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Linear A and Linear B: The Scripts of the Aegean
Meet Linear A and Linear B, the main scripts of the Aegean, and see who used them, what they recorded and why one of them still refuses to be read.
Cyclopean Masonry in Two Minutes
Stand beside the walls of Mycenae’s citadel and see what “cyclopean masonry” really means: huge stone blocks, tight joints and later Greek legends about giants.
What Is a Megaron?
Quick guide to the megaron: a simple hall with porch, hearth and throne that becomes a key building block for Mycenaean palaces and later Greek temples.
Theseus and Ariadne: How a Bronze Age Story Survives in Greek and Modern Art
Follow Theseus and Ariadne from the labyrinth at Knossos to Greek vases, temple sculpture and films, and watch how each age rewrites this Bronze Age love story.
From Minoans to Mycenaeans: What Changes in Art and Power?
Compare the open, seafaring palaces of Minoan Crete with the closed, war-ready citadels of Mycenaean Greece to see how art and power shift at the end of the Bronze Age.
The Lion Gate at Mycenae: Architecture, Symbol and Power
Stand in front of the Lion Gate and read it as both architecture and sculpture, seeing how two carved lions can guard an entire Mycenaean kingdom.
Mycenaean Architecture: Megaron, Citadel and Cyclopean Walls
Break down Mycenaean architecture from the megaron hall to steep citadels and cyclopean walls, asking what, and whom, these massive defenses were built for.
Who Were the Mycenaeans? Fortress-Cities and Warrior Kings
Climb up to Mycenaean hilltop palaces to meet warrior elites, rich graves and fortified citadels, and see how Homer later turns them into epic heroes.
Minoan Wall Paintings: Bulls, Dancers and Island Landscapes
Wander along painted palace walls from Knossos to Akrotiri, meeting bulls, dancers and rocky seascapes to see what Minoan frescoes reveal about island life.
Religion in Minoan Crete: Goddesses, Horns and Sacred Peaks
Climb from palace courts to peak sanctuaries to meet Minoan goddesses, horn symbols and shrines, and see where archaeology stops and speculation begins.
The Labyrinth and the Minotaur: From Knossos to Later Greek Art
Follow the Minotaur and his labyrinth from Bronze Age Crete to Greek vases, temple sculpture and modern images that keep reinventing this dark underground story.
Bull-Leaping Fresco: Sport, Ritual or Propaganda?
Zoom in on the bull-leaping fresco: who is jumping, what the bull stands for and whether we are looking at sport, ritual performance or royal spectacle.
How Minoan Palaces Worked: Knossos, Phaistos and the “Labyrinth” Idea
Step inside Minoan palaces at Knossos and Phaistos, walking through courts, staircases and storerooms to see how their plans fed the later idea of the labyrinth.
Who Were the Minoans? Crete, Palaces and the First Thalassocracy
Travel to Bronze Age Crete to meet the Minoans: their palaces, seaborne power, vivid art and the myths that later Greeks built around this island civilization.
Daily Life in the Cyclades: Homes, Graves and Sea Routes
Rebuild daily life in Early Cycladic communities through houses, cliffside graves and sea routes, and see how island geography shaped this Bronze Age society.
The Plank Idols: How to Read a Cycladic Figure
Take one Cycladic plank idol and slow down: we read its pose, proportions and faint traces of paint to see what we can, and cannot, safely say about its meaning.
Why Are Cycladic Idols So “Modern”? Minimalism Before Modern Art
Put Cycladic idols next to modern sculpture and design. We explore why these 4,000-year-old figures, with smooth bodies and no faces, still look so contemporary.
What Is Cycladic Art? Marble Idols, Graves and Meaning
Start from the basics of Cycladic art: where these white marble figures were found, how they appear in graves and why they feel so strangely “modern” today.
Bronze Age Ancient Greece: From Cycladic to Mycenaean Art
Follow Bronze Age Greece from island graves to Minoan palaces and Mycenaean citadels, and see how this Aegean world prepares the ground for later Greek art.
Aegean Art Before Greece: Cycladic, Crete and Mycenae Explained
Meet Cycladic, Minoan and Mycenaean cultures as one Aegean world, from small marble idols to painted palaces and fortress-cities overlooking the sea.
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Meet the Host
Hey there! I'm Riccardo, the mind behind The Art Newbie. I've been obsessed with art since my high school days, and now I'm diving deep into the world of architecture at college. The Art Newbie is my space to share everything I've learned, from the basics of art and architecture to the fascinating histories behind them.