Local vs Imported in the Ceramic Assemblage of Kiapha Thiti in Southeast Attika and the ILIADA is Back!!!

The Institute makes every effort to support young researchers as they embark on their careers. One way we do this is to invite them to give a lecture at the Institute about their research. When we can have a young researcher who is studying material from one of our archaeological projects this is a double win for us. Margarita Nazou, a Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, fits both categories. She has recently completed her dissertation which focused in part on the Final Neolithic and Early Bronze Age ceramic assemblages found at Kiapha Thiti, a prominent akropolis near Vari and Koropi in southern Attika. She will give the lecture entitled “A site with a view: Kiapha Thiti and its connections during the 4th and 3rd millennia BC” on Wednesday, March 5th at 7:30 PM in the Library of the Institute.

This lecture will discuss the earliest archaeological evidence from Kiapha Thiti (also known as Kontra Gliate). The excavations at the site, conducted by the Canadian Institute in Greece with the assistance of the German Archaeological Institute at Athens and the 2nd Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities of the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sport, yielded an important ceramic assemblage, dated to the 4th and 3rd millennia BC. Macroscopic ceramic fabric analysis revealed that the bulk of the pottery can be considered local, but there is also imported pottery from the neighboring island of Aegina, indicating maritime exchange among prehistoric communities. The ceramic repertoire is indicative of a wide range of activities at the site, such as eating, drinking, cooking and storage. The study of the pottery from Kiapha Thiti provides a glimpse into the lifestyle of the community, as well as its connections with neighboring areas.

Another chance to see the captivating performance of the entire Iliad of Homer!
For regular readers of this blog you may well recall from last spring my effusive review of the stunning performance of the entire Homer’s Iliad. I lamented at the time that you had missed an amazing theatrical experience of 5 hours where all 24 Books of the Iliad were chanted, sung and danced in a mesmerizing fashion on a minimalist but evocative set. The Polyplanity Productions presentation is directed by Stathis Livathinos based on a Modern Greek translation by D.N. Maronitis. I am pleased to report that it is back in Athens. It is in preview now and will run in March and April at the Chora Theater (Θέατρο Χώρα) in Kypseli at Odos Amorgou 20 (call 210 8673945 for more information and tickets). Since the performances here at the Athens Festival they have performed it to rave reviews in Amsterdam and in Piraeus.

As they say, opportunity only knocks once. Well dude, it is now knocking twice just for you with the return of this stimulating production for a longer run in Athens. Both the structure and the underlying themes of the epic poem are laid bare before you when you view it acted out in its totality in one sitting. The choreography and martial arts movements alone are worth the price of the ticket. Everyone who claims to be a classicist at the very least should attend! Leave your gated worlds and risk a walk on the wild side in darkest Kypseli!!! If I have not convinced you to see the production, then check out their short trailer: http://vimeo.com/85238027.

Cordially,
David Rupp
Director

The Fred Winter Collection

Agrigento, "Tomb of Theron". (Professor Fred Winter 1978)

The Fred Winter Collection

Cape Colonna, the standing column in five views, from inland anticlockwise around to a view past clumn back along the coast. (Professor Fred Winter 1978)

The Spring Program of the Athens Friends of CIG and the Prehistoric Collection of the National Museum in Retrospect and Prospect

Kiapha Thiti from the south

Our Spring Program of the Athens Friends Association of the Institute starts on Saturday April, 5th with an excursion to southern Attica. Between Vari and Koropi there is an archaeological site called Kiapha Thiti on a prominent hill. Here in the early 1980s a team from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario excavated a fortified Bronze Age settlement with occupation as well in the Final Neolithic period and afterwards in the Archaic through Roman Imperial periods. While there are limited remains visible today we will nevertheless enjoy the scramble up the steep hill for a dramatic view across southern Attica. The tour will be led by Margarita Nazou, who studied the earliest (Final Neolithic-Early Bronze Age) ceramics excavated from Kiapha Thiti in her PhD thesis (Institute of Archaeology, University College London).

The rewards for this physical effort will be a visit to a local winery and lunch in a taverna. More details will be forthcoming in March. So save the date!

This spring our Friend’s program will feature two art exhibitions. The first, opening on Tuesday, May 6th, is by the French artist Pascaline Bossu. The exhibition is entitled “Nature & Paysage – intensitiés grecques.” The exhibition presents a series of chalk drawings, pastels and inks on the theme of Greek landscapes and flora.

Chris Stewart’s time in Greece is drawing to a close we are sad to report. To commemorate our fond association with Chris over the past few years he will mount a final exhibition in Athens with a fascinating title, «Αντíο κι ευχαριστώ για τα ψάρια». The opening date is Wednesday, June 4th. The exhibition is a look back at how Greece has influenced Chris’ art. The works in the exhibition examine how living all of the seasons in Athens, learning from the people and the environment, and simply being in Greece has inspired him to create. The material of this show is varied; mixed media, photography, and fine art collide.

Early view of the prehistoric collection in 1912

Lecture on the Prehistoric Collection of the National Museum
As one enters the National Museum, in the central corridor is one of the jewels of the Museum, the world famous Prehistoric Collection. This collection was founded in 1891 to display the “prehellenic art” of Greece. Until the creation of a network of museums throughout the country, where new finds would be displayed close to their places of discovery, the National Museum was the repository of all prehistoric finds. Over the years the Prehistoric Collection has had an interesting history.

Opening of the Minoan Exhibition in 1938

On Monday, February 17th at 6:30 PM, Dr. Eleni Konstantinides-Syvridi and Dr. Kostas Paschalides, the present Curators of the Prehistoric Collection, will give a lecture in Greek entitled «Η Συλλογη Προϊστορικων Αρχαιοτητων του Εθνικου Αρχαιολογικου Μουσειου: Παρελθον, παρον και μελλον». They will explore the rich history of the Collection, discuss its present situation and suggest new directions for the future.

The Akrotiri frescoes exhibition in 2004

This lecture is sponsored by the Syllogos Filon tou Istorikou Archeiou tis Archaiologikis Yperesias. The lecture will take place at the Historical Archive of the Hellenic Archaeological Service at Psaromylingou 22 on the border of the Kerameikos and Psyrri Districts. The Theseio Electric Train Station is the closest station.

Cordially,
David Rupp
Director

The Fred Winter Collection

Telmessos, group of tombs to the E of Amyntas Tomb. (Professor Fred Winter 1978)

The Fred Winter Collection

Myra, block with relief masks by theatre. (Professor Fred Winter 1978)