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Aegean -- Ancient History Encyclopedia

Aegean
Definition
by Joshua J. Mark publishe d on 28 April 2011

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The Aegean Sea lies between the coast of Greece and Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). It contains over 2,000 islands which were settled by the ancient Greeks; the largest among them being Crete (Kriti) and the best known and most often photographed, Santorini (Thera or Thira). Both of these islands have strong associations with ancient Greek history and myth in that Crete features significantly in the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur while the destruction of Santorini by a volcano eruption has long been considered a probable source for Plato's description of Atlantis in his dialogues of the Critias and Timaeus. In ancient times there were various explanations for the name Aegean. It was said to have been named after the Greek town of Aegae, or after Aegea, a queen of the Amazons who died in the sea, or Aigaion, the "sea goat", another name of Briareus, one of the archaic Hecatonchires, or, especially among the Athenians, Aegeus, the father of Theseus, who drowned himself in the sea when he thought his son had died on his famous expedition to Crete to defeat the Minotaur. A possible etymology is a derivation from the Greek word aiges = "waves" (Hesychius of Alexandria; metaphorical use of (aix) "goat"), hence "wavy sea", cf. also (aigialos) "coast". The early inhabitants of Greece, the Mycenaens, relied heavily on the Aegean for trade and, it seems, traveled as far as Spain and Egypt. Commercial sea trading became their main source of income and, in time, they colonized the various islands of the Aegean archipelago and produced various commodities such as figs, grapes, wine, raisins, honey, wheat, assorted vegetables, and herbs. Marble, especially, became an important export in trade. This produce, along with that of the mainland, went to make the merchants of ancient Greece wealthy but the same waters on which they relied for their wealth and livelihood became the avenue for their downfall. In about 1200 BCE the Mycenaean civilization collapsed and, while no one cause is universally agreed upon, it is considered very likely that they succumbed to the same mysterious invaders who ravaged Egypt and Anatolia: The Sea Peoples. Whoever the Sea Peoples were, they are documented as harrassing the Egyptians, the Hittites, the Greeks, and the Phoenicians (Canaanites) until finally settling along the coast of Canaan and acquiring the name Philistines. There is no doubt among scholars, based upon primary sources, that the Sea Peoples came to Greece from the south on the Aegean Sea and ravaged the coastline, making incursions on to the mainland and seizing islands. Shortly after their arrival, the Dorians descended from the north of Greece and the Mycenaean civilization was over (though some scholars have speculated that Mycenaen culture was kept alive through those Greeks who would eventually found Athens while Sparta proudly claimed Doric ancestry). Greek civilization as recognized today grew out of the aftermath of the Dorian invasion. It is interesting to note, if one believes that the Mycenaean culture survived through Athens, that the Greek colonies of Asia Minor were largely settled by Athenians. The poet Homer is said to have come from one of these Greek colonies and the famous heroes of his Iliad, arguably the most popular and influential work of its time, are all Mycenaeans. The Aegean Sea features prominently in many of the most famous Greek myths (Icarus and Daedelus, Theseus and the Minotaur, Jason and the Argonauts, The Odyssey, among others) and Plato made ample use of the islands in his dialogues. In his Euthyphro, for example, Plato purposefully has the young man who claims to know everything come from the island of Naxos which was known be the most prosperous and the residents quite wealthy and condescending. According to Herodotus, the island of Naxos was the most prosperous in trade c. 500 BCE and was easily able to pay tribute to Athens in the form of gold rather than military aid after the islands' failed attempt to leave the Delian League in 476 BCE. In the Golden Age of Greece and beyond, the Aegean Sea continued to serve an important function in trade and in war, helping the Greek culture and civilization to flourish until the Romans, like the Sea Peoples before them, employed the waterways for conquest and subdued Greece. 2300 BCE Bronze is used in the Aegean. 2200 BCE - 1700 BCE Evidence of town planning and more sophisticated architecture in the Cylades. c. 2000 BCE Akrotiri becomes an important Aegean trading centre. 2000 BCE - 1650 BCE Akrotiri on Thera reaches its peak of prosperity and becomes a flourishing Mediterranean trading centre. 2000 BCE - 1450 BCE Minoan civilization in Crete and the Aegean. 1700 BCE Minoan Linear A script. 1700 BCE Second Palace of Knossos on Crete. 1700 BCE - 1400 BCE The culture in the Cyclades is increasingly influenced by Minoan Crete.

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c. 5000 BCE The Cyclades are first inhabited by settlers from Asia Mnior. c. 4500 BCE First settlement on Thera. 3000 BCE - 2200 BCE The first archaeological evidence of organised communities in the Cyclades. 3000 BCE - 2000 BCE Distinctive minimalistic standing marble figurines are produced in the Cyclades.

