Greece

Greece

Ancient Greece was one of the greatest cultural centers of the ancient world. The Greeks created intricately crafted ceramics, complex glasswork, and were a center for thinking and innovation. This society has been the subject of fascination and revivals for hundreds of years. Their influence stretched throughout the ancient world effecting Roman, Egyptian, and Etruscan cultures. When Greek objects and design was discovered in the 18th century by Europeans, it sparked a revival of classical styles in fine art, architecture, and the decorative arts throughout Europe. Europeans even attempted to build a replica of the famous Parthenon of Athens on a hill in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The glass examples in the exhibition are core formed. Different from the other glass exhibited here, core formed glass was made by molding hot glass around a pre-formed core instead of being blown or cast. The core was often made from dung, sand and other materials as these materials could withstand the heat of the overall process.

Cyprus, an island west of Crete near modern day Turkey and settled by Mycenaean Greeks, was one of the most successful islands in Magna Graecia, the name given to the Grecian Empire by the Romans. Cypriots had their own distinct style of pottery that most closely resembled that of the large island of Crete, thought to be inhabited by both Minoans then Mycenaean Greeks, probably due to their proximity. In the late Bronze Age, Cyprus was known as the heart of the East for their prominent role in the Mediterranean trade network.

see signiature object at: https://newworld.pubpub.org/pub/lekythos

for images see: https://newworld.pubpub.org/pub/greece-images