Overview
This book charts the rise of and interplay between the first Mediterranean civilizations, with particular reference to the Minoan, Cycladic, Mycenaean, and Trojan, and on the causes of their decline, which are identified in a jumble of natural and human causes, and in a slow, but irreversible crisis. It takes into account that the Mediterranean Dimension of the Bronze Age is a garden in which many legends flourished, clearly distinguishing between myth and history. Using written sources and archaeological evidence, it charts these civilisations' fortunes and crises, and the wars and natural disasters that led to their decline. Chapters explore political geography, military and economic development, religion, monumental architecture and the rise and fall of the palatial dynasties and successive centralised governments, social life and material culture, with emphasis on the importance of commerce. A characterising element of Knossos, Mycenae, Troy is the wide use of the 'historical present' to represent events and construct the text. In doing so, it immerses the reader in the narrated events, facilitating our understanding. The result is a fascinating picture of the cultures that laid the foundations of Western civilization. AUTHOR: Natale Barca was Visiting Scholar Researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and Academic Visitor at the University of London's Institute of Classical Studies. He is a member of the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies (Roman Society), London. He has previously published numerous books in his native Italian, and in English. His latest publications are focused on the history and archaeology of ancient cities of the Mediterranean, including Roman Aquileia: The Impenetrable City-Fortress, a Sentry of the Alps (Oxbow Books, 2022).
Full Product Details
Author: Natale Barca
Publisher: Oxbow Books
Imprint: Oxbow Books
ISBN: 9781789259476
ISBN 10: 1789259479
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 15 January 2023
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
"""Written with students, scholars and general readers in mind, it is intended as a chronological account of the first Mediterranean civilizations, Minoan, Cycladic, Mycenaean, and Trojan.""--Guy D. Middleton ""Journal of Anthropological Research, Winter 2023"""
""Written with students, scholars and general readers in mind, it is intended as a chronological account of the first Mediterranean civilizations, Minoan, Cycladic, Mycenaean, and Trojan.""--Guy D. Middleton ""Journal of Anthropological Research, Winter 2023""
Author Information
Natale Barca was Visiting Scholar Researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and Academic Visitor at the University of London’s Institute of Classical Studies. He is a member of the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies (Roman Society), London. He has previously published numerous books in his native Italian, and in English. His latest publications are focused on the history and archaeology of ancient cities of the Mediterranean, including Roman Aquileia: The Impenetrable City-Fortress, a Sentry of the Alps (Oxbow Books, 2022).
