Orientalizing Period (700–600 bc)

From 700–600 bc, Greeks began to colonize cities in Italy, North Africa, and Egypt. The resulting exchange of information between cultures gave way to a new artistic style. Materials from the Orientalizing period include motifs borrowed from other civilizations: exotic animals, rosettes, and vegetal designs (Pedley, Greek Art and Archaeology, 122). In Athens, Orientalizing pottery is referred to as Protoattic pottery. This style is characterized by jars of monumental height, images of sphinxes and human figures, as well as mythological scenes continued from the Geometric Period (Pedley, Greek Art and Archaeology, 127–28).