The Friends of the INSTAP Study Center Present the 4th Annual Malcolm H Wiener Symposium
Saturday, January 10, 10:30 am Pacific Time (in Greece – January 10, 2026 08:30 pm)
Held in conjunction with the 2026 AIA Meetings, San Francisco
Eleni Nodarou1 and Yiannis Papadatos2
1 INSTAP Study Center for East Crete, Pacheia Ammos, 72200 Crete, Greece. Email: enodarou@yahoo.gr
2 National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Department of History and Archaeology, N. Politi 1, Panepistimiopoli 15772, Athens, Greece. Email: gpapadat@arch.uoa.gr
The lecture will be available online. Please register at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/-G6Hdv50TMCs5VANkILtrw
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Abstract
Over the past two decades, intensive excavation and systematic fieldwork in southeast Crete have significantly reshaped scholarly perceptions of this region. Recent excavations at Bramiana, Vainia, Chryssi, Gaidourophas and Stavromenos, alongside surveys on the southeastern slopes of Mt. Dikte and the plain of Ierapetra have convincingly demonstrated that this part of the island is neither an empty landscape nor an underdeveloped countryside. In particular, evidence from the Neopalatial period reveals a dynamic and evolving region, characterized by sites of different magnitude and character, actively engaged in regional and interregional networks, as evidenced by their material culture.
This presentation integrates data from recent excavation and survey projects in southeast Crete with the petrographic analysis of complete ceramic assemblages to explore patterns of ceramic regionalism, insular and inter-island trade networks, and patterns of interaction. By moving beyond the analysis of individual archaeological contexts, we examine the importance of specific sites as political and economic centers of the Neopalatial period. Our approach highlights the integration of southeast Crete into the broader palatial framework of resource exploitation, despite the absence—thus far—of an identifiable palace in the region.