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

List of Figures xi

List of Maps xxxiv

List of Tables xxxv

Acknowledgments xxxvi

List of Abbreviations xxxvii

1 Introduction 1

Across the Great Divide 1

Chronology 3

2 Settlement and Settlements 8

Introduction 8

Neolithic Greece 9

Early Bronze Age 10

Palatial Crete 13

The Cyclades 16

Mycenaean Greece 17

The Early Iron Age 22

The Eighth Century 25

The Archaic Period 28

The Classical Period 31

The Hellenistic Period 36

Conclusions 40

3 The Architecture of Power 43

Introduction 43

Neolithic Dimini 43

Early Bronze Age Lerna 45

Neopalatial Knossos 47

Mycenaean Pylos 51

Early Iron Age Lefkandi 56

Classical Athens 58

Hellenistic Macedonia 64

Conclusions 66

4 Residential Space 69

Introduction 69

The Neolithic Period 69

The Early Bronze Age 72

Middle Bronze Age Greece 73

Neopalatial Crete 75

The Cyclades 79

Mycenaean Greece 82

The Early Iron Age 84

The Archaic and Classical Periods 88

The Later Fourth Century and the Hellenistic Period 97

Conclusions 104

5 The Countryside 107

Introduction 107

The First Farmers 108

The Secondary Products Revolution and Mediterranean Polyculture Revisited 110

Royal Estates 112

Early Iron Age Pastoralists? 114

Down on the Farm? 115

Works and Days 124

Conclusions 127

6 Technology and Production 129

Pottery 129

Neolithic pottery 129

Early Bronze Age pottery 132

Minoan and Mycenaean pottery 134

Early Iron Age pottery 139

Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic pottery 141

Pottery production at Athens and Corinth 145

Metallurgy 149

The Neolithic and Early Bronze Age 149

Second-millennium metalwork 151

The age of iron 155

The silver mines at Lavrion 157

Conclusions 163

7 Trade and Colonization 166

Introduction 166

Neolithic 167

Early Bronze Age 168

The Thalassocracy of Minos 171

Mycenaeans Overseas? 175

Into the Iron Age 178

Magna Graecia 180

France and Spain 184

The Black Sea 186

The Eastern Mediterranean and Egypt 186

Ships and Cargoes 187

Conclusions 190

8 Warfare 192

Introduction 192

The Early Bronze Age Aegean 193

Pax Minoica 193

Well-greaved Achaeans 197

Well-built Mycenae 201

Warfare in Transition 207

Hoplite Warfare 210

Naval Warfare 213

Fortifications 216

The Rise of Macedon 220

Conclusions 221

9 Death and Burial 223

Introduction 223

Neolithic Greece 224

Early Bronze Age Greece 225

Middle Bronze Age Greece 230

Mycenaean Greece 233

Early Iron Age Greece 239

The Archaic Period 244

The Classical Period 245

Conclusions 252

10 Religion 255

Introduction 255

Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Figurines 255

Cretan Rural Sanctuaries 258

Religion in the Cretan Palaces and Towns 262

Cretan Converts? 265

Mycenaean Religion 266

Religion after the Palaces 272

Early Iron Age 273

The Eighth Century 274

The Archaic Period 278

The Fifth Century 286

The Fourth Century and the Hellenistic Period 290

Conclusions 295

Timeline 298

Glossary 300

References 302

Index 319

"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