The numerous rescue excavations conducted in Athens and Attica by the Archaeological Service during and after the major construction projects of the 2004 Olympic Games brought to light significant new prehistoric finds which have transformed our understanding of the region in prehistory. However, despite their importance, the new discoveries had remained mostly unnoticed by the international community, as the results were scattered in various publications, and no synthesis was ever attempted. The goal of the 2015 international conference Athens and Attica in Prehistory, which was organized by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, the University of Athens (Department of Archaeology and History of Art), the Museum of Cycladic Art and the Ephorate of Antiquites of East Attica (Hellenic Ministry of Culture) was to gather scholars working in the region and present for the first time a survey of Attic prehistory which would include the most recent discoveries and integrate over a century of scholarship. The 668- page conference proceedings include over 66 papers in Greek and English with sections dedicated to topography, the palaeo-environment, the Neolithic, the Chalcolithic transition, the Early Bronze Age, the Middle and Late Bronze Age, as well as the contacts between Attica and its neighbouring regions. A series of new detailed maps, derived from an exhaustive GIS-related database, provide the most up to date topographical and archaeological survey of Prehistoric Attica. Athens and Attica in Prehistory provides the most complete overview of the region from the Neolithic to the end of the Late Bronze Age. Its importance goes beyond the field of Aegean prehistory, as it paves the way for a new understanding of Attica in the Early Iron Age and indirectly throws new light on the origins of what will later become the polis of the Athenians.

About the Author
Nikolas Papadimitriou is a Research Associate and Lecturer at the Institute of Classical Archaeology, University of Heidelberg ;

James C. Wright holds the William R. Kenan, Jr. Chair and is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology, Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania ;

Sylvian Fachard is Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland ;

Naya Sgouritsa is Professor Emerita of Archaeology at the University of Athens, specializes in Mycenaean Archaeology ;

Eleni Andrikou is the Head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of East Attica, Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports.

Reviews

'Athens and Attica in Prehistory emerges as a seminal work by producing ample evidence on hitherto unknown or barely known eras in the region, bringing new and important sites into focus, and exploring societal, political, economic, ideological and environmental facets through a variety of sophisticated, inter-related studies. The book also serves as a source of general insight on Attic prehistory, helping to contextualize later habitation. In sum, it is a truly impressive work and a welcome contribution to Aegean and Greek archaeology that fills a major gap in scholarship.' - Anastasia Dakouri-Hild (2021): Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Book Information
ISBN 9781789696714
Author Nikolas Papadimitriou
Format Hardback
Page Count 698
Imprint Archaeopress
Publisher Archaeopress
Weight(grams) 2716g