Ever since
antiquity, people have highly valued the bee and hive products: the bee for its
industrious and organizational capabilities, honey for its nutritious and
therapeutic qualities and beeswax and propolis for their multiple uses. What is
evident from ancient Egyptian depictions is the remarkable preservation of
apiculture techniques and paraphernalia from prehistoric up to modern times.
However, no systematic review of this evidence exists for the prehistoric
Aegean, despite several isolated but important findings. Studying these
findings and comparing them with modern folkloric apiculture items, the authors
of this book ascertain that as in Egypt so too in Greece there was very little
change in the forms of beekeeping items from prehistoric times. The work also
includes research into folklore, methods, habits and beliefs still in use by
traditional beekeepers in Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean.