This textbook offers an up-to-date academic synthesis of the Aegean islands from the earliest Palaeolithic period through to the demise of the Mycenaean civilization in the Late Bronze III period. The book integrates new findings and theoretical approaches whilst, at the same time, allowing readers to contextualize their understanding through engagement with bigger overarching issues and themes, often drawing explicitly on key theoretical concepts and debates. Structured according to chronological periods and with two dedicated chapters on Akrotiri and the debate around the volcanic eruption of Thera, this book is an essential companion for all those interested in the prehistory of the Cyclades and other Aegean islands.
List of figures
List of maps
List of tables
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Aegean islands through time
Chapter 2: The Aegean islands in space
Chapter 3: The first people: the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods
Chapter 4: Settling the Aegean islands: the Neolithic
Chapter 5: The International Islands: The Early Bronze Age
Chapter 6: The Minoanised islands: The Middle and early Late Bronze Age
Chapter 7: Akrotiri
Chapter 8: The Theran volcanic eruption
Chapter 9: The Mycenaeanised islands: The Late Bronze Age period
Conclusions: the islands in context
Bibliography
Index
Biography
Ina Berg is a Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Manchester, UK. Her specialist area is that of the prehistoric Cyclades with particular interests in pottery studies and island archaeology. She is currently working on a research project that investigates the social and technical dimensions of the potter's wheel in the Aegean Bronze Age. She has a recognised international profile as indicated by her publications, invited contributions and visiting fellowships.
"Here at last is a handbook that covers all Aegean islands excepting Crete through their prehistory, from the Paleolithic era to the end of the Bronze Age. Sensibly organised in chronologically sequential chapters, each further broken down into a recurring topical format, Berg’s representation of Aegean island archaeology is clear, full, and richly illustrated – a truly valuable teaching manual. Her synthesis of the rapidly accumulating evidence for the Paleolithic exploitation of Aegean islands is timely, while her assessment of where things stand in the ongoing controversy over the date and impact of the Theran volcano’s catastrophic explosion early in the Late Bronze Age is both wide-ranging and fair."
- Jeremy Rutter, Dartmouth College, USA
