TVM Entry Floor: Late Archaic Greek Art

Archaic Greek Art
Classic Greek Art
Introduction to Greek Art

Greek Art
Late Archaic

600 to 510 BC

Late Archaic Period (610 to 510 BC)

While Sparta is extending its hegemony over the entire Peloponnese (Argos alone retains its autonomy), socioeconomic conflicts between the oligarchies and the productive classes, who demand a greater say in politics, lead to attempted reforms of the kind instituted by Solon at Athens. The failure of these initiatives results in an increased number of tyrannies that sweep away the dominating aristocracies in cities like Athens, Megara, Samos, Naxos, and Miletus. The old established colonies become more and more autonomous, found colonies of their own, and fight for regional hegemony. Athens becomes the leading economic center under the tyranny of the Pisistratids, who are eventually banished. In the mid-6th century BC the Persians extend their Eastern empire and threaten the poleis of lonia.

Late Archaic Period Events
594 – 591	Law code of Solon in Athens
561 – 527	Three phases of tyranny under Pisistratus in Athens
548	Fire at the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi
546 – 522	Polycrates tyrant of Samos
559 – 513	Persian conquest of Near East
514 – 510	Expulsion of the Pisistratids from Athens

Art

Antenor: Kore from the Athenian Acropolis about 530 BC	Peplos Kore about 530 BC Acropolis Museum Athens, Greece	Peplos Kore Reconstruction about 530 BC Museum of Classical Archeology Cambridge, England
Kouros from Attica about 525 BC	Herm from Syphnos about 520 BC	Kouros from Melos about 540 BC Archeological Museum Athens, Grece
Kylix with Oedipus and the Sphinx about 600 BC		Epiktetos: Red Figured Plate with Boy Riding a Cock about 525 BC
Euphronios: Urn with Sleep and Death Carrying Sarpedon about 515 BC

Exekias:

Amphora with
Ajax and Achilles
Playing Dice before Troy
from Attica
about 535 BC
Vatican Museum
Rome, Italy

Kylix with Dionysos
about 530 BC
Antikensammlung
Munich, Germany

Amphora with
Ajax preparing to comit suicide
from Attica
about 535 BC
Museé du Chateau
Boulogne-sur-Mer, France

Urn from Attica
about 500 BC

Tyrannicides
[Roman copy made after
a bronze by Kritios and Nesiotes about 477 BC;
that bronze was made after another made by
Antenor about 510 BC]
Museo Archeologico Nazionale
Naples, Italy

The subject of this picture is two gay lovers Aristogeiton (left) and Harmodius (right). Both died in 514 BC after asasinating Hipparchus, who with his brother Hippias presided over a tyranny in Athens.

If Thucydides is to be believed Harmodius and Aristogeiton were upset more by Hipparchus' interest in Harmodius and insults that he had made about Harmodius' sister. At the Panathenaic Festival they drew swords and killed Hipparchus. Harmodius was killed in the scuffle; Aristogeiton escaped but was caught and tortured to death by Hippias.

This did not end the tyranny. Hippias retained power for four more years and was only driven out by collection of Athenian exiles in conjunction with the Spartan army. The statues were sculpted by Antenor and erected in the Agora in 510 or 511 BC.

They are the first known Greek statues that were designed as portraits. Athenian law prohibited statues of the living, no matter how well deserved; an idea that the later Romans might have used to great advantage.

Continue with Classic Greek Art

Archaic Greek Art
Classic Greek Art
Introduction to Greek Art

2003-02-27

Greek Art Late Archaic 600 to 510 BC

Greek Art Late Archaic

600 to 510 BC

Late Archaic Period (610 to 510 BC)

Art

Continue with Classic Greek Art

Greek Art
Late Archaic

600 to 510 BC

Greek Art
Late Archaic