The Ashmolean Museum of the University of Oxford is home to one of the most distinguished collections of art and archaeology in the world. With around 10,000 objects, it also boasts the best and most comprehensive collection of Aegean antiquities (Cycladic, Minoan, and Mycenaean) outside Greece. Much of this is owed to Sir Arthur Evans (1851 - 1941), who during his tenure (1884-1908) significantly enhanced the museum's archaeological holdings and established it as one of the major centers of archaeological research.

Evans is mainly known today for his excavations at the largest palatial site in the Aegean, the "Palace of Minos" at Knossos, Crete. The collection, along with its rich archival folder, provides an ongoing source of study and inspiration for scholars and the public. This publication, a collaboration between the Ashmolean and Kapon Editions (Athens, Greece), serves as the first guide to the museum's exceptional Aegean collection.

The book is richly illustrated with over 360 images, drawings, maps, and plans. With the expertise of a distinguished team of contributors, the book highlights many of the stories presented in the Aegean gallery at the Ashmolean: from the early Cyclades and Minoan Crete to Mycenaean Greece and early Aegean writing. Invoking the personalities of some of the individuals involved in its discovery, the volume brings to life the world of ancient Aegean.