AncientPylos hasd long captivated travelers, archaeologists, and historiansfamiliar with Homer's Iliad and his account of the kingdom of Nestor, the prudent eldercounselor in the Trojan War. Excavations begun in 1939 unearthed the storiedPalace of Nestor in Messenia, an epicenter of Mycenaean civilization at acrossroads between Crete, Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Egypt. Princes of Pylos featuresspectacular works of art and craft, many recently excavated at sites acrossMessenia, including goldwork of unparalleled artistry, masterfully carvedsealstones, weapons, and wall paintings. Essays by an international team of archaeologistsexamine key discoveries, including the Linear B tablets-the earliest written form of the Greeklanguage-that whichdocument the political, religious, and economicorganization of the prosperous Pylian community. New research andcutting-edge science cast light on the 2015 find of the Grave of the GriffinWarrior, an extraordinary, intact burial that preserved thousands ofartifacts, including the celebrated Pylos Combat Agate, one of the finestworks of the Aegean Bronze Age. With over 300 illustrations, Princes of Pylos is the first majorpublication in English to reconstruct life in the kingdom of Pylos during theLate Bronze Age.
