This seminar is the fifth in our series of theoretical seminars on the topic of ‘Cultural Heritage Management: Laws, regulations, innovative management practices, participation of local communities, the impact of climate change on archaeological sites and European initiatives’. It is directed at graduate students who are interested in the topic.

Abstract: This seminar deals with two locations in Ireland, one the World Heritage Site at Brú na Bóinne, county Meath, and the other a less well-known site in Knockroe townland on the border between counties Kilkenny and Tipperary.  Both are passage tomb complexes, megalithic sites from the centuries immediately before 3,000 BCE, and both occur in areas of primarily agricultural activity.  Both attract considerable numbers of visitors at the winter solstice, and both feature megalithic art from the Stone Age. The associated conservation and management issues are similar but not identical.  The seminar is particularly concerned with the differences, how they might be explained and whether they have implications for future policy.

Muiris O’Sulivan is Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at University College Dublin

Date: Thursday April 4th 2024, at 17.30 (Ireland)/19.30 (Greece)/12.30 pm (standard eastern time). It will take place online.
 In order to participate, please simply register via EventBrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-theoretical-seminar-tickets-872361345267?aff=oddtdtcreator

For any questions contact us at irishinstitutegr@gmail.com

You are invited to an IIHSA Online Lecture on Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 5.30 pm (Irish time) / 7.30 pm (Greek time)/12.30 (EST) by Luke Kaiser (PhD researcher, University of Arizona), ‘The Construction and Maintenance of Cooperative Institutions at Early Bronze Age Mochlos’.

Abstract: As established by the evidence from the Prepalatial cemetery, Mochlos was a socially ranked community with considerable access to the Early Bronze Age exchange network. This observation has prompted new research focused on illuminating the structure of the Prepalatial Mochlos community. During my graduate studies, I was tasked with studying the Early Bronze Age ceramic material from a series of Prepalatial households at Mochlos. Based on this research, I propose that the Mochlos community utilized social memory as a tool to generate cooperative institutions and maintain group cohesion. These institutions are reflected in the household assemblages through conformity to Western Anatolian and Cycladic pottery, textile, and metallurgical traditions and the adoption of Early and Middle Prepalatial wares from the Mirabello and the South Coast near Ierapetra. This balance created a uniquely Mochlosian culture that reinforced cooperative institutions by simultaneously connecting the community to its past and its present, both in their daily lives and through ceremonial activities in the cemetery. In the Late Prepalatial Period, however, Mochlos intensified their consumption of imported Mirabello wares and decreased their reliance on locally produced traditional pottery. This change in preference indicates a shift from the cooperative institutions of the Early and Middle Prepalatial period toward more individualistic, competitive institutions at Mochlos. This transition eroded group cohesion at Mochlos and may explain the decline in population that was evident at the beginning of the Protopalatial period.

This is an online event: please register with Eventbrite
In case of any difficulties registering, please contact us: irishinstitutegr@gmail.com 

We invite you to the screening of The Mourning Rock (‘Agelastos Petra’) followed by a discussion with the film’s director, Phillipos Koutsaftis. In association with the screening of the film (with English subtitles), the Director will talk to us about the making of the movie and the area of the ancient and modern Elefsina (Eleusis). The past and the present coexist in a place spoiled by modern industry but which long ago hosted the Eleusinian Mysteries, the sacred ceremonies that initiated the ancient Greeks into the miracles of life, death and the afterlife.

The event will take at the IIHSA, Notara 51A in Exarcheia, 10683. In order to reserve a seat, please contact us at irishinstitutegr@gmail.com
To attend online please register at the link below

This event is postponed to a future date.

This seminar is the fourth in our series of theoretical seminars on the topic of ‘Cultural Heritage Management: Laws, regulations, innovative management practices, participation of local communities, the impact of climate change on archaeological sites and European initiatives’. It is directed at graduate students and early career researchers who are interested in the topic.

