This is the first companion guide ever to be written on the Ashmolean's outstanding Aegean collections, the best and most comprehensive outside Greece. Comprising 12,000 objects, the Ashmolean holds a remarkable collection of Neolithic and Cycladic antiquities, the best Minoan collection outside Crete, and a comprehensive corpus of Mycenaean antiquities. It is thanks to the indefatigable work of Sir Arthur Evans, and other great Aegean pioneers, such as Sir John Linton Myres and David Hogarth, that the Ashmolean, with its rich archival resources, stands out today as one of the most important museums for the study of Aegean archaeology.
The companion guide, written by top scholars in the field, takes a chronological as well as thematic approach to the study of the Aegean collections. The texts, written with the wider audience in mind, introduce readers to the history of the collection and its current display strategy, Sir Arthur Evans and his work in Crete, the world of the early Cyclades, Knossos and Minoan Crete, Mycenaean Greece, and the Aegean seals and scripts that were central in Evans's archaeological research on the island.
The companion guide is beautifully designed and richly illustrated throughout. Images of the gallery, of individual objects and group shots, maps, plans, and timelines, provide the reader with the feel of the Aegean World gallery, which since its opening in 2009 has been enthusiastically received. The book follows the strategy developed specifically for the Aegean World gallery at the Ashmolean Museum: 'how we know what we know?' about Aegean prehistory, and the role of archaeologists as filters through whom our knowledge of the past is diluted and shaped. The guide also includes about 80 highlighted objects, which are accompanied with new photographs - specifically taken for this publication, a brief description and bibliography.
The companion guide is published in collaboration with the Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford.