Lecture in the Customs Building of Pacheia Ammos in 2019. (left) Lecture in the central court of the Study Center in 2014. (right)
Experimental archaeology: Jad Alyounis (left) prepares a “Minoan meal” at Papadiokampos as part of the summer festival in Siteia in 2011. Jerolyn Morrison (right) serves a “Minoan Meal” at the Study Center in 2009. Similar events have been held on several occasions at the Study Center, in the town of Ierapetra, in the village of Anatoli, and at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens under Jerolyn Morrison’s careful leadership. The events are extremely popular and have given new meaning to the term “paleodiet.”
Upcoming Lectures
Please note that some lectures are held in person while others are delivered online.
2026
February 11, 2026
12 pm Eastern Time; 7 pm in Greece, Zoom format
“The Venetian Landscape of East Crete: Historical Records, Archaeological Evidence, and GIS,” Rafał Bieńkowski, System Research Institut of the Polish Academy of Science
The Venetian period in Crete left some of the most prominent monuments seen today, as the fortifications of Heraklion, Chania, and Rethymnon. These monumental fortresses are, however, only some of the evidence of the over 450 years of the Venetian presence on the island. The Venetian monuments and evidence of the Venetian presence in East Crete are somewhat less prominent and, with some exceptions, have avoided systematic study. Some of the best examples of Venetian period architecture include churches and fortifications. Due to often continuous occupation, the Venetian settlements are best known from historical documents, as little domestic architecture remains.
This lecture will attempt a reconstruction of the settlement pattern and microregions of Venetian East Crete, based on the historical documents as well as archaeological field reconnaissance. This will include the presentation of some of the more prominent monuments dating to the Venetian period in East Crete.
The presentation will be supplemented by GIS analysis of the collected data.
Please register for this lecture using the following link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/u7_eDM2ZRnmnmsqp7rt2SQ
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February 25, 2026
12 pm Eastern Time; 7 pm in Greece, Zoom format
“The Golden Age (c. 1450-1400 BCE): A Reassessment of the Relationships between the Emergent Knossian Kingdom and the Powerful Egyptian Empire,” Louis Dautais, Ph.D. in Aegean Prehistory and in Egyptology; Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Archaeology, Ghent University
How to make something new out of something old? This age-old adage could well apply to the field of Egypto-Aegean studies, a field that continues to fascinate and generate scholarly debate. Yet some–among the more skeptical–might argue that there is nothing left to be gained from it, given the limited availability of new data. But is this not precisely the challenge of our disciplines?
This lecture aims to address that challenge by proposing a re-evaluation of the evidence, some of which is well known (e.g. the Aegeans in Thebans Tombs, the Board with Keftiu Names, the bull-leaping frescoes from Tell el-Dabʻa), and by offering new perspectives for understanding a crucial period in Cretan history on a Mediterranean scale: the Late Minoan (LM) II phase (ca. 1450-1400 BCE). It was long thought that the twilight of Thutmose III’s reign, which coincided with the end of the LM IB phase and the so-called ‘collapse of the Minoan civilization’, marked the end of Cretan-Egyptian relations, as illustrated by the disappearance of Aegean figures from Theban tombs and the absence of LM II pottery in Egypt and the Levant. These lent further credence to the theory of a Mycenaean conquest of Crete, followed by a collapse in long-distance trade from the island.
This historical narrative, still dominant at the turn of the 21st century, must now be revised in light of recent studies. Taking into account the historical frameworks of the various regions of the eastern Mediterranean, I argue that around 1450 BCE, geopolitical shifts in the Aegean and the Near East opened a new chapter of more direct relations between Knossian Crete and Thutmosid Egypt.
Drawing on a systematic re-examination of Egyptian iconographic and textual sources (updating the seminal study published by J. Vercoutter in 1956), combined with new insights from the Cretan archaeological record (including a distribution map of Egyptian pottery in the harbor town of Kommos), it is now possible to reconstruct the history of interactions between the Cretan Kingdom and the Egyptian Empire in the course of the second half of the 15th c. BCE. In this lecture, I will follow the paths of Cretans’ travellers toward their encounters with Egyptians, be it in the Levant or directly in the Nile Valley. I will also explore their activities in Egypt under the autonomous reigns of Thutmose III and Amenhotep II. Alongside diplomacy and trade, a range of interactions developed, characterized by greater mobility of people –including artisans, artists, and mercenaries, in addition to the traditional seafarers, emissaries, and merchants. This movement of people sailing across an increasingly connected Eastern Mediterranean was accompanied by the flow of their goods and skills, which I will attempt to identify more precisely. Finally, I aim to clarify what motivated Cretan expeditions, the routes they followed, and the places and actors involved in their encounters.
