Negotiating Island Identities : The Active Use of Pottery in the Middle and Late Bronze Age Cyclades

Negotiating Island Identities explores the history of interaction between Crete and the Cycladic islands from the late Middle to Late Bronze II periods when Minoan influence was at its peak. Based on a thorough investigation of pottery assemblages from key sites, the book advocates a rethink of established acculturation scenarios (such as "Minoanisation") in relation to the Cycladic islands. Openness or closure towards outside influences was not predetermined by cultural, geographical or ecological variables but was socially constructed. Island communities could consciously fashion their worlds and make choices about the nature and degree of interaction with their neighbours. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS LIST OF TABLES PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 1. ISLANDS IN TIME 2. ASPECTS OF CYCLADIC ISLAND LIFE 3. CULTURAL INTERACTION AND MINOANISATION 4. A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE ON MINOANISATION: THE POTTERY FROM PHYLAKOPI ON MELOS 5. ISLAND STRATEGIES IN THE AEGEAN 6. ISLANDS IN CONTEXT 7. CONCLUSIONS BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX