PREHISTORY AND PROTOHISTORY OF EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN II

This course is included in the archaeological curriculum within the Bachelor's Degree programme of Conservation of Cultural Heritage and Performing Arts Management. It focuses on the developments of the Minoan civilisation of Crete in the Late Bronze Age and of the Mycenaean civilization in mainland Greece, as well as on their exchange relations with the civilizations of the Eastern Mediterranean, especially of Cyclades, Cyprus, Egypt, as well as the of the Anatolian and Levantine coasts.

At the end of the course the student will be able to contextualize the main archaeological sites of the Late Bronze Age Crete and of the Mycenaean world; to identify contexts and classes of materials from Late Bronze Age sites of Crete, mainland Greece and Cyclades discussed during the course; to communicate and discuss the main developments of the Late Bronze Age civilizations of the Eastern Mediterranean with a proper terminology.

It is advisable to have attended classes of Prehistory and Protohistory of Eastern Mediterranean I.

The course offers a general introduction on the Late Bronze Age Crete and of Mycenaean mainland Greece, with focus on settlements, funerary contexts, and material culture, as well as on relationships with other regions of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Books/chapters to study in order to prepare the exam:
- E. BORGNA, “I Micenei”, in Storia d'Europa e del Mediterraneo, Il mondo antico I, 2, Roma, Salerno editrice, 2006, pp. 227-268.
- E. H. CLINE (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean (Oxford Handbooks in Archaeology) Oxford University press, Oxford 2010 (only chapters 15, 18, 36, 45-46, 50-52,-54).
- M. CULTRARO, I Micenei, Roma 2006.
- DEL FREO M., PERNA M. (eds.), Manuale di epigrafia micenea, Padova 2016 (only chapters 6-10).

This part has to be integrated with images from:
- J.-C. POURSAT, L’Art égéen 2. Mycènes et le monde mycénien, Paris, Picard, 2014.

Other books/lessons (not mandatory):
- M.L. GALATY, W.A. PARKINSON, (eds.) Rethinking Mycenaean Palaces 2a ed., Cotsen Inst. Arch. Los Angeles 2007.
- C. W. SHELMERDINE (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to the Aegean Bronze Age, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2008.
- English lessons by J. RUTTER, The Prehistoric Archaeology of the Aegean, on http://www.dartmouth.edu/~prehistory/aegean/?page_id=104

An oral exam will take place.
The questions are related to: a) developments of the Late Bronze Age civilisation on Crete and of the Mycenaean civilization in mainland Greece; b) relations of these civilizations with those of Cyclades, Cyprus, Egypt, as well as of the Anatolian and Levantine coasts in the Late Bronze Age. The student will be asked to identify plans/photos of archaeological sites and/or objects belonging to the artistic productions of the Mycenaean civilization.

Traditional classroom lessons will take place. The Power Point Presentation will be used to show images and texts.

Italian

Attendance of the classes is not mandatory, but highly recommended.

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