The Greeks in the East

Abstract

• Eight authoritative essays explore the changing relationships between the Greeks and their Eastern neighbours from the Bronze Age to the Classical period, examining archaeological evidence in the shape of pottery, wall-painting, sculpture, architecture, jewellery, seals, and inscriptions. The papers cover a wide range of topics, including trade, settlements, and cultural and artistic interchange. They assess the actual presence of Minoans, Mycenaeans and later Greeks in the East and shed light on the economic and political interaction between Greeks and the peoples of Mesopotamia and Anatolia, the Hittite Empire, Phoenicia, Syria, and Achaemenid Persia. Milestone contributions include the definitive survey and analysis of the recent excavations at the most important Greek Bronze Age site in Asia Minor, Miletus – now even surpassing Troy in significance – and in-depth studies and reports on scientific analyses of the pottery from the important trading port Al Mina, allowing a re-evaluation of its position in trade between Greece, Phoenicia and Syria.