{"id":760,"date":"2020-09-23T12:22:09","date_gmt":"2020-09-23T16:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/cavestocathedrals\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=760"},"modified":"2021-01-02T17:00:41","modified_gmt":"2021-01-02T22:00:41","slug":"pottery","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/cavestocathedrals\/chapter\/pottery\/","title":{"raw":"Geometric Period","rendered":"Geometric Period"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"nav-container\"><nav role=\"navigation\">\r\n<div class=\"book-title-wrapper\">\r\n<p class=\"book-title\"><span style=\"font-weight: normal;text-align: initial;color: #373d3f;font-family: Lora, serif;font-size: 1em\">The [pb_glossary id=\"1196\"]Geometric Period[\/pb_glossary] in Greek art is distinguished by a reliance on geometric shapes to create human and animal figures as well as abstract d\u00e9cor.<\/span><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/nav><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">By the end of this module you will be able to:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Identify and describe the form, content, and context of key works of Geometric art<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Define critical terms related to Geometric art<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Discuss characteristics of the sculptures and pottery produced during the Geometric Period<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\r\n<div id=\"wrap\">\r\n<div id=\"content\" role=\"main\">\r\n<div id=\"post-1615\" class=\"standard post-1615 chapter type-chapter status-publish hentry\">\r\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\r\n<div class=\"boundless-concept\">\r\n<h3>Geometric Pottery<\/h3>\r\nIn the eleventh century BCE, the citadel centers of the Mycenaeans were abandoned and Greece fell into a period with little cultural or social progression. Signs of civilization including literacy, writing, and trade were lost and the population on mainland Greece plummeted.\r\n\r\nDuring the Proto-Geometric Period (1050\u2013900 BCE), painting on ceramics began to re-emerge. These vessels were decorated with abstract geometric shapes adopted from Mycenaean pottery. Ceramicists began using the fast wheel to create vessels, which allowed for new monumental heights.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 380px\" data-global-id=\"gid:\/\/boundless\/Image\/11854\">\r\n<div class=\"figure-cont\">\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"380\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1849\/2017\/05\/31155525\/geometric-amphora-bm-a1124.jpeg\" alt=\"Photo of a tall jar with two handles and a narrow neck. It is decorated with two geometric circles.\" width=\"380\" height=\"611\" \/> <em><strong>Proto-Geometric amphora:<\/strong> Proto-Geometric amphora, c. 975\u2013950 BCE.<\/em>[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nIn the Geometric Period that followed, figures once more became present on the vessel. The period lasted from 900 to 700 BCE and marked the end of the Greek Dark Ages. A new Greek culture emerged during this time. The population grew, trade began once more, and the Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet for writing. Unlike the Mycenaeans, this culture was more focused on the people of the polis, which is reflected in the art of this period. The period gets its name from the reliance on geometric shapes and patterns in its art, and even their use in depicting both human and animal figures.\r\n<h3>Athens<\/h3>\r\nThe city of Athens became the center for pottery production. A potter\u2019s quarter in the section of the city known as the Kerameikos was located on either side of the Dipylon Gate, one of the city\u2019s west gates. The potters lived and work inside the gate in the city, while outside the gate, along the road, was a large cemetery.\r\n\r\nIn the Geometric Period, monumental-sized kraters and amphorae up to six feet tall were used as grave markers for the burials just outside the gate. Kraters marked male graves, while amphorae marked female graves.\r\n\r\nThe Dipylon Master, an unknown painter whose hand is recognized on many different vessels, displays the great expertise required for decorating these funerary markers. The vessels were first thrown a wheel, an important technological development at the time before painting began. Both the Diplyon Krater and Dipylon Amphora demonstrate the main characteristics of painting during this time. For one, the entire vessel is decorated in a style known as <em>horror vacui<\/em>, a style in which the entire surface of the medium is filled with imagery. A decorative meander is on the lip of the [pb_glossary id=\"1146\"]krater[\/pb_glossary] and on many registers of the amphora. This geometric motif is constructed from a single, continuous line in a repeated shape or motif.