Papers by Sergios Menelaou
In: O. Lytovka (ed.), Navigating Borders: Perspectives on Migration and Identity. London: Interdisciplinary Discourses, 68-91., 2024
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2024
The settlement of Poliochni, located on the east coast of Lemnos Island (northeast Aegean), stand... more The settlement of Poliochni, located on the east coast of Lemnos Island (northeast Aegean), stands out as one of the largest early urban centres in the Early Bronze Age Aegean. It is often referred to as the "oldest city in Europe" due to its remarkable urban planning and richness of material culture. Excavations at Poliochni have brought to light important evidence that testify to its nodal position and receptiveness to cultural interactions across the Aegean and beyond, including an array of craft innovations and acts of communal control. Traditionally viewed as a maritime-oriented community with strong Trojan influences and extensive connections with the Cyclades and Mainland Greece, as indicated by distinctive pottery styles and imported raw materials and artefacts, Poliochni's ceramic assemblage presents a diverse array that incorporates elements from both the Aegean and western Anatolia. This paper offers an analytical overview of the pottery excavated by the Italian Archaeological School at Athens during the 1930s and 1950s. Thin-section petrography and elemental analysis with WD-XRF have allowed a first characterisation of the local potting traditions and a diachronic assessment of raw material exploitation strategies of southeast Lemnos. More importantly, this paper significantly contributes to our knowledge of exchange networks and connectivity during the third millennium BC, through the identification of imports with provenance locations on several islands in the central and northeast Aegean.
Advances in Archaeomaterials, 2024
This study utilises pottery as a proxy to identify patterns of use and consumption, as well as de... more This study utilises pottery as a proxy to identify patterns of use and consumption, as well as depositional strategies at Agriomernos, a recently discovered cave site on Samos Island (Greece). This discovery challenges our understanding of human-landscape interaction within a marginal region across two distinct prehistoric chronological episodes. As part of a broader research project, this paper presents the results from an integrated, multiscale analysis of pottery through morpho-stylistic and macroscopic examination, thin section petrography, and wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (WD-XRF). The analysis has revealed a compositionally diverse ceramic assemblage that represents a range of different raw material sources on the island and, by extension, different groups of people. The identification of off-island imports adds new evidence to the reconstruction of Aegean connectivity patterns. Agriomernos Cave constitutes a key archaeological site within an area previously unexplored, offering a unique opportunity to investigate ancient mobility, landscape sacrality, and ritual performances manifested through periodical and repeated acts of deposition.
In: M. Brunner, J. Menne and A. Hafner (eds.), Borders and Interaction: Concepts of Frontiers in Archaeological Perspectives. Universitätsforschungen zur Prähistorischen Archäologie 398, Bonn: Dr Rudolf Habelt GmbH, 89-99, 2024
In: E. Poyiadji-Richter (ed.), Alexander Malios Collection: Cypriote Antiquities (Volume 1). Leipzig: AMRICHA, 51-155, 2023
by Laura Dierksmeier, Frerich Schön, Anna Kouremenos, Annika Condit, Helen Dawson, Erica Angliker, David Hill, Kyle Jazwa, Zeynep Yelce, Ela Bozok, Sergios Menelaou, Alexander J Smith, Francesca Bonzano, Dunja Brozović Rončević, Katrin Dautel, and Beate M W Ratter University of Tübingen Press, 2021
The three maps at the beginning of this book have been produced by Cartographer Richard Szydlak, ... more The three maps at the beginning of this book have been produced by Cartographer Richard Szydlak, who gracefully accepted the challenge to map very many islands, some very small, others imaginary. We are very grateful for the high quality of his work.
