CL2309 Aegean Bronze Age

Module Organiser: Dr. Christine Morris
Duration of Course: All year
Contact Hours: 44 (22 x 2-hour seminar)
Weighting: 10 ECTS

CL 2364: Aegean Bronze Age I (Michaelmas term only; 5 ECTS)

Description:This module explores the emergence, development and eventual collapse of the first palatial societies of the Aegean, the Minoans of Crete and the Mycenaean Greeks (c. 3000 – 1100 B.C.). We will look at key artistic and architectural achievements, such as the palace of Knossos, remembered in later myth as the home of the Minotaur, and the stunning wall paintings of Thera, which were preserved in the volcanic eruption of the island. Among the topics covered are: the development of complex society, the nature of elite power, role of writing, the character of Bronze Age religion, social roles of art and architecture, and relations with the Near East and Egypt.

Introductory Reading

• O.T.P.K. Dickinson, Aegean Bronze Age. (Cambridge 1994)
• L. Hitchcock and D. Preziosi, Aegean Art and Architecture. (Oxford 2000).
• P.P. Betancourt, Introduction to Aegean Art. (Philadelphia 2008)
• Cynthia Shelmerdine ed. 2008. Cambridge Companion to the Aegean Bronze Age. (Cambridge 2008).

Aegean Bronze Age course guide (PDF, 61kb)
Web-based materials are available for this module
Exam Papers