Abstract: People have been living in Corinth for the last nine millennia.  A diverse, multi-ethnic and polyglot community has resided here since antiquity, and in the modern day this diversity persists as locals interact daily with tourists, students, and scholars from all over the world. Since 1896, archaeologists affiliated with the American School of Classical Studies have been exploring the site in a productive collaborative effort with local archaeologists, technicians, and workers under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Ephoreia of Antiquities of Corinthia. Our day-to-day work on site serves to emphasize that it is a creation of people before us and like us. Corinth’s universal value for human history and patrimony is exactly this coexistence of the archaeological landscape with a thriving living community in a most advantageous setting in terms of resources and potential for development. A master plan for this landscape was initiated in 2001 and has been building momentum in the last 8 years.  Three bodies, the Ephoreia of Antiquities of the Corinthia with the Ministry of Culture, the ASCSA-Corinth Excavations, and the architectural office of Papagiannis and Associates, are the leading forces behind the process to make the site enjoyable and understandable to both locals and tourists, archaeologists, and the general public. In this seminar we discuss how this whole process of the master plan has been evolving as the interests of the various stakeholders are reconciled: for example, the architects’ interest in integrating the site with the modern community; the archaeologists’ interest in preserving the complexity of the site for future research, and at the same time inviting the public to actively participate rather than passively consume knowledge; and the ministry’s interest in prioritizing site access and clarity for the sake of tourism. In Corinth we aspire to share our knowledge of the past with the local and the global community for an inclusive, interactive and sustainable heritage. We believe our shared humanity from the past to the present can help us educate future generations for a world of empathy. 

Panagiota Kassimi, Director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Corinthia.
Ivi Nanopoulou, Head of the architectural firm, Papagiannis and Associates. Design consultant for the management plan.
Ioulia Tzonou, Associate Director of the Corinth Excavations of the American School of Classical Studies.

The seminar will take place on Thursday, February 8th at 19.00 pm (Greece time), 17.00 (Ireland time), 12.00 pm (Eastern Standard Time). It will be held online and in order to reserve a post please register via Eventbrite below. If you have any difficulties in registering, please contact us at irishinstitutegr@gmail.com

This seminar is the third in our series of theoretical seminars on the topic of ‘Cultural Heritage Management: Laws, regulations, innovative management practices, participation of local communities, the impact of climate change on archaeological sites and European initiatives’. It is directed at graduate students who are interested in the topic.

Abstract: Almost every townland and parish in Ireland contains a monument, be it a prehistoric burial or a ruined medieval parish church with a cemetery, a medieval castle, or a monument from the more recent past such as a lime kiln or old forge. The wider Irish landscape contains 120,000 known archaeological sites/monuments which are protected by national legislation. The scale of caring for this resource necessitates a partnership approach with local communities. This presentation will look at recent developments in community archaeology in Ireland. This will include details of policy and structures to support community focused archaeological heritage events as well as public surveys, the practice of communities ‘adopting’ monuments and online digital supports.  It will look at a range of not-for-profit community archaeology projects in Ireland, some of which the author has been involved in through a day to day role in working for a State organization, the Heritage Council of Ireland

Ian Doyle is the Head of Conservation with the Heritage Council of Ireland

Date: Thursday January 11th 2024, at 17.30 (Ireland)/19.30 (Greece)/12.30 pm (standard eastern time). It will take place online.
 In order to participate, please simply register via EventBrite: https://rb.gy/2b1rve

In case you face any difficulties in registering, please contact us at irishinstitutegr@gmail.com

This seminar is the second in our series of theoretical seminars on the topic of ‘Cultural Heritage Management: Laws, regulations, innovative management practices, participation of local communities, the impact of climate change on archaeological sites and European initiatives’. It is directed at graduate students who are interested in the topic.

Abstract: This seminar discusses the importance of creating opportunities for people, in particular local communities to connect in meaningful ways with their cultural heritage. The focus of this talk is on the World Heritage property of Brú na Bóinne (Newgrange, Dowth & Knowth) where the benefits for the communities, visitors and the monuments are outlined. The winter solstice experience at Newgrange will be discussed as well as the impact of broadcasting the solstice sunrise live from inside the burial chamber to a worldwide audience during the pandemic. New research into the solstice alignment resulted in fantastic high-resolution images of the solar illumination of the burial chamber which will be shown as part of the presentation.

Dr Clare Tuffy worked for The Office of Public Works in Ireland at Brú na Bóinne for over 40 years. She will share her intimate knowledge of the monuments and her insights into why it is so important to have people making personal connections to the monuments not only as part of the regular visitor experience but also for events big or small on special occasions.

Date: Thursday December 7th 2023, at 17.30 (Ireland)/19.30 (Greece)/12.30 pm (standard eastern time). It will take place online.
 In order to participate, please simply register via EventBrite: https://shorturl.at/eqR08

In case you face any difficulties in registering, please contact us at irishinstitutegr@gmail.com

You are invited to an IIHSA Online Lecture on Thursday, November 2023 at 5.30 pm (Irish time) / 7.30 pm (Greek time) by Dr Stephanie Aulsebrook (University of Warsaw): ‘Context And Content: Rethinking the Poros Wall Hoard from Late Bronze Age Mycenae.’

