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This module explores the societies of the Aegean region c. 3500-1100 BCE within the framework of the wider Mediterranean Near Eastern world.

The focus is on the societies of the Bronze Age, and the emergence and attributes of the palace-centred Minoan culture on Crete and the Mycenaean culture on mainland Greece.

Aims of the module

This module provides selective thematic coverage of the Bronze Age Aegean, c. 3000-1100 BCE, with a focus on the southern Aegean, with consideration of its Mediterranean context. Drawing on the region’s exceptional wealth of archaeological data, and set within a theoretically informed, problem-oriented framework, the module explores alternative perspectives and aims to introduce students to current interpretations, debates and avenues for future research. It locates prehistoric Aegean societies relative to contemporary Mediterranean and Near Eastern societies, exploring links between traditionally separate fields. Themes of recurrent importance include social, political and economic structures, the significance of material culture, local and longer-range interaction, and the integration of textual evidence (where available) with material data.

It aims:

• To provide an advanced, broadly based introduction to the archaeology of the Bronze Age Aegean.

• To encourage the critical evaluation of current research (questions, methods and theory, the quality of evidence, approaches to analyses and substantive results).

• To familiarise students with major elements and examples of Aegean material culture relevant to the period, and analytical and interpretive approaches to them.

• To introduce students to important current research projects.

• To prepare students to undertake original research in Aegean prehistoric archaeology.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student should:

• Have a solid overview of major developments and interpretive perspectives in Aegean prehistory, with greater in-depth knowledge of topics on which coursework has been written, and a general understanding of how the Aegean region fits into wider Mediterranean and European contexts.

• Understand the main interpretive paradigms that have dominated the field, as well as their strengths and weaknesses, enabling critical assessment of the structure, rationale and contributions of arguments and interpretations in the literature.

• Recognise a broad range of the material culture from the period, and understand its cultural significance as well as its interpretive potential.

• Be able to explore data from the prehistoric Aegean using a wide range of theoretical approaches current in archaeology.

Teaching Methods

The module is taught as a series of 10 weekly 2-hour seminars, to discuss and debate the broad subjects defined for that week. Seminars have weekly required readings, which students will be expected to have read to be able fully to follow and actively to contribute to the discussion. Up to 2-hours of optional but recommended recorded lectures will be provided on the module Moodle as additional background for each week’s topics. These will be of particular value to students who have not previously attended an intensive course in Aegean prehistory.

There will normally be an opportunity to study Aegean material culture in the British Museum collection.

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