Matt painted ceramic

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Matt painted ceramics from grave VI of grave circle A in Mycenae, MH III (around 1600 BC)

The matt-painted ceramics (also: matt-painted ware or matt painted goods ) was after the minyschen ceramic the second most important ceramic genus of Middle Helladic (Middle Bronze Age) of Greece . The name comes from the matt sheen of its surface and was introduced in 1879 by Adolf Furtwängler and Georg Loeschcke in their publication on the classification of late Helladic ceramics from grave circle A ( Mycenae ). The individual finds differ in terms of their surface structure, composition and color. Like the Miny ceramics , the matt painted goods reached their heyday in the Middle Helladic II.

In a larger context, the term refers to other ceramic styles from other epochs, namely those of the Late Helladic and the Protogeometric and Geometric Periods .

Research history

After Furtwängler and Löschke recognized matt-painted ceramics as an independent genre in 1879 and introduced its name, it was assigned to the Middle Helladic period (approx. 2000–1700 / 1600 BC) in 1916.

Attempts to classify and differentiate

In the following year, Alan Bayard Wace and Carl Blegen , based on the research findings from the excavations in Korakou (near Corinth ), divided the ceramic style into three subgroups, especially with regard to the surface structure. In his book Korakou, published in 1921 . A Prehistoric Settlement near Corinth. he called this

  • "Coarse Ware" (German: coarse-grained or coarse goods)
  • "Fine Ware" (German: fine-grained or fine goods) and
  • "Polychrome Mattpainted Ware" (German: multicolored matt -painted goods).

In 1931, Hetty Goldman made a new, different distinction in her book Excavations at Eutresis in Boeotia , which reported on the excavation work in Eutresis . It was based on variations in decor, color and structure of the surface and ultimately came to a division into five classes:

  • "Simple linear geometric designs, executed in black matt paint on a somewhat coarse, greenish yellow clay." ( Eng . : Simple linear geometric shapes, executed with black, matt paint, on a somewhat coarse, greenish - yellow clay)
  • "Black Matt - painted designs on a coarse red clay." (German: black, matt-painted shapes on a coarse, red clay)
  • "Red Matt - painted designs on a coarse red clay" (Eng .: red, matt-painted shapes on a coarse, red clay)
  • "Designes executed, as a rule, in a somewhat thin black or mauve, but occasionally in a richer brown paint, on fine greenish or yellow clay, slipped and sometimes polished" ( Eng .: forms, usually in a little thinner, black or mauve, but sometimes in a richer brown color on a fine greenish or yellow tone)
  • "Designs executed in one or two colores on a white or cream - colored slip over coarse, usually reddish clay" ( Eng .: forms, executed in one or two colors on white or cream-colored slip over coarse, usually reddish clay)

Characteristics 1–3 apply to large pithoi , whereas characteristic 4 is typical for smaller vessels.

Interpretations and controversy

Since 1917, the ceramic genre has increasingly been the subject of scientific controversy. Numerous hypotheses have been raised, be it that matt-painted ceramics should be viewed as a continuation of an early Helladic style, that a predecessor form already existed in the Neolithic period or that it should be interpreted as a variation of Cycladic ceramics. The British classical scholar Robert J. Buck even went so far as to interpret the emergence of the newly discovered style as evidence of a wave of Asian immigration (a tribe called " Minyer " at the time ). Matt-painted ceramics have also been associated with the Illyrians of Albania. In contrast to this thesis of the archaeologist Frano Prendi, Normand GL Hammond saw the matt- painted ceramics as a clue for a Dorian immigration , Julia Vokotopoulou in turn saw the late Helladic matt-painted ceramics as a sign of the immigration of Macedonian tribes.

Manufacturing

In contrast to the Miny ceramics, the matt-painted ceramics were made by hand and not turned on the pottery wheel developed in the Middle Helladic .

Appearance

Painting and its history

The painting is usually dark on a light background ("black to dark brown"). In comparison, matt-painted ceramics, which, conversely, have a "light - on - dark - style" are much rarer.

Originally, matt-painted vessels had a straight and abstract decor. This only changed when the Cycladic and Minoan influences in the Middle Helladic (MH) III, partly already in MH II, inspired potters on the Greek mainland to use more naturalistic elements. Such motifs are (with one exception) not known from Eutresis , but came to light to a far greater extent during the excavation work in Korakou . The occurrence of an increasingly rich repertoire of geometric shapes can also be classified in later times, especially curve-shaped elements that complemented the angular decor. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the pithoi from Eutresis. Hetty Goldman names “true and tangent spirals” (real spirals and approximations), “running quirks”, “spiral hooks” and “a conventional leaf design” (a common leaf pattern). Also in the final phase of the Middle Helladic (MH III) the appearance of two or more colored ceramics in the matt-painted style (especially in central Greece and the Argolis ). Often, however, vessels of this type were also assigned to the following period Late Helladic I (SH I), although it is very difficult to clearly determine which period the multicolored ceramics of this type actually belonged to, since Middle Helladic and late Helladic products only differ in stylistic and technical features differ insignificantly from each other.

The technical innovations that went hand in hand with the introduction of matt-painted ceramics, in contrast to the Miny genus, represented a very strong break with the production conditions prevailing in the Early Helladic period, be it in central Greece or the Peloponnese . Because with the introduction of matt-painted ceramics, the main component of the color changed: If this had previously consisted of a mixture with a strong iron content ( primordial varnish ), which easily produced speckles and was difficult to burn in a single color, the component was now primarily manganese . The matte gloss so typical of the ceramic genre is due to the use of this material.

Matt painting is mostly only preserved in small areas. Complete painting or just extensive areas are extremely rare, which was probably due to the comparatively high acquisition costs for paint and varnish (which were significantly higher than those of the early Helladic primeval varnish ceramics).

Material structure

Larger vessels tend to have a coarser material structure than ceramics with a smaller volume, which is due to the fact that larger pieces needed more hardening material, which served to bind the clay.

Regional differences

The choice of motifs as well as the color of the material and the painting vary greatly from region to region.

Vessel shapes

While most of the open vessel forms belong to the mynical genre, the closed ceramics of the Middle Helladic were predominantly painted matt. Accordingly, the matt-painted ceramics included:

Locations

literature

  • Robert J. Buck: Middle Helladic Matt-painted Pottery. In: The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (Ed.): Hesperia . 33, 1964, pp. 231-308 (See Middle Helladic Matt-painted Pottery on JSTOR ).
  • Florens Felten , Walter Gauß, Rudolfine Smetana (Eds.): Middle Helladic Pottery and Synchronisms. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 2007, ISBN 978-3-7001-3783-2 .
  • David H. French, Elizabeth French : Prehistoric Pottery from the Area of ​​the Agricultural Prison at Tiryns. Tiryns, Mainz 1971, pp. 21-40.
  • David H. French: Notes on Prehistoric Pottery Groups from Central Greece. Athens 1972.
  • Hetty Goldman: Excavations at Eutresis in Boeotia. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1931, pp. 144 ff. ( Online , accessed December 23, 2011, English)
  • Arne Furumark : The Mycenaean Pottery, Analysis and Classification. Kungl. Vitterhets, historie och antikvitets akademien, Stockholm 1941. New edition: Mycenaean Pottery. Volume 2: Chronology. Acta Instituti Atheniensis Regni Sueciæ, Astrom 1972 and 1992.
  • Joseph Maran: The German excavations on the Pevkakia-Magula. In: Thessalien III: The Middle Bronze Age. Bonn 1992.
  • Alan Wace , Carl Blegen : The pre-mycenean Pottery of the Mainland. (= Annual of the British school at Athens. 22). 1916-1918.
  • Alan John Bayard Wace: CVA . Classific. 10, 1925.
  • Hans Walter , Heinrich B. Siedentopf , Wolfgang Wohlmayr : Matt-painted ceramics of the Middle Bronze Age. (= Old Aegina. Volume 4/2). Von Zabern, Mainz am Rhein 1991.
  • Alix Hochstetter: The matt-painted ceramics in northern Greece, their origin and local characteristics. In: Praehistorische Zeitschrift. 57, 1982, pp. 201-219, doi: 10.1515 / prhz.1982.57.2.201 .:

