When we think about the origins of European culture and history, the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey (c. 7th century BCE) often springs to mind. But what came before Homer? Klaus Tausend investigates this long-neglected question by closely examining the development of states, societies and cultures in the Aegean region from the 7th to the 2nd millennia BCE. The book aims to present the history and significance of the early cultures of the Aegean within a manageably sized volume and in language that is easily understood. It shows that the Aegean acted as an intermediary in the diffusion of technology and knowledge from Mesopotamia and Egypt into the European cultural area.