Art History

  The geometric period of Ancient Greece was one of dramatic change, and its art is of noteworthy significance, especially in the intricacy and craftwork that went into honoring the dead. This short essay will touch on Ancient Greek civilization during the Geometric period and reach a conclusion regarding the purpose of Geometric kraters.

 

   The Geometric period of Ancient Grecian history took place from approximately 900 to 700 B.C. The movement was a time of innovation that laid the foundations for Classical Greece. During the Geometric period, the formation of the alphabet and of Greek city-states opened up new opportunities for trade and expansion. This prosperous trade is shown by the remnants of fine metalwork that are found at archeological sites. The Geometric period was a revival of the arts, including epic poems, metalworking, engraving, pottery, and gold-working. Of the media that remain and have been found from Geometric Greece, few tell of everyday life in Greece. Instead the majority of objects are found in graves. Some of these pieces which characterize the Geometric period are the monumental kraters.

 

   Kraters of the Geometric period were large vases that marked graves. These terracotta pieces stood several feet tall; this particular krater is approximately three and a half feet. The kraters were decorated in registers from top to bottom and display ‘horror vacui’ or the fear of empty space. Every empty space on the piece has been filled with geometric patterns. The people displayed on the pot are represented by simple geometric shapes as well, hence the name given to the period. These figures take place in a funerary practice, as was customary for kraters. On this specific piece, the prosthesis is shown, a ceremony where the dead is lain out on the bed while relatives and friends visit to mourn. This scene is displayed in the upper of the two registers containing people. For recognition’s sake, the deceased body is portrayed as on its side and the shroud that would cover the body has been raised in this depiction. The family of the late man stands to the side of the body. In the lower register, horses are depicted drawing chariots with warriors carrying large shields and spears in them. This scene could represent the military achievements of the dead, but because the shields shown were more commonly used in the earlier Bronze Age, it is more likely that the scene alludes to the ancestry of the man.

 

   In summary, Greek kraters were used to honor and represent the dead. They depicted different scenes depending on the person but typically dealt with funeral rituals and the ancestry/achievements of the deceased. Since there is not much everyday art from this period, looking at what was buried with the dead at this time can give an idea of the Geometric Greek culture. Additionally, the art of the period is significant in its development into the later periods of Greek art, eventually reaching Classical Greece.