The art of wall painting first appeared in the Aegean in Minoan Crete and was closely associated with palatial architecture. Indeed, the monumental painting was an official art, undertaken by artists who worked for the king. The iconography is inspired by the natural world or exhibits religious ceremonies from the royal court. The art of wall painting spread to mainland Greece with the construction of the palaces of Mycenae, Tiryns, Thebes, and Pylos after the Mycenaeans established themselves at the palace of Knossos in Crete, at the end of the 15th century B.C. The Mycenaean artist used natural earth colours, made mainly of metal oxides, which he applied onto a wet plaster surface. The 13th century B.C. wall paintings from the rooms of the Cult Center at the southwest section of the Mycenaean citadel, near Grave Circle A, are especially important. They include a scene of a religious offering to a goddess and the representation of figure-of-eight shields, which may symbolize a military deity.

On the image above: Wall painting depicting figure-of-eight shield with a suspension strap at the middle. The motif on each shield's surface shows that they represent originals made of cow's hide. The figure-of-eight shield, a defensive weapon, becomes here the symbol of a war goddess. Although it is a common motif (models of this type of shield exist in gold, ivory, and semi-precious stones), this is a rare representation in Mycenaean monumental painting.

Inv. no. 11672, National Archaeological Museum of Athens