Aegean Prehistory Web
Resources
Welcome! In this page you will find an index about
the Web resources of Aegean archaeology. This website is the
final publication of teaching and research work by Dr Andrea Vianello and his students for the undergraduate seminar in Aegean
Archaeology at Venice University, Italy, during 1998 and 1999. Dr Andrea Vianello maintains this website, which also includes the Internet pages of the Aegean archaeology module taught by Prof. Filippo M. Carinci. The
site today is developed in Sheffield, UK, where Dr Vianello
actually lives.
Dr Vianello wishes to thank for their support and help Prof. John C.
Barrett and Prof. Keith Branigan, both at the University of
Sheffield. Since 1998, this website has been working space for a taught undergraduate seminar, Internet pages of a taught module and has provided various services to students in Venice and the Internet community. In the meantime, the main language of the website has changed from Italian to English.
It is possible to virtually "dig" through this website and "discover" sections designed at different times, places and languages. Parts of the website are in fact an historical archive of past activities, I could remove them very easily, but I fear that they would be lost forever, and prefer not to do so. They are not just nostalgic memories, they can still be useful to the intended audience and indeed these parts are occasionally updated. This webpage presents a collection of hyperlinks to Internet resources valuable in the study of Aegean archaeology. I am glad to announce that a UK national project, Intute at Oxford University, is carrying forward the intentions behind this page in a way that would be impossible for a single author. Intute is not limited to Aegean archaeology or even archaeology and is quickly becoming the primary point of reference for students and scholars. A separate page presents selected records from Intute. New resources will probably appear there, but this page will be updated whenever possible. Please keep suggesting resources, they might end up in both websites.
Finally, try the framed version of this page too.
In a small frame, on the left, you will see the complete list
reduced to the titles, but when you point your mouse on each title,
if you use IE or another balloons-compatible browser, you will see
each comment in a pop-up. If you click on a title, the requested
page appears in the large right frame. There is also a page dedicated to archaeology-specific search
engines. You are invited to explore this site starting from the
index because there is more than a page.
Almost every resource presented here is in English.
Sometimes a translation in other languages is available. The
comments express the personal opinions of the author, Dr Andrea
Vianello. The author thanks everyone who will notify him of errors and welcomes any feedback about this site.
A Web site dedicated to preserve old sites is the
Internet Archive. Should you
find a dead link, that is the site to try.
Other good sites:
Assemblage
Dipartimento di Scienze
Archeologiche dell'Università di Pisa
Centro di
Archeologia Cretese
British School at Athens
The unmissable sites for:
Text
29 Lessons by
J. Rutter
Images
Crete and
Minoan
Crete
Crete
Tournet
FOUND NOTHING? DO YOU NEED HELP?
CLICK HERE!
Content
The civilisations
RECORDS FROM INTUTE
Comprehensive sites
29 lessons about our theme. Well done, with images.
However images are not so good as the text. Very, very useful, to
be visited.
A well done link collection for ancient Greece, but
oriented especially for classical studies.
Useful collection of links, with papers, by I.
Georganas. Essays: "The Palace of Nestor at Pylos"; "Mycenaean
Society: Structure and Economy".
The well known Perseus Project, also available on
CD-ROM. It is voted to classical Greece, but you can find something
also for prehistory. With many images and an atlas.
This is a collection of images about many greek
archaeological sites. Particularly interesting is the section
dedicated to Mycenae. There are a lot of good quality images.
This source of images is comprehensive and offers a
basic introduction. Images are unfortunately rare in books and many
on-line sites because of copyright issues (for those published) and
the costs involved in producing and publishing them (when you want
copyright free images).
Many images and simple texts for children about
Mediterranean antiquity. Good the section about Greek painting,
which traces its development, comprising pottery decoration,
starting from the Minoan times. Maybe even adults could have a
look!
Subject-specific
sites
An interesting monograph about Minoans and
Mycenaeans, with well cared texts and few selected images.
Fifteen images for didactic purposes.
Minoans and Mycenaeans from an unusual point of
view: sport.
This is a little image collection, limited to
Knossòs. In a near future the author wants to up-to-date the site
with images from other archaeological excavations. Actually there
are no particular images, and those presented are for touristic -
didactic purposes. Texts are limited to the captions. The site is
interesting only for who looks for images about Knossòs.
This is a stand alone page inserted in a most
comprehensive archaeological web site, in development. Here you can
find some up-to-date news about minoan finds.
Wonderful images about Crete, with texts. The site
is a splendid occasion to discover the island. The site proposes
many information about "hidden" (and surely not trivial) areas in
Crete. Author of this and next one is Ian Swindale. If you really
want to know Crete, you have to visit this site.
Many pages, each one about a single archaeological
site of Crete. Updated every few months, it is useful for images,
often well made. There are also short texts. The photos were made
by the author himself, sometimes in places hard to reach. Very
useful. By Ian Swindale
Essay by Richard Evershed, Sarah Vaughan and
Stephanie Dudd studies the use of beeswax as an illuminant by the
ancient Minoans of Crete.
Reviews the work of various scholars in their search
for an understanding of the religious rites and rituals of the
ancient Minoans. From a work by Nanno Marinatos.
A monograph by Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe. Here
are the chapters:
Discovery
The Votary
The Temple Repositories
Evans' "Snake Goddess"
The Snake Goddess in Minoan Culture
Snake Goddesses on Crete
A Fertility Deity?
Snakes, Egypt, Magic, & Women
Snake Charmers
Women in Minoan Culture
Bibliography
There also some images. In the site there are also other
monographs, any starting from an image of a woman in the art to
describe the culture of appurtenance. You will find other useful
information on this site here.
A newly discovered palace was identified recently on
Crete, built between 1700 and 1650 B.C.; an article in Archaeology
magazine.
Collection of papers and other materials about
Cyprus. Actually it is at the beginning, but already with a
tendency towards quality rather than quantity. Among the papers,
good is that of Lucia Vagnetti on the
contacts between
Cyprus and Italy.
This is a paper.
Using the Cesnola collection, Harvard, a very good
reference site about Cypriot archaeology.
From Dmoz.org, an
extensive and updated collection of links about Cypriot
archaeological sites. Navigating from there, other links about
Cyprus (and anything else) are available. Note that this directory
is used by many search engines.
-
Near East (Aegean related sites
only)
This is the most important list of resources about
Ancient Near East. It is up-to-date, with an internal search engine
and with a mailing list. It is cared by the Oriental Institute,
University of Chicago, another link to visit. Very useful and well
done.
Excavations of a neolithic Anatolian site, directed
today by Ian Hodder.
TAY (Archaeological Settlements of Turkey) Project.
A database of ancient sites in Turkey. At the moment it is not
complete, but already very useful.
In English and German, the university site about
Troy from the archaeologists who excavate there (directed by
Manfred Korfmann).
Official site of the underwater excavations. Well
done, rich in images, useful and interesting, this site appear to
be a must at least for the importance of the shipwreck to
understand the exchanges during the Bronze Age. Other shipwrecks
are presented in a limited form, such as that of Cape Gelidonya.
Another
page on Uluburun shipwreck can be found here.
A searchable database.
NEW BOOK! Late Bronze Age Mycenaean and Italic Products in the West Mediterranean
"The Mycenaean presence in Sicily" is an interesting website by Dr Davide Tanasi and Dr Gianmarco Alberti that focuses on Mycenaean materials and Aegean influences in Sicily. This website welcomes visitors with a newsboard listing upcoming conferences, book presentations and meetings. An updated bibliography on the subject is also enormously useful because it includes several papers and books which are normally difficult to find outside Sicily. Some papers in Italian by the authors can be downloaded in PDF format from the "download area"; these were originally published in paper.