The Founder of GACUK Matti Egon with the 'unusual bouquet' offered by the scholars. i Contents Fo... more The Founder of GACUK Matti Egon with the 'unusual bouquet' offered by the scholars. i Contents Foreword ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� v The value of digital recordings and reconstructions for the understanding of three-dimensional archaeological features ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 1 Constantinos Papadopoulos The contribution of systematic zooarchaeological analysis in understanding the complexity of prehistoric societies: The example of late Neolithic Toumba Kremastis-Koiladas in northern Greece �������������������������������������������������������� 17 Vasiliki Tzevelekidi The Heraion of Samos under the microscope: A preliminary technological and provenance assessment of the Early Bronze Age II late to III (c. 2500-2000 BC) pottery ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 25 Sergios Menelaou Time past and time present: the emergence of the Minoan palaces as a transformation of temporality ������������������ 35 Giorgos Vavouranakis Palaepaphos during the Late Bronze Age: characterizing the urban landscape of a late Cypriot polity ���������������������� 45 Artemis Georgiou 'What would the world be to us if the children were no more?': the archaeology of children and death in LH IIIC Greece ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 57 Chrysanthi Gallou-Minopetrou The Late Helladic IIIC period in coastal Thessaly ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 69 Eleni Karouzou Damophon in Olympia: some remarks on his date ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 185 Eleni Poimenidou Entering the monastic cell in the Byzantine world: archaeology and texts �������������������������������������������������������������� 191 Giorgos Makris Discovering the Byzantine countryside: the evidence from archaeological field survey in the Peloponnese ����������� 201 Maria Papadaki On a Fāṭimid Kursī in the Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai ����������������������������������������������������������������� 211 George Manginis The discovery of ancient Cyprus: archaeological sponsorship from the 19th century to the present day ���������������� 221 Anastasia Leriou Showcasing new Trojan wars: archaeological exhibitions and the politics of appropriation of ancient Troy ������������ 235 Antonis Kotsonas 25 The Heraion of Samos under the microscope A preliminary technological and provenance assessment of the Early Bronze Age II late to III (c. 2500-2000 BC) pottery
The Annual of the British School at Athens, 2022
This paper presents the results from the pilot analytical study of the Aegean Late–Final Neolithi... more This paper presents the results from the pilot analytical study of the Aegean Late–Final Neolithic/Anatolian Middle–Late Chalcolithic (c. 5500–3200/3000 BC) pottery from the Kastro-Tigani settlement, located in south-east Samos (east Aegean). In addition to Crete, the region of the insular eastern Aegean has produced the earliest evidence for Neolithic habitation. The archaeological traces at Kastro-Tigani are so far the earliest known on Samos, being partly contemporary with the recently discovered Middle–Late Chalcolithic layers at the Heraion, lying in close proximity to the former site, and at the Agriomernos cave (Megalo Seitani) in the north-west part of the island. The re-evaluation of the ceramic assemblage from Kastro-Tigani has led to the laboratory analysis of 34 samples, using a combination of thin-section petrography and Wavelength Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy, in order to determine provenance and establish reference groups for the earliest local production on Samos. This first compositional characterisation of the pottery contributes new data in a relatively under-studied region and provides grounds for comparison with analytical results from the Heraion, with the aim to investigate possible relations between the sites. Hence, the identification of different strategies in pottery production, reflected in the overall distinct fabric and chemical groups, further indicates the practice of several production units and the exploitation of various raw material sources at the Pythagoreion/Chora plain. Isolated examples of possible imported ceramic vessels, as well as exotica (e.g. obsidian, acrolithic and Kilia figurines, ring-shaped features, marble vessels, kratiriskoi) are highlighted as markers of macro-scale interaction in the context of Aegean early maritime connectivity.
