2.18 Mycenaean Art

Eventually, the power in the Aegean shifted from the islands to the mainland as the Late Helladic period began. Not much is known about the relationship between the mainlanders and the Minoans, or precisely how the mainlanders came to control the region. We do know, however, that the mainlanders were a warrior race, as their multiple fortified palaces testify. The most famous of these citadels is the palace at Mycenae (due to the ancient belief that this was the home of the legendary/historical Agamemnon and Menelaus - the conquerors of Troy). In the our day, Mycenae lends its name to the history and art of the period (instead of the more technical Late Helladic).

The Late Helladic fortress palace was typically built into the side of mountain with the valley below in full view, obviously for defensive purposes. The interior structures were surrounded by a great wall comprised of huge, rough-cut stones as well. In art history, we call fortifications of this sort Cyclopean walls, after the ancient Greek belief that a mythological race of giants, known as the Cyclopes, were responsible for moving and placing such great stones. Certainly, all these elements contrast greatly with the open and accessible palaces of the Minoans!

Entrance to the complex was through a columned or vaulted passageway which led to a grand entrance hall or megaron (the Mycenaeans used both post and lintel construction as well as corbelled vaulting to span their passageways.)

This design would also later greatly influence early Greek temple plans. Within the walls however the buildings were painted and adorned with art much like the Minoan palace at Knossos.

A study of the palace of Mycenae reveals its defensive position and plan, as well as its Cyclopean masonry. As you can see from our pictures, the mountain behind and the valley below provided protection to the palace just as the Cyclopean walls did.

The site is also famous for its monumental entrance (one of the few examples of monumental sculpture in the Aegean period), which we will study below.

Palace of Mycenae, view of valley (ca. 1300 BCE) by SR

Named the Lion Gate, the monumental entrance consists of a trilithon over which is placed a high relief of two lions on either side of a Minoan tapering column. The triangular shape of the limestone sculpture also helps to support the corbelled arch. Some scholars believe that the heads of the lions were once made of gold, which would of course explain their disappearance. In any event, what we have in the Lion Gate is the first royal symbol in Western civilization over the gate to the palace where many scholars believe Western civilization had its origin.

If you have a QuickTime viewer, take a moment to wander around the Lion Gate yourself (be sure to use the zoom control). After your visit you may wish to consider building a monumental entrance for your own museum!

Near by the palace of Mycenae lies the so-called Treasury of Atreus (ca. 1300 BCE), named after the legendary father of Agamemnon and Menelaus. This royal tomb was constructed using Cyclopean masonry (note the huge lintel over the doorway) and is approached by a long passageway or dromos. The tomb itself is in the shape of a beehive (called a tholos), forty-three feet high and forty-seven feet in diameter (note the man at the top of the mound for scale). The "dome" was achieved using corbelled vaulting and its form is held in shape by the weight of the stones alone.

Treasury of Atreus - dromos (ca. 1300 BCE) by SR

Treasury of Atreus - interior (ca. 1300 BCE) by SR

This amazing structure also encompasses the largest unsupported free space in the history of architecture to this point, and will continue to do so until surpassed by the Pantheon in ancient Rome some fourteen hundred years later (and the Romans used concrete in their construction!) Unfortunately, the interior has long since been plundered, so we can only imagine how magnificent the interior must have been given the attention paid to the tomb structure itself. Finally, be sure to print a plan of the structure for your notebook.

The ancient Greek poet Homer described Mycenae as "rich in gold" and gold was in fact the medium of some of the finest sculptures of the Mycenaean period. The famous gold repousse Vaphio cups (labeled 1758, 1759) are truly masterpieces of ancient art (repousse is the method of producing metal relief by hammering and/or punching a sheet of metal from the back and then engraving details on the front). The works were recovered from a tomb in Vaphio in Southern Greece and date to sixteenth-century BCE. The cups present a continuous relief of bull-capturing which is full of incredible energy and strength. The style is definitely Minoan (note the vivacity of the scene and the thin waists and long hair on the men), but the subject matter is most certainly Mycenaean (cf. the violent presentation of the bulls here with the graceful portrayal of the bull in the Minoan Toreador Fresco).

Another important Mycenaean gravesite (ca. 1600-1500 BCE) was uncovered inside the walls of the palace at Mycenae itself. Within the circular walls of the gravesite (which was just past the monumental entrance), Schliemann and his team uncovered multiple deep shaft graves of the Mycenaean royalty. Here, the deceased were buried with golden repousse funerary masks, weapons, jewelry and other valuables.

Our last example of Mycenaean art is the so-called Warrior Vase (ca. 1200 BCE) which is more technically called a krater (a vessel for mixing wine and water). The upper portion shows a line of soldiers marching off to war, while a woman (at left) bids them farewell. This repetitious and emotionless composition seems to be a step backward from the earlier Aegean paintings in our study, and may in fact serve as a harbinger of things to come (see "The Fall of the Mycenaeans" below).

Mycenaean civilization came to an end at the hands of the Dorians around 1100 BCE. These Greek invaders from the north overran and destroyed the Mycenaean palaces and with them, Mycenaean culture. The period that followed is often called the Dark Age of Greece as civilization laid dormant for several hundred years. The art of writing seems to have been lost and for the most part Greece and the Aegean were impoverished and isolated with their city centers tremendously depopulated. Thus, the record of Aegean civilizations was sent into the realms of mythology until the end of the nineteenth century CE.

• Palace of Mycenae - Lion Gate (ca. 14C BCE)
• Treasury of Atreus (ca. 14C BCE)
• Funerary Mask (ca. 14C BCE)

• Cyclopean architecture
• megaron
• corbelled vaulting
• dromos
• tholos
• repousse
• krater

What is most interesting about the essay portion of the AP Art History exam is the fact that you yourself will choose the specific works of art on which you will write. Therefore, it is critical that you select works which are completely appropriate to the question.

As with the short answer questions, your first submission should be timed and completed without the aid of your notes. Remember, too, that the second submission is "open note" and does not have a time constraint in order to get the highest grade possible.

Finally, please study our essay writing tutorial and review our grading outline before beginning your first essay. We trust that you will find them extremely helpful, even if you are an experienced essay writer.

Assignment 2.18 - Essay Practice

After you have reviewed the cumulative notes, complete the online assessment 2.18. Remember that your first submission should be done with a time constraint and without notes. This is a 30-minute essay.