How to Observe in Archaeology Part 7

Use of purple paint to supplement black both for details of figures and for band decoration.

Geometric ornament (though perhaps with a difference) survives to fill blank s.p.a.ces on backgrounds of scenes.

Varieties of style. Beasts drawn in silhouette, heads outlined, eyes, &c., drawn in, early, and mainly in the islands (III, Fig. 29). Later whole figures in silhouette with details incised, particularly identified with Corinthian and Boeotian and Laconian styles (III, Fig.

26). Styles most likely to be found on the mainland are 'Proto- Corinthian' and 'Corinthian'.

'Proto-Corinthian' (also called Argive Linear). Small vases, very fine pale clay. Decoration chiefly horizontal lines very fine. Rays from feet. Sometimes silhouette animals round shoulder.

Characteristic shapes: pear-shaped aryballoi, and lekythi with conical body, long neck, and trefoil lip (III, Figs. 24 and 25).

'Corinthian'. Clay pale buff to warm biscuit colour. Rays round foot.

Purple bands. Rows of usual animals. Incisions. Details in purple.

Ground ornaments, incised rosettes more or less carefully drawn.

These in great profusion leaving very little bare s.p.a.ce. (III, Fig. 26; hatched lines=purple.) Throughout this period desire for a light ground was felt, and where the natural colour of the clay did not give sufficient contrast it was covered with a strip of cream-or white clay (e.g. Rhodian, Naucrat.i.te, Laconian; see III, Fig. 28, Early Laconian Vase).

Terra-cotta Figurines.

Series that culminates with Tanagra figures of fourth century begins.

May be said always to be a step in advance of contemporary sculpture if any.

Statuettes rare at this date, but relief heads on flat plaques or on vase handles common. Treatment of hair usually resembles Restoration wig (III, Fig. 20). Rosette frequent on shoulders represents head of bronze (rarely silver or gold) shoulder pin.

Bronzes.

Pins (to fasten dress at shoulder). Three large bosses increasing in size as they near head replace many small equal bosses of preceding period. Disc heavier (III, Fig. 22).

Brooches. Spiral type has disappeared. Couchant lion type with snake tail has been found at Olympia and Sparta. In general brooches cease to be common.

Plaques (doubtless affixed to wood). Relief patterns of guilloches or rows of bosses. Figure scenes similar to those on pottery.

Characteristic of seventh century. Chance of picking up slight.

Inscriptions. Earliest extant examples of use of Greek script on stone may date from this period. For developments, see tables of alphabets, Ill.u.s.tration IV.

[Ill.u.s.tration IV: GREEK ALPHABETS]

B. Black Figured Period.

600 B.C.--Predominance of Attic pottery. Decay of local styles.

Introduction of red colouring into clay and of superlative Attic black glaze.

Figure scenes (battle scenes and scenes from mythology) largely predominate. Black silhouettes, details marked with fine incisions, additions of purple and white (latter for linen and flesh of women).

Elaborate palmettos characteristic (III, Fig. 31).

IV. CLa.s.sICAL GREEK

Red Figured Period.

525 B.C. Same clay and glaze, but whole vase covered with glaze and figures reserved showing in colour of clay, details being added with fine-drawn lines of glaze.

White Attic Vases. The older style of figures drawn in outline on a light ground (e. g. Naucrat.i.te and Rhodian ware), the s.p.a.ce within outlines being filled more or less with wash of colour, survived in Athens side by side with the more usual black glazed ware, and in the fifth century was particularly affected for the cla.s.s of funerary lekythi, vases made for offering at a tomb (III, Fig. 30). Outlines at first drawn in black, then golden brown, lastly a dull red.

Miscellaneous.

Walls. Sixth century. Characteristic type of polygonal wall, each irregular stone very carefully fitted to its neighbours.

Fortifications usually built with square towers and bastions projecting from the curtain.

Round watch towers here and there to be met with.

Bricks. Baked bricks rarely used till Roman days. Bricks stamped by King Nabis (early second century) have been found at Sparta.

Terra-cotta roof tiles (sometimes with stamped inscriptions) largely used.

Laconian Pottery Characteristics. Fragments of black glazed Attic ware are the cla.s.s of remains easiest to pick up on any Greek inhabited site, except perhaps in Laconia, where perhaps for political reasons the local style was never ousted and pursued its natural process of decay until h.e.l.lenistic times. Use of white slip over pink clay complete at end of seventh century, then partial; abandoned by beginning of fifth century. Characteristic patterns, squares, and dots (III, Fig. 28) seventh century; lotus and pomegranates sixth century and fifth century.

500 B.C.--After the end of the fifth century, manufacture of vases at Athens decayed. Supply chiefly from South Italy. Growing use of additional white (rare in Attic red figure vases), sometimes addition of detail in yellowish brown, and a general coa.r.s.eness of execution, mark the change.

Terra-cotta figurines (figures of everyday life, mostly female; head- quarters Tanagra in Boeotia) prevalent.

V. h.e.l.lENISTIC

300 B.C. Side by side with decay of red-figure style appear two cla.s.ses of vase that became very prevalent.

(1) White designs, often floral, on totally black ground of inferior dull glaze.

(2) Black ware decorated not by paint but by moulded figures and patterns.

Also the handles of unpainted jars with stamped impressions (buff clay) not uncommon. Provenance mainly Rhodes.

VI. ROMAN

h.e.l.lenistic ware (2) is forerunner of Samian or Aretine red pottery with moulded designs. Very widespread in Greece in Imperial days.

VII. BYZANTINE AGE

Remains as far as the scope of this section is concerned are few.

Fragments of pottery may be found at Sparta. These bear strong resemblance to the contemporary wares found in Egypt belonging to the early Mohammedan period.

Transparent l.u.s.trous glaze. Ground usually pale yellow or cream, sometimes pale green. Designs childish in character. Lions, birds, human figures painted in brown under the glaze or incised through.

CHAPTER III

ASIA MINOR

[See the diagrams of pottery, Ill.u.s.tration V: ASIA MINOR POTTERY]