

• Geometric Period (Architecture, Sculpture, and Pottery) 900 - 700 BCE

End of the Mycenaean World

• Literary tradition from Homer and other ancient epics. Destruction of Troy at the hands of a contingency of Mycenaean warriors.

• Destruction of Troy. Which Troy is the Troy of the Trojan war? Troy VI? Troy VIIA?

• Destruction of the mainland palaces (Mycenae, Tiryns, Athens, Gla, Pylos, Thebes, Orchomenos) are all under different circumstances.

Theories for Destruction

• The Dorian Invasions (Return of the Herakleidae or Internal Revolt?)

• The Raids of the Sea Peoples

• Intercity Warfare

• Drought, Famine, Earthquakes, and Other Natural Disasters.

Dark Age Sites

• Karphi, Crete*

• Kavousi, Crete

• Lefkandi, Euboea*

• Nichoria, Messenia

• Oval House, Smyrna*

Karphi

• Middle Bronze Age to Geometric

• Unwalled settlement

• 150 adjoining rooms

• Great House

Lefkandi - The Heroon

• Heroon - 10th century

• Cemetery - 9th century

• Apsidal (50 m by 10 m)

• Burial of man, woman, horses

Lefkandi - The Plan

The Centaur

• Eretria Museum • Terracotta• 10th c BCE• Found in Heroon,

split in two pieces, one in each grave.

Isis and Horus Necklace

• Found in tombs near Heroon at Lefkandi.

• 11th/10th century.• Faience, Egyptian in

origin.• Isis and Horus

statuettes common in Egyptian world.

Protogeometric Pottery

• Shapes derived from Mycenaean oeuvre: krater, oinochoe, cups, amphorae.

• Faster wheel. • Compass drawn pendent

semicircles or concentric circles.

• Kerameikos cemetery in Athens.

Geometric Cult Sites

• Dreros on Crete*

• Eretria - Apollo Daphnephoros*

• Sparta - Temple of Artemis Orthria

• Heraion at Samos*

• The Argive Heraion*

• Temple of Hera at Perachora*

• Thermon*

Dreros

• Temple of Apollo.

• Earliest known temple - 750 BCE.

• City fortification.

Cult Statues

• From shelf in temple.

• Sphyrelaton method: sheet hammered bronze over wood core.

• Apollo, Leto, Artemis.

Eretria

Apollo Daphnephoros• Four phases of

the temple.

• Apsidal hut.

• Second structure with apsidal walls.

• Hekatompedon (100 footer).

• Geometric Daphnephorion

• All geometric structures leveled at the end of the 8th c. BCE.

• Early Archaic hekatompedon (670 - 655 BCE)

Harbor at Samos

Samos from theAir

Heraion at Samos

Geometric Heraion at Samos

• Local Carian deity originally.

• Hera and Zeus married here beside a sacred bush.

• Hekatompedon - 8th c BCE.

Hera Limenaia at Perachora

• Corinthiad

• Again, a port.

• Apsidal structure.

• Geometric bronze finds.

• 9th/8th c BCE.

Perachora - Geometric Plan

Thermon

• Geometric period, the site became religious.

• 3 temples. • Megaron A and B.

Thermon - Temples

• Archaic temple built over Megaron B.

Thermon: Megaron B

Geometric Pottery

• Early - increased geometric patterns. Meanders become more and more prominent.

• Use as tomb markers in Athens.

• Very fine clay and fast wheel.

• Athens at forefront of Geometric pottery production.

Agora “Rich Lady” Burial

• Belly amphora - female.

• Granary - symbol of status or wealth?

• Cremation. • 9th c BCE.

Agora Male Burial

• Cremation• Neck amphora• Sword around

amphora• Horse pyxis - symbol

of wealth?

Horse Pyxis

Athens 804 • Pictorial Narrative.

• Prothesis and Ekphora.

• Tomb Marker from the Dipylon gate cemetery.

• 750 BCE

• 1.55 m high.

Other narratives

• Fox hunt? • Boeotia. • Boston Museum of

Fine Arts. • 750 BCE

Sculpture

• Boston MFA• Under 8 inches. • Bronze• Solid Cast• 9th c BCE.