Mycenaean Pottery

Giraffes continue looking at Ancient Greek civilisations, now looking at the Mycenaeans. We looked at how the Mycenaeans took over the Minoan civilization and how they were influenced by aspects of their culture. We learnt that the Mycenaeans were skilled potters, who frequently used spirals and pictures of marine life in their work. We learnt that they developed ‘kraters’, which were containers used for mixing wine and water; ‘alabastrons’, which were short and sturdy jars for holding perfumes; and tall goblets. The children chose one of these types of pot, using pictures of Mycenaean pots that have been found by archaeologists for inspiration. We learnt how to mould a pinch pot and how to build our designs by attaching coils, scoring the clay and using ‘slip’ to help bind the clay.