Web links

Commons : Matte Painted Ceramics  - collection of images, videos and audio files

References and comments

  1. ↑ Middle Bronze Age on the Greek Mainland - Matt - painted pottery  : "Matt Painted pottery, the second largest Middle Helladic pottery ware [...]"
  2. ^ A b The Prehistoric Archeology of the Aegean (Dartmouth College) - Lesson 9: Middle Helladic Greece ( Memento from May 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ): "The term“ Matt-painted ”describes the lack of luster of the paint which is used to produce dark-on-light patterns on a variety of light ground "wares" which differ considerably in terms of their surface treatments, fabric compositions, and even colors. "
  3. ↑ a b 4.4.4 painted ceramics (matt painted). In: Michael Rechta: The Middle Bronze Age in Thessaly and Macedonia. With the case study of the Pevkakia Magula. : "Since the publication of Furtwängler and Loeschke in 1879, one speaks of matt-painted ceramics in archaeological literature."
  4. ^ A b Barbara Horejs: The Phenomenon of Mattpainted Pottery in the Northern Aegean. Introduction, Overview and Theories : "The term mattpainted pottery was first used by A. Furtwängler and G. Loeschke in their classification of pottery from Grave Circle A in Mycenae ( Furtwängler and Loeschke 1879, 2; Idem 1886, 54 ff.) "(On: The Aegeo-Balkan Prehistory Project )
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o W. Schiering: Mattmalerei. In: Lexicon of the Old World. Artemis-Verlag, Zurich / Munich 1990, ISBN 3-7608-1034-9 , Volume 2, ISBN 3-7608-1034-9 , p. 1870. (Unchanged reprint of the one-volume original edition from 1965)
  6. ↑ Alix Hochstetter: The matt painted ceramics in northern Greece, their origin and local characteristics. In: Praehistorische Zeitschrift. 57, 1982, pp. 201–219, doi: 10.1515 / prhz.1982.57.2.201 : “The term“ matt- painted ceramic ”is a term that applies to several ceramic qualities from different epochs, namely the Middle Helladic, Late Helladic and Protogeometric to Geometric times becomes."
  7. ^ A b Robert J. Buck: Middle Helladic Matt-painted Pottery. 1964. In: The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (Ed.): Hesperia . 33, p. 231: "Mattpainted Pottery was first identified as a particular variety in 1879 and was dated to the Middle Helladic period in 1916. For it has been subject of much controversity" (cf. Middle Helladic Matt-painted Pottery on JSTOR )
  8. ↑ a b c d 4.4.4 painted ceramic (matt painted). In: Michael Rechta: The Middle Bronze Age in Thessaly and Macedonia. With the case study of the Pevkakia Magula. : "Based on the excavation results of Korakou, Wace and Blegen made a finer differentiation of matt-painted ceramics in 1917, which Blegen referred to in his 1921 publication with the names:" Coarse Ware "," Fine Ware "and" Polychrome Mattpainted Ware "." (Cf. Carl W. Blegen: Korakou. A Prehistoric Settlement near Corinth. 1921, pp. 19ff.)
  9. ↑ 4.4.4 painted ceramics (matt painted). In: Michael Rechta: The Middle Bronze Age in Thessaly and Macedonia. With the case study of the Pevkakia Magula. : "Ten years later Goldman tried a new modified classification based on their excavations in Eutresis." (Hetty Goldman: Excavations at Eutresis in Boeotia . Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1931, p. 144 ff . (English, online [accessed December 23, 2011]). )
  10. ↑ a b c d e f g h Hetty Goldman: Excavations at Eutresis in Boeotia . Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1931, pp. 144 (English, online [accessed December 23, 2011]). : "With the exception of Fig. 260, No. 15, with a black spiral pattern […], none of the pottery shows the true Cretan influence such as at Korakou appears in the Middle Helladic II naturalisitc designs and the use of the double ax friese. "