Abstract: The phenomenon of hoarding metal artefacts in Bronze and Iron Age Europe has attracted much scholarly interest, generating fierce debates about their secular or ritual nature in particular. The Poros Wall Hoard, excavated at Mycenae in 1952, is one of five such groups of metalwork known from Late Bronze Age contexts at this site. Until a restudy of this hoard commenced in 2018, interpretations of its underlying meaning had centred on its contents; these had prompted its assignment to the category of “founder’s hoards”, that is to say a group of objects buried by a smith for safekeeping. The first stage of this restudy, focused on the context of the hoard, revealed mistakes in its publication had obscured important stratigraphic evidence that pointed to its deliberate inclusion within a landscape of ritual activity. In this presentation I will share the preliminary results of the ongoing second phase of this restudy, returning to the objects themselves. Detailed macroscopic analysis, aided by optical microscopy, uncovered information concerning the choice of objects and their treatment that, amongst other conclusions, also indicates the influence of ritual considerations on the actions associated with the deposition of this hoard.

This lecture is co-hosted by the School of Archaeology, University College Dublin.

Registration details to follow shortly

Email for any further information: irishinstitutegr@gmail.com

Missed our event? Check out the video below

Ireland is home to world renowned universities where students can study Archaeology and Classics. Our academic departments are ranked in the Global Top 100 for both Archaeology and Classics and offer a range of graduate qualifications. The Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies at Athens invites you to a short information session about graduate study opportunities in Ireland.

Dublin is a vibrant, welcoming and culturally rich European capital city that hosts three internationally renowned Universities – Maynooth University, Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin. If you take one of our Graduate Certs, Diplomas or Degrees, you will study in a native English speaking environment. Our range of programmes includes Archaeology and Classics, with specialist offerings such as Experimental Archaeology, World Heritage and Hunter-Gatherer studies.

With potential for scholarships through the Irish Research Council, students may enter PhD programmes supervised by one of our many faculty members with expertise in Mediterranean cultural heritage. Supported through the Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies at Athens, staff and students at Irish Universities have a long history of researching and teaching Greek culture from prehistory to the present.

At our information session, we will present overviews of what you can expect to develop your career in Ireland. We hope to see you at our virtual / zoom information session.
Time: Monday November 13th 2023, 4-5 pm (Dublin), 6-7 pm (EST).

A recording of the event is available above.

This seminar is the first in a series of theoretical seminars on the topic of ‘Cultural Heritage Management: Laws, regulations, innovative management practices, participation of local communities, the impact of climate change on archaeological sites and European initiatives’. It is directed at graduate students who are interested in the topic.

Abstract: The world is beset by crises. From Covid to conflict to climate change, responding to these complex challenges often feels overwhelming. Yet they have significant impacts on heritage practice. From challenges to fundamental concepts like authenticity and integrity, to decisions about conservation and preservation, these challenges necessitate our response. This presentation will explore some of these challenges with a particular focus on climate change. Using examples from a wide range of projects, it will ask whether they necessitate a fundamental rethink of many concepts central to heritage practice. It will explore some of the key emerging challenges facing heritage in the future and suggest that heritage must position itself not as a victim of global change, but as a powerful asset in responding to it. From archaeology to architecture, and from tangible culture to intangible traditions, it will suggest that heritage holds the key to unlocking people-centred responses and embedding meaningful and sustainable change to society and to the world.     

The seminar will take place online and will be limited to only 20 people in order to have a fruitful and educational discussion. To book a place for the seminar, please contact the Assistant Director: irishinstitutegr@gmail.com

Biography: Will Megarry is an archaeologist, geographical information systems (GIS) and heritage management specialist with over 20 years commercial and academic experience. He has a particular interest in cultural heritage site management and protection with a focus on climate change. His career has included time in commercial GIS and he continues to consult on World Heritage management for governments and the nonprofit sector. He has been lucky enough to have worked at some of the world’s most amazing places including Petra in Jordan, Machu Picchu in Peru and the Brú na Bóinne in Ireland. He is currently Senior Lecturer in archaeology at Queen’s University Belfast. He has directed major international and inter-disciplinary research projects addressing some of the most urgent global challenges. He is currently the ICOMOS Focal Point for Climate Action and Cultural Heritage, a member of ICOMOS Ireland and an Expert Member of ICOMOS-ICAHM. He is also Secretary of the Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies at Athens. He is also an active field archaeologist with a project exploring Neolithic stone tool production on the Shetland Islands.

We are delighted to invite you to the Opening Lecture 2023 of the IIHSA, which will take place on Wednesday, 25th October 2023 at 19.30 (Greece time)- 17.30 (Ireland time). It will be held online. Dr Amanda Kelly will speak on the topic ‘The Bridges of Minos' County (Aqueducts of the Greater Iraklio Area, AGIA). The lecture is preceded by a short presentation of the work of the Institute by the Director, Professor Joanne M.A. Murphy.

Since 2019, Amanda Kelly has been mapping the Roman, Venetian and Ottoman-Egyptian aqueducts of Candia/Kandiye (modern Iraklio) in Crete as part of her wider project on “The Aqueducts of the Greater Iraklio Area (AGIA)” which is generously funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation. The project is kindly facilitated by both the IIHSA and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Heraklion. Her initial fieldwork in 2019 not only mapped the length of the Roman aqueduct supplying the city of Knossos but also that section of the 19th-centuryOttoman-Egyptian aqueduct of Kandiye built directly over it and a shorter tract of the Venetian aqueduct of Candia that either ran alongside it or was, in turn, itself partially overlaid by the19th-century system. In 2021, Amanda directed her attention to the Venetian aqueduct of Candia, identifying its springs, mapping a series of rock-cut channels, photographing the in-situ inscriptions, documenting a previously-unknown stone pipeline, and studying several stunning bridges along its course. Last summer, Amanda Kelly and Evan O’Keefe (of ProvEye) conducted a drone study of all the aqueduct bridges (Roman, Venetian and Ottoman Egyptian), along the aqueduct routes to create virtual models for future study. In her talk, Amanda will present these impressive, but relatively inaccessible, monuments and share her thoughts on how best to study and protect them for future audiences.

In order to attend the event and receive the relevant Zoom link, please register via google forms and it will be sent to you: https://tinyurl.com/msyjpjnw

This lecture is co-hosted by the Department of Classics, Trinity College Dublin

You are invited to an IIHSA Hybrid Lecture on Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 5.30 pm (Irish time) / 7.30 pm (Greek time) by Dr Luigi Lafasciano, ‘The Archaeology of Ritual Dreaming in the Greco-Roman World: Lines of Enquiry, Sources, Interpretations’

Abstract: The lecture will present the outlines of an ongoing research on the phenomenon of ritual dreaming in the Greek and Roman Mediterranean, from the Archaic age until Late Antiquity. The phenomenon of ritual dreaming is explored in a variety of contexts, from ancient oracular and therapeutic cults to the late antique cult of the saints in Early Christian culture. Ritual dreaming is presented both in its historical-religious evolution and through its archaeological and monumental evidence. 

The event will be held in person at the IIHSA.

In order to attend the event online via Zoom, please register: tiny.cc/fqubvz

The lecture is co-hosted by the School of Classics, University College Dublin

“On all the line a sudden vengeance waits,

And frequent hearses shall besiege your gates.”

--To the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady

It has been said that archaeologists excavate burials, not funerals. It is certainly true that the presence of a body, or bodies, whether preserved or implied by the presence of grave goods, is the defining feature of mortuary contexts in prehistory. However, in Early Iron Age west-central Europe the grave itself represents just one inflection point, a single stage in a process extending back in time to the period before the interment as well as after it. The four-wheeled and two-wheeled vehicles found in late Hallstatt and early La Tène burials in the West Hallstatt zone and other evidence for post-depositional activity in a select number of elite graves are part of a complex, multi-stage process that appears to have been accompanied by mourning activity including the cutting of hair, opening of the grave to remove or insert objects or persons, and depositing food offerings after the laying to rest of the dead. Some of these activities, represented by evidence of burning and small stone altars on burial mound surfaces, appear to have gone on for several generations, as this presentation will demonstrate. Viewed as a process rather than an event, the funeral rituals of the early Iron Age in west-central Europe provide a window into how people dealt with death in the past even in the absence of documentary evidence.