In: F. Schön, L. Dierksmeier, A. Condit, V. Palmowski and A. Kouremenos (eds.), European Islands Between Isolated and Interconnected Life Worlds. Interdisciplinary Long-Term Perspectives. RessourcenKulturen 16, Tübingen, 2021
The Aegean archipelago constitutes one of the most intriguing ‘laboratories’ of island archaeolog... more The Aegean archipelago constitutes one of the most intriguing ‘laboratories’ of island archaeology in the Mediterranean, due to the unique geomorphological configuration among the various island groups, as well as their varied cultural and historical developments. In recent years, there has been renewed interest in the study of intra- and interisland connections and island/continent interactions through the application of spatial and maritime network analysis, as well as artefact analysis and the reconstruction of technological (châine opératoire approach) and distributional patterns. To a certain degree, such an interdisciplinary focus was developed for the eastern Aegean and western Anatolian borderland, an area where maritime interaction and communication via the sea has occupied archaeological scholarship over the past two decades. Although only separated by narrow sea straits, the islands and the Anatolian mainland are often considered archaeologically through the lens of boundedness and separateness. These concepts interpret archaeological frontiers of insular versus mainland areas by postcolonialist models of core-periphery relationships, in which the islands are frequently considered to be passive. In this paper, developments and diachronic changes during the Early Bronze Age (EBA) in the ceramic repertoire of the east Aegean islands are discussed, emphasising mainly on evidence from Lemnos, Lesbos, Chios, and Samos, in relation to traditions from the central Aegean (Cyclades) and the adjacent Anatolian coastlands. Focusing on the seascape/coastscape perspective and the concept of the peraia, this research also explores what constitutes the distinct cultural identity of these island communities and how this is formed and transformed through time during the 3rd mill. BCE.
In: I. Miloglav (ed.), Proceedings from the 6th International Scientific Conference Methodology and Archaeometry, Zagreb, 6-7 December 2018, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, FF-Open Press, 2020
The study of pottery has historically served as a testing ground for archaeological theories, bot... more The study of pottery has historically served as a testing ground for archaeological theories, both due to its abundance in the archaeological record and its multifaceted use in the development of various methodological tools for the investigation of issues of exchange and external influence, technological tradition, social organisation, economic trends, and other cultural associations in past societies. Nevertheless, ceramic studies have largely extended the range of tools and techniques beyond traditional approaches that focus on stylistic, morphological, and typological attributes aiming at constructing chronological sequences or reconstructing large-scale networks of interaction. In fact, recent years in Aegean studies have witnessed an increasing concern towards the technological significance of pottery and its social context from a rather scientific-processual perspective. The project of Early Bronze Age (EBA/EB) Heraion on Samos Island, east Aegean (Greece) has successfully demonstrated that questions of ceramic production, consumption, and distribution can be meaningfully approached through the integration of different scales and levels of analytical enquiry. This has been achieved following a chaîne opératoire approach and the combination of various levels of analysis from typology, phasing, and contextual study of the entire ceramic assemblages covering the third millennium BC, with macroscopic analysis, thin section petrography, and microstructural analysis. This paper provides a brief overview of specific aspects of this project with the aim to highlight the significance of adopting a holistic approach in ceramic studies of well-defined, insular prehistoric environments.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 35, 2021
This paper, drawing from a broader analytical project on the Chalcolithic, Early and Middle Bronz... more This paper, drawing from a broader analytical project on the Chalcolithic, Early and Middle Bronze Age pottery
from Heraion on Samos, discusses the diachronic development of cooking ware ceramics from the mid 5th
through to the early 2nd millennia BC. The preliminary results of this integrated programme of analysis,
employing ceramic petrography as its main technique, are based on fabric and clay composition, in association
with typological information, morpho–stylistic observations, SEM analysis, as well as with regard to the local
geological background of the island. By examining diachronic choices made in the production of cooking pots,
being usually characterised in archaeological scholarship as static and resistant to change, this paper has firmly
established the identification of a long–lived ceramic production centre in the East Aegean. Continuity and
change of technological practice, and craft organisation are also discussed at the micro–scale level, while
contributing to the identification of cooking pot movement in the prehistoric Aegean.