  11. ^ A b c Hetty Goldman: Excavations at Eutresis in Boeotia . Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1931, pp. 145 (English, online [accessed December 23, 2011]). : "With the exception of Fig. 260, No. 15, with a black spiral pattern […], none of the pottery shows the true Cretan influence such as at Korakou appears in the Middle Helladic II naturalisitc designs and the use of the double ax friese. "
  12. ^ Robert J. Buck: Middle Helladic Matt-painted Pottery. 1964. In: The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (Ed.): Hesperia. 33, p. 231: "Some scholars suggest that it represents a continuation of Early Helladic tradition, others that it has a neolithic derivation, still others that it is an offshoot from the Cyclades [...]" (cf. Middle Helladic Matt-painted Pottery on JSTOR )
  13. ↑ Barbara Horejs: The Phenomenon of Mattpainted Pottery in the Northern Aegean. Introduction, Overview and Theories : "Hence, RJ Buck (1964, 280) saw the emergence of mattpainted pottery as evidence of an immigrating people known at the time as the" Minyans ”“ (On: The Aegeo-Balkan Prehistory Project )
  14. ↑ Barbara Horejs: The Phenomenon of Mattpainted Pottery in the Northern Aegean. Introduction, Overview and Theories : "Similarly, the derivation of mattpainted pottery is seen in close association with the" Illyrian people "in Albania. Thus, Prendi explains the appearance of mattpainted pottery in the Devoll valley as the continuous indigenous development of the Illyrians, which would predate that in Macedonia and Epirus and - emanating from Albania - would have influenced these regions. "
  15. ↑ Frano Prendi: The Prehistory of Albania in The Cambridge Ancient History 3.1, 1982, pp 187 et seq Cambridge.. (on: The Aegeo-Balkan Prehistory Project )
  16. ↑ Barbara Horejs: The Phenomenon of Mattpainted Pottery in the Northern Aegean. Introduction, Overview and Theories : "NGL Hammond (1967, 390), on the contrary, connects the dissemination of mattpainted pottery with immigration of the Dorians and postulates a movement of transhumant shepherds from Epirus through Macedonia. "(Hammond, NGL: Epirus: the Geography, the Ancient Remains, the History and the Topography of Epirus and Adjacent Areas . Oxford, 1987, pp. 390 ff.) (on: The Aegeo-Balkan Prehistory Project ).
  17. ↑ Barbara Horejs: The Phenomenon of Mattpainted Pottery in the Northern Aegean.Introduction, Overview and Theories : "J. Vokotopoulou (1986, 255 ff.) Views Late Bronze Age mattpainted pottery in Macedonia as the result of a migration of“ Macedonian tribes ” from central Greece to the north and northeast. " (Vokotopoulou, J .: Βίτσα. Τα Νεκροταφεία μίας Μολοσσικής Κομής. Athens, 1986, p. 255 ff.) (On: The Aegeo-Balkan Prehistory Project ).
  18. ↑ Alix Hochstetter: The matt painted ceramics in northern Greece, their origin and local characteristics. In: Praehistorische Zeitschrift. 57, 1982, pp. 201-219, doi: 10.1515 / prhz.1982.57.2.201 .: "Another common criterion is that the matt-painted ceramic was made by hand and not with the turntable."
  19. ↑ The Prehistoric Archeology of the Aegean (Dartmouth College) - Lesson 9: Middle Helladic Greece ( Memento of May 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ): “Occasionally, a light matt paint is applied over a solid coating of dark matt paint to produce patterns in a light-on-dark style, but such treatment is very rare in comparison to the frequency of the dark-on-light style. "
  20. ↑ Middle Bronze Age on the greek mainland - pottery : "At the same time, pottery is heavily influenced by the Cycladic pottery and indirectly by Minoan ceramics."
  21. ^ The Prehistoric Archeology of the Aegean (Dartmouth College) - Lesson 9: Middle Helladic Greece ( Memento of May 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ): "In general, patterns are rectilinear and abstract until MH III when Cycladic and Minoan influences inspire imitations of a variety of curvilinear motifs, including some which are naturalistic. "
  22. ↑ Middle Bronze Age on the Greek Mainland - Matt-painted pottery : "During the Middle Helladic III period (1700-1550 BC) a new style of Matt Painted pottery with bichrome or polychrome decoration on light ground appears in Central Greece and the Argolid. "
  23. ^ The Prehistoric Archeology of the Aegean (Dartmouth College) - Lesson 9: Middle Helladic Greece ( Memento of May 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ): "The appearance of bichrome or polychrome matt-painted wares used to be considered another phenomenon of the late MH period, but it now seems that the vast majority of such wares belong chronologically to the Late Helladic (LH) I period, although in most technical and stylistic respects they can hardly be differentiated from earlier MH matt-painted wares. "
  24. ^ The Prehistoric Archeology of the Aegean (Dartmouth College) - Lesson 9: Middle Helladic Greece ( Memento from May 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ): “In contrast to the Minyan wares, Matt-painted wares represent a fairly sharp break with the traditions of pattern-painted pottery current in the EH III Tiryns culture, whether in central Greece or in the Peloponnese. What seems to be at issue here is the switch from an iron-based paint which is easily mottled "
  25. ↑ a b Middle Bronze Age on the Greek Mainland - Matt - painted pottery : "The name of Matt Painted pottery expresses the decoration of this ware, that is the characteristic matt appearance which is acquired because of manganese which was used a basic ingredient in matt paint. "
  26. ^ The Prehistoric Archeology of the Aegean (Dartmouth College) - Lesson 9: Middle Helladic Greece ( Memento of May 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ): "Indeed, complete coatings or even broad expanses of solid paint are extremely rare in {Middle Helladic Matt -painted} pottery, possibly because the paint (or slip) in question was more difficult to acquire or prepare, hence more “expensive”, than the semilustrous paint / slip (“Urfirnis”) utilized in the preceding EH II-III periods. "
  27. ^ The Prehistoric Archeology of the Aegean (Dartmouth College) - Lesson 9: Middle Helladic Greece ( Memento of May 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ): "Large vessels tend to be produced in coarser fabrics than small ones for the simple reason that the bigger pots need more tempering material to serve as a clay binder "
  28. ^ The Prehistoric Archeology of the Aegean (Dartmouth College) - Lesson 9: Middle Helladic Greece ( Memento of May 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ): "Regional variation is quite pronounced insofar as fabric and paint colors, as well as ranges of motifs, are concerned. "
  29. ^ A b The Prehistoric Archeology of the Aegean (Dartmouth College) - Lesson 9: Middle Helladic Greece ( Memento of May 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ): “Most decorated MH closed forms, such as jars and jugs of various types, are Matt -painted, but this sort of pattern-painted decoration is also applied to a fairly wide range of cups and bowls. "
  30. ^ Middle Bronze Age on the Greek Mainland - Matt - painted pottery : "A specific ware of Matt Painted pottery was produced by the workshop of Aegina. The clay utilized for the matt paint had an opaque greenish color and its mass included many gold-mica inclusions. "
  31. ↑ a b c Alix Hochstetter: The matt-painted ceramics in northern Greece, their origin and local characteristics. In: Praehistorische Zeitschrift. 57, 1982, pp. 201-219, doi: 10.1515 / prhz.1982.57.2.201 .