\r\n\r\nThe main scene is depicted on the widest part of the pot\u2019s body. These scenes relate to the funerary aspect of the pot and may depict mourners, a prothesis (a ritual of laying the body out and mourning), or even funerary games and processions.\r\n\r\nOn the Dipylon Krater, two registers depict a processional scene, an ekphora, (the transportation of the body to the cemetery) and the prothesis. The dead man of the prothesis scene is seen on the upper register. He is laid out on a bier and mourners, distinguished by their hands tearing at their hair, surround the body. Above the body is a shroud, which the artist depicts above and not over the body in order to allow the viewer to see the entirety of the scene.\r\n\r\nOn the register below, chariots and soldiers form a funerary procession. The soldiers are identified by their uniquely shaped shields. The Dipylon Amphora depicts a prothesis in a wide register around the pot.\r\n\r\nIn both vessels, men and women are distinguished by protruding triangles on their chest or waist to represent breasts or a penis. Every empty space in these scenes is filled with geometric shapes\u2014M\u2019s, diamonds, starbursts\u2014demonstrating the Geometric painter\u2019s horror vacui.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 414px\" data-global-id=\"gid:\/\/boundless\/Image\/11855\">\r\n<div class=\"figure-cont\">\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"414\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/textimgs.s3.amazonaws.com\/boundless-art-history\/nama-hirschfeld-painter.jpe#fixme\" alt=\"Color photo shows a Greek krater (large vase used for mixing wine). It is decorated with a variety of geometric patterns.\" width=\"414\" height=\"621\" \/> <em><strong>Geometric krater:<\/strong> Geometric krater. From the Dipylon Cemetery, Athens, Greece, c. 740 BCE.<\/em>[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"boundless-concept\">\r\n<h2>Sculpture in the Greek Geometric Period<\/h2>\r\nAlthough derived from geometric shapes, the Ancient Greek sculptures of the Geometric Period show some artistic observation of nature. The ancient Greek sculptures of the Geometric Period, although derived from geometric shapes, bear evidence of an artistic observation of nature in some circumstances. Small-scale sculptures, usually made of bronze, [pb_glossary id=\"991\"]terra cotta[\/pb_glossary], or ivory, were commonly produced during this time. Bronzes were made using the [pb_glossary id=\"1128\"]lost-wax technique[\/pb_glossary], probably introduced from Syria, and were often left as votive offerings at sanctuaries such as Delphi and Olympia.\r\n<h3>Human Figures<\/h3>\r\nThe human figures are made of a triangle as a torso that supports a bulbous head with a triangular chin and nose. Their arms are cylindrical, and only their legs have a slightly more naturalistic shape. These attributes can be seen in a small sculpture of a seated man drinking from a cup that displays the typical modelling figures as simple, linear forms that enclose open space. Especially noteworthy are his elongated arms that mirror the dimensions of his legs.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" data-global-id=\"gid:\/\/boundless\/Image\/33771\">\r\n<div class=\"figure-cont\">\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"359\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/textimgs.s3.amazonaws.com\/boundless-art-history\/2iypjbnjtxizrbj6grls.jpe#fixme\" alt=\"Photo shows a bronze figure, seated with its head in its hands. Its limbs are thin and elongated.\" width=\"359\" height=\"488\" \/> <em><strong>Seated Male Figure:<\/strong> This is made of bronze and created around 750\u2013700 BCE. Note how the statue\u2019s elongated arms mirror the dimensions of his legs.<\/em>[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nA relatively naturalistic rendering of human legs is also evident in Man and Centaur, also known as Heracles and Nessos (c. 750\u2013730 BCE). Without the equine back and hind legs, the centaur portion of the sculpture is a shorter man with human legs.\r\n\r\nLike the seated man above, the two figures feature elongated arms, with the right arm of the centaur forming one continuous line with the left arm of the man. While the seated man appears to be clean-shaven, the figures in Man and Centaur wear beards, which usually symbolized maturity. The hollow eye sockets of the figure of the man probably once held inlay for a more realistic appearance.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" data-global-id=\"gid:\/\/boundless\/Image\/33772\">\r\n<div class=\"figure-cont\">\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"441\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/textimgs.s3.amazonaws.com\/boundless-art-history\/alij5hpraamsslrijiia.jpe#fixme\" alt=\"This is a photo of the small bronze statue Man and Centaur (Heracles and Nessos). The two figures feature elongated arms, with the right arm of the centaur forming one continuous line with the left arm of the man.