8ο Συμπόσιο Αρχαιομετρίας της Ελληνικής Αρχαιομετρικής Εταιρείας 8th Symposium of the Hellenic Society for Archaeometry, 17-20/10/2023: Αρχαιομετρία πέρα από την ανάλυση: Ερμηνευτικές Προσεγγίσεις. Archaeometry beyond analysis: Interpretive approaches. , 2023
In : Carved in Stone. The archaeology of rock-cut sites and stone quarries, Eds. Claudia Sciuto, Anaïs Lamesa, Katy Whitaker and Ali Yamaç. BAR Publishing International Series 3054, Oxford. ISBN: 9781407358093, 2021
Surface and sub-surface research on rock-cut features and related mobile finds at Kastro, a hilly... more Surface and sub-surface research on rock-cut features and related mobile finds at Kastro, a hilly peninsula that delimits the present main port of Myrina (Lemnos Island, North Aegean Sea), has revealed vestiges dating from various phases, at least since the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period, in several extended areas. During these stages, human action has influenced the landscape, which, at the same time, has guided choices of natural forms and spaces and triggered ways of action. A variety of combined artificial rock-cut features and rock-art appear to have both symbolic and utilitarian components, concerns and purposes. They reveal a complex rocky landscape, entailing an elaborate artificial system of space occupation, including intercommunicating carved features. According to the current stage of ongoing research, besides other aspects, the Kastro rock-cut site would have also implicated intricate maritime facets and connections, as well as a possible female factor, congregating at a transitional place, where sea and rocks meet.
Κυδάλιμος. Τιμητικός Τόμος για τον Καθηγητή Γεώργιο Στυλ. Κορρέ. KYDALIMOS. Studies in Honor of Prof. Georgios St. Korres. Athens University Review of Archaeology, Suppl. 4 (2020).Π. Καλογεράκου, Α. Χασιακού, Μ. Κοσμόπουλος, Ι. Λώλος, Χ. Μαραμπέα, Ε. Πέππα-Παπαιωάννου, Ε. Πλάτων (eds), 2020
Research on the Kastro peninsula, at the western edge of the town of Myrina, Lemnos island, has f... more Research on the Kastro peninsula, at the western edge of the town of Myrina, Lemnos island, has focused on the study of rock-cut features, omnipresent in the area of the rocky peninsula. Such carved features had already been noticed by various travellers in the 19th century, while a number of ancient structures were noted on the spot at least since the 16th century. Study is ongoing and includes mobile material found in connection with rock-cut structures, on or under the present surface. The carved rocks (dacites) are identified mostly in areas that have not been covered by later structures, that is, mainly by the Medieval, Venetian and Ottoman castle at its northern and highest part, but also by more recent buildings towards the eastern edge of the peninsula. The structures are complex and may be isolated or combined in smaller or larger ensembles. They are visible on the surface, when not covered by earth, depending on their state of conservation, as they are heavily eroded and/or partly destroyed by man. Carved features include platforms, walls, cavities, steps, channels and niches; flattened surfaces may sometimes be covered by rock art (petroglyphs, engravings). Current research showed that possible functions might be varied, either concrete and practical, or symbolic, or both. Symbolic meanings may be proposed particularly concerning elements, which are not understandable, since too small, too inaccessible, or too invisible. There are, however, structures, which may have been used for habitation, others for liquid/water management or technological activities and still others for inter-communication among different sectors of the site or between the slopes and the sea. Although most features have been noticed at mid-height of the Kastro hill, they also occur at lower, as well as higher, altitudes, including traces that survived inside the castle walls. There are strong trends permitting interpretation hypotheses, to be proved by further study, that include relations of the features with the sea, navigation and pilotage, but also overseas trade, as well as cult, ritual, symbolic and industrial activities. According to the mobile finds, dating should extend from at least the Bronze Age (if not earlier) and the Iron Age to the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic, probably also Roman, periods. Similar rock-cut structures from neighbouring areas also point to dates from at least late prehistory to late antiquity.