Please register for the lecture using this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/dydmwsytRtmBho7O82k-7g
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March 4, 2026
12 pm EST, 7 pm in Greece, Zoom format
“Neolithic Antecedents of Minoan Calcestruzzo and Horizontal Timber-framed Architecture: New Data from Phaistos,” Simona Todaro, University of Catania
Please register for this lecture using the following link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/oFJoY5TNTT6se3L3M1xohw
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April 22, 2026
12 pm Eastern Time; 7 pm in Greece, Zoom format
“Bronze Age Urbanism at Palaikastro: Insights from the 2022 Excavations,” Andrew Shapland, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
The first excavations conducted by the British School at Athens at Palaikastro in 1902 uncovered a substantial building near Chiona beach, House A. The following year their attention shifted inland to Roussolakkos where a large Minoan town was uncovered, an area which has remained the focus of archaeological research at the site ever since. In 2022, with structures increasingly exposed by the sea, attention once more turned to Chiona beach in the form of a synergasia project between the British School at Athens, Lasithi Ephorate and the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities. This paper will focus on two buildings excavated by this project near House A, revealing with a long sequence of Bronze Age occupation. It will consider their significance and locate them in the long history of urbanism at Palaikastro.
To register for this lecture please use this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/JdcWPuGgTOmlqWJCkX_fGQ
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Past Lectures
2026
From Pots to Politics: Ceramic Regionalism and Political Integration in East Crete during the Neopalatial Period, Eleni Nodarou and Yiannis Papadatos, (Fourth Annual Malcolm H. Wiener Symposium, hosted by the Friends of the INSTAP Study Center)
2025
“The Minoan Coastline of Eastern Crete,” Dr. Nikos Mourtzas and Dr. Eleni Kolaiti
“Animal Sacrifices and Feasting in Neopalatial Crete,” Dimitra Mylona
“Vessel States: The Politics and Metaphysics of Containment in LM IA,” Prof. Carl Knappett
“Post-abandonment Visitation on the Island of Crete during the Early Iron Age: Intergenerational Transmission of Social Identity through Memory Practice and its Effects on Long Term Social Change,” Sarah Bell
“Minoan Culinary Tradition(s): Understanding Bronze Age Cooking Practices through an Interdisciplinary Study of Cooking Vessels from North-Eastern Crete,” Evgenia Tsafou
“Metallurgical Tools and Debris from Final Neolithic to Late Bronze Age Kea” Natalie Abell
2024
“House Workshops and Artisans’ Quarters at the Early Cycladic II Settlement of Skarkos, on Ios,” Marisa Marthari
“Cycladic Iconography or Minoan Provincial Art? On the Character of the Mural Paintings in the Early Late Bronze Age Cyclades,” Prof. Fritz Blakolmer
“Neanderthals on Naxos? Stelida and the Earliest Seafarers of the Northern Hemisphere”, Prof. Tristan Carter
“Beyond Food: An Archaeobotanical Investigation into the Role of Plants within the Ritual Landscape of Bronze Age Crete,” Carly Henkel
“Towards a Post-cultural Archaeology of Late Bronze Age Greece,” Dimitri Nakassis
“Ahhiyawa and Mycenaean Greece. A View from the Southeast Aegean-Southwest Coastal Anatolian Region,” Salvatore Vitale, University of Pisa, (not recorded at the request of the speaker)
“Fabulous Fragments: Excavations of the Early Iron Age Cemeteries at Kavousi, Crete,” Leslie Day and Maria Liston (Second Annual Malcolm H. Wiener Symposium, hosted by the Friends of the INSTAP Study Center)
2023
“After 1177 BC: The Survival of Civilizations in the Aegean,” Eric Cline
A Timeless Guide to Architecture: 101 Tips for Archaeologists,” Clairy Palyvou, Three-day Online Seminar