\" width=\"441\" height=\"609\" \/> <em><strong>Man and Centaur (Heracles and Nessos):<\/strong> This bronze statue was made around 750\u2013730 BCE.<\/em>[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h3>Animal Figures<\/h3>\r\nAnimals, including bulls, deer, horses, and birds, were also based on geometry. Horse figurines were commonly used as offerings to the gods. The animals themselves became symbols of wealth and status due to the high cost of keeping them. Equine bodies may be described as rectangles pinched in the middle with rectangular legs and tails which are similar in shape to deer or bulls.\r\n\r\nThe heads of these mammals are more distinctive, as the horse\u2019s neck arches, while the bull and deer have cylindrical faces distinguished by horns or ears. While the animals and people are based on basic geometric shapes, the artists clearly observed their subjects in order to highlight these distinguishing characters.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"boundless-concept\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" data-global-id=\"gid:\/\/boundless\/Image\/33695\">\r\n<div class=\"figure-cont\">\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"391\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/textimgs.s3.amazonaws.com\/boundless-art-history\/j4hx0qmvtcaqdg4ywydj.jpe#fixme\" alt=\"Photo depicts a geometric horse statuette made from bronze.\" width=\"391\" height=\"505\" \/> <em><strong>Geometric Horse statuette:<\/strong> This bronze statue from Olympia, Greece, circa 700 BCE.<\/em>[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--key-takeaways\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Summary<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The Geometric Period marked the end of Greece\u2019s Dark Age and lasted from 900 to 700 BCE.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The Geometric Period derives its name from the dominance of geometric motifs in vase painting.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Monumental kraters and amphorae were made and decorated as grave markers. These vessels are characteristic of Geometric vase painting during this period.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The most famous vessels from this period use a technique called horror vacui, in which every space of the surface is filled with imagery.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Geometric sculptures are primarily small scale and made of bronze, terra cotta, or ivory.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The bronze figures were produced using the lost-wax method of casting.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The human and animal figures produced during this period have geometric features, although the legs on humans appear relatively naturalistic.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Geometric bronzes were typically left as votive offerings at shrines and sanctuaries, such as those at Delphi and Olympia.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Horses came to symbolize wealth due to the high costs of their upkeep.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nAdapted from\u00a0<strong>\"Boundless Art History\"<\/strong> https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/boundless-arthistory\/chapter\/the-geometric-period\/\u00a0<strong>License: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/strong>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"nav-container\">\n<nav role=\"navigation\">\n<div class=\"book-title-wrapper\">\n<p class=\"book-title\"><span style=\"font-weight: normal;text-align: initial;color: #373d3f;font-family: Lora, serif;font-size: 1em\">The <a class=\"glossary-term\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-describedby=\"definition\" href=\"#term_760_1196\">Geometric Period<\/a> in Greek art is distinguished by a reliance on geometric shapes to create human and animal figures as well as abstract d\u00e9cor.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">By the end of this module you will be able to:<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<ul>\n<li>Identify and describe the form, content, and context of key works of Geometric art<\/li>\n<li>Define critical terms related to Geometric art<\/li>\n<li>Discuss characteristics of the sculptures and pottery produced during the Geometric Period<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<div id=\"wrap\">\n<div id=\"content\" role=\"main\">\n<div id=\"post-1615\" class=\"standard post-1615 chapter type-chapter status-publish hentry\">\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<div class=\"boundless-concept\">\n<h3>Geometric Pottery<\/h3>\n<p>In the eleventh century BCE, the citadel centers of the Mycenaeans were abandoned and Greece fell into a period with little cultural or social progression. Signs of civilization including literacy, writing, and trade were lost and the population on mainland Greece plummeted.<\/p>\n<p>During the Proto-Geometric Period (1050\u2013900 BCE), painting on ceramics began to re-emerge. These vessels were decorated with abstract geometric shapes adopted from Mycenaean pottery. Ceramicists began using the fast wheel to create vessels, which allowed for new monumental heights.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 380px\" data-global-id=\"gid:\/\/boundless\/Image\/11854\">\n<div class=\"figure-cont\">\n<figure style=\"width: 380px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1849\/2017\/05\/31155525\/geometric-amphora-bm-a1124.jpeg\" alt=\"Photo of a tall jar with two handles and a narrow neck. It is decorated with two geometric circles.\" width=\"380\" height=\"611\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em><strong>Proto-Geometric amphora:<\/strong> Proto-Geometric amphora, c. 975\u2013950 BCE.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In the Geometric Period that followed, figures once more became present on the vessel. The period lasted from 900 to 700 BCE and marked the end of the Greek Dark Ages. A new Greek culture emerged during this time. The population grew, trade began once more, and the Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet for writing. Unlike the Mycenaeans, this culture was more focused on the people of the polis, which is reflected in the art of this period. The period gets its name from the reliance on geometric shapes and patterns in its art, and even their use in depicting both human and animal figures.<\/p>\n<h3>Athens<\/h3>\n<p>The city of Athens became the center for pottery production. A potter\u2019s quarter in the section of the city known as the Kerameikos was located on either side of the Dipylon Gate, one of the city\u2019s west gates. The potters lived and work inside the gate in the city, while outside the gate, along the road, was a large cemetery.<\/p>\n<p>In the Geometric Period, monumental-sized kraters and amphorae up to six feet tall were used as grave markers for the burials just outside the gate. Kraters marked male graves, while amphorae marked female graves.<\/p>\n<p>The Dipylon Master, an unknown painter whose hand is recognized on many different vessels, displays the great expertise required for decorating these funerary markers. The vessels were first thrown a wheel, an important technological development at the time before painting began. Both the Diplyon Krater and Dipylon Amphora demonstrate the main characteristics of painting during this time. For one, the entire vessel is decorated in a style known as <em>horror vacui<\/em>, a style in which the entire surface of the medium is filled with imagery. A decorative meander is on the lip of the <a class=\"glossary-term\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-describedby=\"definition\" href=\"#term_760_1146\">krater<\/a> and on many registers of the amphora. This geometric motif is constructed from a single, continuous line in a repeated shape or motif.<\/p>\n<p>The main scene is depicted on the widest part of the pot\u2019s body. These scenes relate to the funerary aspect of the pot and may depict mourners, a prothesis (a ritual of laying the body out and mourning), or even funerary games and processions.<\/p>\n<p>On the Dipylon Krater, two registers depict a processional scene, an ekphora, (the transportation of the body to the cemetery) and the prothesis. The dead man of the prothesis scene is seen on the upper register. He is laid out on a bier and mourners, distinguished by their hands tearing at their hair, surround the body. Above the body is a shroud, which the artist depicts above and not over the body in order to allow the viewer to see the entirety of the scene.<\/p>\n<p>On the register below, chariots and soldiers form a funerary procession. The soldiers are identified by their uniquely shaped shields. The Dipylon Amphora depicts a prothesis in a wide register around the pot.<\/p>\n<p>In both vessels, men and women are distinguished by protruding triangles on their chest or waist to represent breasts or a penis. Every empty space in these scenes is filled with geometric shapes\u2014M\u2019s, diamonds, starbursts\u2014demonstrating the Geometric painter\u2019s horror vacui.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 414px\" data-global-id=\"gid:\/\/boundless\/Image\/11855\">\n<div class=\"figure-cont\">\n<figure style=\"width: 414px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/textimgs.s3.amazonaws.com\/boundless-art-history\/nama-hirschfeld-painter.jpe#fixme\" alt=\"Color photo shows a Greek krater (large vase used for mixing wine). It is decorated with a variety of geometric patterns.\" width=\"414\" height=\"621\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em><strong>Geometric krater:<\/strong> Geometric krater. From the Dipylon Cemetery, Athens, Greece, c. 740 BCE.