The seminar size will be limited to only 20 people in order to have a fruitful and educational discussion. In case you have any questions, please contact the Assist. Director: irishinstitutegr@gmail.com

IIHSA 2023 Dublin Day School

'Multisensory Approaches to the Ancient World'

Our senses are at the core of human experience; they help us ‘make sense’ of the world. As sensing is not just a physiological process but is culturally conditioned, how can we investigate ancient sensory perception? To what extent can artefacts, buildings, landscapes, and texts be used to better understand life in the past? Join us at the dayschool of the IIHSA to explore the smells, tastes, sights, sounds and textures of antiquity through a range of case studies and approaches by contributors from Irish universities. 

Location: University College Dublin (in person) and online (register below via Eventbrite)

Programme:

1 - 1.15: Welcome

1.15 - 1.45:  Jo Day (UCD Classics) ‘Making Sense of the Past’

1.45 - 2.15: William Desmond (NUIM Classics) ‘The Feeling Soul: Aristotle’s Theory of the Senses’

2.15 - 2.45: Bridget Martin (UCD Classics) ‘Sensing the Dead in Dreams in Ancient Greece’

2.45 - 3.15 Coffee Break

 3.15 - 3.45: Lauren Brown (UCD Archaeology) ‘Understanding the manufacture of Bronze Age metalwork in south-eastern Europe from workshop debris’

3.45 - 4.15: Franceso Ripanti (TCD Classics) ‘A Multisensory Journey: Therapeutic Sense-making of the Archaeological Landscape of Vignale, Italy’

4.15 - 4.45: Alan Peatfield (UCD Archaeology) ‘Grab and Stab! Discovering Practical Combat Techniques from Bronze Age Images’

You are invited to an IIHSA Hybrid Lecture on Thursday, May 4th 2023 at 5.30 pm (Irish time) / 7.30 pm (Greek time) by Dr Vana Orphanou, ‘A techno-biographical approach to hoarding in Late Bronze Age Europe.’

Hoarding of metal objects is a trademark cultural phenomenon of Bronze Age Europe. The removal from circulation of this valuable commodity has raised time and again important questions and hypotheses about the management of resources, the management of wealth, and the management of social interactions in prehistory. These hoards can take various forms over time and space, even within prehistoric Europe, and they have been understood as anything from ritual / symbolic to functional / economic. In this lecture, a technological and biographical approach (techno-biographical) to Late Bronze Age metal objects from hoards in the Carpathian Basin attempts to address old and new questions about how and why clusters of metal objects found their forever-home underground. Emphasis is put on the object biographies and technological attributes of metal types that form a common denominator for the hoards under investigation. Hypotheses about the making of the objects and the making of the hoards will be discussed in the context of a community of practice in late 2nd mil. BC Carpathian Basin. This work forms part of the ERC project The Fall of 1200 BC awarded to Assoc. Prof. Barry Molloy, and it was conducted at the facilities of the School of Archaeology and the Laboratory for Artefact Biographies (LAB) at University College Dublin.

The lecture is co-hosted by the School of Archaeology, University College Dublin.

The event will be held in person at the IIHSA. To reserve a seat please send an email to irishinstitutegr@gmail.com

In order to attend the event online please register via Eventbrite below

Chiara De Gregorio (HGGS-DAAD, Institute of Classical And Byzantine Archaeology): “The Ayia Triada Necropolis in EMIII-MMI and the Connections with the Neighboring Area".

The Ayia Triada necropolis is located ca. 3 km west of the Palace of Phaistos and has been occupied from the Early Minoan until the Late Minoan times, with traces of later use. My dissertation focuses on studying and publishing the finds of the excavations undertaken in the Late Prepalatial necropolis: the so-called area of the Camerette. It comprises two blocks of small-sized quadrangular rooms (the Camerette 1-10, the rooms a-c), a paved area and a possible wall with baetyls, which are located 7 meters south of tholos A and its annexes. Therefore, I have examined the excavations’ documents and the architectural context and carried out the typological and comparative analysis of the pottery uncovered during the excavations of the Italian Archaeological School at Athens between 1997 and 1999 and by the Italian Mission in Crete in 1904. Up to now, this study has documented different phases of exploitation of the area during the Late Prepalatial period and the beginning of the Middle Minoan IB (2300/2200-1850 BC). At the same time, the pottery assemblages have mostly been connected to activities of communal sharing of beverages and food by a considerable number of people. Thus, the ultimate purpose of this research project is to define the chronological sequence of events in the area of the Camerette and the functions of this space over time, as well as the community connected to it. The comparison with the neighbouring areas and the broader Cretan context contributes to final historical synthesis.