Grenzräume in der Archäologie, 2020
Sonderhefte 18/2020 (Jahrgang 2/2020), Archäologie in Deutschland 18
Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 2020
The island of Samos occupies a key position between the central
Aegean and western Anatolia durin... more The island of Samos occupies a key position between the central
Aegean and western Anatolia during the third millennium BC. A recent study of
the substantial pottery assemblages from the pivotal site of Heraion has defined
a rich stratigraphy covering the entire Early Bronze Age (EBA). Currently the
only known EBA site on Samos, Heraion has provided the opportunity to
undertake a holistic ceramic study with the aim of defining and characterizing
local pottery production and, by extension, determining for the first time a secure
provenance of suspected imported vessels, through the application of an
integrated typological/morphological, macroscopic and microscopic (ceramic
petrography) analytical methodology. This diachronic ceramic study, alongside
a comparative fabric study of pottery of known origin from a number of
contemporary sites, shows clear evidence for the exchange/importation of specific
vessel shapes and, in the case of the collared jars, presumably their contents. This
enables the reconstruction of patterns of interaction during the later phases of EB
II, when there was a particular acceleration in the movement of goods. The
present paper draws on a distinctive ceramic class (blue and red schist/phyllite
fabrics/wares) and vessel types (transport jars with incised/slashed handles and
beaked jugs with a two-stage neck profile) particular to the EB II late period
and discusses them in relation to already published or analysed data from
selected Cycladic and Anatolian sites.
Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 2020
The island of Samos occupies a key position between the central Aegean and western Anatolia durin... more The island of Samos occupies a key position between the central Aegean and western Anatolia during the third millennium BC. A recent study of the substantial pottery assemblages from the pivotal site of Heraion has defined a rich stratigraphy covering the entire Early Bronze Age (EBA). Currently the only known EBA site on Samos, Heraion has provided the opportunity to undertake a holistic ceramic study with the aim of defining and characterizing local pottery production and, by extension, determining for the first time a secure provenance of suspected imported vessels, through the application of an integrated typological/morphological, macroscopic and microscopic (ceramic petrography) analytical methodology. This diachronic ceramic study, alongside a comparative fabric study of pottery of known origin from a number of contemporary sites, shows clear evidence for the exchange/importation of specific vessel shapes and, in the case of the collared jars, presumably their contents. This enables the reconstruction of patterns of interaction during the later phases of EB II, when there was a particular acceleration in the movement of goods. The present paper draws on a distinctive ceramic class (blue and red schist/phyllite fabrics/wares) and vessel types (transport jars with incised/slashed handles and beaked jugs with a two‐stage neck profile) particular to the EB II late period and discusses them in relation to already published or analysed data from selected Cycladic and Anatolian sites.
Π. Τριανταφυλλίδης, (εκδ.), Το Αρχαιολογικό Έργο στα Νησιά του Αιγαίου. Διεθνές Επιστημονικό Συνέδριο, Ρόδος, 27 Νοεμβρίου - 1 Δεκεμβρίου 2013, Αρχαιολογικό Ινστιτούτο Αιγαιακών Σπουδών, Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού και Αθλητισμού, σσ. 181-194, 2017
The present study is dealing with the preliminary analysis of a well-stratified ceramic assemblag... more The present study is dealing with the preliminary analysis of a well-stratified ceramic assemblage from the site of the heraion on the island of Samos, which was unearthed back in the 1950s by Vl.Milojčić (1961) and dates to the early Bronze Age ii late- iii period (2500-2000 BC). Given the absence of analytical work on pottery from the heraion Prehistoric settlement and the eastern Aegean in general, this pilot study aims to elucidate for the first time the Samian ceramic technological tradition of the second half of the 3rd millennium BC (Heraion I-V). This corresponds to a culturally significant chronological period which is characterised by intensified contacts and interactions throughout the Aegean area. The petrographic results revealed a great deal of information regarding issues of technology (choice and processing of raw materials, forming techniques and surface treatment of the vessels, firing characteristics), geological and/or geographical provenance, and have set the basis for the construction of an analytical background for the site under investigation. This study has produced useful insights, the real dimensions of which will be better realized by undertaking further analytical work in the future.