Megalithic Monuments and Cult Practices, Dimitriya Spasova and Anton Genov (eds.), Neofit Rilski University Press., 2020
Physical environment and landscape are instrumental for the selection of a place, both for human ... more Physical environment and landscape are instrumental for the selection of a place, both for human practical needs and symbolic behaviors. Coastal features, important for early seafaring, are also symbolically charged. At Myrina Kastro, artificial, carved complexes are combined to natural rock formations diachronically (late prehistory – antiquity). Besides having obvious maritime associations, its rocky coasts are transition zones, which also constitute a component of the uncommonly rugged topography and a facet of the anthropogenic seascape, integrating both material and intangible inferences.
EAA 2021 (Kiel), Theme 6: Material culture studies and societies, Session 514, 2021
A striking category of finds from Neolithic and Copper Age sites in Mediterranean, SouthEast and ... more A striking category of finds from Neolithic and Copper Age sites in Mediterranean, SouthEast and East Europe are the miniature items that embody certain aspects of prehistoric life in non-perishable materials. Depictions of humans, animals and means of transportation, architectural entities such as houses or stoves, adornments, clothing or tools, all of them are a valuable source of information for studying non-literate societies.
Third International Symposium Megalithic Monuments and Cult Practices (8th-9th September 2020) , 2020
At Myrina Kastro, natural rock formations are combined to artificial, carved complexes diachronic... more At Myrina Kastro, natural rock formations are combined to artificial, carved complexes diachronically (late prehistory – antiquity). Physical environment and landscape are instrumental in selecting a place, both for human practical needs and symbolic behaviours. Besides having obvious maritime associations, coasts are transition zones, which may also constitute a feature of uncommonly rugged topography, both then merging material and intangible inferences.
In 26th EAA Virtual Annual Meeting, August 2020, Session 309: Breaking the Spell: Re-evaluation of Memory Devices in the Carpathian Basin. Abstracts volume: 287., 2020
Revue de l'Archéologie du vêtement et du costume, tome 1, 2020
The paper considers Neolithic anthropomorphic figurines and their connections to clothing, dress ... more The paper considers Neolithic anthropomorphic figurines and their connections to clothing, dress and costume, as represented and/or emphasized on them. It examines iconographic evidence for the use of dress and costume on various parts of the figurines’ bodies and compares it to other data, such as preserved elements of dress and costume in burial contexts. The author also considers the figurines’ associations and connection with textile tasks, the space where these tasks were performed, and the (female) performers involved. Finally, the author suggests possible directions of research concerning women’s involvement in both figurine and textile matters, both concrete and intangible.
In Davis, B. and Laffineur, R. (eds), Neoteros. Studies in Bronze Age Aegean Art and Archaeology in Honor of Professor John G. Younger on the Occasion of His Retirement (Aegaeum series 44): 261-270, pls. LIV-LV. Leuven: Peeters, 2020
Surface and sub-surface research in extended areas of the hilly peninsula of Myrina Kastro focuse... more Surface and sub-surface research in extended areas of the hilly peninsula of Myrina Kastro focuses on rock-cut and rock-carved features and related mobile finds. Till now, the attested occupation periods include phases from late prehistory to antiquity. Natural rocks and artificial features, including rock-art, would have had both symbolic and practical elements, purposes and functions and constitute a composite rocky landscape. This involves complex maritime associations and facets, including nautical representations, as well as a female bias, located in a place of transition between sea and land. The paper focuses on Iron- and Bronze Age rock-cut features.
Ιερά και Λατρείες στο Αιγαίο από τους Πρώιμους Ιστορικούς Χρόνους έως και την Ύστερη Αρχαιότητα (Διεθνές Συνέδριο, Λήμνος, 11–15 Σεπτεμβρίου 2019) Sanctuaries and Cults in the Aegean from the Early Historic Times to the End of the Late Antiquity (International Congress, Lemnos, 11-15 September 2019), 2019
The rocky coasts of the Aegean include remains of human activities, often concrete and utilitaria... more The rocky coasts of the Aegean include remains of human activities, often concrete and utilitarian, but also traces that cannot only have a rational interpretation. The zones between different geological regions, such as meeting points between sea and land, or zones between rocky heights and more regular expanses, constitute liminal spaces, that mark the passage between different worlds, both in reality and in imagination, already since prehistory. At the same time, in such regions one may observe unusual features of the environment, such as rocks with a particular morphology, while sometimes selected natural elements are enhanced with deliberate interventions and/or combined with artificially modified structures. Dating difficulties are inherent in similar megalithic formations, within a natural and at the same time transformed landscape.
