The Cambridge Companion to the Aegean Bronze Age

by Cynthia W. Shelmerdine (Editor)

This book is a comprehensive up-to-date survey of the Aegean Bronze Age, from its beginnings to the period following the collapse of the Mycenaean palace system. In essays by leading authorities commissioned especially for this volume, it covers the history and the material culture of Crete, Greece, and the Aegean Islands from c. 3000―1100 BCE, as well as topics such as trade, religions, and economic administration. Intended as a reliable, readable introduction for university students, it will also be useful to scholars in related fields within and outside classics. The contents of this book are arranged chronologically and geographically, facilitating comparison between the different cultures. Within this framework, the cultures of the Aegean Bronze Age are assessed thematically and combine both material culture and social history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Greece, Archaeology, Ancient History, World History, Reference

554 pages, Paperback

First published August 4, 2008

About the author

Cynthia Wright Shelmerdine is an American classicist and archaeologist, known for her researches into Mycenaean culture and history. She is Robert M. Armstrong Centennial professor emerita at the University of Texas, Austin.

Reviews

[Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began reading this book as a substitution for my Greek History textbook, until I completely ditched the textbook for better learning experience. This volume contains more up-to-date archaeological information on a handful of sites; for instance, the nature of the transitional period from EHIII to MHI, which has been a rather contentious topic of debate in my classroom and in many earlier publications, receives new treatments based on latest findings in this volume -- which's frankly awesome for beginners, who might easily get distracted by outdated information from 30-year-old textbooks. Recommended and added for further study.

[Mesoscope · Rating 5 out of 5]

A complete and fact-rich history of the Cyclades, Crete, and Helladic Greece in the Bronze Age. Heavily based on up-to-date archaeological data. Academic and a bit dry.

[Andre Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was required reading for an archaeology course on the Mycenaeans and Minoans. It was very useful with excellent sections written by experts in the field

[Ailed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Cambridge Companion it's a great introduction to the Aegean Bronze Age, easy to comprehend by the general public. It was exactly what I was looking for.

The book's chapters are written by different scholars and offers a comprehensive study of the Aegean Bronze Age, covering Pre-Greek settlements and culture, the Cycladic culture and Minoan civilization, and the Mycenaeans up until the fall of the Mycenaeans palaces.

Previous to reading it, I only had some knowledge about the Minoans and a vague idea of the culture that preceded the Mycenaeans in the mainland. Here we learn about a variety of topics: religion, culture, trade, etc. It was also interesting to find out that the massive volcanic explosion of the Santorini it's no longer considered a probable reason for the fall of the Minoan civilization.

I recommend it to everyone looking for an introductory text covering the period before the Iron Age in Greece.

[D.R. Oestreicher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not for the casual reader. The Cambridge University Press offers this "Cambridge Companion," about 500 pages of independently written articles by authors with extensive academic credentials. As might be expected in an academic publication, there are plenty of maps, drawings, photographs, notes, bibliographies, and index entries. I imagine this book is assigned for a graduate archeology class.

Given that caveat, The Aegean Bronze Age edited by Cynthia Shelmerdine provides excellent background and detail on the Aegean Bronze Age. If that title is not clear or interesting, this book is not for you. This is not the introduction to anything. This is the graduate course. If you want the that, you've found it and at a bargain price (for a college text).


For my notes see: http://1book42day.blogspot.com/2017/0...

[Linniegayl · Rating 1 out of 5]

For the most part I disliked this anthology. Many of the chapters seem to be simply listings of artifacts found at various archaeological sites, with minimal analysis. I read this for a class or I would have stopped reading months ago.

[Hans Kerrinckx · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book on the Bronze Age in the Aegean. It is a complex matter and the authors use a technical writing style. Definitly not for amateurs; you have to love potsherds.

[amax · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in the context of an archaeology class. While it provided a lot of useful information, the book itself is rather dense in some parts, and some of the authors show strange biases and prejudices. I've read better articles on the topic that avoid assumptions and misinterpretations.

[Sharice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't have much interest in this topic to be fair but I wanted an e-book to read while it was quiet at work over the summer. Didn't manage to get much read while there to be fair but have been reading it on my iPad since. The topic isn't a favourite of mine but I feel like I've learnt something new. Not facts that I will remember but hopefully something is stored in my brain, for pub quizzes or something!

[Austin Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent for what it is: a broad survey across a whole region and era. 5 stars for being a general resource grounded in specific sites and artifacts, each chapter written by an expert for that time and place. Not for the casual reader, but could be an introduction for a motivated learner who has mostly read pop archaeology/history books and is looking to get into more academic treatments