Includes bibliographical references (pages 206-209) and index.

The Classical Greeks sought their own origins in legends of gods and heroes. It was not until the discipline of archaeology emerged, in the nineteenth century, that the evidence of material culture could be used to form an image of the earliest societies in Greek lands. Only in the last 125 years have the Cycladic, Minoan and Mycenaean peoples been brought to light and an elaborate framework of dates, styles, periods and events constructed to enable us to understand the Aegean Bronze Age. Where have these 'facts' come from, and how accurately do they actually describe a remote period from which there is no written history?

To trace the progression from a blank to a complex picture this book begins with the towering achievements of individuals such as Heinrich Schliemann and Arthur Evans, whose dramatic discoveries made them household names. The author then charts the consolidation and often controversial reinterpretation of their finds by succeeding generations, thereby raising fascinating questions about how archaeological knowledge is acquired and how our changing assumptions and attitudes shape our view of the ancient past.

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