The Aegean lies between the Greek mainland and Asia Minor and touches the Mediterranean with Egypt to the south. This "in-between" status is both geographic and historic. What happens to art in the Aegean period is interesting because of its transitional role. Aegean art transitions from a time dominated by the ancient art of Egypt and Mesopotamia to a world that is dominated by the emergence and flowering of culture in Greece. Pay close attention to the human figure in Aegean art. Note how it both resembles and differs from depictions of the great civilizations of the Nile and the Tigris-Euphrates valley.

Goals for this chapter include:

• Learn the geographic layout of the area in and around the Greek mainland.

• Understand the unique features of each of the three great civilizations of pre-Greek Aegean times: Cycladic, Minoan, and Mycenaean.

• Grasp the similarities among these same civilizations.

• Learn new architectural concepts such as vaulting and corbeling.

• Gain an appreciation of how differences in the handling of the human figure can be indicative of the values and concerns of any civilization.