Greek colonies abroad continued to flourish and new settlements
were established, particularly in the region of the Black Sea.
Colonies were founded at Mediterranean sites such as Cyrene on the
North African coast and Massilia (Marseilles) in southern France.
Highly developed commercial contacts continued in Egypt, Anatolia and
the Levant. These contacts stimulated an influx of eastern imports
and the manufacture of Greek objects with an "oriental" appearance or
featuring "oriental" motifs.
Coinage was
invented by the East Greeks or by the Lydians, the neighbors of the
Greeks on the coast of Asia Minor, and was systematically adopted by
the Greek city-states. The first Greek monumental stone sculpture
appeared. The Doric and Ionic architectural orders were born and the
Greek temple reached its developed form.
Early Corinthian Alabastron
ca. 620-590 BC
By the Scale Painter
Vulci, Chamber Tomb 5
MS 553
The powerful city of Corinth was the innovator in pottery decoration
and dominated pottery exportation in the 7th and early 6th centuries
BC. This vessel comes from an Etruscan site in central Italy, a
region where Greek commercial contacts and influence were strong.
The decorative motifs include exotic animals, "oriental" creatures
such as the sphinx, and filler ornaments such as rosettes.
H. 35.0; Dia. 17.0 cm. Photo by Maria Daniels for the Perseus Project
(182k)
