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Situated at the disciplinary boundary between prehistory and history, this book presents a new synthesis of Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Greece, from the rise and fall of Mycenaean civilization, through the "Dark Age," and up to the emergence of city-states in the Archaic period. This period saw the growth and decline of varied political systems and the development of networks that would eventually expand to nearly all shores of the Middle Sea. Alex R. Knodell argues that in order to understand how ancient Greece changed over time, one must analyze how Greek societies constituted and reconstituted themselves across multiple scales, from the local to the regional to the Mediterranean. Knodell employs innovative network and spatial analyses to understand the regional diversity and connectivity that drove the growth of early Greek polities. As a groundbreaking study of landscape, interaction, and sociopolitical change, Societies in Transition in Early Greece systematically bridges the divide between the Mycenaean period and the Archaic Greek world to shed new light on an often-overlooked period of world history.

About the Author

Alex R. Knodell is Associate Professor of Classics and Director of the Archaeology Program at Carleton College. In Greece, he co-directs the Small Cycladic Islands Project and the Mazi Archaeological Project. He is the author of numerous academic articles and co-editor of Regional Approaches to Society and Complexity.

Reviews

"Overall, this is a very valuable read for more advanced students and scholars of Greek protohistory . . .It offers more refined and data-rich overview of punctuated changes, and it highlights the varied regional dynamics in central Greece that led to the emergence of the insti-tution of the polis, without prioritizing too much the big, better-known centers such as Athens, Thebes, and Lefkandi."
— American Journal of Archaeology

"An inspiring, sophisticated, and scrupulously researched study of central Greece...[Knodell offers] a multiscalar picture—as refreshing as it is compelling—that will serve as a solid example of good practice, from which any archaeologist interested in diverse and changing social complexities from a landscape perspective can benefit."

— American Antiquity

"Knodell seamlessly juxtaposes intra- and extra-boundary perspectives as they pertain to human identity. The ancient Greeks heroized their Mycenaean predecessors, and Greek archaeologists are similarly enchanted by Peloponnesian palatial territories. Knodell shows us another way. With his diversified dataset from an overlooked region, he encourages us: keep engaging with the 'blank spots' on the map."

— The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology

"A welcome addition to works on the archaeology of ‘early Greece’. . . .Societies in Transition is a clear and positive contribution…[that] should be read by students and specialists alike."
— The Classical Review

"A comprehensive, thoughtful treatment of the time period before the crystallization of the ancient Greek city states."—William A. Parkinson, Curator and Professor, The Field Museum and University of Illinois at Chicago

"An important and must-read account. The strength of this book lies in its close analysis of the important different regional characteristics and evolutionary trajectories of Greece as it transforms into the Archaic and, later, the Classical world."—David B. Small, author Ancient Greece: Social Structure and Evolution

"This book reconfigures our understanding of early Greece on a regional level, beyond Mycenaean 'palaces' and across temporal boundaries rarely spanned in current scholarship. Knodell’s sophisticated arguments enable a fresh reading of the emergence of early Greek polities, revealing the micro-regions that put to the test over-arching 'Mediterranean' models. His detailed study makes a convincing return to a comparative framework, integrating a 'small world' network and its trajectory with the larger picture of ancient complex societies. The last chapter, 'Why Early Greece Matters,' offers a frank and refreshing look at what we can learn from ancient failures as well as successes, lessons that point us towards becoming better informed global citizens."—Sarah Morris, Steinmetz Professor of Classical Archaeology and Material Culture, University of California, Los Angeles