There is a tension in discussions of Minoan religion between synchronic and diachronic perspectives. In a sense even the language we use reflects this. The term "Minoan religion" creates assumptions about institutional structures, with formal hierarchies and codified beliefs and practices. Such intellectual monoliths view religion as somewhat distinct from the rest of Minoan "history" and society. For this reason, I have variously argued for a diachronic perspective, by which Minoan religion is interactive with social change, and is sensitive to the changes of Minoan society, political, and historical. In this seminar I shall review some of the more recent ideas that are emerging in discussions of Minoan religion. I shall discuss how they offer us a much more sophisticated way of understanding how strongly religion and community interacted dynamically throughout the chronological phases of Minoan culture.

Ten students can attend the seminar in person. In order to reserve a seat please contact the Assist. Director at irishinstitutegr@gmail.com.Ten students can register via Eventbrite to attend online here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/5th-theoretical-seminar-on-the-multifaceted-aspects-of-ritual-tickets-603991052497

The lecture is co-hosted by Trinity College Dublin, Department of Classics, The University of Dublin.
In case you have any questions, please contact the Assist. Director: irishinstitutegr@gmail.com

You are invited to an IIHSA Hybrid Lecture on Thursday, March 2nd 2023 at 5.30 pm (Irish time) / 7.30 pm (Greek time) by Dr Francesco Ferrara (Scuola Superiore Meridionale in Naples), “Basileus and Basìleia: royalty and architecture at the origins of Hellenism”.

The architectural phenomenon of the Macedonian Royal Palaces, despite the short duration of its development if compared to earlier “palatial systems”, has deeply marked the history of European architecture up to the modern era. The royal peristyle-house, which originated in Macedonia in the late 4th century BCE, is one of the concurrent aspects of a new historical course inaugurated by the Macedonian conquests in the East. In this seminar meeting will be highlighted the major role of the Macedonian basileion, and the Macedonian court society as well, in shaping the Hellenistic antelitteram “new world”, investigating its architectural forms and social functions.

The problem observed in the attempt to identify ritual actions, lies in the fact that Aegeanists remained trapped in their erroneous endeavor to reveal beliefs and reconstruct religious rituals. The insatiable desire of archaeologists to interpret excavation findings as indications strictly for religious and in general cosmological expressions of the people in prehistoric Aegean, often resulted in arbitrary conclusions. Ritual is a complicated action, thus frustrating and hectic when it comes to its theoretical analysis. Therefore, the present seminar endeavours to approach ritual in prehistoric Crete by standing in the middle between the arbitrary and/or the over-reconstructed interpretations, dealing with the term of ritual as a social aspect which may offer indications concerning social organization in the Late Bronze Age. Under a bottom-up perspective, the possible contribution of rituals to the formation of the social milieu will be discussed with the students. In more detail, the impact of domestic rituals on establishing social ties and rules, which govern social order or disorder will be investigated in contrast to the so-called palatial rituals. Are there any similarities and or differences? If yes, what do they tell us about Minoan society? Moreover, the discerning of those characteristics that distinguish private from public/collective rituals is a key issue, whilst it is also worth trying to distinguish ritual objects from those being used in everyday life. Finally, a new definition on ritual, which applies to Minoan archaeology, will be suggested.

The seminar size will be limited to only 20 people in order to have a fruitful and educational discussion. In case you have any questions, please contact the Assist. Director: irishinstitutegr@gmail.com

You are invited to an IIHSA Hybrid Lecture on Thursday 26th January at 5.30 pm (Irish time)/ 7.30 pm (Greek time) by Dr Céline Murphy.

Situated in the hinterland of the Ierapetra plain near the village of Anatoli, the peak sanctuary of Stavromenos was principally occupied during the early Neopalatial period. The site, excavated between 2014 and 2017 under the auspices of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the Lasithi Archaeological Eforia, yielded hundreds of ceramic anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figurine fragments. This lecture presents the preliminary results of an ongoing analysis of the figurines, as well as offering an overview of the fabrics and the manufacture techniques employed in the construction of the pieces. It also reports on the different types of figurines found, which range from pieces designed to be contained in vessels or models to articulated bodies. Most of the figurines are clearly gendered and often represent specific age-groups or animal species. Many of the figurines from Stavromenos also bear strong iconographic similarities with figures represented in other contemporaneous media, such as glyptic and frescoes. Drawing upon this data, this report proposes some thoughts on the ritualistic implications of the figurine assemblage, while it explores the religious and socio-political significance that Stavromenos might have held during the neopalatial period and how it compares to other contemporaneous Cretan peak sanctuaries and neighbouring mountain sites.

