#Greek meander download#
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Greek vases constitute the main reason for the widespread use of meanders in decorative art, but the key pattern can be found throughout many styles of pottery and ceramics across different cultures. Common uses of the Meander/Key Pattern Vases and Pottery And thanks to the myths of Homer and the Ilyad, the Ancient Greek people are commonly associated with mazes and labyrinths (the original being the Cretan labyrinth built to hold the Minotaur).

What connection does the Key Pattern bear with labyrinths and mazes?Ī labyrinth can be created using the repeating patterns of a Greek key. In this way it is thought that the meaning of the Meander has been misinterpreted for many years, not representing directionless wandering as the name “meander” suggests, but instead purpose, determination and strength. On a metaphysical level, it was considered a manifestation of the heroism and resilience of the Greek spirit, symbolic of the Ancient Greeks’ capacity to overcome adversity. On a physical level, it was a powerful way to hold fighters or performers securely. It was also a form of hand grip employed in ancient Greek gymnastics, wrestling and the “ pankration”, (a Greek form of martial art) that was a popular event in the earliest Olympic Games, as well as in battle. The unbroken, interlocking pattern turned it into a symbol of both unity and infinity, whereupon it became one of the most important symbols in Ancient Greece.Īccording to Psychology Today, recent discoveries have revealed that the meander was more than simply a decorative symbol for use in art. Etymologically, the word ‘meander’, meaning to take an indirect path, derives from this river.įor the people of Ancient Greece, Meander (or Meandros) was thought to symbolize eternity and the undulating flow of human life through reproduction. Many think that a small section of the pattern in isolation resembles a rudimentary, traditional key.įor others, the motif recalls the twisting, winding course of the Meander River in Asia Minor, now present-day Turkey. The motif was employed with abundance across temples and monuments in Ancient Greece as much as it was on domestic pots and vases. The key pattern is most frequently associated with Greece thanks to the Ancient Greeks’ commitment to employing it prolifically. The Investiture of Zimri-Lim, from the Amorite palace at Mari, via Wikimedia Commons Although a pattern made of curves rather than geometric shapes, this instance of the guilloche is thought by many to be a predecessor to the Greek Meander, or Key. The word meander, in Greek, meaning to take an indirect path, derives from the twisting and turning path of the Maeander River in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) the 250-mile-long River, which Homer mentions in The Iliad. He was one of the sons of the Titans Oceanus and his sister-wife Tethys. One such early example is the ‘guilloche’ (a pattern created through interlacing curved lines ) on the depiction of the Investiture of Zimrilim, dating back to the 18th century BC. Meander, Maeander, Mander or Maiandros ( Ancient Greek: ) was a river god in Greek mythology, patron deity of the Meander river (modern Byk Menderes River) in Caria, southern Asia Minor (modern Turkey ). The Greek Key’s exact origins are unclear, with traces of its usage appearing in relics found from Etruscan, Ancient Greek, Ancient Roman and Byzantine cultures.

#Greek meander free#

svg format Premium quality Free for commercial use Free & easy download. Other abstracted forms of wave patterns, geometric.

#Greek meander download#

He was one of the most popular writers in. Free download free greek meander vectors files in editable. Among the most common designs seen in ancient art is the Greek key pattern, a rectilinear meander. 3 His record at the City Dionysia is unknown. 1 He wrote 108 comedies 2 and took the prize at the Lenaia festival eight times. Meanders are common decorative elements in Greek and Roman art. 290 BC) was a Greek dramatist and the best-known representative of Athenian New Comedy. But it can be more complex, forming labyrinths and interlocking key patterns. The term derives from the twisting course of the Maeander River in Asia Minor. At its most basic, it is a band consisting of short horizontal and vertical lines, connected at right angles. The pattern can be found in a variety of forms.

The ‘Greek key’, also known as the ‘meander’, is a repeating geometric motif that has been used across buildings, decorative arts, jewelry and even clothes for centuries. Classic Greek Meander Key Pattern, match with your significant other or pair together for a sleek stacking combo. In modern times, it remains a common theme, replicated in fashion, jewelry, decorative arts, interior design, and architecture. Ancient emoji.Whether or not you know the name, you’ll recognize the pattern. The Greek key or meander was one of the most important symbols in ancient Greece, representing infinity or the eternal flow of things.