This volume covers the Neolithic and Bronze Ages of the Aegean, a span of some five thousand years, of which the Bronze Age accounts for less than two thousand. The area here considered divides into three main regions: Crete, the Cycladic islands, and the Greek mainland. Each has recognizably different traditions throughout most of the long span of time covered. Nevertheless it has seemed to me less confusing to organise the material by categories, e.g., pottery, painting, sculpture, etc., rather than by geographical regions or periods of time.