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Submycenaean pottery is a style of Ancient Greek pottery that is transitional between the preceding Mycenaean pottery and the subsequent styles of Greek vase painting, particularly the Protogeometric style. The vases from this period date between 1030 and 1000 BC.
Submycenaean pottery is a style of Ancient Greek pottery that is transitional between the preceding Mycenaean pottery and the subsequent styles of Greek vase painting, particularly the Protogeometric style. The vases from this period date between 1030 and 1000 BC.
Discovery and Research
Submycenaean pottery is not extensively researched due to the limited number of discovered sites. The style was first identified in 1939 by Wilhelm Kraiker and Karl Kübler, based on finds from theKerameikos
Kerameikos (, ) also known by its latinization of names, Latinized form Ceramicus, is an area of Athens, Greece, located to the northwest of the Acropolis, Athens, Acropolis, which includes an extensive area both within and outside the ancient ci ...
and Pompeion cemeteries in Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
and Salamis. The existence of the style was initially disputed among archaeologists until later discoveries in Mycenae confirmed distinct Late Mycenaean and Submycenaean strata
In geology and related fields, a stratum (: strata) is a layer of Rock (geology), rock or sediment characterized by certain Lithology, lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by v ...
.
Context and Distribution
Submycenaean pottery occurs primarily in contexts such as inhumations and stone-built cist graves. The distribution of finds suggests a settlement pattern consisting of hamlets and villages. In addition to Athens and Salamis, Submycenaean pottery has been discovered inCorinth
Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...
, Asine, Kalapodi, Lefkandi, and Tiryns.
Shapes and Decoration
The quality of Submycenaean vases varies widely. Only a few shapes were produced, including stirrup jars with a pierced shoulder, belly amphorae, neck amphorae, '' lekythoi'', and jars, some with trefoil-shaped mouths. By the end of the Submycenaean period, the stirrup jar was replaced by the ''lekythos''. The decoration on Submycenaean pottery is simple; motifs are limited to horizontal or vertical wavy lines, single or double hatched and overlapping triangles, and single or multiple concentric semicircles. Ornamental decoration is found on the shoulders of ''lekythoi'', amphorae, and stirrup jars. Amphorae, '' amphoriskoi'', and jugs typically feature one or several thick wavy lines. The overall style is less refined and carefully made compared to earlier pottery, leading one art historian to describe it as "rather unlovable".Notes
References
* Thomas Mannack: ''Griechische Vasenmalerei. Eine Einführung''. Theiss, Stuttgart 2002, p. 66f. .Further reading
* Betancourt, Philip P. 2007. ''Introduction to Aegean Art.'' Philadelphia: INSTAP Academic Press. * Preziosi, Donald, and Louise A. Hitchcock. 1999. ''Aegean Art and Architecture.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press. {{authority control 11th century BC in Greece 11th-century BC works 1939 archaeological discoveries Ancient Greek pottery Funerary art Mycenaean art Tiryns