The Cambridge Companion to the Aegean Bronze Age

This Companion covers the history and the material culture of Crete, Greece and the Aegean Islands from c. 3000–1100 BCE.

Cynthia W. Shelmerdine (Edited by)

9780521891271, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 4 August 2008

554 pages, 95 b/w illus. 11 maps
22.1 x 15 x 2.5 cm, 0.77 kg

'… one of the best regional accounts of the origins of complex societies worldwide.' Nature

This book is a comprehensive up-to-date survey of the Aegean Bronze Age, from its beginnings to the period following the collapse of the Mycenaean palace system. In essays by leading authorities commissioned especially for this volume, it covers the history and the material culture of Crete, Greece, and the Aegean Islands from c.3000–1100 BCE, as well as topics such as trade, religions, and economic administration. Intended as a reliable, readable introduction for university students, it will also be useful to scholars in related fields within and outside classics. The contents of this book are arranged chronologically and geographically, facilitating comparison between the different cultures. Within this framework, the cultures of the Aegean Bronze Age are assessed thematically and combine both material culture and social history.

1. Background, sources, and methods Cynthia Shelmerdine
2. The early bronze age in Greece Daniel Pullen
3. The early bronze age in the Cyclades Cyprian Broodbank
4. Early prepalatial Crete David Wilson
5. Protopalatial Crete: a. Formation of the palaces Sturt W. Manning
b. The material culture Carl Knappett
6. The material culture of neopalatial Crete John Younger and Paul Rehak
7. Minoan culture: religion, burial customs, administration John Younger and Paul Rehak
8. Minoan Crete and the Aegean Islands Jack L. Davis
9. Minoan trade Philip P. Betancourt
10. Early Mycenaean Greece James Clinton Wright
11. Mycenaean art and architecture Janice L. Crowley
12. Mycenaean states: A. Economy and administration Cynthia W. Shelmerdine and John Bennet
B. LM II-IIIB Laura Preston
13. Burial customs: A. Death and the Mycenaeans William Cavanagh
B. Mycenaean religion Thomas G. Palaima
14. Mycenaean Greece, the Aegean and Beyond Christopher Mee
15. Decline, destruction, aftermath Sigrid Deger-Jalkotzy.

Subject Areas: Classical Greek & Roman archaeology [HDDK], Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA]