The Aegean World

The Ashmolean Museum of the University of Oxford is home to one of the finest collections of art and archaeology in the world. With some 10,000 objects, it is also the home of the best and most comprehensive collection of Aegean antiquities (Cycladic, Minoan and Mycenaean) outside of Greece. Much is owed to Sir Arthur Evans (1851 – 1941) who managed during his directorship (1884-1908) to strengthen significantly the museum’s archaeological holdings and to establish it as one of the leading centres of archaeological research. Evans is primarily known today for his excavations at the largest palace site in the Aegean, the ‘Palace of Minos’ at Knossos, on the island of Crete. The collection, along with its rich archival documentation, provides a continuing source of study and inspiration for scholars and the public alike.The present publication, a product of collaboration between the Ashmolean and Kapon editions (Athens, Greece), constitutes the first-ever guide to the museum’s superb Aegean collections. The book is richly illustrated with more than 360 images, plans, maps and drawings. With the expertise of a distinguished group of contributors, this book draws out many of the stories presented in the Aegean World gallery at the Ashmolean: from the Early Cyclades and Minoan Crete to Mycenaean Greece and the early Aegean scripts. Evoking the personalities of some of the individuals involved in its rediscovery, the volume brings to life the world of ancient Aegean.