ABSTRACT
In Mediterranean archaeology, the term "Aegean" refers to the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of the land that borders the Aegean Sea, and the Aegean islands, land now belonging to modern Greece and Turkey (Figure 7.1). These cultures first came to scholarly attention in the second half of the nineteenth century, especially with the discoveries of Heinrich Schliemann, a businessman interested in ancient history. Determined to discover historical truth behind the Greek legends of the Trojan War, Schliemann excavated some of the important towns participating in the drama, Troy, Mycenae, and Tiryns (see also Chapter 8). On Crete, large-
scale excavation became possible by 1900 when the island was newly freed from the Ottoman Empire; within a decade the main characteristics of the distinctive Bronze Age culture of Crete were clear. This culture was dubbed "Minoan" by Arthur Evans, the excavator ofKnossos, after Minos, the legendary king of the island. On mainland Greece, the Late Bronze Age culture that flourished in its southern and central sections is called "Mycenaean," after the city of Mycenae. A spectacular new chapter in Aegean prehistory was opened in 1967 with the first large-scale excavations at Akrotiri, a settlement on the Aegean island of Thera, well preserved under the volcanic debris from the eruption of the island that may have taken place around 1520 BC.