E. Alram-Stern and B. Horejs (eds.), Pottery Technologies and Sociocultural Connections between the Aegean and Anatolia during the 3rd millennium BC. OREA 10, Oriental and European Archaeology, Wien: Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, pp. 119-142, 2018
The key position of Samos between the central Aegean and western Anatolia as well as the appraisa... more The key position of Samos between the central Aegean and western Anatolia as well as the appraisal of the
settlement at Heraion, as being the largest Early Bronze Age (EB) early urban site in the insular eastern Aegean, has
led several scholars in the past to suggest that Samos may have constituted the cultural mediator in the transmission
of ideas, technological innovations and goods (e.g. new serving and drinking pottery sets) between these regions in
the EB II late–III. The period called the ‘Anatolian Trade Network’ in Anatolian terms and ‘Lefkandi I-Kastri Group’
in Helladic-Cycladic terms as well as the related pottery assemblage assigned to this period has recently been revised
regarding its chronological, geographical and cultural homogenous character on the basis of newly-emergent data from
various Anatolian and Aegean sites. Taking these into account, this paper provides an introduction to the EB strata
excavated at Heraion from 1953–2013 focusing on the political, social and economic meaning of architecture from the
EB I–III phases. This provides the background for a contextual, chronological and technological re-evaluation of the
pottery produced between c. 2650 and 2000 BC, namely within the phases Heraion I–V. The chronological review of
the ceramic developments at Heraion and the reconsideration of shapes traditionally considered to be ‘localʼ (eastern
Aegean/western Anatolian) and ‘foreign’ (Cycladic/Cycladicising) provide a secure basis for a synchronisation with
pottery developments in western Anatolia and the central Aegean in the EB II early–III periods.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports , 2016
This paper discusses the preliminary results of a pilot fabric study carried out on pottery from ... more This paper discusses the preliminary results of a pilot fabric study carried out on pottery from the Early Bronze Age II late-III (ca. 2500–2000 BC) levels at the Heraion settlement on the island of Samos, Greece. This is a time not only of marked social change, but also of an increasing body of evidence, which indicates the widespread movement of pottery within the Aegean and the coast of Asia Minor. The site of Heraion is important in a reconsideration of this period, as a centre with a local tradition of ceramic production, as well as being a key player in exchange networks within the eastern Aegean. In a first appraisal of the ceramic assemblage, a total of forty-four coarse, medium and fine ware samples were selected for microscopic analysis, representing a range of local pottery and suspected imports. Petrographic analysis complemented macroscopic observations and stylistic evaluations , and allowed characterisation of the samples with respect to textural and petrological properties, forming a firm basis for future analyses of pottery recovered from the site.
This paper discusses the preliminary results of a pilot fabric study carried out on pottery from ... more This paper discusses the preliminary results of a pilot fabric study carried out on pottery from the Early Bronze Age II late-III (ca. 2500–2000 BC) levels at the Heraion settlement on the island of Samos, Greece. This is a time not only of marked social change, but also of an increasing body of evidence, which indicates the widespread movement of pottery within the Aegean and the coast of Asia Minor. The site of Heraion is important in a reconsideration of this period, as a centre with a local tradition of ceramic production, as well as being a key player in exchange networks within the eastern Aegean. In a first appraisal of the ceramic assemblage, a total of forty-four coarse, medium and fine ware samples were selected for microscopic analysis, representing a range of local pottery and suspected imports. Petrographic analysis complemented macroscopic observations and stylistic evaluations and allowed characterisation of the samples with respect to textural and petrological properties, forming a firm basis for future analyses of pottery recovered from the site.