“A Sacred but Illegal Couple on Crete: The Sanctuary of Hermes and Aphrodite at Syme Viannou from the Minoan to the Roman Period ,” George Papasavvas
“Aegean Haute Couture and its Interconnections in the Near East and Egypt: Deciphering the Dress Codes,” Bernice Jones
“The EM II Settlement at Sissi: Architectural Remains and Ceramic Deposits,” Ilaria Caloi and Quentin Letesson
“Building Beta at Akrotiri, Thera: New Evidence on Architecture and Function,” Fragoula Georma, Irene Nikolakopoulou, and Ioannis Bitis
“A Preliminary Report on Recent Rescue Excavations at Chalepa, Pacheia Ammos,” Melissa Eaby and Chrysa Sofianou
2022
“Life and Death at Mochlos: A Review of Prepalatial Research at Mochlos from 1908 to 2022,” Luke Kaiser
“The Neopalatial Pottery of Gournia: New Evidence from the Gournia Excavation Project,” Prof. R. Angus K. Smith
“New Prospects for a Tree-ring 14C Based Chronology for Crete?” Prof. Charlotte Pearson
“Life and Death on Chryssi Island in the Early Byzantine Period,” Prof. Susan Kirkpatrick Smith
“Opening a New Window onto the Western Mirabello: Archaeological Investigations at the Minoan Harbor of Khavania,” Dr. D. Matthew Buell and Prof. Rodney D. Fitzsimons
“The Minoan-Type Peak Sanctuary at Stelida, Naxos: Preliminary Insights from the 2019/21 Seasons,” Prof. Tristan Carter
“Potters in Transition: Evolutions and Changes in Mochlos Ceramics from Middle Minoan IIIA to Late Minoan IA,” Dr. Georgios Doudalis
“Narratives of Youth and Aging at Minoan Peak Sanctuaries,” Dr. Céline Murphy
2021
“Trying to Understand Social Change in Iron Age Crete,” Prof. David B. Small
“Sealing with Images in Kato Zakros: New Research on the Impressed Nodules from the Neopalatial Town,” Dr. Maria Anastasiadou
“Consuming Goddesses: an Analytical Project on LM IIIC Ceramics from Kephala Vasilikis with Reference to Contemporary Sites on the Isthmus of Ierapetra,” Dr. Eleni Nodarou
“Emulation, Competition, and Conflict in Aegean ‘Art’ of the 15th Century BCE”, Robert B. Koehl
“A New Look at Legacy Data: Settlement and Society in the Archaic and Classical Mirabello,“ Grace K. Erny
“Interpretation of the Natural World in Bronze Age Cretan Glyptic,” Sydney R. Sarasin
“The Return of the Collective: Prepalatial and Protopalatial Larnakes on Crete,” Laura Ursprung Nerling
“From Excavation to Archaeological Site: Building a Paradigm for Preservation,” Dr. Stephania Chlouveraki
2020
“Investing in Identity: Taphonomic and Osteological Evidence for the Formation of Collective Memories in the EBA-MBA Petras Cemetery,” Sotiria Kiorpi
2019
“Precious Metal Objects from the Cemetery of Petras: Luxury and Magic,” Dr. Susan Ferrence and Dr. Alessandra Giumlia-Mair
“Regional Pottery Practices in Neolithic Greece: Technology, Chronology, and Interaction. Northern Greece: Pottery Technology and Mobility in Northern Greece,” Dr. Niki Saridaki
“Regional Pottery Practices in Neolithic Greece: Technology, Chronology, and Interaction. Southern Greece: Observations on Pottery Characteristics and Chronology,” Dr. Lily Bonga
“Before the Polis: Surveying and Digging Anavlochos,” Dr. Florence Gaignerot-Driessen
“The LM IA Decorated Lustral Basin from Chania,” Dr. Elizabeth Shank
“Δρήρος, πόλις κρητική,” Vaso Zographaki and Prof. Alexandre Farnoux
2018
“The Archaeology of Iran,” Prof. Leslie Day and Prof. Joe Day
“The Wall Paintings of Xeste 3 at Akrotiri,” Prof. Andreas Vlachopoulos
“Public, Private and Sacred Spaces in the Archaic Settlement of the Patela near Prinias,” Prof. Dario Palermo
“The Necropolis of Siderospilia at Prinias. A General Overview with a Focus on the Geometric Period,” Dr. Antonello Pautasso
“Neanderthals on Naxos: Survey and Excavation at Stelida, 2013-2018,” Prof. Tristan Carter
2017
“Minoan Koumasa: A Liminal South Cretan Site as an Archaeological Challenge,” Prof. Dr. Diamantis Panagiotopoulos
“South by Southeast: The History and Archaeology of Southeast Crete, from Myrtos to Kato Zakros,” conference organized by Dr. Konstantinos Chalikias and Prof. Emilia Oddo
“Mochlos ‘άνω-κάτω’: The Ups and Downs of Life in East Crete from the Seventh to First Centuries B.C.,” Dr. Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan
“A Mountain View of Ierapetra from Prehistory to the Roman Period: New Evidence from the Nearby Uplands,” Dr. Yiannis Papadatos and Chryssa Sofianou
2016
“Revisiting the Forgotten Kingdom of Mukish: Preliminary Results from the Recent Excavations at Tell Atchana/Ancient Alalakh (Hatay, Turkey),” Prof. Murat Akar
“Now and Then: Uncertainties and Inconsistencies in the Later Middle Bronze Age of Knossos and the Wider Region,” Dr. Colin Macdonald
“‘Game(s) of Thrones:’ Trying to Identify Heterarchies in the Petras Cemetery,” Dr. Metaxia Tsipopoulou
2015
“Mycenaean Crete: Religion, State Authority, and Royal Symbolism: New Evidence from Crete,” Dr. Athanasia Kanta
“Archaeological Work at Gournia, 2008–2014,” Prof. L. Vance Watrous
“A Voyage to the Island: Prehistoric Telos,” Dr. Irene Nikolakopoulou and “Building Beta at Akrotiri, Thera,” Fragoula Georma, Dr. Irene Nikolakopoulou, and Ioannis Bitis
“Zakros VI: The Reoccupation of the Minoan Settlement of Kato Zakros after the Destruction at the End of the Late Minoan IB Period,” Michalis Zoitopoulos
2014
“Material Strategies: Textile Production and Social Dynamics in Palatial Crete,” Dr. Joanne Cutler
“The Excavation at Mesolithic Damnoni: New Evidence for Early Holocene Trade,” Prof. Thomas Strasser
“Mesolithic Crete in Context: Early Holocene Maritime Activity of the Eastern Mediterranean,” Prof. Tristan Carter
2013
“Craft Production at Phaistos and Hagia Triada during the Palatial Periods: The Archaeological Evidence and the Written Record,” Prof. Pietro Militello
“Tracing the Rulers of Mycenaean Laconia: New Insights from the Excavations at Hagios Vasileios (Xerokambi) near Sparta,” Dr. Adamantia Vasilogamvrou
“New Applications of Photogrammetry,” Dr. Konstantinos Papadopoulos
“New Applications of Bar Coding for Databases,” W. Flint Dibble
“Mavropigi-Filotsairi. An Early Neolithic Site in Western Macedonia, Greece,” Dr. Lily Bonga
“Early Byzantine Pottery on Crete,” symposium organized by Dr. Eleni Nodarou and Prof. Natalia Poulou
2012
“Archaeological and Archaeometric Approaches to the Study of Prepalatial Pottery, Metals, and Obsidian from Central and East Crete,” Dr. Eleni Nodarou, Prof. James Muhly, and Prof. Tristan Carter
“Aerial Photography,” Dr. Gianluca Cantoro
“Archaic State Formation on Crete,” Prof. David Small
“Crete in 1912 through Postcards,” Prof. Philip Betancourt
“Early British Travelers to Crete,” Dr. Dudley Moore
“Interpreting Minoan Architecture on Site,” Dr. Evi Tsakanika and Prof. Clairy Palyvou
“Experimenting with the Minoan Kitchen—A Minoan Seminar in the Garden of the ASCSA,” Dr. Jerolyn Morrison, Jad Alyounis, Prof. Stephi Chlouveraki, and Dr. Thomas Brogan
2011
“Edible Landscapes of Bronze Age Crete,” Prof. Oliver Rackham, Prof. Jennifer Moody, Dr. Jerolyn Morrison, and Jad Alyounis
“Some Preliminary Thoughts on a New Building Excavated at Gournia,” Dr. D. Matthew Buell
“Feasting on Minoan Culture: The Northeast Bastion at Ayia Irini, Kea and Its Significance for Understanding Minoanization in the Aegean,” Prof. Rodney Fitzsimons
“Cultural Approaches to the Island of Gavdos: A Long-term Dialogue with Minoan Complexity,” Prof. Katerina Kopaka
“Site Tour and Minoan Feast at Papadiokampos,” Dr. Thomas Brogan and Chryssa Sofianou
2010
“Choiromandres, Zakros: Occupation and Land-use at a Small Valley in East Crete from the Protopalatial to the Third Palace Period,” Dr. Stella Chrysoulaki and Dr. Leonidas Vokotopoulos
“Crete before the Cretans,” Prof. Thomas Strasser
“Cooking up New Perspectives in LM Domestic Assemblages,” Dr. Jerolyn Morrison
“The Rise and Decline of Roman Ierapetra: A View from the Ceramic Evidence,” Dr. Scott Gallimore
“New Directions in IT at the ASCSA,” Prof. John Younger
