Recent Developments in the Archaeology of Minoan Crete

This paper summarizes archaeological research on the Bronze Age of the island of Crete during the last decade. It starts off by highlighting the most important excavations and surveys and the publication of data through monographs, periodicals, scientific proceedings and other media. Next it considers how our conventional understanding of Minoan culture has been affected both by recent research and discoveries and by theoretical and interpretive shifts. Emphasis is placed on the influence of various social theories that have questioned the focus on centralization at different scales and increased our appreciation of specific cultural practices and dynamics by using bottom-up and embodied approaches. As such, chronology, architectural studies, pottery, cult, iconography and social and political systems are discussed, as are aspects of materiality, corporeality, performance and gender. Finally, the changes in the academic environments dealing with Minoan archaeology receive some attention