The earliest prehistoric excavations on the island took place in 1887, when W.R. Paton discovered Mycenaean chamber tombs in the side of the torrent bed, which runs into the harbour of Pothia to the east of the hill of Perakastro, where the Late Bronze Age settlement stood. Most of the vessels found from Paton were presented to the British Museum while others are preserved in other European Museums. The first systematic excavations, however, took place only in the early twenties of the past century when the Italian archaeologist A. Maiuri director of the archaeological exploration of the then Italian islands of the Dodecanese, excavated the three prehistoric caves of Ayia Varvara (1920), Choiromandres (1921), and Vathy-Dhaskalio (1922), which are the object of the present study.

Contributions investigate the settlement patterns, maritime connectivity, and material culture of the southeast of Crete in a diachronic fashion, in an attempt to define it as a region and trace its history. Papers focus primarily on the archaeology of the sites along the coastal strip spanning between the Myrtos Valley and Kato Zakros.

This volume publishes the proceedings of the conference of the same name, held in Rhodes in October 2018. Contributions draw on archaeological and literary sources to explore both the development and continuity of cults in the Dodecanese, from the Early Iron Age through to the 1st century BC.

The results of two related fieldwork projects are presented: a brief salvage excavation at Plakari (a Final Neolithic site near the modern town of Karystos) and a survey of prehistoric sites on the Paximadi peninsula (the western arm of the Karystos bay), both located in southern Euboea. These ventures were part of the larger mission of the Southern Euboea Exploration Project (SEEP), a multidisciplinary research program dedicated to the study of the Karystian past and which maintained a presence in southern Euboea for over 25 years. These projects have found that, contrary to what archaeologists once believed, southern Euboea was hardly an uninhabited and isolated region in prehistory. The inhabitants actively participated in the expanded maritime and social landscape that characterized the later Neolithic and Early Bronze Age in the Aegean, taking part in exchange networks of stone, ceramics, marble figurines and vessels, and possibly agricultural goods and metalwork.

Aegean prehistory has developed over the 20th century into a distinctive and vibrant area of archaeological research. The past few decades, in particular, have seen a dramatic reorientation and expansion of goals and methods as well as a flood of new fieldwork in the Agean. Keeping abreast of these new developments has become a daunting task. Aegean Prehistory: A Review contains detailed syntheses of research, originally published in the American Journal of Archaeology and newly updated here. The volume conveys the diversity and richness of current approaches to the discipline of Aegean prehistory whilst also marshalling an enormous amount of information pertaining to field projects, museum studies, analyses of materials and texts, and supporting theories of interpretation. An introduction by Tracey Cullen places the review articles in historical perspective, tracing the evolution of Aegean prehistory from the 19th century to the present. The author also considers the current status of the discipline--its relationships with classical archaeology and anthropology, and the manner in which it is shaped by various sociopolitical forces. Aegean Prehistory: A Review is a powerful research tool for the exploration of Aegean themes. With its expansive and detailed coverage, the book constitutes essential reading for professionals and students of Aegean prehistory. It will also be of great interest to all who wish to learn more about intellectual trends and current discoveries in this part of the Mediterranean. Perhaps most important, Aegean Prehistory: A Review provides a solid foundation upon which Aegean archaeology can build as it continues to thrive in the coming years.