PREHISTORY OF THE AEGEAN AND EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN

The course wants to provide the student with a thorough knowledge of the Bronze Age Aegean archaeology in the Eastern Mediterranean. It offers an in-depth analysis of the development of the Aegean cultures from the beginning of the 3rd to end of the 2nd millennium BC through significant sites of mainland Greece, Cyclades, Crete, Dodecanese, and the West Anatolian coast. It also deals with the reception of these cultures in the XX and XXI centuries.

- Knowledge and understanding:
Knowledge of the research methodologies applied to the study of the Aegean archaeology, as well as of the historical and theoretical foundations of the discipline. Ability of contextualizing sites of pre- and protohistoric Greece (mainland Greece, Crete, and Cyclades) and to correlate events occurring in different areas of the Eastern Mediterranean world in the Bronze Age.
- Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
Ability to carry out a critical analysis of the artistic productions of pre- and protohistoric sites of the Aegean world; to recognize and analyse contexts and classes of materials that are fundamental for the areas and the periods discussed; to formulate hypotheses and discuss specific topics of the Aegean archaeology; to evaluate critically crucial aspects of Aegean prehistory, with specific attention to socio-political developments.
- Communication skills:
Ability to communicate data and topics concerning the Aegean archaeology with technical language and proper terminology; to consult critically bibliographic tools in order to address in-depth studies and analyses.

No required prerequisites for admission to the course.

The course deals with the Aegean cultures in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is subdivided into two parts: 1) the first presents the Cycladic, Minoan, and Mycenaean civilizations, focusing on their development throughout the Bronze Age and on their relationship with the Egypt and Near East; it mostly focuses on the Cycladic culture of the 3d millennium BC, on the emergence of the Minoan Palaces in Crete in the 2nd millennium BC, on the development of the Mycenaean culture in mainland Greece from its emergence until its final collapse during the 2nd millennium BC; 2) the second part deals with the reception and legacy of the Minoan and Mycenaean cultures in the European and extra-European societies of the XX and XXI centuries.

Mandatory texts:
- E. H. Cline (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean, Oxford 2010, chapters 6, 19, 38, 40-44, 49-51, 54.
- I. Lemos, A. Kotsonas (eds.), A Companion to the Archaeology of Early Greece and the Mediterranean, Vols. I-II, New York 2019, chapter 2.1
Optional text:
- N. Momigliano, In Search of the Labyrinth. The Cultural Legacy of Minoan Crete, London 2020, chapter 3.

During the exam, the level of preparation of the student will be verified through the assessment of the following criteria: 1) clearness, completeness and use of an appropriate terminology in the presentation of the topics discussed during the courses; 2) ability in recognizing archaeological materials from sites of the Bronze Age Aegean cultures; 3) ability in discussing crucial events of the Bronze Age Aegean archaeology.
The exam takes place in written form: 30 questions (multi-choiche and open). For each correct answer 1 mark is assigned. The minimum score to pass successfully the exam is 18/30.

Classroom lessons with multimedia support (mainly Power Point presentations) will take place together with lectures given by Italian and international scholars to present the results of new excavations in Greece. Students will be provided with texts and images relating to the course through the multimedia platform (Moodle) of the university.

English

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

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