In the framework of an anthropological approach, the study of such archaeological sites belongs to the so-called archaeology of natural places, focusing on symbolic human behaviours. Symbolic behaviours connected to rocky landscapes, sometimes also maritime, in the larger Aegean region, remain difficult to interpret. However, they indicate the variety of ritual and more generally symbolic human practices, with configurations that cannot yet be completely explored and even less incontestably interpreted.
Long-standing research, with the permit of the Archaeological Service and the Local Council for the Monuments of the Islands, on the Myrina Kastro, a rocky hill within an omnipresent sea, offers diachronic evidence about human presence in prehistory and antiquity and shows the multifaceted connections of such evidence and symbolic behaviours with other sites and cultures of the Aegean.
EAA 2019 Session 259 The Creative Reinterpretation of Material Culture in Prehistoric Societies: A Reappraisal (Theme: Interpreting the archaeological record: artefacts, humans and landscapes) , 2019
Φύλο και Αρχαιολογία: ανιχνεύοντας έμφυλες ταυτότητες (Gender and Archaeology: exploring gendered identities). Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Θεσσαλονίκης (Archaeological Museum of Thesssaloniki), 2019
8ο Συμπόσιο Αρχαιομετρίας της Ελληνικής Αρχαιομετρικής Εταιρείας 8th Symposium of the Hellenic Society for Archaeometry, 17-20/10/2023: Αρχαιομετρία πέρα από την ανάλυση: Ερμηνευτικές Προσεγγίσεις. Archaeometry beyond analysis: Interpretive approaches. , 2023
In : Carved in Stone. The archaeology of rock-cut sites and stone quarries, Eds. Claudia Sciuto, Anaïs Lamesa, Katy Whitaker and Ali Yamaç. BAR Publishing International Series 3054, Oxford. ISBN: 9781407358093, 2021
Surface and sub-surface research on rock-cut features and related mobile finds at Kastro, a hilly... more Surface and sub-surface research on rock-cut features and related mobile finds at Kastro, a hilly peninsula that delimits the present main port of Myrina (Lemnos Island, North Aegean Sea), has revealed vestiges dating from various phases, at least since the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period, in several extended areas. During these stages, human action has influenced the landscape, which, at the same time, has guided choices of natural forms and spaces and triggered ways of action. A variety of combined artificial rock-cut features and rock-art appear to have both symbolic and utilitarian components, concerns and purposes. They reveal a complex rocky landscape, entailing an elaborate artificial system of space occupation, including intercommunicating carved features. According to the current stage of ongoing research, besides other aspects, the Kastro rock-cut site would have also implicated intricate maritime facets and connections, as well as a possible female factor, congregating at a transitional place, where sea and rocks meet.
Κυδάλιμος. Τιμητικός Τόμος για τον Καθηγητή Γεώργιο Στυλ. Κορρέ. KYDALIMOS. Studies in Honor of Prof. Georgios St. Korres. Athens University Review of Archaeology, Suppl. 4 (2020).Π. Καλογεράκου, Α. Χασιακού, Μ. Κοσμόπουλος, Ι. Λώλος, Χ. Μαραμπέα, Ε. Πέππα-Παπαιωάννου, Ε. Πλάτων (eds), 2020
Research on the Kastro peninsula, at the western edge of the town of Myrina, Lemnos island, has f... more Research on the Kastro peninsula, at the western edge of the town of Myrina, Lemnos island, has focused on the study of rock-cut features, omnipresent in the area of the rocky peninsula. Such carved features had already been noticed by various travellers in the 19th century, while a number of ancient structures were noted on the spot at least since the 16th century. Study is ongoing and includes mobile material found in connection with rock-cut structures, on or under the present surface. The carved rocks (dacites) are identified mostly in areas that have not been covered by later structures, that is, mainly by the Medieval, Venetian and Ottoman castle at its northern and highest part, but also by more recent buildings towards the eastern edge of the peninsula. The structures are complex and may be isolated or combined in smaller or larger ensembles. They are visible on the surface, when not covered by earth, depending on their state of conservation, as they are heavily eroded and/or partly destroyed by man. Carved features include platforms, walls, cavities, steps, channels and niches; flattened surfaces may sometimes be covered by rock art (petroglyphs, engravings). Current research showed that possible functions might be varied, either concrete and practical, or symbolic, or both. Symbolic meanings may be proposed particularly concerning elements, which are not understandable, since too small, too inaccessible, or too invisible. There are, however, structures, which may have been used for habitation, others for liquid/water management or technological activities and still others for inter-communication among different sectors of the site or between the slopes and the sea. Although most features have been noticed at mid-height of the Kastro hill, they also occur at lower, as well as higher, altitudes, including traces that survived inside the castle walls. There are strong trends permitting interpretation hypotheses, to be proved by further study, that include relations of the features with the sea, navigation and pilotage, but also overseas trade, as well as cult, ritual, symbolic and industrial activities. According to the mobile finds, dating should extend from at least the Bronze Age (if not earlier) and the Iron Age to the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic, probably also Roman, periods. Similar rock-cut structures from neighbouring areas also point to dates from at least late prehistory to late antiquity.
