Pottery Of The Late Bronze Age
Rebecca Moore
Similar Objects
- Minoan stirrup jar
- Dated to 1300-1200 B.C
- Has a similar shape with handles on either side of a spout and a rounded base
- Outer layer displays an octopus with outstretching tentacles that wrap around the compartment
The Late Bronze Age in Mycenaean Greece
1550 B.C.E-1100 B.C.E
- The Mycenaean Civilization, a term derived from Mycenae
- Brought prosperity to mainland Greece between 1600 and 1100 B.C.
- Industries saw the creation pottery and bronze
- Indulged in gems, gold, jewelry and other expenses
- Mycenaeans conquered Crete around 1450 B.C., believed by archaeologists to be the effect of the Santorini eruption in 1625 B.C
- Goods derived from the Minoan population on Crete.
- Designs and styles were adopted by the Mycenaeans
- Began to influence the art of the mainland.
Artistic Style
- An example of a Minoan influence on Mycenaean pottery
- The octopus decoratively wraps its tentacles around the base of the jar with other marine life surrounding it
- Aquatic theme was most likely influenced by the Late Minoan period
- Water front cultures were often decorating their subjects with sea-life because of ‘marine-style vessels’ that sailed through the Mediterranean in the years of the Minoan Crete
- Mycenaeans were bestowing their dominance and power over trade and land
Stirrup Jar With Octopus
- Resembles the pottery of the Mycenaean culture in mainland Greece
- Dated to 1200 B.C.
- Constructed from terracotta
- A clay-based ceramic that is ‘baked or semi-fired’ with a ‘mixture of clay, grog, and water.’
- Stirrup jar
- Two handles on either side
- Spout leading into a circular holding cell
- Used to transport or store substances and designed not to spill.