II.  PREHISTORIC GREEK

Geometric or Dipylon Period.

Pottery.  Iron Age. circ. 1000 B.C.—­Absolute break in continuity from what preceded.  No naturalism.  Prevalence of geometric patterns (III, Figs. 18 and 19).  Not much variety.  Meanders, lozenges, and zigzags.  Circles joined by tangents replace Mycenaean spirals.  Ornament crowded.  Rows or single specimens of long-legged water birds.  Human figures rare, rude angular silhouettes.

Local characteristics discernible (e.g. between ware of Thessaly, Attica, Boeotia, Delphi, Argolid, Laconia, Thera, and Crete), but strong family resemblance. (Lower specimen III, Fig. 19 characteristic of Boeotia.) Dark paint on natural clay (sometimes lightened by a white slip, e. g.  Laconia) differs distinctly from Mycenaean.  Shapes fewer and curves less flowing.  Amphorae, plates, bowls, and jugs.  Trefoil lip to jug first appears.

Terra-cotta loom weights from now onwards often pyramidal in form and glazed.

Bronzes. 
Figurines.  Three types:—­
   Human, rare (as on vases). 
   Quadrupeds, mainly horses.  Cylindrical muzzle and narrow
   cylindrical belly (III, Fig. 23). 
   Birds.  Long neck and legs, flat bill and body.  Stands to above,
   flat, square or round, with open-work snake or spiral.

Pins (to fasten dress at shoulder).  Long head with small bosses like strung beads sometimes separated by discs (III, Fig 21).  Sometimes larger flat disc at end of head (often missing) Pin itself usually iron, rarely extant.

Brooches.
  1.  Spiral type.  Of wire coiled into spirals.  Made of one, two, or
three wires crossing with two, four, or six spirals respectively. 
Boss at centre.  Spectacle type (two spirals) common.  In ‘spectacle’
type (sometimes very large) spiral purely utilitarian, giving spring
to the pin.  With four or more spirals the additions are ornament,
noteworthy in view of absence of spirals on pottery.
  2.  Bow type.
   (a) High arched bow solid.
   (b) Arched bow hollowed like boat inverted.  This type often has
flat plate attached to one end, lower edge of which is bent to form
catch.  Plate incised, crossed leaves, ships, horses, or men.
   (c) Arched bow consisting of crescent-shaped plate, similar
incised decoration.

Paste Beads. 
A type pyramidal, dark with yellow spirals round corners, much
resembling ‘bull’s eye’ sweets, was common in Laconia (III, Fig.27).

Terra-cotta Figurines.  Series of rude horses sometimes with riders characteristic of end of period.  Chiefly from Boeotia.  Painted like pottery, but chiefly in lines.

III.  ARCHAIC GREEK

A. Orientalising.

Pottery. 700 B.C.—­Influence from Asia Minor.  Recrudescence there of spirit of Mycenaean art?  Lions, stags, sphinxes, sirens, either in procession or arranged in pairs like heraldic supporters.