Greek Archaeology

Christopher Mee presents an extensive examination of the material culture of the Greek world from its Neolithic roots in 7000 B.C. to the close of the Hellenistic period in 146 B.C.

• Features a unique thematic approach to the study of Greek archaeology
• Includes extensive use of illustrations, many of which are not commonly featured
• Allows for the study of a particular period of time by its chronological arrangement within each chapter

Introduction.

1. Settlement and Settlements.

2. The Architecture of Power.

3. Residential Space.

4. The Countryside.

5. Technology and Production.

6. Trade and Colonisation.

7. Warfare.

8. Death and Burial.

9. Religion.

Bibliography.

"Despite such conservatism, the book manages to keep an essential balance between the detail of the archaeological material and the grand picture of socio-historical phenomena. It shifts between different spatial and temporal scales smoothly and it is certainly recommendable to any student wishing to introduce her/himself to Greek archaeology." (Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 7 November 2011)

"Christopher Mee's Greek Archaeology is a thoroughly contemporary and innovative overview, which I recommend warmly to students from the sixth form to their sixties (and later) as an excellent introduction to the subject . . . This is a book for all who want to start to understand the whole of the glory that was Greece from its material culture. It also has good illustrations." (The Anglo-Hellenic Review, 1 September 2011)

Christopher Mee is Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Liverpool. Formerly Assistant Director of the British School at Athens, Mee specializes in the prehistory of Greece and has directed excavation and survey projects in Lakonia and on the Methana peninsula. He is the author of Rhodes in the Bronze Age: An Archaeological Survey (1982), and co-author of A Private Place: Death in Prehistoric Greece (with William Cavanagh, 1998) and Greece: An Oxford Archaeological Guide (with Antony Spawforth, 2001). Sifting through the remains of the ancient landscapes of Greece has revealed -- and continues to uncover -- a wealth of archaeological treasures. Greek Archaeology: A Thematic Approach presents an up-to-date synthesis of the material culture of the Greek world from its earliest Neolithic roots in 7000 B.C. to the rise of Roman influence that marked the close of the Hellenistic period in 146 B.C. To provide a long term perspective on the processes of continuity and change throughout the Greek world, chapters are arranged thematically, while focusing on various aspects of Greek culture in a chronological manner. Themes covered include settlement, monumental architecture, houses, agriculture, technology, trade, warfare, burial and religion. Chapters are supplemented with an extensive selection of illustrations for accessibility and to enhance clarity. This rich and rewarding journey into the material culture of the past will help shape our understanding of one of the greatest civilizations the world has ever known. "A remarkable sweep through seven millennia of Greek archaeology. No other book lays out so clearly and concisely the changes in ancient Greek life between Neolithic and Hellenistic times."
Ian Morris, Stanford University

"Mee's novel approach to surveying six millennia of ancient Greek material culture chronologically by way of nine carefully chosen and sequenced themes results in a refreshingly different appreciation of what are the enduring traditions versus the relatively abrupt changes in direction of Hellas' rich archaeological record."
Jeremy Rutter, Dartmouth College

“The chronological and geographical breadth of this clearly written book, together with the case-study approach, make this an ideal first introduction to the questions and the material studied in Greek archaeology.”
Robin Osborne, Cambridge University