This is a recent website and some sections are still being updated, but interested scholars and students will already find some useful information. It is hoped that all planned sections will be completed to increase the available contents of this promising website.
The "Istituto di Studi sulle Civiltà dell'Egeo e del Vicino Oriente" (Institute for the Studies on the Aegean and Near East Civilisations) provides information about Italian research on the Aegean and the Near East. Vagnetti's research on Mycenaean-type pottery found in Italy figures prominently. Research by Lo Schiavo on Sardinian ox-hide ingots is summarised as well.
The other Italian research institutes in the field of Aegean prehistory are the Scuola Archeologica Italiana di Atene (Italian Archaeological School at Athens) and the Centro di Archeologia Cretese (Centre for Cretan Archaeology).
Lipari was one of the first places were Mycenaean
materials were found in Italy. It is still one of the most
important. The original Web site, rich in pictures and with good
texts,is no longer available. A single page hosted by the
Superintendency is what has been left.
Archaeology in the Venice lagoon, with news about
Mycenaean materials.
Sites
From the British School
at Athens, a virtual tour of Knossos (QTVR, requires Quicktime
plugin).
An abstract on efforts to preserve the Minoan palace
by Spencer P.M. Harrington in Archaeology Magazine.
Pictorial guide that examines the palace of
Knossos.
Plan of the palace of Knossos.
Great buildings: the palace of Knossos.
-
Deciphering the Phaistos Disk
Several sites present attempts of deciphering the
Phaistos disk. The disk is as yet undeciphered because it is the
only known example of the writing it carries. A selection of sites
follows:
Site created by the excavators of Phaistos, Aya
Triada and Prinias.
This site offers many wonderful images about Thera,
with many practical information, short texts and many many ads.
Good for a virtual tour of the island. There also few cultural
pages.
A site dated 1996 with many useful texts and images
about the island. The practical information area is not
up-to-date.
A paper on the paintings from a single building,
Xeste 3, an abstract from a paper at the 5th Gender and Archaeology
Conference.
A discussion of the evidence for volcanic activity
in the Mediterranean, and what that might mean for the Bronze Age
myths, by P. Buckland from Antiquity.
Highly technical essay that examines the scientific
and archaeological evidence surrounding the Minoan volcanic
eruption.
Projects and
excavations
Franchti Cave is the most important site to know the
earliest period with human presence in Greece. This Web site is
dated 1996, but it is complete and done by excavators. Only texts
and images here; some suggested links could not work properly.
The site describes three anatolian archaeological
excavations: Liman Tepe, Bakla Tepe, Panaztepe. There are also a
lot of images.
The archaeological excavations of Mochlos (North -
East Crete) on line. Directly from the archaeologists who work
there.
The Nemea Valley Archaeological Project, an
international cooperation between three universities has produced
this well-done site. Here it is possible to find many and many
informations about Nemea, with a lot of useful contacts and a good
bibliography. A new
version of the site is being prepared.
From the Deutsches Archäologisches
Institut Web site.
The excavations of Pylos and some texts about the
linear B tablets found there.
Museums and
institutions
In Greece
This is the official site of the Hellenic Ministry
of Culture, with pages for ALL archaeological sites and museums of
Greece. Many good images, and also practical information, as the
opening hours of sites. For this last part, there are many
commercial sites that are better. A section presents also some
information about the current exhibitions in the museums.
Abroad
This project has been written by Jennifer Taylor as
part of her Senior Project in Anthropology at Minnesota State
University. Ideally an electronic (virtual) museum, it is
essentially a collection of images with some minimal texts. The
site is not focused to the Aegean civilisations, but given the
project this is good. Useful for undergraduate students.
Science - Academic
research
Linear A - Linear B
Linear A Texts in phonetic transcription by John
Younger.
Attempts to translate Linear A phrases by Angelo Di
Mario. In Italian. The site contains several researches of ancient
linguistics by the same author.