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Written by Joshua J. Mark, publis hed on 2 8 A pril 2 0 1 1 under the following lic ens e: Creative Commons: A ttribution-NonCommercialShareA like . T his lic ens e lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this c ontent non- c ommerc ially, as long as they c redit the author and

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Bibliography
Will Durant. The Life of Greece. Simon & Schuster, 2011. Plato. The Collected Dialogues of Plato. Princeton University Press, 2005.

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Edith Hamilton. The Greek Way . W. W. Norton & Company, 2010.

Aegean -- Ancient History Encyclopedia

1650 BCE - 1550 BCE Eruption of Thera and consequent tidal waves, destruction of Akrotiri and other Aegean centres. c. 1600 BCE Rhodes has significant contact with Minoan Crete. 1500 BCE - 1200 BCE Mycenaean civilization in Greece and the Aegean. c. 1400 BCE Rhodes has significant contact with the Mycenaean civilization. 1400 BCE - 1100 BCE Culture in the Cyclades is increasingly influenced by the Mycenaean civilization of mainland Greece. 1100 BCE Dorian peoples occupy Greece.
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c. 1100 BCE Evidence of settlement destruction and abandonment across the Cyclades. c. 700 BCE Paros begins to export its Parian marble across the Greek world and it is widely used in temples and sculpture. 700 BCE - 600 BCE Temples are built in honour of Apollo, Demeter and Dionysos on the island of Naxos. c. 499 BCE Naxos is attacked by Darius' Persian forces. c. 467 BCE The island of Naxos rebels against Athenian dominance of the Delian League. 431 BCE - 404 BCE The Cycladic city states side with Athens in the Peloponnesian war against Sparta and her allies. 417 BCE - 415 BCE Melos, after supporting Sparta in the Peloponnesian War, is attacked by Athens. 377 BCE - 355 BCE The Cycladic city states join Athens in the Second Athenian League against Sparta .

Articles

ARTICLE

Cycladic Sculpture
by Mark Cartwright publishe d on 10 O ctobe r 2012

The Cycladic islands of the Aegean were first inhabited by voyagers from Asia Minor around 3000 BCE and a certain prosperity was achieved thanks to the wealth of natural resources on the islands such as gold, silver, copper, obsidian and marble. This prosperity allowed for a flourishing of the arts and the uniqueness of Cycladic art is perhaps best illustrated... [continue reading]

ARTICLE

Minoan Frescoes
by Mark Cartwright publishe d on 29 May 2012

Frescoes are the source of some of the most striking imagery handed down to us from the Minoan civilization of Bronze Age Crete (2000-1500 BCE). Further, without written records, they are often the only source, along with decorated pottery, of just how the world appeared to the Minoans and give us tantalizing glimpses of their beliefs, cultural practices... [continue reading]

ARTICLE

Minoan Jewellery
by Mark Cartwright publishe d on 21 Se pte m be r 2012

363 BCE A rebellion against Athenian dominance of the Second Athenian League on Keos is quashed by Athens. 166 BCE Rome gives dominion over the Cyclades to Athens. 88 BCE Mithridates attacks and detroys the island of Delos.

The jewellery of the Minoan civilization based on Bronze Age Crete demonstrates, as with other Minoan visual art forms, not only a sophisticated technological knowledge (in this case of metalwork) and an ingenuity of design but also a joy in vibrantly representing nature and a love of flowing, expressive, shapes and forms. Materials & Technology... [continue reading]

ARTICLE

Minoan Pottery
by Mark Cartwright publishe d on 30 May 2012

69 BCE The pirate Athenodoros sets up his base in the Cylades.

The ever evolving pottery from the Minoan civilization of Bronze Age Crete (2000-

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Aegean -- Ancient History Encyclopedia

1500 BCE) demonstrates, perhaps better than any other medium, not only the Minoan joy in animal, sea and plant life but also their delight in flowing, naturalistic shapes and design. Kamares Style Following on from the pre-palatial styles of Vasiliki (with surfaces... [continue reading]

ARTICLE

Mycenaean Pottery
by Mark Cartwright publishe d on 01 O ctobe r 2012

The pottery of the Mycenaean civilization (1550-1050 BCE), although heavily influenced by the earlier Minoans based on Crete, nevertheless, added new pottery shapes to the existing range and achieved its own distinctive decorative style which was strikingly homogenous across Mycenaean Greece. Mycenaean wares typically display stylized representations... [continue reading]

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Aegean Books

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The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece Robert Morkot Penguin Books (01 January 1997) Price: $13.59
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