Megalithic Monuments and Cult Practices, Dimitriya Spasova and Anton Genov (eds.), Neofit Rilski University Press., 2020
Physical environment and landscape are instrumental for the selection of a place, both for human ... more Physical environment and landscape are instrumental for the selection of a place, both for human practical needs and symbolic behaviors. Coastal features, important for early seafaring, are also symbolically charged. At Myrina Kastro, artificial, carved complexes are combined to natural rock formations diachronically (late prehistory – antiquity). Besides having obvious maritime associations, its rocky coasts are transition zones, which also constitute a component of the uncommonly rugged topography and a facet of the anthropogenic seascape, integrating both material and intangible inferences.
EAA 2021 (Kiel), Theme 6: Material culture studies and societies, Session 514, 2021
A striking category of finds from Neolithic and Copper Age sites in Mediterranean, SouthEast and ... more A striking category of finds from Neolithic and Copper Age sites in Mediterranean, SouthEast and East Europe are the miniature items that embody certain aspects of prehistoric life in non-perishable materials. Depictions of humans, animals and means of transportation, architectural entities such as houses or stoves, adornments, clothing or tools, all of them are a valuable source of information for studying non-literate societies.
Third International Symposium Megalithic Monuments and Cult Practices (8th-9th September 2020) , 2020
At Myrina Kastro, natural rock formations are combined to artificial, carved complexes diachronic... more At Myrina Kastro, natural rock formations are combined to artificial, carved complexes diachronically (late prehistory – antiquity). Physical environment and landscape are instrumental in selecting a place, both for human practical needs and symbolic behaviours. Besides having obvious maritime associations, coasts are transition zones, which may also constitute a feature of uncommonly rugged topography, both then merging material and intangible inferences.
In 26th EAA Virtual Annual Meeting, August 2020, Session 309: Breaking the Spell: Re-evaluation of Memory Devices in the Carpathian Basin. Abstracts volume: 287., 2020
Revue de l'Archéologie du vêtement et du costume, tome 1, 2020
The paper considers Neolithic anthropomorphic figurines and their connections to clothing, dress ... more The paper considers Neolithic anthropomorphic figurines and their connections to clothing, dress and costume, as represented and/or emphasized on them. It examines iconographic evidence for the use of dress and costume on various parts of the figurines’ bodies and compares it to other data, such as preserved elements of dress and costume in burial contexts. The author also considers the figurines’ associations and connection with textile tasks, the space where these tasks were performed, and the (female) performers involved. Finally, the author suggests possible directions of research concerning women’s involvement in both figurine and textile matters, both concrete and intangible.