The Mycenaean Epigraphy Group at Cambridge has a
long tradition of Linear B scholarship, reaching back to the
decipherment of the script in 1952 and its publication by Michael
Ventris and John Chadwick in 1953. Cambridge has the single most
important Linear B reference collection and archives in the world
and remains a major research centre. Both undergraduate and
graduate courses dedicated exclusively to the study of Linear B are
offered annually. These pages seek to make information about Linear
B and other Aegean Bronze Age scripts available to a wider
audience. There is a history of the decipherment, illustrated with
records from the Groups unique archival holdings, general
information about Linear B and access to fonts. Information about
courses at Cambridge is being supplemented with on-line teaching
materials generated by the Group. Some may be of use to those
teaching Linear B who are not specialists in the subject, and
teachers are warmly invited to access this material.
The excavations of Pylos and some texts about the
linear B tablets found there.
Applied science
To date a piece is never an easy work, also for for
an expert archaeologist. Dendrochronology, i.e. a way to date using
tree rings, is one way to date that is giving the first results in
the area in recent times. To know something more about about
methods and results, this is the site for you.
From the University of Venice, Italy, an interesting
collection of data about pottery.
Archaeological
schools
American
School
Austrian
School * Aigeira
British School * Knossos in
Quicktime virtual reality
Canadian
Institute * Kostia
Danish
Institute * Kato Vasiliki
Finnish
Institute * Arethousa
French School *
Malia
German School *
Orchomenos
Italian School * Festo,
Haghia Triada
Netherlands
Institute * Geraki, Tanagra
Norwegian
Institute * Arkadia
Swedish Institute *
Berbati, Asine
List of schools from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture
Canadian
Archaeological Institute at Athens
Institut Canadien d'Archéologie à Athènes
ion. Aiginitou 7, GR-11528 Athens, Greece
Tel: +30-1-7223201 Fax: +30-1-7257968
E-mail: caia[at]hol.gr
Institute for Aegean Prehistory (INSTAP)
3550 Market Street
Suite 100
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Tel: 215-387-4911
Fax: 215-387-4950
Email: instap[at]hotmail.com
Philip P. Betancourt, Executive Director
Karen Brown Vellucci, Director of Grant Programs
INSTAP
Study Center for East Crete:
(American School)
|
Pacheia Ammos
GR-72 200 Ierapetras
Crete
GREECE
|
Cheryl Floyd, US Coordinator
INSTAP-SCEC Office
MASCA
University Museum of Archaeology and Antrhopology
33rd & Spruce Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6324
TEL 215-573-4146
FAX 609--881-4093
email:
crfloyd[at]masca.museum.upenn.edu
|
Other resources
Britannica
Encarta
Encyclopaedia.com
Mavericks
A bibliographic and iconographic guide to the study
of Mediterranean archaeology. Links only. (English and Dutch).
A single page about some sources of information of
Aegean prehistory, both on- and off-line.
From the University of Liegi, a catalogue and some
PDF texts of this publication.
4000 links about history (all!). Someone could be
useful also for you.
-
Commercial (with interesting
sections)
This is one of the best sites for general
informations about Crete. Extremely useful for tourists, it
comprises a full Web edition of "The Complete Multimedia CD-ROM of
Crete", rich of images about every interesting place in Crete,
comprised many archaeological sites also among those less known or
not easily reachable. It can really help. An atlas shows the
position of every site, while a searh engine helps finding sites.
There is also specific content for the site, not present in the
CD-ROM. If you need some images for your research, or an useful
atlas, this is the site for you. Read also my
review about the CD-ROM, still available and useful since the
download of many images can be long and boring.
A touristic site that reports information about the
most important archaeological excavations in Greece. Very rich in
images, the site has a commercial section.
A travel agency web site, with many useful
information about Greece. There are many images, someone is more
scientific than a postal card, but texts are not at the same level.
