This course is a survey of the art and archaeology of the prehistoric Aegean, ca.
6000-1100 B.C., with emphasis on the palatial civilizations of Minoan Crete and Mycenaean
Greece.
Topics discussed include: regionalism and the rise of early civilizations in the Aegean
Basic settlement data, mortuary practices, and evidence for prehistoric society and religion; trade,
technology, and foreign contacts; the volcanic eruption of Thera/Santorini and current problems
in ancient chronology; painting and other forms of representational art; Linear B and Mycenaean
palatial administration; Troy and the Trojan War and the relationship of Greek myth and legend to
the archaeological record.