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"boundless-concept\">\n<h2>Sculpture in the Greek Geometric Period<\/h2>\n<p>Although derived from geometric shapes, the Ancient Greek sculptures of the Geometric Period show some artistic observation of nature. The ancient Greek sculptures of the Geometric Period, although derived from geometric shapes, bear evidence of an artistic observation of nature in some circumstances. Small-scale sculptures, usually made of bronze, <a class=\"glossary-term\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-describedby=\"definition\" href=\"#term_760_991\">terra cotta<\/a>, or ivory, were commonly produced during this time. Bronzes were made using the <a class=\"glossary-term\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-describedby=\"definition\" href=\"#term_760_1128\">lost-wax technique<\/a>, probably introduced from Syria, and were often left as votive offerings at sanctuaries such as Delphi and Olympia.<\/p>\n<h3>Human Figures<\/h3>\n<p>The human figures are made of a triangle as a torso that supports a bulbous head with a triangular chin and nose. Their arms are cylindrical, and only their legs have a slightly more naturalistic shape. These attributes can be seen in a small sculpture of a seated man drinking from a cup that displays the typical modelling figures as simple, linear forms that enclose open space. Especially noteworthy are his elongated arms that mirror the dimensions of his legs.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" data-global-id=\"gid:\/\/boundless\/Image\/33771\">\n<div class=\"figure-cont\">\n<figure style=\"width: 359px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/textimgs.s3.amazonaws.com\/boundless-art-history\/2iypjbnjtxizrbj6grls.jpe#fixme\" alt=\"Photo shows a bronze figure, seated with its head in its hands. Its limbs are thin and elongated.\" width=\"359\" height=\"488\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em><strong>Seated Male Figure:<\/strong> This is made of bronze and created around 750\u2013700 BCE. Note how the statue\u2019s elongated arms mirror the dimensions of his legs.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A relatively naturalistic rendering of human legs is also evident in Man and Centaur, also known as Heracles and Nessos (c. 750\u2013730 BCE). Without the equine back and hind legs, the centaur portion of the sculpture is a shorter man with human legs.<\/p>\n<p>Like the seated man above, the two figures feature elongated arms, with the right arm of the centaur forming one continuous line with the left arm of the man. While the seated man appears to be clean-shaven, the figures in Man and Centaur wear beards, which usually symbolized maturity. The hollow eye sockets of the figure of the man probably once held inlay for a more realistic appearance.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" data-global-id=\"gid:\/\/boundless\/Image\/33772\">\n<div class=\"figure-cont\">\n<figure style=\"width: 441px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/textimgs.s3.amazonaws.com\/boundless-art-history\/alij5hpraamsslrijiia.jpe#fixme\" alt=\"This is a photo of the small bronze statue Man and Centaur (Heracles and Nessos). The two figures feature elongated arms, with the right arm of the centaur forming one continuous line with the left arm of the man.\" width=\"441\" height=\"609\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em><strong>Man and Centaur (Heracles and Nessos):<\/strong> This bronze statue was made around 750\u2013730 BCE.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Animal Figures<\/h3>\n<p>Animals, including bulls, deer, horses, and birds, were also based on geometry. Horse figurines were commonly used as offerings to the gods. The animals themselves became symbols of wealth and status due to the high cost of keeping them. Equine bodies may be described as rectangles pinched in the middle with rectangular legs and tails which are similar in shape to deer or bulls.<\/p>\n<p>The heads of these mammals are more distinctive, as the horse\u2019s neck arches, while the bull and deer have cylindrical faces distinguished by horns or ears. While the animals and people are based on basic geometric shapes, the artists clearly observed their subjects in order to highlight these distinguishing characters.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"boundless-concept\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" data-global-id=\"gid:\/\/boundless\/Image\/33695\">\n<div class=\"figure-cont\">\n<figure style=\"width: 391px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/textimgs.s3.amazonaws.com\/boundless-art-history\/j4hx0qmvtcaqdg4ywydj.jpe#fixme\" alt=\"Photo depicts a geometric horse statuette made from bronze.\" width=\"391\" height=\"505\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em><strong>Geometric Horse statuette:<\/strong> This bronze statue from Olympia, Greece, circa 700 BCE.