In Davis, B. and Laffineur, R. (eds), Neoteros. Studies in Bronze Age Aegean Art and Archaeology in Honor of Professor John G. Younger on the Occasion of His Retirement (Aegaeum series 44): 261-270, pls. LIV-LV. Leuven: Peeters, 2020
Surface and sub-surface research in extended areas of the hilly peninsula of Myrina Kastro focuse... more Surface and sub-surface research in extended areas of the hilly peninsula of Myrina Kastro focuses on rock-cut and rock-carved features and related mobile finds. Till now, the attested occupation periods include phases from late prehistory to antiquity. Natural rocks and artificial features, including rock-art, would have had both symbolic and practical elements, purposes and functions and constitute a composite rocky landscape. This involves complex maritime associations and facets, including nautical representations, as well as a female bias, located in a place of transition between sea and land. The paper focuses on Iron- and Bronze Age rock-cut features.
Ιερά και Λατρείες στο Αιγαίο από τους Πρώιμους Ιστορικούς Χρόνους έως και την Ύστερη Αρχαιότητα (Διεθνές Συνέδριο, Λήμνος, 11–15 Σεπτεμβρίου 2019) Sanctuaries and Cults in the Aegean from the Early Historic Times to the End of the Late Antiquity (International Congress, Lemnos, 11-15 September 2019), 2019
The rocky coasts of the Aegean include remains of human activities, often concrete and utilitaria... more The rocky coasts of the Aegean include remains of human activities, often concrete and utilitarian, but also traces that cannot only have a rational interpretation. The zones between different geological regions, such as meeting points between sea and land, or zones between rocky heights and more regular expanses, constitute liminal spaces, that mark the passage between different worlds, both in reality and in imagination, already since prehistory. At the same time, in such regions one may observe unusual features of the environment, such as rocks with a particular morphology, while sometimes selected natural elements are enhanced with deliberate interventions and/or combined with artificially modified structures. Dating difficulties are inherent in similar megalithic formations, within a natural and at the same time transformed landscape.
In the framework of an anthropological approach, the study of such archaeological sites belongs to the so-called archaeology of natural places, focusing on symbolic human behaviours. Symbolic behaviours connected to rocky landscapes, sometimes also maritime, in the larger Aegean region, remain difficult to interpret. However, they indicate the variety of ritual and more generally symbolic human practices, with configurations that cannot yet be completely explored and even less incontestably interpreted.
Long-standing research, with the permit of the Archaeological Service and the Local Council for the Monuments of the Islands, on the Myrina Kastro, a rocky hill within an omnipresent sea, offers diachronic evidence about human presence in prehistory and antiquity and shows the multifaceted connections of such evidence and symbolic behaviours with other sites and cultures of the Aegean.
EAA 2019 Session 259 The Creative Reinterpretation of Material Culture in Prehistoric Societies: A Reappraisal (Theme: Interpreting the archaeological record: artefacts, humans and landscapes) , 2019
Φύλο και Αρχαιολογία: ανιχνεύοντας έμφυλες ταυτότητες (Gender and Archaeology: exploring gendered identities). Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Θεσσαλονίκης (Archaeological Museum of Thesssaloniki), 2019
BAR International Series 576, Oxford (442 p.), 1992
Review:
Biehl, Peter, 1997: Besprechung. Christina Marangou. Ειδώλια. Figurines et miniatures du... more Review:
Biehl, Peter, 1997: Besprechung. Christina Marangou. Ειδώλια. Figurines et miniatures du Néolithique Récent et du Bronze Ancien en Grèce. British Archaeological Reports, International Series 576 (Oxford 1992) 442S. mit 93 Abb. u. 29 Taf. Saarbrücker Studien und Materialen zur Altertumskunde, herausgegeben von Jan Lichardus und Frauke Stein, Sonderdruck 4/5 (1995/1996), Rudolf Habelt GMBH, Bonn 1997, 273-292.
