1 of 1

Write now Article Tools

The Aegean Sea (Greek: Aigao Plagos) is a sea arm of the Mediterranean Sea located between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. The Bronze age civilizations of Greece and the Aegean is generally termed as Aegean civilization. There are three distinct regions covered by this term: Crete, the Cyclades and the Greek mainland. Crete is associated with the Minoan civilization from the early Bronze age ( Early Minoan 3650-2160 to Late Minoan 1600-1170), Cyclades (from Early Cycladic 3300-2000), the Bronze Age cultures within the central and western Aegean islands converge with the mainland during the Early Helladic ("Minan") period and with Crete in the Middle Minoan period (2800-2100). The Bronze age cultures of the Mainland are described as "Helladic" after the Greeks' own word for Greece, Hellas. Mycenaean Greece is , the last phase of the Bronze age in ancient Greece ( between 1600 to 1110)and it became the historical setting of the epics of Homer.

Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations: The Minoan (c. 26001100 B.C.E.) and Mycenaean (c.28001100 B.C.E.) civilizations flourished in the island of Crete and in mainland Greece for close to 2,000 years. Many of their accomplishments in art and architecture were unknown to the Greeks of the 7th and 6th centuries B.C.E. but some memory of their accomplishments was preserved in mythology and epic poetry such as the Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer, and some archeological traces of their structures survived. The Minoans are named after the mythical king Minos who was said to have a great palace at Knossos in Crete. They were an island people and seafarers who traded widely in the eastern Mediterranean and came into contact with the cultures of Egypt and the Near East The Mycenaean period takes its name from the archaeological site Mycenae, the most prominent city on mainland ( in the northeastern Argolid), in the Peloponnesos of southern Greece. Athens, Pylos, Thebes, and Tiryns are also included as Mycenaean sites. The Mycenaean's entered Greece from the north around 2000 B.C., replacing the older Neolithic culture. The Mycenaean had a dominating culture and expanded from the mainland of Greece into the Greek isles, overcoming the Minoans of Crete by 1400 B.C.E. and became synonym for the art and culture of Greece from ca. 1600 to 1100 B.C. They built compact citadels and fortresses protected by massive walls instead of large sprawling palace complexes. Mycenae is celebrated by Homer as the seat of King Agamemnon,

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Art of the Ancient Aegeans?
We want to hear your view. Write now!