Book reviews by Sergios Menelaou
American Journal of Archaeology, 2023
Blog posts and popular publications by Sergios Menelaou
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Papers by Sergios Menelaou
from Heraion on Samos, discusses the diachronic development of cooking ware ceramics from the mid 5th
through to the early 2nd millennia BC. The preliminary results of this integrated programme of analysis,
employing ceramic petrography as its main technique, are based on fabric and clay composition, in association
with typological information, morpho–stylistic observations, SEM analysis, as well as with regard to the local
geological background of the island. By examining diachronic choices made in the production of cooking pots,
being usually characterised in archaeological scholarship as static and resistant to change, this paper has firmly
established the identification of a long–lived ceramic production centre in the East Aegean. Continuity and
change of technological practice, and craft organisation are also discussed at the micro–scale level, while
contributing to the identification of cooking pot movement in the prehistoric Aegean.
Aegean and western Anatolia during the third millennium BC. A recent study of
the substantial pottery assemblages from the pivotal site of Heraion has defined
a rich stratigraphy covering the entire Early Bronze Age (EBA). Currently the
only known EBA site on Samos, Heraion has provided the opportunity to
undertake a holistic ceramic study with the aim of defining and characterizing
local pottery production and, by extension, determining for the first time a secure
provenance of suspected imported vessels, through the application of an
integrated typological/morphological, macroscopic and microscopic (ceramic
petrography) analytical methodology. This diachronic ceramic study, alongside
a comparative fabric study of pottery of known origin from a number of
contemporary sites, shows clear evidence for the exchange/importation of specific
vessel shapes and, in the case of the collared jars, presumably their contents. This
enables the reconstruction of patterns of interaction during the later phases of EB
II, when there was a particular acceleration in the movement of goods. The
present paper draws on a distinctive ceramic class (blue and red schist/phyllite
fabrics/wares) and vessel types (transport jars with incised/slashed handles and
beaked jugs with a two-stage neck profile) particular to the EB II late period
and discusses them in relation to already published or analysed data from
selected Cycladic and Anatolian sites.
settlement at Heraion, as being the largest Early Bronze Age (EB) early urban site in the insular eastern Aegean, has
led several scholars in the past to suggest that Samos may have constituted the cultural mediator in the transmission
of ideas, technological innovations and goods (e.g. new serving and drinking pottery sets) between these regions in
the EB II late–III. The period called the ‘Anatolian Trade Network’ in Anatolian terms and ‘Lefkandi I-Kastri Group’
in Helladic-Cycladic terms as well as the related pottery assemblage assigned to this period has recently been revised
regarding its chronological, geographical and cultural homogenous character on the basis of newly-emergent data from
various Anatolian and Aegean sites. Taking these into account, this paper provides an introduction to the EB strata
excavated at Heraion from 1953–2013 focusing on the political, social and economic meaning of architecture from the
EB I–III phases. This provides the background for a contextual, chronological and technological re-evaluation of the
pottery produced between c. 2650 and 2000 BC, namely within the phases Heraion I–V. The chronological review of
the ceramic developments at Heraion and the reconsideration of shapes traditionally considered to be ‘localʼ (eastern
Aegean/western Anatolian) and ‘foreign’ (Cycladic/Cycladicising) provide a secure basis for a synchronisation with
pottery developments in western Anatolia and the central Aegean in the EB II early–III periods.
Book reviews by Sergios Menelaou
Blog posts and popular publications by Sergios Menelaou
from Heraion on Samos, discusses the diachronic development of cooking ware ceramics from the mid 5th
through to the early 2nd millennia BC. The preliminary results of this integrated programme of analysis,
employing ceramic petrography as its main technique, are based on fabric and clay composition, in association
with typological information, morpho–stylistic observations, SEM analysis, as well as with regard to the local
geological background of the island. By examining diachronic choices made in the production of cooking pots,
being usually characterised in archaeological scholarship as static and resistant to change, this paper has firmly
established the identification of a long–lived ceramic production centre in the East Aegean. Continuity and
change of technological practice, and craft organisation are also discussed at the micro–scale level, while
contributing to the identification of cooking pot movement in the prehistoric Aegean.