The lecture is co-hosted by the Department of Classics, Trinity College Dublin.

The event will be held in person at the IIHSA. To reserve a seat please send an email to irishinstitutegr@gmail.com

In order to attend the event online please register via Eventbrite

It is very common that sport has been associated to rituals, s it is also very common for rituals to be associated with sport. Although it is very important to be identifying the similarities, so as to understand their impact both to life as well as the material record, it is also very important to discern their differences. This brings to the fore some previous work that Kyriakidis has done on games, but also crystalized practice in general. Particular attention will be paid to the impact of these practices on animal (human) learning and their potential function as mechanisms of influence. Practice, as an element that is essential for many games, but could also be associated to rituals, is a type of action that will be analysed here more as something independent and separate but with a significant overlap in its outcomes.

The seminar size will be limited to only 20 people in order to have a fruitful and educational discussion. In case you have any questions, please contact the Assist. Director: irishinstitutegr@gmail.com

The seminar is co-hosted with the Department of Classics, Trinity College Dublin.

The Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies at Athens Annual Meeting in Ireland. We are delighted to welcome Dr. Evi Margaritis from the Cyprus Institute to deliver her lecture Domesticity, craft production and  ritual: changing patterns of human life  in the 3rd millennium Aegean, co-authored with Michael Boyd and Colin Renfrew.

This lecture is co-organised by the UCD School of Archaeology Bronze Age seminar series. The meeting will be in hybrid format.
In person: UCD School of Archaeology, Ardmore Annex in Room ARD-AA1 in University College Dublin with a reception to follow, generously sponsored by Odaios Foods.

Please register via Eventbrite to attend online.

2022 is a milestone year for both Greece and Ireland marking the 100th anniversary of the Asia Minor catastrophe and the establishment of the independent Irish State. To mark the occasion, we have invited a number of Greek and Irish experts to give brief talks exploring the impact of the Greek and Irish diaspora on the formation of modern Greece and Ireland:

Prof. Alexander Kitroeff: “Greek and Irish immigrant encounters in America in the 20th century”

Dr Maurice Casey: “How Irish emigration to America shaped Ireland in 1922”

 Dr Alexandra Mourgou: “Population mobility, displacement, and popular culture: From the multi-ethnic societies of the Ottoman Empire to a national state's places of rebetiko in Piraeus”

This hybrid event is organised by the Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies with support from the Embassy of Ireland. The event will be followed by a reception.

The event will take place on Friday, 2nd December 2022 at 18:00 in “Kostis Palamas” Hall.
Address: 48 Akadimias str. & Sinastr., 105 62 Athens. To book to attend in person, please email irishinstitutegr@gmail.com by November 28th, 2022.

To book to join online, please register below via Eventbrite.

Ritual activity is a key to understanding Crete during the Late Bronze Age, because it permeated many aspects of social life and was instrumental in the sanctioning of palatial authority during the Neopalatial period. It will be argued that the remains of cult and other types of ritual activity are still studied through a static framework. This, in its turn, encourages chimeric attempts to decipher the social meaning of cult and other types of ritual on Crete, and unquestionably promotes a restricted and top-down reconstruction of Neopalatial social organisation. By contrast, there is evidence to suggest a rather lively social interaction between palatial and non-palatial segments of Minoan society, also fostered by ritual events. It is proposed that Neopalatial ritual may fit John Barrett’s definition of a dynamic “field of discourse”. This concept emphasises the ability of ritual to operate as a live matrix, which afforded people to make sense of their social effectively. The question then becomes the sense of humanness that was ritual promoted and its importance not only for the social floruit of Crete during the Neopalatial period but also for the grave changes it underwent after the volcanic eruption on Thera

The seminar size will be limited to only 20 people in order to have a fruitful and educational discussion. In case you have any questions, please contact the Assist. Director: irishinstitutegr@gmail.com

The seminar is co-hosted with the School of Archaeology, University College Dublin

You are invited to an IIHSA Online Lecture on November 3rd, 2022 at 5.30 pm (Irish time) / 7.30 pm (Greek time) by Sean McGrath (Trinity College Dublin).

Animal anecdotes are ubiquitous in the literature of the imperial period: colourful tales about the remarkable behaviour of animals fill the pages of not only specialized zoological tomes but also of philosophical treatises, rhetorical works and the ancient novel. Moreover, many of these anecdotes emerge time and again with minor variations across both generic and linguistic borders. Over the past century, scholarship on this zoological tradition has mainly focused on source criticism, determining from which (oftentimes lost) sources our extant texts derived their material. Less critical attention has been dedicated to the rhetorical purpose of these animal anecdotes. For instance, many animal species became shorthand for certain philosophical issues, serving as paradigms for specific virtues or vices. This paper seeks to explore how Oppian’s Halieutica, a Greek didactic epic from the second century about fish and fishing, engages with the zoological discourse of its time. The Halieutica assumes that its readers arrive with a horizon of expectations about the marine world it depicts, which it in turn subverts, modifies, or elucidates. By reading Oppian’s fish next to similar accounts from, for instance, Pliny, Plutarch, or Aelian, we can better understand the contributions the Halieutica makes to the zoological tradition.

The lecture is co-hosted by the Department of Classics, Trinity College Dublin.

You are invited to an IIHSA Online Lecture on October 27th, 2022 at 5.30 pm (Irish time) / 7.30 pm (Greek time) by Mnemosyne Rice (Trinity College Dublin).

The ‘discovery’ of Minoan civilisation at the beginning of the twentieth century came at a unique political moment in 1909, when powerful states (Britain, France, Italy, Germany, and the United States) established ‘administrative’ presences on the island. Corresponding archaeological schools operated against this colonial backdrop. This political situation allowed for Minoan artefacts to be exported from the island to foreign museum collections almost as soon as excavation began. The acquisition of Minoan artefacts by museums in the major cities of the colonial powers has influenced the display of that material and its impact. Despite this clear influence, no in-depth, diachronic analysis of the dispersal and display of Minoan material in different museums has been attempted, nor has there been systematic study of trends in those exhibitions. This paper will begin to fill that gap in scholarship, by employing a postcolonial approach which is indispensable to such a study. Specifically, the paper focuses on the early period of collection of Minoan artefacts in the British and Ashmolean Museums, from the very end of the nineteenth century to the period after the First World War.

The lecture is co-hosted by the Department of Classics, Trinity College Dublin.

This theory seminar is the first in a series of seminars on the ‘Multifaceted Aspects of Ritual’ directed at graduate students who are interested in the topic. In this meeting, to contextualize the series and the succeeding seminars in past and current scholarship on ritual, there will be a brief presentation on the themes and trends in Minoan and Aegean Religion over the past 100 years. The presentation will summarize the theoretical developments during this time and assess how they impacted and changed approaches and questions being asked in Minoan religion that has culminated in a recent focus on the scholarship of ritual. The presentation will be succeeded by a group discussion on the topic.

The seminar size will be limited to only 20 people in order to have a fruitful and educational discussion. In case you have any questions, please contact the Assist. Director: irishinstitutegr@gmail.com

The seminar is co-hosted with the the School of Archaeology, University College Dublin

You are invited to an IIHSA Online Lecture on October 13th, 2022 at 5.30 pm (Irish time) / 7.30 pm (Greek time) by Professor Joanne Murphy (Director, Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies at Athens).

The Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies at Athens is the only Irish cultural Institute in Greece. While many of our members are academic, either scholars or students, the Institute is open to and provides services for a wide audience who are interested in Greek culture, past and present. This lecture will provide an overview of the history, mission, and goals of the Institute. It will include a summary of the ongoing research by the members – both senior scholars and graduate students – and highlight some recently completed research. It will also provide a synopsis of our programmes last year that consisted of academic and outreach lectures and a study tour for students. We will also explain how you can become a member and support the Institute.

The lecture is co-hosted by the School of Archaeology, University College Dublin.

You are invited to an IIHSA Online Lecture on Thursday, May 26th, 2022 at 5.30 pm (Irish time) / 7.30 pm (Greek time) by Dr Anastasia Vergaki (Assistant Director, Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies at Athens).

The present study focuses on three Neopalatial settlements of eastern Crete: Pseira, Mochlos and Gournia. It will be suggested that different stages of social development and integration may be observed in each one of them, through the reconsideration of ritual spaces and ritual actions. The latter two factors should be seen as agents of messages, who echo a web of social relationships which form the social milieu during the Late Bronze Age. Gournia includes a so-called palatial building, Mochlos a probable administrative building, whilst specific houses on Pseira seem to compete each other for economic and consequently social hegemony. By having a deep dialectical theoretical background and by applying a contextual analysis on the archaeological data, we can reach at a substantiated suggestion concerning rituals and their repercussions in social organization of prehistoric Crete during the Neopalatial Period.