02 



KNOWLEDGE 



[Ai'RiL 1, 1896. 



regarded as representing the age of Agamemnon and other 

 legendary Greek lierocs, the seat of whose pow:r was iit 

 Mycen.T ; and if tliis be so, it would place thmi in the 

 twelfth and thirteenth centuries n.c. 



This Mycenipan ware is probably Greek, but shows 

 traces of Egyptian and Asiatic influence ; moreover the 

 subjects of the painted vases are largely drawn from 

 marine objects, a point from which it may bo inferred that 

 they are the products of a seafaring people, which would 

 also be implied by the remarkable number of dili'erent sites 

 on which they have been found, all on or near the coast of 

 the Mediterranean. 



The Mycen.ian vases are remarkable for the introduction 

 of lustrous colours, a new factor in vase-painting, and to 

 all intents peculiar to Greek ceramics. Hitherto the colours 

 used were dull and opaque, or what is technically known 

 as nxttt : now the pigments more resemble varnish from 

 their thick and lustrous character. The painting is in all 

 shades of yellow, brown, or black, on a polished warm 

 yellow surface. The shapes are highly characteristic, 

 especially a tall, graceful, two-handled goblet (.s«r Fit;. 2 

 in the February article), and a jar with spout and small 

 mouth, over which a bow-shaped handle passes, so as 

 to close it up ; this latter form is known as a " false 

 amphora," and it was probably used for oil. A third form 

 is a large capacious owl on a high stem, with two or three 

 side-handles. 



On the tall goblets we almost invariably find a cuttle- 

 fish depicted. Seaweed and shellfish are very common, 

 especially on the Rhodian specimens ; and the British 

 Museum possesses a unique specimen with a nautilus, 

 found in Egypt. The special feature of these subjects is, 

 however, the extraordinary naturalism which prevads. 



On the other hand, with the human figure this is not 

 the case ; it is true that such subjects seldom occur on 

 the Mycena9an vases, but when they do it is with all the 



Fro. 2. — Large Vase (Lebes) of Plialeron Style. From Athens. 



characteristics of archaic rudeness and simplicity. This 

 is only in accordance with a universal principle in Greek 

 vase-painting, by which the mastery is first obtained 

 over vegetable forms, next in the rendering of the lower 



animals, and it is not till the perfect development of 

 art that the human figure is represented with absolute 

 accuracy. 



It should be noted that much of the ornamentation of 

 these vases is influenced by the conventional decoration of 

 metal-work ; this is especially the case witli those found at 

 Mycemc itself, and it must be remembered that this was 

 an art in which these people pre-eminently excelled ; 

 moreover, it is an influence that makes itself felt through- 

 out the whole history of Greek ceramics. 



We must now turn aside to consider the products of an 

 island which plays a remarkable part in the history of 

 (ireek ceramics, namely, Cyprus. Although the fabrics 

 of this island are to a great extent rather Phoenician 

 than Greek, it is yet impossible to disregard them in 

 the consideration of a history of Greek pottery. The 

 earliest examples of pottery found in the island are 

 the products of the indigenous Greek people before the 

 Phoenicians invaded the island. The vases are covered 

 with a vitreous slip and baked to a lustrous red, and 

 are ornamented with patterns of lines incised with a 

 knife. Other vases are made of fine grey clay, and orna- 

 mented with applique work, or moulded into all kinds of 

 fancy shapes. No bronze objects have been found with 

 these, but stone spindle-whorls and similar articles. 

 Coming down to a somewhat later period, we have the 

 tombs which belong to the Mycenaean age, and the 

 beginning of the bronze age in Cyprus. The native 

 pottery found in these tombs is often an imitation of the 

 imported Mycenfean fabrics. Many genuine Mycensean 

 vases have also been found in these tombs, the " false 

 amphora" described above being remarkably common, and 

 a small class of unique interest, of which two examples 

 have lately been excavated for the British Museum ; these 

 are large two-handled jars with figures of men and women 

 in chariots, which hitherto have only been found in 

 Cyprus — and, in fact, there are barely 

 half a dozen in existence. The two 

 aforesaid vases were found on the site 

 of the ancient city of Curium, of which 

 we have a record in a passage of the 

 geographer Strabo, that it was founded 

 by the Argives, i.e., the people of Argos 

 in Greece, which at that time was 

 closely connected with the Mycensean 

 civilization. 



The next event of importance in the 

 history of Cyprus was the advent of the 

 Phcenicians, from which time onwards 

 there is a great change in the style of 

 the pottery. The tombs of this period 

 contain many vases with geometrical 

 decoration, corresponding to a develop- 

 ment in Greece proper which we shall 

 shortly discuss ; and in the subjects 

 we see a very marked Assyrian and 

 Egyptian influence. From the former 

 are derived figures of strange monsters 

 and fantastic deities, while from the 

 latter come such motives as lotos- 

 flowers and aquatic birds. (See Fig. 1 

 in the February article). 



Returning now to the mainland of 

 Greece, we find Athens for the first 

 time coming to the front and laying the foundations 

 of the great reputation which, in later times, left her 

 mistress of the field in the production of ceramic 

 masterpieces. The period we have to deal with is that 