Thèse de Doctorat PhD - Université de Paris I, Panthéon - Sorbonne, 1989, 1989
PhD Thesis - University of Paris I, Panthéon - Sorbonne, 1989: "Research on figurines and miniatu... more PhD Thesis - University of Paris I, Panthéon - Sorbonne, 1989: "Research on figurines and miniature objects in Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Greece"
FEMALE CREATURES. Imitations of the tangible world and reflections of the imagination. Interpreta... more FEMALE CREATURES. Imitations of the tangible world and reflections of the imagination. Interpretative approaches of female iconography in the Early Prehistoric Aegean and neighboring regions
Γυναίκες της Μεσογείου. Γυναικείες παρουσίες στην Προϊστορία της Κρήτης και του Αιγαίου Δήμος Ηρακλείου Κρήτη. Μια ιστορία 5 + 1 πολιτισμοί Βασιλική Αγίου Μάρκου, Ηράκλειο, 11 Σεπτεμβρίου 2016
Women of the Mediterranean. Female presence(s) in Cretan and Aegean Prehistory Heracleion Municipality Crete. One history, 5 + 1 civilizations Saint Marcus Basilica, Heracleion, 11 September 2016
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During these stages, human action has influenced the landscape, which, at the same time, has guided choices of natural forms and spaces and triggered ways of action. A variety of combined artificial rock-cut features and rock-art appear to have both symbolic and utilitarian components, concerns and purposes. They reveal a complex rocky landscape, entailing an elaborate artificial system of space occupation, including intercommunicating carved features.
According to the current stage of ongoing research, besides other aspects, the Kastro rock-cut site would have also implicated intricate maritime facets and connections, as well as a possible female factor, congregating at a transitional place, where sea and rocks meet.
In the framework of an anthropological approach, the study of such archaeological sites belongs to the so-called archaeology of natural places, focusing on symbolic human behaviours. Symbolic behaviours connected to rocky landscapes, sometimes also maritime, in the larger Aegean region, remain difficult to interpret. However, they indicate the variety of ritual and more generally symbolic human practices, with configurations that cannot yet be completely explored and even less incontestably interpreted.
Long-standing research, with the permit of the Archaeological Service and the Local Council for the Monuments of the Islands, on the Myrina Kastro, a rocky hill within an omnipresent sea, offers diachronic evidence about human presence in prehistory and antiquity and shows the multifaceted connections of such evidence and symbolic behaviours with other sites and cultures of the Aegean.
During these stages, human action has influenced the landscape, which, at the same time, has guided choices of natural forms and spaces and triggered ways of action. A variety of combined artificial rock-cut features and rock-art appear to have both symbolic and utilitarian components, concerns and purposes. They reveal a complex rocky landscape, entailing an elaborate artificial system of space occupation, including intercommunicating carved features.
According to the current stage of ongoing research, besides other aspects, the Kastro rock-cut site would have also implicated intricate maritime facets and connections, as well as a possible female factor, congregating at a transitional place, where sea and rocks meet.
In the framework of an anthropological approach, the study of such archaeological sites belongs to the so-called archaeology of natural places, focusing on symbolic human behaviours. Symbolic behaviours connected to rocky landscapes, sometimes also maritime, in the larger Aegean region, remain difficult to interpret. However, they indicate the variety of ritual and more generally symbolic human practices, with configurations that cannot yet be completely explored and even less incontestably interpreted.
Long-standing research, with the permit of the Archaeological Service and the Local Council for the Monuments of the Islands, on the Myrina Kastro, a rocky hill within an omnipresent sea, offers diachronic evidence about human presence in prehistory and antiquity and shows the multifaceted connections of such evidence and symbolic behaviours with other sites and cultures of the Aegean.
Biehl, Peter, 1997: Besprechung. Christina Marangou. Ειδώλια. Figurines et miniatures du Néolithique Récent et du Bronze Ancien en Grèce. British Archaeological Reports, International Series 576 (Oxford 1992) 442S. mit 93 Abb. u. 29 Taf. Saarbrücker Studien und Materialen zur Altertumskunde, herausgegeben von Jan Lichardus und Frauke Stein, Sonderdruck 4/5 (1995/1996), Rudolf Habelt GMBH, Bonn 1997, 273-292.
Γυναίκες της Μεσογείου. Γυναικείες παρουσίες στην Προϊστορία της Κρήτης και του Αιγαίου
Δήμος Ηρακλείου
Κρήτη. Μια ιστορία 5 + 1 πολιτισμοί
Βασιλική Αγίου Μάρκου, Ηράκλειο, 11 Σεπτεμβρίου 2016
Women of the Mediterranean. Female presence(s) in Cretan and Aegean Prehistory
Heracleion Municipality
Crete. One history, 5 + 1 civilizations
Saint Marcus Basilica, Heracleion, 11 September 2016