Mycenaean Civilization

The Bronze Age of Greece was unknown until the end of the 19th century, when Heinrich Schliemann's excavations stunned the world by bringing to light the glamour of Mycenaean elite society. This book, by one of Greece's most distinguished archaeologists, provides a complete introduction to Mycenaean life and archaeology. Through both chronological and thematic chapters, it examines the main Mycenaean centres, the palaces and kingship, the social structure, writing, religion and its political implications, and the contacts and relations of the Mycenaeans with neighbouring countries, especially Asia Minor, Egypt, the coast of Syria-Palestine and Italy. Attention is paid to the distinctive Mycenaean art, including monumental architecture, gold and silver metalwork and jewellery, and the book is supported by over 300 illustrations. Dora Vassilikou concludes by examining the simultaneous catastrophes that brought the Bronze Age of the Eastern Aegean to its end and opened up a new era.

List of contents

Foreword by Yannis Galanakis; 1. The Bronze Age Civilization of Greece; 2. The Late Helladic I Period (LH I 1650/1600-1500 BC); 3. The Late Helladic II Period (LH II 1500-1400 BC); 4. The Late Helladic III Period (LH III 1400-1050 BC); 5. Pottery (1600-1050 BC); 6. Writing; 7. Religion; 8. The Mycenaean World (1400-1200 BC); 9. The End of the Mycenaean Civilization; 10. Mycenaean Greece in Homer; Chronological Chart

About the author

DORA VASSILIKOU is an archaeologist at The Archaeological Society at Athens, and a member of its Board of Directors. She has published four books: Mycenaean Civilization (1st ed., 1995; 2nd ed., 2019), Mycenaean Signet Rings (2000), Excavations in the Cyclades (2006), and Excavation in Mycenae (2011). She won the Prix Ambatielos 2020 French Academy (Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres) and is a correspondent member of the German Archaeological Institute Berlin.

Summary

The first English edition of a complete introduction to Mycenaean life and archaeology by one of Greece's most distinguished archaeologists, the Greek editions of which have been widely acclaimed. Discusses the main Mycenaean centres, the palaces and kingship, social structure, writing, religion, foreign relations, art, and architecture.

Product details

• Authors: Dora Vassilikou, Dora (The Archaeological Society At At Vassilikou, Dora (The Archaeological Society at Athens) Vassilikou
• Assisted by: Galanakis Yannis (Foreword), Galanakis Yannis (Foreword), Doniert Evely (Translation), Evely Doniert (Translation), Colin Macdonald (Translation), MacDonald Colin (Translation)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.10.2024
• EAN: 9781009493123
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0949312-3
• No. of pages: 744
• Series: Classical Scholarship in Translation
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; Humanities, art, music > History > Antiquity; Ancient Greece, HISTORY / Ancient / Greece, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Archaeology, LITERARY COLLECTIONS / Ancient & Classical, Classical texts, Ancient World, Ancient History, Archaeology by period / region, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, Classical Greek & Roman archaeology, Ancient Greek and Roman literature