2009
“The Date of the Mycenaean Administrative Documents at Knossos?,” Prof. Erik Hallager
“An Archaeology of the Senses,” Dr. Thomas Brogan
2008
“From the Stone Age to the Stoned Age: Opium Consumption in Bronze Age Ritual,” Dr. David Collard
“Secondary State Formation in Crete: The Mirabello Region during the Bronze Age,” Prof. L. Vance Watrous
2007
“Did the Minoans Belong to an Ancestor-worshipping Society? New Evidence from Building B.2, the Ceremonial Building at Mochlos,” Prof. Jeffrey Soles
“Settlement Patterns in the Ierapetra Region: A Bronze Age Perspective,” Dr. Konstantinos Chalikias
“Early Iron Age Cretan Tholoi,” Dr. Melissa Eaby
2006
“The Temple Tomb within the Context of Palatial and Postpalatial Knossos and Crete,” Prof. Eleni Hatzaki
“Settlement, Economy, and Society on the Northern Edge of the Prehistoric Aegean during the 2nd Millennium BC,” Prof. Stelios Andreou
“New Light on the Chronology and History of the Zakros Settlement,” Prof. Lefteris Platon and Dr. Kaiti Archontaki
2005
“Izmir Region Excavations and Research Project,” Prof. Vasif Şahoğlu
“STEGA: The Archaeology of Houses and Households in Ancient Crete from the Neolithic Period through the Roman Era,” conference organized by Prof. Kevin Glowacki and Dr. Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan
“Filling the Gaps: Recent Excavations at Petras Siteia (A Celebration of 20 Years of Work at the Site),” Dr. Metaxia Tsipopoulou
“Excavations at Mochlos in 2004–2005” Prof. Jeffrey Soles and Dr. Thomas Brogan
“Two Years of Ceramics Petrography at the Study Center: Preliminary Results and Prospects,” Dr. Eleni Nodarou
2004
“The Neolithic–Early Bronze Age Transition: New Evidence from the Excavation at Kephala Petras, Siteia,” Prof. Yiannis Papadatos
“Evidence of New Architectural Features and Interpretations in Quartier Mu, the Crypt, and the Palace at Mallia,” Dr. Martin Schmid
2003
“Geometric and Archaic Klazomenai: Recent Excavations in Northern Ionia,” Prof. Yasar Ersoy
“Recent Excavations at Azoria and the Evidence for Urbanization in Archaic Crete,” Prof. Donald Haggis and Prof. Margaret Mook
2002
“Καμάρα, Νεκροταφεία και Ταφές. Η Ανασκαφική Έρευνα στον Άγιο Νικόλαο,” Vili Apostolakou
“Monastiraki Katalimata: Excavation of a Cretan Refuge Site,” Dr. Krzysztof Nowicki (Special Lecture in Honor of W.D.E. Coulson for the Dedication of the Coulson Conservation Laboratory)
“Διμήνι: Το Πρώτο Μυκηναϊκό Ανακτορικό Κέντρο της Θεσσαλίας,” Dr. Vaso Adrimi-Sismani
2001
“Crete in the Age of ‘Tauros’,” Dr. J. Alexander MacGillivray
“The Morning after… Minoan Responses to the End of the World,” Prof. Jan Driessen
“Remote Sensing and GIS in Archaeological Research: A Digital Archaeological Heritage,” Dr. Apostolos Sarris
2000
“Crete 2000: A Centennial Celebration of American Archaeological Work on Crete (1900–2000),” conference held at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and a three-day tour of sites, hosted by the INSTAP Study Center for East Crete, where American and Greek-American excavation teams have worked on Crete
“Recent Excavations at Akrotiri,” Prof. Christos Doumas
1999
“The Late Bronze Age Theran Eruption,” Prof. Floyd McCoy
“Mochlos in the Late Minoan III Period,” Prof. Jeffrey Soles
“The Dark Age Temple at Kephala Vasiliki,” Dr. Theodoros Iliopoulos
“Excavations at Naukratis,” Prof. William Coulson
1998
“The Life of the Shepards on Psiloritis,” Sabina Ivanova
“Burial and Society in Early Iron Age Crete,” Prof. Leslie Day
“Excavations at Miletus,” Prof. Wolf-Dietrich Niemeier
“Petras Siteia: From an Early Minoan II Settlement to a Palatial Center,” Dr. Metaxia Tsipopoulou
1997
“Excavation of the Chrysokamino Metallugy Workshop,” Prof. Philip Betancourt
“The Hellenistic Settlement at Mochlos,” Dr. Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan
“The Tel el Dab’a Frescoes—an Epigrapher’s Perspective,” Lyla Pinch Brock
“King Tut’s Rag Top,” Dr. Edwin Brock