The Archaeology of Ancient Greece (Cambridge World Archaeology)

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This book is mainly a general synthesis of the state of archaeological knowledge and research on the Greek Archaic and Classical periods, with some great explanation of the most important controversies (such as the gender division in society, the continuity of religion from the Dark Age, or the Orientalizing influence, etc) to be found in the study of this culture and period. However, the author takes great pains with his writing, so as not to have another dry accademic book with piles of extremely interesting information buried under tones of arid sentences.As a result, you soon find yourself immerse in a fascinating, colourful world, so different from what many classicists want to give as as "Classic Greek Culture" as to really be a totally "New World". Here, temples and stoas are painted in bright colours, fire-eaters and dancers perform in the Agoras next to philosophers who discuss ethics. This is not, however, a way to make Greek culture look less important than it was. I think the author succeeds in communicating to his readers what the archaeologists have known for some time. These very same archaeologists, though, had to first overcome the reticence shown by the "Classicist Establishment" to consider the overwhelming evidence that Ancient Greece had very little to do with what they had been teaching at Western universities for decades (if not centuries).Thus, the author begins his book by making the point that much of the vision of "Classical Greece" that we have inherited is really a 18th-century-cum-Victorian Eurocentrist construct, a somewhat imperialistic (one could even say [...]?)ideal of what a "perfect society" should be, and an excuse to model many typical western institutions on.But don't get the wrong idea that this is the aim of the book. As I said before, the author just intends to give an up-to-date synthesis on what archaeologists have to say. Of course, when the subject is one so dear to,and near, the very core of European identity, controversy is unavoidable. Whitley just states the most important of these controversies, but sometimes, and although he doesn't seem keen on taking positions, his own views show through.On the whole, the world glimpsed through the pages of this book is so fascinating that I found I needed to know more about some of the issues, so I went to the "Further reading for each chapter" section, and now have a nice pile of books to read on the subjects of Greek Sanctuaries (a truly fascinating topic, especially once you've visited Delphi).I recomend this book for people who are intersted in the subject and want to have up-to-date information, but also as a well-written, never boring introduction to the wonders of Ancient Greece, a culture that, even if we don't know it, is part of ourselves and does not deserve the many clichés we have attached to it.....It needs to be better known....just as we need to know it better

I currently study Ancient History and Archaeology at university. The key to understanding the past is the use of material and literary evidence in tandem - each on their own is insufficient, but together they compliment each other or even contradict each other which leads to even further research and debate which leads to a greater understanding.This book was suggested to me by my lecturers and I decided to read it. I can honestly say that it is a very useful book and companion to any Archaeologist and/or Ancient Historian (it got me a First in an essay I was writing!). It covers (if my memory serves me correctly) the periods between the Minoan/Mycenaean Period to the end of the Hellenic Period and beginning of the Roman Period - with digressions into the Geometric Period.The main area of study in the book is Athens, but it does cover other areas of Greece to give a 'balance' to archaeology. The book doesn't solely concentrate on temples and civic buildings though (which was the norm in archaeology for a long time), but the book also focuses on private buildings and personal material evidence (the end of every chapter for instance is dedicated to the development oil lamps). The book is therefore, an extremely useful one to understanding (in general terms) the archaeology of Ancient Greece ('it does exactly what it says on the tin'!).If you're interested in Archaeology or have a paper to write on the subject, read this book. As I said it's more so of a general book on the subject, but it covers subjects in enough detail to give you a solid understanding of the archaeology.