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--key-takeaways\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Summary<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<ul>\n<li>The Geometric Period marked the end of Greece\u2019s Dark Age and lasted from 900 to 700 BCE.<\/li>\n<li>The Geometric Period derives its name from the dominance of geometric motifs in vase painting.<\/li>\n<li>Monumental kraters and amphorae were made and decorated as grave markers. These vessels are characteristic of Geometric vase painting during this period.<\/li>\n<li>The most famous vessels from this period use a technique called horror vacui, in which every space of the surface is filled with imagery.<\/li>\n<li>Geometric sculptures are primarily small scale and made of bronze, terra cotta, or ivory.<\/li>\n<li>The bronze figures were produced using the lost-wax method of casting.<\/li>\n<li>The human and animal figures produced during this period have geometric features, although the legs on humans appear relatively naturalistic.<\/li>\n<li>Geometric bronzes were typically left as votive offerings at shrines and sanctuaries, such as those at Delphi and Olympia.<\/li>\n<li>Horses came to symbolize wealth due to the high costs of their upkeep.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Adapted from\u00a0<strong>&#8220;Boundless Art History&#8221;<\/strong> https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/boundless-arthistory\/chapter\/the-geometric-period\/\u00a0<strong>License: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"glossary\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\" id=\"definition\">definition<\/span><template id=\"term_760_1196\"><div class=\"glossary__definition\" role=\"dialog\" data-id=\"term_760_1196\"><div tabindex=\"-1\"><p>An era of abstract and stylized motifs in ancient Greek vase painting and sculpture. The period was centred in Athens and flourished from 900 to 700 BCE.<\/p>\n<\/div><button><span aria-hidden=\"true\">&times;<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Close definition<\/span><\/button><\/div><\/template><template id=\"term_760_1146\"><div class=\"glossary__definition\" role=\"dialog\" data-id=\"term_760_1146\"><div tabindex=\"-1\"><p>An ancient Greek vessel for mixing water and wine.<\/p>\n<\/div><button><span aria-hidden=\"true\">&times;<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Close definition<\/span><\/button><\/div><\/template><template id=\"term_760_991\"><div class=\"glossary__definition\" role=\"dialog\" data-id=\"term_760_991\"><div tabindex=\"-1\"><p>A type of clay that is brownish-red in colour. An Italian term, meaning \"baked earth\".<\/p>\n<\/div><button><span aria-hidden=\"true\">&times;<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Close definition<\/span><\/button><\/div><\/template><template id=\"term_760_1128\"><div class=\"glossary__definition\" role=\"dialog\" data-id=\"term_760_1128\"><div tabindex=\"-1\"><p>The most common method of using molten metal to make hollow, one-of-a-kind sculptures. When heat is applied to the clay mould, the wax layer within melts and forms channels, which the artist then fills with molten metal.<\/p>\n<\/div><button><span aria-hidden=\"true\">&times;<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Close definition<\/span><\/button><\/div><\/template><\/div>","protected":false},"author":961,"menu_order":2,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-760","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":758,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/cavestocathedrals\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/cavestocathedrals\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/cavestocathedrals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/cavestocathedrals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/961"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/cavestocathedrals\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2199,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/cavestocathedrals\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/760\/revisions\/2199"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/cavestocathedrals\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/758"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/cavestocathedrals\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/760\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/cavestocathedrals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/cavestocathedrals\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=760"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/cavestocathedrals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=760"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/cavestocathedrals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}