Knossos, Mycenae, Troy

The Enchanting Bronze Age and its Tumultuous Climax

Häftad, Engelska, 2023

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Beskrivning

This book charts the rise of and interplay between the first Mediterranean civilisations – with particular reference to the Minoan, Cycladic, Mycenaean and Trojan – and on the causes of their decline, which are identified in a jumble of natural and human causes, and in a slow, but irreversible crisis. It takes into account that the Mediterranean Dimension of the Bronze Age is a garden in which many legends flourished, clearly distinguishing between myth and history. Using written sources and archaeological evidence, it charts these civilisations' fortunes and crises, and the wars and natural disasters that led to their decline. Chapters explore political geography, military and economic development, religion, monumental architecture and the rise and fall of the palatial dynasties and successive centralised governments, social life and material culture, with emphasis on the importance of commerce. A characterising element of Knossos, Mycenae, Troy is the wide use of the ‘historical present’ to represent events and construct the text. In doing so, it immerses the reader in the narrated events, facilitating our understanding. The result is a fascinating picture of the cultures that laid the foundations of Western civilisation.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2023-01-15
Mått:170 x 240 x 17 mm
Vikt:684 g
Format:Häftad
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:272
Förlag:Oxbow Books
ISBN:9781789259476

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Mer om författaren

Natale Barca was Visiting Scholar Researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and Academic Visitor at the University of London’s Institute of Classical Studies. He is a member of the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies (Roman Society), London. He has previously published numerous books in his native Italian, and in English. His latest publications are focused on the history and archaeology of ancient cities of the Mediterranean, including Roman Aquileia: The Impenetrable City-Fortress, a Sentry of the Alps (Oxbow Books, 2022).

Innehållsförteckning

TimelinePrefaceIntroduction: The geographical context1. The origins of the Minoan civilization2. The geography of Protopalatial Crete3. War weapons and defensive architecture4. Maritime trade5. Religion and worship6. The transition to the Neopalatial Period7. Neopalatial Crete8. Mutual influences9. The volcanic catastrophe of Santorini10. The Proto-Greeks11. The emergence of the Mycenaeans12. The search for raw materials13. Calamity and resilience14. The Mycenaean conquest of Crete15. The Mycenaeans seize mercantile trade from the Minoans16. The pre-colonization of the West17. Kingdoms and city-palaces18. Crete in the age of Minos I19. Minos II20. The catastrophe of Pylos. The Sea Peoples: Part I21. The Trojan War22. Which Troy?23. The decline of the palace-cities24. The Sea Peoples: Part II25. The recovery without the palaces and the final crisis