Day 2 – Classics and Ancient History Academic Exercise Answers
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Day 2 – Classics and Ancient History Academic Exercise Answers Minoan and Mycenaean Period What was the name given to the civilisation that built the palaces discovered by Sir Arthur Evans on Crete? This was the Minoan civilization, named by Sir Arthur Evans after the legendary King Minos who was said to have lived at Knossos and to have built the labyrinth. Which mythical monster was also supposed to call Crete home, and what was the name of the hero who slayed this beast in the labyrinth? Minos built the labyrinth to house his wife’s son (by the god Zeus in the shape of a bull – don’t ask) the Minotaur. The Greek hero Theseus, from Athens, killed the Minotaur. Minos’ daughter Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of string to help him find his way back out of the labyrinth. When was the Mycenaean Period and what kind of things were depicted in Mycenaean art? The Mycenaean period ran from around 1600-1100BC. Living on mainland Greece, they were in awe of an influenced by the Minoans, and hence a lot of their art is based on Minoan concerns, with lots of frescoes of girls and nature. However, the Mycenaeans had an interest in war and much of their art reflects this interest. What famous mythic (?) event took place towards the end of the Mycenaean period, and which poet immortalised it in the Iliad? This was the Trojan War. The city of troy is a real place and archaeology has shown it was sacked some time around 1200BC. Homer wrote an epic poem called the Iliad about the war. Why were the Dark Ages not as dark as we might imagine? As you will have seen, most of what we think of as Greek was developing at this time, with movements forward in Greek art, Greek religion and mythology. We have no written sources as there was no writing during this time, but the artefacts we are digging up reveal a vibrant developing culture much like later Greece. What typically Greek things began to develop during this time? See answer above. Dark Age and Archaic Period What’s the name of the style of ancient art characterised by ordered patterns, typically found on pottery and ceramics? This was Geometric art, preceded by Proto-Geomatric art (‘first’ geometric) and these styles give their names to the general time periods. So we refer to the Proto-geometric period for example. What common elements reveal a relationship between Egyptian art and the ancient Greek Kouroi statues? The straight, rigid structure, the archaic smile, the hands held beside the hips, and the left leg placed slightly forward. Some Greek sculptures were monumental like some of their Egyptian equivalents. What are the main developments in style between the New York Kouros and the Kritios Boy? The rigidity is evaporating, replaced by a more relaxed realistic pose. The hair and face are less stylised, more individual. The hands are being freed from the sides, and the musculature is more realistic and the whole thing less formulaic. Why does the Kritios Boy have hollow eyes? What is the name given to statues of females at this time, and where were most of these statues, male and female, typically found? He was perhaps a model for a larger bronze. As you will have seen from statues such as the Charioteer at Delphi, bronze statues had inlaid eyes of glass. Female statues were called korai (single kore) and like their male counterparts were often dedicated at sanctuaries as gifts for the gods, or were set up as tomb markers. Classical Period Name one of the two gods believed to be depicted by the Artemision bronze? Zeus or Poseidon. What might he have held? Zeus would have held a thunderbolt, Poseidon a trident. What does democracy literally mean in Greek? It comes from the Greek demos and kratos which mean people and power – literally ‘power of the people’. Whose reforms in 508 BC mark the start of Athenian democracy? A popular politician and aristocrat named Cleisthenes. What is the name of the artistic technique that refers to the stance with most weight on one foot? It is an Italian term, contrapposto, which literally means counterpoise. Who made the Doryphoros and why is it so special? Polycleitus (Polykleitos) sculpted the Doryphoros based on mathematical principles, so it represented the Greek idea of ideal male beauty. How did female sculpture differ from male sculpture in the Classical Period? Male sculpture right from the Archaic Period depicted the nude, but females in sculpture were clothed until well into the Classical period. As the model of beauty and athleticism, male sculpture is much more common than female. When females are sculpted nude, there begins to seem an element of voyeurism and eroticism about the treatment. Hellenistic and Roman Period Which ruler commissioned the Altar at Pergamon, and where is it now? Eumenes II of the Attalid dynasty commissioned the altar in the first half of the second century BC. It is now in the Altes Museum in Berlin. Laocoön was a priest of which ancient city, at war with the Greeks? Troy. The Laocoön group has influenced artists throughout history. Can you name one of the Renaissance artists who were inspired by this Hellenistic masterpiece? Michelangelo and Raphael were both influenced by the group. The Terme Boxer was a forerunner of which Hyper-realistic Roman style of portraiture? Verism. We could call it warts and all, with added warts. When did this style lose its appeal and when did it come back into fashion during the Roman Period? It lost appeal during the early empire under Augustus (after 31BC) but returned again with the death of Nero in AD68. .