Prehistory, as well as pieces of historical art, have (sometimes) been elusive of specific date labels, mostly because people did not date or sign their work. Many pieces are undated, which has left art historians and others guessing which period different pieces are from. To know when a specific sculpture, painting, or architectural work was created, the historian must look at where the artifact originated. Was it used throughout the Aegean? Or mainly in Crete? Archeology is an excellent tool for dating time periods. (83) The excavation and discovery of Aegean art must give credence to archaeology, as it is a wonderful way of using the surrounding land (and geography) to discover the context of a work of art. Before reading this chapter, I was excited to learn more about this period and its art. From fourth through seventh grade, my mother used a curriculum that incorporated art, history, and geography from prehistoric to modern times. Thanks to that study and some of my previous research, I recognized a few pieces in this chapter of Aegean art, including the bull leap (4-8), the funerary mask (4-22), and the serpent goddess (4 -12). The world has a variety of cultures within its countries and their history. This variety made Aegean art different from that studied so far. The area of ​​Asia Minor, Peloponnese, Cyclades and Crete is surrounded by water, which has made it prosperous in trade, imports and exports. Sometimes, this influenced their art towards the marine style (water, fish, life and sea creatures). I thought it was interesting (though not surprising) that these people, as well as those before them, continued to clearly portray women as images of fertility. Pictures of men arguing... middle of paper... gets distracted by his bare, white chest. This is an image of the style of the people and how they lived their lives, as well as an unpleasant figure of their goddess. It was very enjoyable to read this chapter, as I had already studied this area and its people. The Aegean area is unique due to its geographical situation, which influenced the people of that era to portray art as they did. I was surprised by the delicacy of the swallows in Landscape with Swallows, as well as the intricate gold carvings on the blade of the inlaid dagger (4-23). The inhabitants of the Aegean were truly creative artists, influenced not only by their location but also by the people who were artists before them. Works Cited Kleiner, Fred. Gardner's Art Through the Ages Wadsworth: Cengage Learning, 2009