Sub-Mycenaean pottery

As a sub-Mycenaean pottery style of ancient Greek pottery is called. The style combines the pre-Greek Mycenaean pottery styles, especially of late Mycenaean style, with the following styles of Greek vase painting, especially the Protogeometric ceramics. The vases are dated to the period 1030-1000 BC.

The sub-Mycenaean pottery is still very poorly documented, since due to the thin at this time colonization of Greece are only a few known find sites. The style was first identified in 1939 by Wilhelm Kraiker and Karl Kübler basis of findings in the Kerameikos and the Pompeion burial ground in Athens and at Salamis. An existence of the style was long disputed among archaeologists, until there were finds at Mycenae, where to Late Mycenaean and sub-Mycenaean finds in various stratigraphic layers found. The vessels were found mainly in body and burials in stone cists. The locations are widely scattered, suggesting ways of life in small settlements. In addition to the places already mentioned is sub-Mycenaean pottery found among other things in Corinth, Asine, Kalapodi, Lefkandi and Tiryns.

The quality of the vases is very different. Only a few forms were produced, especially stirrup jars with an air hole in the shoulder, abdomen and Halshenkelamphoren, lekythoi and cans, some had trefoil mouths. Towards the end of the period submykenischen the bow handle pitchers were displaced by lekythoi. The decoration is quite simple, the hand-painted motifs are limited to horizontal and vertical wavy lines, single, double, shaded and overlapping triangles as well as simple or concentric semicircles. The shoulders of lekythoi, amphorae and stirrup handle pitchers were ornamental decorations. Amphorae, jugs amphoriskoi and were usually painted with a more or less thick wavy line.