Aegean and western Anatolia during the third millennium BC. A recent study of
the substantial pottery assemblages from the pivotal site of Heraion has defined
a rich stratigraphy covering the entire Early Bronze Age (EBA). Currently the
only known EBA site on Samos, Heraion has provided the opportunity to
undertake a holistic ceramic study with the aim of defining and characterizing
local pottery production and, by extension, determining for the first time a secure
provenance of suspected imported vessels, through the application of an
integrated typological/morphological, macroscopic and microscopic (ceramic
petrography) analytical methodology. This diachronic ceramic study, alongside
a comparative fabric study of pottery of known origin from a number of
contemporary sites, shows clear evidence for the exchange/importation of specific
vessel shapes and, in the case of the collared jars, presumably their contents. This
enables the reconstruction of patterns of interaction during the later phases of EB
II, when there was a particular acceleration in the movement of goods. The
present paper draws on a distinctive ceramic class (blue and red schist/phyllite
fabrics/wares) and vessel types (transport jars with incised/slashed handles and
beaked jugs with a two-stage neck profile) particular to the EB II late period
and discusses them in relation to already published or analysed data from
selected Cycladic and Anatolian sites.
settlement at Heraion, as being the largest Early Bronze Age (EB) early urban site in the insular eastern Aegean, has
led several scholars in the past to suggest that Samos may have constituted the cultural mediator in the transmission
of ideas, technological innovations and goods (e.g. new serving and drinking pottery sets) between these regions in
the EB II late–III. The period called the ‘Anatolian Trade Network’ in Anatolian terms and ‘Lefkandi I-Kastri Group’
in Helladic-Cycladic terms as well as the related pottery assemblage assigned to this period has recently been revised
regarding its chronological, geographical and cultural homogenous character on the basis of newly-emergent data from
various Anatolian and Aegean sites. Taking these into account, this paper provides an introduction to the EB strata
excavated at Heraion from 1953–2013 focusing on the political, social and economic meaning of architecture from the
EB I–III phases. This provides the background for a contextual, chronological and technological re-evaluation of the
pottery produced between c. 2650 and 2000 BC, namely within the phases Heraion I–V. The chronological review of
the ceramic developments at Heraion and the reconsideration of shapes traditionally considered to be ‘localʼ (eastern
Aegean/western Anatolian) and ‘foreign’ (Cycladic/Cycladicising) provide a secure basis for a synchronisation with
pottery developments in western Anatolia and the central Aegean in the EB II early–III periods.
Critical reassessment of established theoretical conceptions of island social and cultural evolution, in association with new archaeological discoveries around the globe, have resulted in a new understanding
of human interactions with the sea, ecological niche creation and adaptive responses, especially during climatically challenging times. On many islands and neighbouring coastlines research on the full extent of this unique human ecological plasticity as well as the web of interconnections between environment, climate and the organisation of the social landscape of early prehistoric societies have provided remarkable new evidence in recent years.
This session aims to critically explore the question of marginality and border-crossing across varied seascapes and coastscapes, and invites case studies drawn from, particularly, but not limited to, the Mediterranean. We invite contributions from various sources – archaeology, remote sensing, geomorphology, material analysis – that help build better insight into human prehistory, from the Palaeolithic to the Middle Bronze Age, on presumed marginal landscapes and adaptive responses to new, coastal environments, especially during episodes of climatic fluctuations. We particularly welcome presentations on human interaction with maritime environments and of areas located on the periphery of what are archaeologically considered mainstream cultural processes. We aim at improving our understanding of the capacity of early prehistoric societies to engage and thrive on presumed inhospitable landscapes in challenging times of climate change.
This session aims to bring together contributions from various geographical contexts in the eastern Mediterranean, presenting multiscalar and theoretically informed projects, with a special emphasis in the Aegean basin, to tackle:
• the definition of cultural borders;
• patterns of bilateral interaction and integration of ‘foreign’ materials;
• the transmission and transfer of goods and ideas and identity negotiation;
• the past mobility of people during the later prehistory.
