A striking change appears in Greek art of the seventh century B.C., the beginning of the Archaic period. The abstract\u00a0geometric patterning\u00a0<\/a>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\u00a0Near East\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0Egypt<\/a>. 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\u00a0Cyprus<\/a>, inspired Greek artists to work in techniques as diverse as\u00a0gem<\/a>cutting, ivory carving, jewelry making, and metalworking (1989.281.49-.50<\/a>). Eastern pictorial motifs were introduced\u2014palmette 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\u00a0Classical Greek art<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/toah\/hd\/argk\/hd_argk.htm.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t