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The INSTAP Study Center also provides state-of-the-art facilities and equipment and several comparative collections to support archaeological science in a variety of other specialized fields. The range of specialties include archaeobotany, archaeometallurgy, physical anthropology, faunal analysis, geology, micromorphology, organic residue analysis, phytolith and starch grain analysis, and wood charcoal analysis. The following list highlights some of the individuals who have worked on material from our collections since 1997 and a small selection of their results.

Archaeobotany

Evi Margaritis, Ph.D.

C. Margaret Scarry, Ph.D.

Dr. Evi Margaritis examines plant remains from Gournia under the microscope.

Haggis, D.C., M.S. Mook, C.M. Scarry, L.M. Snyder, and W.C. West III. 2004. “Excavations at Azoria, 2002,” Hesperia 73, pp. 339–400.

Haggis, D.C., M.S. Mook, R.D. Fitzsimons, C.M. Scarry, and L.M. Snyder 2011. “Excavation of Archaic Houses at Azoria in 2005–2006,” Hesperia 80, pp. 431–489.

Haggis, D.C., M.S. Mook, R.D. Fitzsimons, C.M. Scarry, L.M. Snyder, and W.C. West III. 2011. “Excavations in the Archaic Civic Buildings at Azoria in 2005–2006,” Hesperia 80, pp. 1–70.

Haggis, D.C., M.S. Mook, R.D. Fitzsimons, C.M. Scarry, L.M. Snyder, M.I. Stefanakis, and W.C. West III. 2007. “Excavations at Azoria, 2003–2004, Part 1. The Archaic Civic Complex,” Hesperia 76, pp. 243–321.

Margaritis, E. 2014. “Appendix F: The Olive Remains,” in Mochlos III: The Late Hellenistic Settlement. The Beam-Press Complex (Prehistory Monographs 48), N. Vogeikoff-Brogan, Philadelphia, pp. 121–122.

———. 2017a. “Archaeobotanical Remains,” in The Alatzomouri Rock Shelter: An Early Minoan III Deposit in Eastern Crete (Prehistory Monographs 58), V. Apostolakou, T.M. Brogan, and P.P. Betancourt, eds., Philadelphia, pp. 89–90.

———. 2017b. “The Plant Remains of the House Tombs at Petras: Acts of Destruction, Transformation and Preservation,” in Petras, Siteia: The Pre- and Proto-palatial Cemetery in Context. Acts of a Two-Day Conference Held at the Danish Institute at Athens, 14–15 February 2015 (Monographs of the Danish Institute at Athens 21), M. Tsipopoulou, ed., Athens, pp. 225–232.

Archaeometallurgy

Alessandra Giumlia-Mair, Ph.D.

Dr. A. Giumlia-Mair conducts XRF analysis of metal artifacts from the Late Minoan I settlement at Mochlos.

Brogan, T.M., and A. Giumlia-Mair 2017. “An Intriguing Set of Discs from the Protopalatial Tombs at Petras,” in Petras, Siteia. The Pre- and Proto-palatial Cemetery in Context. Acts of a Two-Day Conference Held at the Danish Institute at Athens, 14-15 February 2015 (Monographs of the Danish Institute at Athens 21), M. Tsipopoulou, ed., Athens, pp. 215221.

Guimlia-Mair, A. 2011. “Necklace No. 1: Evidence for the Egyptian Influence in Mycenaean Jewelry Production,” in Mochlos IIC: Period IV. The Mycenaean Settlement and Cemetery. The Human Remains and Other Finds (Prehistory Monographs 32), J.S. Soles and C. Davaras, eds., Philadelphia, pp. 167–172.

Giumlia-Mair, A., P.P. Betancourt, S.C. Ferrence, and J.D. Muhly. 2017. “Special Silver Alloys from the Pre- and Proto-palatial Cemetery of Petras, Crete,” in Petras, Siteia. The Pre- and Proto-palatial Cemetery in Context. Acts of a Two-Day Conference Held at the Danish Institute at Athens, 14-15 February 2015 (Monographs of the Danish Institute at Athens 21), M. Tsipopoulou, ed., Athens, pp. 203–211.

Giumlia-Mair, A., and S. Ferrence. 2014. “Archaeometallurgy at the Kentro,” Kentro 17, pp. 9–12.

