● Intro to the culture and art of the Aegean/Eastern Mediterranean in the Bronze Age

● Story of the Bronze Age in this region is about the development of sophisticated civilizations,
their interconnectedness w/ each other, and their ties to the wider world
● “Aegean/Eastern Mediterranean” refers to a particular region, but also a level of interconnectivity
that is defined by scholarly activity

Uluburun Shipwreck (c. 1330-1300 BCE)

● Cargo included raw materials and finished goods
○ Specifically included 10 tons of copper ingots and 1 ton of tin ingots
○ 10:1 ratio of copper to tin makes bronze
● Objects were traded from all around the eastern Mediterranean
● Prevailing theory: royal trade mission
Evidence
○ Wealth of materials
○ Texts that discuss these sorts of trade missions
○ Diplomatic relationships btw different states
○ Raw materials is the greatest evidence

What Makes It The Bronze Age?

● Periods were defined early on by what was perceived to be the primary/most advanced
technology
○ Paleolithic/Neolithic (Old Stone Age/New Stone Age) = Stone
○ Chalcolithic (Copper Age) = Copper
○ Bronze Age = Bronze
○ Iron Age = Iron
● Because initial period designations were based on technology, the Bronze Age “happens” at
different times in different parts of the world
● Aegean/Eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age = c. 3000 BCE - 1100 BCE
○ Begins with the development of the Egyption state
○ Ends w/ the “Late Bronze Age collapse” in which civilizations across the region
disappeared or were significantly transformed

Chronology and Terminology

● Relative dating - places events in order without any measure or age between events
○ Ex: king list - order of dynasties but cannot pinpoint a certain year
● Absolute dating - provides a numerical age or range
○ Ex: radiocarbon dating + dendrochronology
● Each region discussed in class has its own internal chronology + its own terminally
○ Chronologies roughly line up but not perfectly