PICTURING THE STORY: NARRATIVE ARTS AND THE STORIES THEY TELL

At Left: Mycenaean Krater, 1275 BCE-1225 BCE Made in Cyprus Terracotta, paint 18 1/2 in. (46.99 cm) R.T. Miller Fund, 51.203

At Right: Mycenaean Krater, 1275 BCE-1225 BCE Made in Cyprus Terracotta, paint 17 1/2 in. (44.45 cm) R.T. Miller Fund, 51.204

The Funeral of Patroclus, from Homer’s Iliad All as one, the armies cried out in sorrow, and Achilles led the chant. In the Iliad, the epic poem recounting the Trojan War, the Three times they drove their full-maned stallions round the Greek hero Achilles led his own mighty band of warriors, body, Myrmidon soldiers mourning, called the Myrmidons. When Achilles argued with the other And the sands grew wet; the armor of fighting men grew wet Greek leaders, he and his Myrmidons withdrew from battle. with tears, such bitter sorrow roused… Without Achilles, the Greek army suffered terrible losses. Patroclus, that terrible warrior who sent defeated Trojans headlong. Achilles’ beloved cousin and companion Patroclus borrowed Achilles’ armor, helmet and shield, so he could lead the After the Greeks had eaten, and constructed Patroclus’ Myrmidons back into battle for the Greeks. But Patroclus funeral pyre, was mistaken for Achilles himself, and killed by the Trojan hero Hector. The enraged Achilles re-entered the battle to … Achilles again called his Myrmidons, keen for battle: avenge Patroclus’ death, and then called his men together to mourn their loss. “Belt yourselves in bronze! Each driver yoke his team! Chariots harnessed!” Up they rose and strapped on armor “Charioteers in fast formation – friends to the death! and swung aboard the war chariots, drivers, fighters beside We must not release our horses from the chariots yet. them—and the horse moved out in front, behind came clouds All in battle-order, drive them past the body of Patroclus— of infantry, men by thousands, our parade of sorrow will mourn him with solemn honors and in their midst his comrades bore Patroclus. owed the dead." Behind them brilliant Achilles held the head, in tears – this was his steadfast friend whom he escorted down to the House of Death.

PICTURING THE STORY: NARRATIVE ARTS AND THE STORIES THEY TELL

READING THE ART Fine pottery vessels appear often in Mycenaean, as well as The krater is a large, wide-mouthed jar used for mixing wine later Greek, tombs and settlement sites throughout the and water. Although not a matched pair, the two kraters date Mediterranean region. These two Mycenaean kraters were to about the same time, and are very similar in shape and found in an archaeological excavation on the island of design. Cyprus. Cyprus was an important island in the trade routes of the ancient Mediterranean Sea, and location of a significant Both kraters feature scenes of two horse-drawn chariots, Mycenaean colony. specialized two-wheeled carts which changed the nature of ancient warfare. Each chariot is manned by two armed HOMER AND THE ILIAD warriors. In an early attempt to show the chariots pulled by The Iliad is one of only two complete surviving portions of a two horses, the vase painter gave a single horse body two series of epic poems about the Trojan War. According to the tails, two pairs of hind legs and forelegs, and two heads. On story, a romance between the Trojan prince Paris and Helen, the smaller vase (51.204) the horses are preceded by a queen of the Greek city Sparta, sparked this legendary 10- running figure. year conflict between the united Greek city-states and the city of Troy. The action of the Iliad takes place towards the end of The vase painters attempted to fill up the spaces in a scene the war. with decorative elements. These might include spots, stars, curved lines, stylized flowers or abstract floral motifs. Such The Iliad comes out of the rich oral tradition of storytelling, floral, tree-like objects fill in the spaces behind the horses and song and poetry of ancient Greece. The blind Greek poet underneath the handles. Homer is identified as the “author” of the Iliad as well as the Odyssey, the other surviving epic. The Greeks themselves CONNECTING THE CULTURE believed that Homer lived during the time of the Trojan War, In ancient Mediterranean societies, feasting and social and recorded the heroic deeds of that war in the epics. The drinking occasions celebrated accomplishments, honored the Homeric poems became the ultimate standards of wisdom, gods, and displayed wealth, power and generosity. The krater, heroism and adventure, and influenced generations of later as a container for wine, strongly symbolizes the importance writers throughout the world. of social drinking and feasting within the Mycenaean ruling warrior society. The popularity of the chariot procession MATERIALS AND METHODS perhaps served as a celebration of the high status warrior Mycenaean potters used a form of the potter’s wheel, turned class in Mycenaean society. by hand, to manipulate clay into shape. Incised decoration and handles or spouts could be attached later. Finished clay The Mycenaean culture dominated Bronze Age Greece from vessels were baked, or fired, in a special oven called a kiln. about 1900 to 1100 BCE. Records written in an early Greek The potter controlled the air flow and temperature inside the script called Linear B describe the king at the city of kiln, changing the color of the finished pieces and their Mycenae as the head of a highly organized system of city- "painted" decorations. states ruled by strong military leaders, priests and bureaucrats. Mycenaean ships maintained an extensive trade network from southern Italy to Egypt for ivory carvings, gold ornaments, glass, and bronze. Neighboring cultures throughout the Mediterranean region prized Mycenaean pottery, probably containing oil, wine and other goods.