It is important to visit the site for the practical information you
can find, and for images.
About.com is a content provider, with many
scientific arguments treated, and an internal search engine. There
are other sections too, mainly one dedicated to archaeology. It is possible
subscribe to a mailing lists and to contact an true human expert
for each section, who can provide more information.
Many images about all Greece with some informative
texts, probably you will find something here. It is a commercial
site.
A well done web site about Crete, with a lot of
images and texts about many excavation sites and museums. The site
is a commercial one but the ads are in a separate section. This
thing makes the visit of this site particularly pleasant. There is
also a news section, an atlas with road and geographical maps, a
practical informative area and a discussion forum. There is also an
internal search engine and an aerial view images section. Very
good.
From the popular search engine Lycos, some selected links about
Greece. The site offers similar pages for many other geographical
areas. There is also a little atlas. To visit the Near East area,
follow this link: http://travel.lycos.com/destinations/location.asp?pid=28471
It could be useful.
An interesting page about Greece provided by a Greek
ISP. It is a big collection of resources (links to other sites).
There is also the possibility to download here some Greek font. The
page is really big, with a lot of space for cultural resources. The
resources presented are only partially dedicated to the prehistory.
The page is up-to-date quite often.
Many practical information about Greece. It is a
commercial site.
Mailing lists
A mailing list for discussion about Bronze Age
Greece. Active participation is not required, it can be used as
news service. Archived
messages are available.
Others
This site is certainly as well known to archaeologists
as the prestigious journal is. Its inclusion here is due to the
recent decision to publish the PDF version of the journal on-line,
free of charge. There are many other journals that publish their
version on-line, however they all require some form of
registration. The American Journal of Archaeology sometimes
publishes articles and reviews of relevance to the field of Aegean
prehistory. Articles not directly relevant to the specific field
are worth reading too.
Single page on Aptera, with some illustrations
Describes a new book dealing with the end of the
Bronze Age. A fresh investigation of the archaeological evidence,
ancient text, legend. Soundly based on the literature, with ample
maps, illustrations, and a full bib. of 1500 enties. New
conclusions about the end of the palace society in Greece, collapse
in Hittite Anatolia, the Trojan War, and more.
Greece in QTVR. Very simple site, but fascinating.
Warning, there is a price for such a beauty bonanza: files are big,
even 16 Mb, average over 1 Mb. Quicktime plugin required.
Paul Bouissac is constructing a great site about
semiotics that spans different disciplines. Constantly updated,
there are many useful resources, including some for
archaeology.
Many ancient fonts downlodable, including Linear B and Greek ones.
Here you can look for contact information about many
archaeologist that study the prehistory in the Aegean. With a
search engine.
From the Library of Congress (U.S.A.), an
encyclopaedic entry about Greece, with few images (in PDF
format).
Among the many abstracts of interesting papers:
Dimini Bay
and Lake Lerna Environmental changes in the vicinity since
Bronze Age and Neolithic period occupations are explored; Evraionisos
Late Bronze Age or Mycenaean period (1600-1200 B.C.); Kokkinopilos
Description of a complete, well-preserved Micoquian-type handaxe,
recovered from Lower Paleolithic site estimated to be 250 +/- 50
thousand years old.
Papers about Mediterranean archaeology, in German.
From Austria.
Very good resource for studies about women and
gender in the Ancient World.
Useful collection of links about antiquity. In Italian.
Lost Trails is an educational site and our main activity is the 'Herodotus Project'. The Herodotus project is a serialized new translation of Herodotus along with extensive photography of the locations and artifacts mentioned in the book so that a student of history can explore the text visually while reading it. This project aims to eventually have as complete a pictorial record a possible of the sites mentioned by Herodotus. This is a multi-year effort which is only realizable on the internet. We update the website monthly with newly translated text and a photographic essay of a site mentioned by Herodotus.
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