Mycenaean Art and Society in the Late Bronze Age Aegean

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This thesis aims to take an artistic approach to identity and social dynamics in the Late Bronze Age Aegean. There has not yet been an in-depth survey of Aegean art that takes context, content and style into consideration across a range of artefactual categories. I have chosen to focus on the Late Bronze Age, because it allows for an exploration of changing artistic practices over time. This period spans more than 600 years (ca. 1700-1050 BCE), encompassing the rise and fall of Mycenaean palatial civilisation as well as the end of the Neopalatial period on Crete. I would like to argue that 'art', a category often set aside in Aegean archaeology, is a meaningful analytical tool that can help us better understand the shifting social dynamics of the Late Bronze Age. How was art used and what purposes did the multitude of images fulfil during this time? Using a selection of representative examples, including both figurative and non-figurative artworks in a range of different media, this thesis aims to develop new ways of looking at and interpreting the art of the Late Bronze Age, beyond 'Minoanisation' and 'Mycenaeanisation'.