Soles, J.S., and A. Giumlia-Mair. 2018. “Metallurgical Habits and Workshop Remains in LM IB Mochlos, East Crete,” in Bronze Age Metallurgy on Mediterranean Islands. Volume in Honor of Robert Maddin and Vassos Karageorgis (Monographies Instrumentum 56) A. Giumlia-Mair and F. Lo Schiavo, eds., EdiDrémil-Lafage, pp. 498–519.

Physical Anthropology

Susan Kirkpatrick Smith, Ph.D.

Photini McGeorge, Ph.D.

Sevi Triantaphyllou, Ph.D.

Betancourt, P.P., C. Davaras, H.M.C. Dierckx, S.C. Ferrence, J. Hickman, P. Karkanas, P.J.P. McGeorge, J.D. Muhly, D.S. Reese, E. Stravopodi, and L. Langford-Verstegen. 2008. “Excavations in the Hagios Charalambos Cave: A Preliminary Report,” Hesperia 77, pp. 539–605.

Kirkpatrick Smith, S. 2013. “Bodies of Evidence: Skeletal Analysis in Roman Greece and Cyprus,” in Companion to Archaeology of the Roman Republic, J. DeRose Evans, ed., Hoboken, pp. 141–154.

McGeorge, Ph. J. P. 2011 “Trauma, Surgery and Prehistoric Events” in Proceedings of the 10th Cretological Congress, 2006, Chania, pp 347-361.

———. 2012. “The Petras Intramural Infant Jar Burial: Context, Symbolism, Eschatology,” in Petras, Siteia – 25 Years of Excavations and Studies. Acts of a Two-Day Conference Held at the Danish Institute at Athens, 9–10 October 2010 (Monographs of the Danish Institute at Athens 16), M. Tsipopoulou, ed., Athens, pp. 291–302.

Neumann, Gunnar U., E. Skourtanioti, M. Burri, E. A. Nelson, M. Michel, A. N. Hiss, Ph. J. P. McGeorge, P. P. Betancourt, M. A. Spyrou, J. Krause, P. W. Stockhammer. 2022 “Ancient Yersinia pestis and Salmonella enterica genomes from Bronze Age Crete,” Science Direct 32, issue 16, pp. 3641-3649.

Soles, J.S., and S. Triantaphyllou. 2008. “The LM III Cemetery at Limenaria,” in Mochlos IIA: Period IV. The Mycenaean Settlement and Cemetery. The Sites (Prehistory Monographs 23), J.S. Soles and C. Davaras, eds., Philadelphia, pp. 129–184.

Skourtanioti, E., H. Ringbauer, G. A. G. Ruscone, R. A. Bianco, M. Burri, C. Freund, A. Furtwängler, N. F. G. Martins, F. Knolle, G. U. Neumann, A. Tiliakou, A. Agelarakis, M. Andreadaki-Vlazaki, P. Betancourt, P. Hallager, O. A. Jones, O. Kakavogianni, A. Kanta, P. Karkanas, E. Kataki, K. Kissas, R. Koehl, L. Kvapil, J. Maran, Ph. J. P. McGeorge, A. Papadimitriou, A. Papathanasiou, L. Papazoglou-Manioudaki, K. Paschalidis, N. Polychronakou-Sgouritsa, S. Preve, E.-A. Prevedorou, G. Price, E. Protopapadaki, T. Schmidt-Schultz, M. Schultz, K. Shelton, M. H. Wiener, J. Krause, C. Jeong, and P. W. Stockhammer. 2023 “Ancient DNA reveals admixture history and endogamy in the prehistoric Aegean,” Nature Ecology & Evolution, 16 January 2023, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-022-01952-3.

Triantaphyllou, S. 2011. “The Human Remains,” in Mochlos IIC: Period IV. The Mycenaean Settlement and Cemetery. The Human Remains and Other Finds (Prehistory Monographs 32), J.S. Soles and C. Davaras, eds., Philadelphia, pp. 1–20.

———. 2012. “Kephala Petras: The Human Remains and the Burial Practices in the Rock Shelter,” in Petras, Siteia – 25 Years of Excavations and Studies. Acts of a Two-Day Conference Held at the Danish Institute at Athens, 9–10 October 2010 (Monographs of the Danish Institute at Athens 16), M. Tsipopoulou, ed., Athens, pp. 161–166.

———. 2017. “‘Όσο ψηλά κι αν ανεβείς λέξη μην πεις μεγάλη ‘πο χώμα σε έφτιαξε ο Θεός κι εκειά γυρίζεις πάλι’ Cretan Mantinada for Death,” in Petras, Siteia: The Pre- and Proto- palatial Cemetery in Context. Acts of a Two-Day Conference Held at the Danish Institute at Athens, 14-15 February 2015 (Monographs of the Danish Institute at Athens 21), M. Tsipopoulou, ed., Athens, pp. 271–286.

Triantaphyllou, S., S. Kiorpe, and M. Tsipopoulou. 2017. “House Tomb 5: A Preliminary Analysis of the Human Skeletal Remains,” in Petras, Siteia. The Pre- and Proto-palatial Cemetery in Context. Acts of a Two-Day Conference Held at the Danish Institute at Athens, 14-15 February 2015 (Monographs of the Danish Institute at Athens 21), M. Tsipopoulou, ed., Athens, pp. 291–297.

Vogeikoff-Brogan, N., and S. Kirkpatrick Smith. 2009–2010. “A Male Spinner? A Late Geometric–Early Orientalizing Pithos Burial near Meseleroi, Ierapetra,” Aegean Archaeology 10, pp. 87–104.

Faunal Analysis

Flint Dibble, Ph.D.

Katerina Papayianni, Ph.D.

David Reese, Ph.D.

Dibble, F. 2017. “Eating Meat at Azoria,” KENTRO 20, pp. 16-17.

_____ 2018. “Animal Bones,” in “Chalasmenos I The Late Minoan IIIC Settlement. House A.2,” (Prehistory Monographs 59), M. Eaby, Philadelphia, pp. 87-92 and Tables 3-6.

_____ 2021. “Bones around town: Taphonomic patterns from civic feasting and residential dining contexts at Late Archaic Azoria, Crete,”. Journal of Archaeological Science: Report 36.

Dibble, F. and M. Finné. 2021. “Socioenvironmental change as a process: Changing foodways as adaptation to climate change in South Greece from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age,” in Quaternary International 597, pp. 50-62.

Papayiannis, K. 2010. “The Microfauna from Mochlos Houses C.1-C.8: A Contribution to the History of Bronze Age Aegean Commensalism,” Newsletter of the American School of Classical Studies No. 62, pp. 10, 27.

Papayiannis, K. 2012. “The Micromammals of Minoan Crete: Human Intervention in the Ecosystem of the Island,” Paleobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments 9 (2), pp. 239–248.

_____ 2016. “The Microfauna from the Greek-Swedish Excavations,” in The Greek-Swedish Excavations at the Agia Aikaterini Square, Kastelli, Khania, 1970-1987, 2001, 2005, and 2008 V The Late Minoan IIIA:1 and II Settlements, in E. Hallager and B.P. Hallager, eds., Stockholm, pp. 447-468.

———.  “Microvertebrate Fauna,” in Mochlos IV: the Neopalatial Settlement (Prehistory Monographs), J.S. Soles and C. Davaras, eds., Philadelphia, pp. 461-471, Tables 45-63, Figs. 181-184.

Reese, D. 2014. “Appendix E: Marine Invertebrates and Land Snails,” in Mochlos III: The Late Hellenistic Settlement. The Beam-Press Complex (Prehistory Monographs 48), J.S. Soles and C. Davaras, eds., Philadelphia, pp. 117–119.

Reese, D.S., D. Mylona, J. Bending, A. Sarpaki, W. Schoch, and M. Ntinou. 2004. “Fauna and Flora,” in Mochlos IC: Period III. Neopalatial Settlement on the Coast: The Artisans’ Quarter and the Farmhouse at Chalinomouri. The Small Finds (Prehistory Monographs 9), J.S. Soles and C. Davaras, eds., Philadelphia, pp. 117–137.

Reese, D., D. Mylona, J. Bending, and M. Ntinou. 2011. “Fauna and Flora,” in Mochlos IIC: Period IV. The Mycenaean Settlement and Cemetery. The Human Remains and Other Finds (Prehistory Monographs 32), J.S. Soles and C. Davaras, eds., Philadelphia, pp. 125–148.

Geology

Floyd McCoy, Ph.D.

Prof. F. McCoy examines the volcanic stratigraphy on Santorini.

McCoy, F.W. 2013. “Geology and Geologic History,” in Aphrodite’s Kephali: An Early Minoan I Defensive Site in Eastern Crete (Prehistory Monographs 41), P.P. Betancourt, Philadelphia, pp. 15–33.

———. 2017. “Geology and Geoarchaeology,” in The Alatzomouri Rock Shelter: An Early Minoan III Deposit in Eastern Crete (Prehistory Monographs 58), V. Apostolakou, T.M. Brogan, and P.P. Betancourt, eds., Philadelphia, pp. 3–8.

Micromorphology

Dan Fallu, Ph.D.

Panagiotis Karkanas, Ph.D.

Dr. P. (Takis) Karkanas examines stratigraphy near Preveli, Crete.

Betancourt, P.P., C. Davaras, H.M.C. Dierckx, S. Ferrence, J. Hickman, P. Karkanas, P.J.P McGeorge, J.D. Muhly, D.S. Reese, E. Stravopodi, and L. Langford-Verstegen. 2008. “Excavations in the Hagios Charalambos Cave: A Preliminary Report,” Hesperia 77, pp. 539–605.

Karkanas, P. 2014. “Geology, Geomorphology, and Micromorphology Studies,” in Hagios Charalambos: A Minoan and Burial Cave in Crete. I: Excavation and Portable Objects (Prehistory Monographs 47), P.P. Betancourt, C. Davaras, and E. Stravopodi, eds., Philadelphia, pp. 13–16.

Strasser, Th., Clinton, M.G., Panagopoulou, E., Karkanas, P. 2022. “A case of bioturbation at Damnoni Cave,” in Kleronomia: Legacy and Inheritance Studies on the Aegean Bronze Age in Honor of Jeffrey S. Soles. (Prehistory Monographs 61J, M.A. Murphy and J.E. Morrison, eds., Philadelphia, pp. 3-10.

Organic Residue Analysis

Andrew Koh, Ph.D.

Brogan, T.M., and A.J. Koh. “Feasting at Mochlos? New Evidence for Wine Production, Storage and Consumption from a Bronze Age Harbor Town on Crete,” in Dais. The Aegean Feast. Proceedings of the 12th International Aegean Conference, University of Melbourne, Centre for Classics and Archaeology, 25–29 March 2008 (Aegaeum 29), L.A. Hitchcock, R. Laffineur, and J.L. Crowley, eds., Liège, pp. 1–7.

Koh, A.J. 2006. The Organic Residues of Mochlos, Crete: An Interdisciplinary Study of Typological and Spatial Function at an Archaeological Site, Ph.D. diss., University of Pennsylvania.

———. 2014. “Appendix C: Archaeochemical Analysis of Two Amphorae and a Cooking Vessel,” in Mochlos III: The Late Hellenistic Settlement. The Beam-Press Complex (Prehistory Monographs 48), N. Vogeikoff-Brogan, Philadelphia, pp. 109–111.

Koh, A.J., and P.P. Betancourt. 2010. “Wine and Olive Oil from an Early Minoan I Hilltop Fort,” Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 10 (2), pp. 15–23.

Phytolith and Starch Grain Analysis

Calla McNamee, Ph.D.

Georgia Tsartsidou, Ph.D.

Dr. Georgia Tstartsidou examines phytoliths from Cretan soil samples.

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Wood Charcoal

Maria Ntinou, Ph.D.

Reese, D., D. Mylona, J. Bending, A. Sarpaki, W. Schoch, and M. Ntinou. 2004. “Fauna and Flora,” in Mochlos IC: Period III. Neopalatial Settlement on the Coast: The Artisans’ Quarters and the Farmhouse at Chalinomouri. The Small Finds (Prehistory Monographs 9), J.S. Soles and C. Davaras, eds., Philadelphia, pp. 117–137.

Reese, D., D. Mylona, J. Bending, and M. Ntinou. 2011. “Fauna and Flora,” in Mochlos IIC: Period IV. The Mycenaean Settlement and Cemetery. The Human Remains and Other Finds (Prehistory Monographs 32), J.S. Soles and C. Davaras, eds., Philadelphia, pp. 125–148.

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