Chapter 4 Study Guide

Prehistoric Aegean

Cycladic

• Keros Musician, Keros, Greece, c. 2600-2300 BC

Minoan

• Palace of Knossos, Knossos, Crete, Greece, c. 1700-1370 BC
• Bull-Leaping Fresco, Knossos, Crete, Greece, c. 1400-1370 BC
• Marine-Style Octopus Flask, Palaikastro, Crete, Greece, c. 1450 BC
• Snake Goddess, Knossos, Crete, Greece, c. 1600 BC

Mycenaean

• Lion Gate, Mycenae, Greece, c. 1300-1250 BC
• Treasury of Atreus, Mycenae, Greece, c. 1300-1250 BC
• Funerary Mask (‘Death Mask of Agamenmon’), Grave Circle A, Mycenae, Greece, c. 1600-1500 BC

1. Where did each of the three unique cultures of Prehistoric Greece flourish?

2. Which features of the Palace of Knossos likely gave rise to the legend of King Minos and the Minotaur?

3. In Minoan painting, how are men and women most easily distinguished?

4. Unlike the Egyptians, who painted in fresco secco, the Minoans painted their walls using a ‘true fresco’ method. Explain what this means and list one benefit and one drawback of true fresco.

5. What is particularly significant about the depiction of the human figure on the Harvesters Vase?

6. Explain Cyclopean Masonry. What does it mean and how did the term come about?

7. What is the largest sculpture from the Prehistoric Aegean?