Two-volume set of text and figures and plates This volume presents the 1994-1997 excavation of the Lower Terraces of the Mycenaean citadel of Midea in the Argolid Plain of Greece. It compliments the author's previous volume on the Lower Terraces of Midea, which was published in 1998. A shrine and megaron were discovered on Terraces 9 and 10. The stratigraphy, architecture, pottery, lithics, small finds, and human and faunal remains dating from the Final Neolithic through Byzantine periods are discussed and cataloged. Additionally, the continuous sequence of LH IIIB-LH IIIC strata on the Lower Terraces revealed the ground plan and expansion of the megaron complex.

The Sanctuary of Zeus at ancient Nemea has been a rich resource for archaeological investigation and analysis conducted by the University of California over the past forty years. The Sanctuary hosted one of the preeminent athletic festivals of ancient Greece, the Nemean Games. Just as the Olympics were celebrated in connection with the cult of Pelops at Olympia, the games at Nemea were founded on the worship of the hero Opheltes. The Shrine of Opheltes in the Sanctuary of Zeus at Nemea offers one of the best examples of an ancient Greek hero cult documented in the archaeological record. This final and most significant volume in the Excavations at Nemea series presents the results of the excavation of the Shrine from 1979 through 2001 and analyzes the Shrine's features and contents in order to understand its history and use. A study of the literary and artistic evidence about the myth and cult of Opheltes contextualizes the archaeological findings and illuminates the hero's significance to the Sanctuary and its renowned festival, the Nemean Games.

This volume offers a groundbreaking reassessment of the destructions that allegedly occurred at sites across the eastern Mediterranean at the end of the Late Bronze Age, and challenges the numerous grand theories that have been put forward to account for them. The author demonstrates that earthquakes, warfare, and destruction all played a much smaller role in this period than the literature of the past several decades has claimed, and makes the case that the end of the Late Bronze Age was a far less dramatic and more protracted process than is generally believed.

In 1952 Michael Ventris deciphered the script found on the Linear B tablets from Crete and the Greek mainland, therefore revealing the earliest known form of Greek. In 1956 he and John Chadwick published Documents in Mycenaean Greek, which gave an account of the decipherment, of the language of the tablets, of the society and economy revealed by the documents and a series of chapters giving texts, translations and commentary of the most important tablets. Though partially updated in 1973, Documents is now very much outdated: there has been a vast accrual of bibliography on the subject since 1973, and discoveries of tablets at new sites. This new survey, written by fourteen of the world's leading experts, will bring the reader fully up-to-date with developments in all aspects of Mycenaean studies, concluding with a new, full glossary of all the most recently discovered words.

This international conference, sponsored jointly by the American School of Classical Studies and the British School of Archaeology at Athens, was dedicated to the memories of Alan John Bayard Wace and Carl William Blegen and to their long archaeological collaboration. The main theme of the conference was taken from their pioneering article, "Pottery as Evidence for Trade and Colonisation in the Aegean Bronze Age", Klio 32 (1939). The papers presented reflect the current state of scholarly opinion about prehistoric pottery from Mainland Greece and the extensive trade in that pottery, 50 years after Wace and Blegen's article. With 39 papers by archaeologists from 13 countries, the volume presents comprehensive surveys by period and area, as well as detailed discussions of new finds and problems, ranging from the Early, Middle, and Late Bronze Ages on the Mainland and islands of Greece, as well as Cyprus, the Levant, Egypt, Anatolia and Italy.

Classical Greeks considered the Mycenaean civilization to be the basis of their glorious and heroic heritage, but its material existence was not confirmed until the excavations of Heinrich Schliemann in the late nineteenth century. In the ensuing years, as with the field of archaeology in general, emphasis has shifted from revealing monuments and finding treasure to dealing with less glamorous, more scientifically-oriented investigations concerning aspects such as social and political organization, economic functions and settlement patterns. With its more than 2000 entries, this reference work serves as both an introduction to and a summary of the study of ancient Mycenaean civilization. Considerably expanded from the first edition, there are 500 new entries representing materials published since 1991. The largest part of the book is made up of annotated bibliography entries arranged topically with introductory material for each section. The book also includes a general introduction to Mycenaean civilization, a glossary, and author, place and subject indexes.

A Companion that examines together two pivotal periods of Greek archaeology and offers a rich analysis of early Greek culture A Companion to the Archaeology of Early Greece and the Mediterranean offers an original and inclusive review of two key periods of Greek archaeology, which are typically treated separately—the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. It presents an in-depth exploration of the society and material culture of Greece and the Mediterranean, from the 14th to the early 7th centuries BC. The two-volume companion sets Aegean developments within their broader geographic and cultural context, and presents the wide-ranging interactions with the Mediterranean. The companion bridges the gap that typically exists between Prehistoric and Classical Archaeology and examines material culture and social practice across Greece and the Mediterranean. A number of specialists examine the environment and demography, and analyze a range of textual and archaeological evidence to shed light on socio-political and cultural developments. The companion also emphasizes regionalism in the archaeology of early Greece and examines the responses of different regions to major phenomena such as state formation, literacy, migration and colonization. Comprehensive in scope, this important companion: Outlines major developments in the two key phases of early Greece, the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age Includes studies of the geography, chronology and demography of early Greece Explores the development of early Greek state and society and examines economy, religion, art and material culture Sets Aegean developments within their Mediterranean context Written for students, and scholars interested in the material culture of the era, ACompanion to the Archaeology of Early Greece and the Mediterranean offers a comprehensive and authoritative guide that bridges the gap between the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. 2020 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Winner!

This volume presents the results of the 1975-1986 and 2007-2008 excavations on the prehistoric-Mycenaean acropolis of Ephyra, one of the most important Bronze Age sites of Epirus. Ephyra is a small coastal fortified site in the region of the lower Acheron valley, and it has produced impressive and, in some cases, unique Bronze Age remains.

A History of Argos to 500 B.C was first published in 1977. Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to make long-unavailable books once again accessible, and are published unaltered from the original University of Minnesota Press editions. Specialists in ancient history will find some long-held beliefs challenged by this study. Professor Kelly reconstructs and discusses the history of the ancient Greek city of Argos, which was located in the northeastern Peloponnese, from the Bronze Age through the Archaic period. He relies primarily on the archeological evidence and considers the literary evidence in the context of the physical remains. In determining the broad pattern of historical development, his findings and conclusions frequently contradict previous conceptions about the city and its role in history. The study shows that Argos existed in the shadow of Mycenae in the Bronze Age but that throughout the Dark Age it was one of the most progressive centers in Greece, though not a wealthy or powerful community. Its contacts with other areas were limited and it had no influence beyond its own village and fields. By the end of the Dark Age the city was growing and extending its influence throughout the Argive plain, but its external contacts remained limited. Contrary to theories of earlier historians, Professor Kelly finds that Argive foreign policy was not dominated by a rivalry with Sparta, and reports that the two states fought on numerous occasions, the Battle of Hysiae included, are erroneous. The present study also indicates that the tyrant Pheidon of Argos fits more logically into the early decades of the sixth century B.C.E. rather than the seventh century as had been thought. The fragmentary nature of the evidence does not make possible an assessment of the long-range impact of Pheidon's policies on the history of Argos, but it is clear that his reign was followed by important political changes in the city.