The Bronze Age Gardens Of The Aegean In The Context Of Contemporary Gardens In The Near East And Egypt

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to analyze the form, content, and purpose of Aegean gardens in the Bronze Age using the available evidence from the Aegean islands, and interpreting this evidence through the lens of known gardens in the contemporary cultures of the Near East and Egypt. It argues that Aegean gardens, like the gardens of the Eastern Mediterranean, are used as value display, but that the people of the Aegean would have employed separate techniques for creating elite gardens due to environmental limitations and differing aesthetic and religious values. Using the available evidence, it was found that the gardens of the Aegean, primarily based in building complex courtyards, possess a more 'natural' and less structured appearance than the gardens of the aforementioned contemporary cultures. After an analysis of the current state of garden study in the Aegean, the thesis outlines an approach to future garden excavations.