Antiquity of the Aegean Cruise17th Oct 2024

Discover Minoan and Hellenic Gems

This wonderfully encompassing cruise arcs across the Aegean just as it spans through the rich history of the Greek Mediterranean. The Aegean has been the setting for so much in mythology and history from the Bronze Age, through the Minoan and Mycenaean civilisations, to Classical Greece and Ancient Rome and onward to the Byzantine age. We begin in Athens, the cradle of so much of western civilisation, and sail to the capital of Ancient Macedonia, Vergina, to visit Europe’s richest tomb, that of Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great. Continuing to Ionia, we visit one of the most important cities in the ancient world, the prosperous Ephesus which links ancient Greece to Christianity on its route westward. The island of Delos, at the centre of the Cyclades, was not only the site of a major sanctuary dedicated to Apollo, who was born with his twin sister, Artemis, on that island, but was also a major trade centre on account of its location as a stepping point between east and west. The island is surrounded by the Cyclades, which not only give us the striking Cycladic art but also the nearly iconic topography of Greek islands. To the south we visit Crete, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean, which is not only a stunning island in terms of its natural beauty, but it is also the birthplace of the Minoan civilisation that became prosperous through Mediterranean trade from early times and into the Bronze Age. Not far from Crete, we venture to the volcanic island of Santorini, to explore its remarkable Minoan remains and to consider the impact its eruption had on early Greek history. Lastly, we visit Milos, which might be more famous for its statue of Venus but is more important for its Bronze age remains.