We particularly invite papers developing theoretical frameworks with specific case studies, addressing the impact of modern geopolitical borders and biases in our definitions of archaeological frontiers particularly in regions with long-term or ongoing conflicts, and the fluidity of such concepts and application of bottom-up micro-scale approaches in understanding shifting traditions and relevant effects in shaping interaction borderzones.
DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS: 10 FEBRUARY 2022
cultural heritage. Together with its companion series DANAPRIS, ARAXES, LEMA, SUBARTU, ARRATA, OXUS and INDUS, AEGAEON forms part of the ARWA collection associated with the International Association for Archaeological Research in Western & Central Asia. Proposals of volumes can be sent to the editors:
[email protected]
[email protected]
This, second edition of the conference Proceedings contains eight scientific papers from the 6th MetArh conference which was held at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb, from 6th - 7th of December 2018. Papers are focused on different aspects of archaeological methodology and archaeometry, including case studies from Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Greece and Russia.
micro-regions of the Eastern Mediterranean. This project addresses four themes of cross-regional significance: 1) ancient craft technology, 2)
mobility and connectivity, 3) the definition of cultural and geographical borders, 4) the interdisciplinary study of old ceramic material through a
combination of traditional and modern analytical methods. This project intents firstly to establish a micro-scale understanding of the local ceramic sequences at the island settlements of the eastern Aegean (i.e. Lemnos, Lesbos, Chios, Samos). This will be followed by the mesoscale, which will include the contextualisation of these islands with western Anatolia through an extensive comparative analysis of pottery, and ultimately the research will move towards the macro-scale level through the comparison of ceramic and cultural developments in Cyprus with a particular interest in the technological transfer and influences as observed in the proliferation of ceramic novelties and technological trends. This analytical programme will include the integration of macrosopic analysis, thin section petrography, microstructural analysis, and chemical analysis, combined with typological and contextual information. Focusing on the seascape perspective, this project will provide a solid background for the interpretation of regional prehistoric networks taking also into account theories about the reflection of modern political boundaries between Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus.
Co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus through the Research and Innovation Foundation (OPPORTUNITY/0916/0022).
L’evento si terrà Venerdì 8 marzo 2024 alle ore 19.00 nell’Aula Magna “Doro Levi”, in odòs Parthenonos 14.
La conferenza potrà essere seguita anche a distanza, sul Canale YouTube della SAIA:
Η Ιταλική Αρχαιολογική Σχολή Αθηνών με ιδιαίτερη χαρά σας προσκαλεί στην εκδήλωση του Δρ. Σεργίου Μενελάου (Williams Fellow in Ceramic Petrology Fitch Laboratory | British School at Athens), με τίτλο «Longevity, creativity, and mobility at the "oldest city in Europe": ceramic insights from prehistoric Poliochni-Lemnos».
Η εκδήλωση θα πραγματοποιηθεί την Παρασκευή 8 Μαρτίου 2024 στις 7 μ.μ. στην Αίθουσα Εκδηλώσεων "Doro Levi", οδός Παρθενώνος 14.
Η εκδήλωση μπορεί επίσης να παρακολουθηθεί εξ αποστάσεως, στο κανάλι YouTube της ΙΑΣΑ.
The Italian Archaeological School at Athens is pleased to invite you to the conference "Longevity, creativity, and mobility at the "oldest city in Europe": ceramic insights from prehistoric Poliochni-Lemnos", held by Dr. Sergios Menelaou (Williams Fellow in Ceramic Petrology Fitch Laboratory | British School at Athens).
The event will be held on Friday, March 8th 2024, at 7 p.m. in the 'Doro Levi' Lecture Hall, in odòs Parthenonos 14.
The conference can also be followed remotely through the IASA YouTube channel.
Grazie!