Bücher von Diamantis Panagiotopoulos

In recent years, the increasing significance of cultural (also archaeological) landscapes has presented archaeology with new major challenges, which can only be met through interdisciplinary cooperation and on the basis of participatory initiatives. The urgent need to develop effective concepts for the stewardship of archaeological sites and their natural environment can be the triggering force for replacing the destructive methods of archaeology with creative strategies and thereby for drastically changing the profile of this discipline in research and teaching. These considerations were the focus of the present volume that presents the results of the project ¿Modelling Archaeological Landscapes. Bridging Past and Present in Two Mediterranean Islands¿, which was carried out by the Universities of Heidelberg and Catania in 2018 and funded by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service).

It was on the island of Crete that the first advanced civilization on European soil emerged, around 2000 BCE & a fact that is still astonishing for modern observers and poses numerous puzzles for scholarship. The Minoans built monumental palaces in a region that was threatened by earthquakes, developed various writing systems, decorated their rooms with magnificent murals, promoted arts and crafts, and dominated the Aegean Sea with their ships. This book presents the success story of this island people, their social structure and their formative influence on the Mediterranean world, providing not only a very up-to-date academic textbook for students, but also an exciting read for discerning laypersons and lovers of Crete.