Statue of a rider

This fragment of a horse statue is from Vari, Attica. A striking change appears in Greek art of the seventh century B.C., the beginning of the Archaic period. The abstract geometric patterning that was dominant between about 1050 and 700 B.C. is supplanted in the seventh century by a more naturalistic style reflecting significant influence from the Near East and Egypt. Trading stations in the Levant and the Nile Delta, continuing Greek colonization in the east and west, as well as contact with eastern craftsmen, notably on Crete and Cyprus, inspired Greek artists to work in techniques as diverse as gem cutting, ivory carving, jewelry making, and metalworking. Eastern pictorial motifs were introduced—palmette and lotus compositions, animal hunts, and such composite beasts as griffins (part bird, part lion), sphinxes (part woman, part winged lion), and sirens (part woman, part bird). Greek artists rapidly assimilated foreign styles and motifs into new portrayals of their own myths and customs, thereby forging the foundations of Archaic and Classical Greek art.该马雕像残片源自阿提卡（Attica）地区的瓦里（Vari）遗址。公元前7世纪，也就是古希腊古风时期（Archaic period）的开端，希腊艺术迎来了极具标志性的变革。公元前1050年至700年左右占据主流的抽象几何纹饰，于公元前7世纪被更具自然主义的风格取代——这一新风格深受近东与古埃及文化的深刻影响。黎凡特（Levant）地区与尼罗河三角洲（Nile Delta）的贸易据点、希腊在东西两线持续推进的殖民活动，以及与东方工匠（尤以克里特（Crete）与塞浦路斯（Cyprus）地区的工匠为代表）的交流互动，都促使希腊艺术家掌握了品类丰富的工艺技法，涵盖宝石雕刻、象牙雕刻、珠宝制作与金属铸造。东方绘画母题随之传入：包括棕叶饰（palmette）与莲花（lotus）纹饰组合、狩猎场景，以及格里芬（griffin，鸟首狮身）、斯芬克斯（sphinx，女性首翼狮身）、塞壬（siren，女性首鸟身）这类复合异兽形象。希腊艺术家迅速将外来风格与母题融入对本国神话与习俗的全新诠释之中，由此奠定了古希腊古风与古典时期艺术的发展根基。