Study of three Minoan Peak Sanctuaries of Central Crete: Keria, Philioremos, Pyrgos
Principal Investigator: Evangelos Kyriakidis
For Keria, Collaborator: Antonis Vassilakis (13 Ephorate of Antiquities, Crete)
Staff: Freya Evenson (UCLA-Athens), Pepi Stephanaki (Herakleion), Nektaria Mavroudi (Rethymnon), Yiannis Papadakis (Herakleion), Tassos Karoussos (Herakleion), Harriet Robinson (Vermont)
For several years now, Vanghelis has been studying the material from three Minoan Peak Sanctuaries, the only secure ritual sites of Minoan Crete. These are the sites that are most promising for understanding Minoan ritual and religion. Of the 30 sites that have been excavated so far, none has been published and only one has been adequately reported. This study will not only conduct the primary publication of these sites, but will also enhance our understanding of Minoan politics, urbanization, and religion (for the north central part of the island.) Every year 4-10 students have the opportunity to go to Crete with Evangelos and be trained in fieldwork there.
Relevant Publications
The Classical Layers at Pyrgos Tylissos, proceedings of the 11th Cretological Congress at Chania 2006, Forthcoming
2007 ‘Finding Ritual: Calibrating the Evidence’, in Kyriakidis, E. (ed.), 2007. The Archaeology of Ritual, Los Angeles: Cotsen Institute of Archaeology UCLA publications, pp. 9-22
2005 Ritual in the Aegean: The Minoan Peak Sanctuaries, London: Duckworth, ISBN 0715632485
2002 Ritual and its Establishment: the Case of some Open Air Rituals in Minoan Crete, PhD Cambridge
2001 'The Economics of Potnia: Storage in 'Temples' of Prehistoric Greece', in R. Laffineur and R. Hägg (eds.), Potnia: Deities and Religion in the Aegean Bronze Age [Aegaeum 22], pp. 123-129
Relevant Grants
2008
INSTAP award for research (Philioremos Peak Sanctuary $15,000)
2007
INSTAP award for research (Central Crete Peak Sanctuaries $20,000)
Mediterranean Archaeological Trust award for research (Peak Sanctuaries £1500)
British Academy, research grant (Peak Sanctuaries £2000)
Steinmetz Foundation/UCLA, research grant ($8500)
2006
INSTAP award for research (Pyrgos Peak Sanctuary) ($10000)
Mediterranean Archaeological Trust (Pyrgos Peak Sanctuary) (£1000)
2005
Colyer-Ferguson for research (£400 Pyrgos Peak Sanctuary)
2004
INSTAP award for research (Pyrgos Peak Sanctuary) ($10000)
Steinmetz Foundation Award for Arch. Publications (Pyrgos Peak Sanctuary) ($5000)
UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology research grant (Pyrgos Peak Sanctuary) ($3000)