 tradition. The free drawing composition gave way to order and symmetry. The quality of pottery was considerably improved and production became massive. The vases of this period were influenced by the themes of the frescoes. Illustrations of animals, birds and human figures or even iconographic scenes of a narrative character appear for the first time on pottery. These elements and the more general decorative trends of that period present a uniformity on a large part of the Mycenaean territory Clear peculiarities in the local workshops, which express the dissolution of the previous centralized trends are distinguished from the Late Helladic III C period. Ceramic which comes from sites where ceramic kilns have been discovered facilitate the distinction of the regional differences. The next and last phase of the Submycenaean period reveal clearly the signs of decline which are expressed in the simplification of the decoration and the inartistic manufacture of ceramics.
The third Late Minoan period is seen as a step backwards in terms of pottery. Most examples are considered inferrior to the earlier palace style vessles. The last showing of naturalistic decoration that was common at the end of the Middle Minoan period appears in a lifeless and poor representation. Overall decoration was fairly loose and appeared around the shoulders of the vases with bands around the lower parts of the vase.
In contrast, Late Mycenean vases exhibited a large array of figure representation. The two classes of figure vases were animal representation and battle field and other compositions taken from wall paintings. " The best-known example is the Warrior vase from the Mycenae representing the departure for the battlefield." (Buschor, 15)
Warrior vase from Mycenae
"Apart from these figured representations, one may say that Cretan vase-painting, after its brilliant achievements in the Kamares, shaft graves, and Palace styles, sinks down to that primitive level from which it started: it becomes once more a geometric style." (Buschor, 15). With shifts in population known as the Dorian Invasion the Bronze Age came to a close. Mycenean style pottery disappears and began to give way to the Geometric Style.
Buschor, Ernst. Greek Vase-Painting. New York: Hacker Art Books, 1978.
Whitley, James. The Archaelolgy of Ancient Greece. 2004. Ed. Norman Yoffee. Cambridge: The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 2004.
Richter, Gisela M.A. A Handbook of Greek Art: A Survey of the Visual Arts of Ancient Greece. 1959. New York: Da Capo Press, Inc., 1987.
EARLY MINOAN POTTERY, INCLUDING EXAMPLES WITH "BEAK" OR "TEAPOT SPOUTS". Sculpture. 21 Nov. 2005 <http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/moc/img/ 20800.jpg>.
A beaker jug in Kamares style; Middle Minoan IIA, 1800 BC. Photograph. 21 Nov. 2005 <http://www.ou.edu/finearts/art/ahi4913/aegeanslides/008.jpg>.
Octopus Flask. Photograph. 21 Nov. 2005 <http://www.rocky.edu/~mcclurej/ octopusjar.jpg>.
Warrior Vase. Photograph. 22 Nov. 2005 <http://www.beloit.edu/~classics/ Trojan%20War%20Site/Archaeology/Warrior_Vase_Medium(Mycenae_c.1200BCE).jpg>.
Clay Vessle from Dimini. Photograph. 21 Nov. 2005 <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/art/pottery/pictures/ dimini.jpg>.
Sesklo Ware. Photograph. 21 Nov. 2005 <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/ greeks/art/pottery/pictures/sesklo.jpg>.
Posted at Dec 10/2005 08:54AM:
chris witmore: Hi Xxavier, in your movement from Neolithic to the Bronze Age you should consider the sub-periods which mark more subtle shifts in ceramic developments...