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Geometric art

Geometric art is a phase of Greek art, characterized largely by geometric motifs in vase painting, that flourished towards the end of the Greek Dark Ages and a little later, c. 900–700 BC. Its center was in Athens, and from there the style spread among the trading cities of the Aegean.[1] Though a not currently accepted concept by all scholars, the Greek Dark Ages were considered to last from c. 1100 to 800 BC[2] and include the phases from the Protogeometric period to the Middle Geometric I period, which Knodell (2021) calls Prehistoric Iron Age.[3] The vases had various uses or purposes within Greek society, including, but not limited to, funerary vases and symposium vases.

Funerary context[edit]

Funerary vases not only depicted funerary scenes, but they also had practical purposes, either holding the ashes or being used as grave markers.[4] Relatives of the deceased conducted burial rituals that included three parts: the prothesis ('laying out of the body'), the ekphora ('funeral procession'), and the interment of the body or cremated remains of the body.


To the Greeks, an omission of a proper burial was an insult to proper dignity.[4] The mythological context of a proper burial relates to the Greeks' belief in a continued existence in the underworld that will disallow the dead to maintain peace in the absence of a proper burial ritual.


Aside from its funerary use, the Greeks also utilized various vessels during symposiums. The Greek symposium was a social gathering that only aristocratic males were allowed to attend.[5] Vessels, such as wine coolers, jugs, various drinking cups, and mixing vessels, were decorated with Greek, geometric scenes. Some of the scenes depicted drinking parties or Dionysus and his followers.[5] The symposia were held in the andron, which was a men's-only room.[6] The only women allowed into this room were called "hetaera", or female sex-workers, who required payment from their regular, male companions.[6]

Pottery in Protogeometric and Geometric styles[edit]

Protogeometric period[edit]

During the Protogeometric period (1040–900 BC),[7][3] the shapes of the vessels have eliminated the fluid nature of the Mycenaean; creating a more strict and simple design. There are horizontal, decorative bands that feature geometric shapes, including concentric circles or semicircles.[8] Technological developments caused a new relationship between ornament and structure; causing differing stylistic choice from its Mycenaean influences. The Protogeometric period did not yet feature human figures within its art, but horses were pictured during this time period.[9]


Common vase shapes of the period include amphorae with the handles on both the belly and the neck, hydriai (water jars), oinochoai (lit. 'wine jugs'), lekythoi, and skyphoi (stemless cups).[8]

Early Geometric period[edit]

In the early Geometric period (900–850 BC), the height of the vessels had been increased, while the decoration was limited around the neck down to the middle of the body of the vessel. The remaining surface is covered by a thin layer of clay, which during the firing takes a dark, shiny, metallic color.[10] This was the period when the decorative theme of the meander was added to the pottery design, the most characteristic element of Geometric art.


During this period, a broader repertoire of vessel shapes was initiated. Specifically, amphorae were used to hold cremation ashes. The amphorae featured handles on the neck or shoulder for males, while they feature handles on the "belly" of the vase for women.[9]

Middle Geometric period[edit]

By the middle Geometric period (850–760 BC), the decorative zones appear multiplied due to the creation of a laced mesh, while the meander dominates and is placed in the most important area, in the metope, which is arranged between the handles.


Based on excavations at Sindos, mentioned by Gimatzidis and Weninger (2020), Alagich et al. (2024) consider the possibility that Middle Geometric period began 140 years earlier, lasting (c. 990-870 BC).[11]

Narrative art[edit]

The notion of narrative during this time period exists between the artist and the audience. The artist communicates with the viewer, but the viewer's interpretation can sometime be an inaccurate interpretation. Furthermore, multiple interpretations of a singular artwork can be created by the viewer. A combination of historical, mythological, and societal context is needed to interpret the stories told within Greek Geometric art. The artwork during the Geometric period can be seen as "supplementary sources and illustrative materials for Greek mythology and Greek literature".[17] The scenes that are depicted within Greek Geometric art contain various interpretations through analysis of the depicted scenes. Art historians must decide if the stylistic choices that were made during this time period were for a specific reason or simply coincidental.

Techniques[edit]

Two techniques of this time period include red-figure pottery and black-figure pottery. The black figure pottery started around 700 BC, and it remained the dominant style until its successor, red figure pottery, was invented around 530 BC.[22] The switch from black figure pottery to red figure pottery was made due to the enhanced detail that red figured pottery allowed its artists.

List of Greek vase painters § Geometric period

Mycenaean pottery

Apulian pottery

Orientalizing period

Kerameikos Archaeological Museum

Boardman, John. 2001. The History of Greek Vases: Potters, Painters, Pictures. New York: Thames & Hudson.

Cook, Robert Manuel, and Pierre Dupont. 1998. East Greek Pottery. London: Routledge.

Farnsworth, Marie (1964). "Greek Pottery: A Mineralogical Study". American Journal of Archaeology. 68 (3): 221–228. :10.2307/502385. JSTOR 502385. S2CID 192590582.

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Gjerstad, Einar, and Yves Calvet. 1977. Greek Geometric and Archaic Pottery Found In Cyprus. Stockholm: Svenska institutet i Athen.

Luke, Joanna. 2003. Ports of Trade, Al Mina and Geometric Greek Pottery In the Levant. Oxford: Archaeopress.