CIG-ICG

My Unforgettable Internship Experience

2026-04-10T11:51:00.001+03:00

Ever since my first trip to Crete in 2016, I have heard the siren’s call of Greece tempting me to return. Then in 2025, armed with my undergrad Classics knowledge, I was fortunate enough to join the CIG’s 3-week Attica and the Peloponnese Summer School Program and became more drawn into the archaeology, history, and land than ever. So, when I was offered this 3-month internship, I accepted the opportunity without hesitation. Escaping Ontario’s coldest and snowiest winter months was an added bonus to what I knew would be an unforgettable experience.

I was responsible for a variety of tasks around the Institute to ensure that everything was running smoothly. I was in charge of preparing the CIG social media posts which gave me an excellent way to share my experiences and to further research the sites and museums I had visited. I was also able to help out with events like hosting the Friends of Canada, the CIG’s Fellow’s lecture, and the Paris Arnopoulos Lecture, giving me the opportunity to engage with the information presented in lectures and to meet plenty of new people. This year is the CIG’s 50th anniversary and in preparation, I typed out excerpts from a book detailing accomplishments of Canadian archaeologists and the beginnings of the Institute. It was very interesting learning about our contributions to research in Greece and the struggles the Institute went through just to exist. I greatly enjoyed the main project I worked on throughout the three months: polishing up the organizational details of the Fred Winter Digital Archive. Working with the Fred Winter Archive by ensuring that information on each file was correct, complete, and organized in an easy to search way made my detail-oriented side extremely satisfied.

With Athens as a hub, I used whatever free time I had to explore museums and archaeological sites. The city itself had so many sights (and sites) to see and museums to explore, perfect for visiting on weekdays after mornings at the Institute. I used my weekends for travelling further outside of Athens. Taking ferries from Piraeus and Perama, I visited Aegina (perfect for the pistachio-lover that I am), Salamina, and, finally, Crete, returning there after a 10-year absence. I took advantage of the bus tours from Athens to go to Delphi, Mycenae, Epidauros, and Nafplio, exploring parts of these sites that I had missed and appreciating the landscapes that hold so much history. A highlight of my trip was my visit to the Archaeological Museum of Marathon and my adventures making my way to the Sanctuary of the Egyptian Gods. I navigated the limited Saturday public transportation between Athens and Nea Makri, braved the full range of Greek weather, and spent an appropriate amount of time walking around.

I did not focus exclusively on archaeological experiences, fascinating and valuable as they were. I was also determined to immerse myself into the culture of the Greek people here now. I followed their lead, allowing myself to slow down to enjoy life and the world around me. I spent my down time exploring the parks and green spaces around the city, braving the cold water with a couple of swims in Lake Vouliagmeni and in the sea, and watching beautiful sunsets atop the Pnyx and Philopappos Hill. After these three months, I discovered my regular gyro place and bakery whenever I wanted to satisfy my appetite with Greek food while sitting in the sun. I was also fortunate enough to experience two important holidays during which the CIG was closed: Clean Monday and Greek Independence Day. Using the days off to my advantage, I was able to participate in the dancing, singing, and kite flying celebrations of Clean Monday and stand among the crowd to watch the military parade on Independence Day.

These months have been full of experiences that will stay with me for a lifetime and I’m so grateful that I was given this opportunity. It’s hard to believe that it’s finally over and I am leaving the daily life I had gotten used to. The siren’s song is as strong as ever, though, and I’m sure that I will be back before long; there is still so much I will see and experience.

Tammy Markov, University of Waterloo intern, winter 2026

Welcome, Tammy!

2026-01-19T11:48:00.004+02:00

A few days ago we welcomed our new intern from the University of Waterloo, Tammy Markov, who will be with us in Athens until April.

Tammy is currently studying for her BA in Honours Classical Studies, and she has an interest in the Hellenization of the ancient world especially during the Hellenistic period and in exploring interdisciplinary approaches to archeology.

Tammy participated in our 2025 Peloponnese Summer School and is looking forward to further immersing herself in Greek culture for a deeper understanding of both the contemporary and ancient Greek world. In this way, during her internship, Tammy hopes to continue to support the connection between Greek and Canadian researchers and institutions.

Jonathan Tomlinson
Assistant Director

My time as the CIG Intern

2026-01-02T06:04:00.011+02:00

After getting the news that I would be the next intern at the Canadian Institute, I was over the moon (and slightly terrified) to have the chance to live and work in Athens for three months. The internship could not have come at a better time, even if the days before were a blur of packing chaos. I had just wrapped up my final class at Concordia a few weeks earlier. I was still riding the “wait, did I actually graduate?” wave before immediately cramming my entire life into a single suitcase and jumping into an Uber to catch my flight.

It didn’t quite feel real until I walked outside the Eleftherios Venizelos airport and was hit by a wave of heat and the all-too-nostalgic smell of Greece. I was in the right place.

Most of my time at the Institute was spent doing a little bit of everything, which honestly ended up being one of my favourite parts of the job. Some days I was in the library cataloguing new books or trying to track down elusive LC numbers. Other days I was deep in the Fred Winter archives, comparing decades-old folders to digital spreadsheets and slowly building a searchable system. I also managed all the Institute’s social media, writing posts, editing photos, and discovering my one true passion: Canva. On top of that, I updated the fieldwork pages on the website (24 of them!), rewriting summaries and adding bibliographies so each project had a proper presence. Researching all these Canadian archaeological projects connected to the Institute was a pleasure; I learned so much about the history of Canadian research here and gained a clearer picture of the impact we’ve had in the field.

Left: Monastiraki Flea Market
Centre: Photography exhibition at The Art Foundation (TAF)
Right: Graduate showcase at the Athens School of Fine Arts

Before long, I fell into a lovely routine: mornings in the Institute library, afternoons wandering around Athens, and evenings spent chatting with my roommates or popping into whatever event was happening that day. I’m pretty sure I shattered my all-time step count record just aimlessly roaming the city. I will miss my favourite cafés, going running through the National Garden, and the countless trips to museums, flea markets and pop-ups around Athens.

I was also really lucky to be here for several events hosted at the Institute this fall, including an embassy reception, a Canadian film screening, a lecture by Dr. Margaret Aiken, and the opening of the Institute’s exhibition on Kastorian communities in Canada. It was so cool to see the behind-the-scenes work that goes into setting up an exhibition like this and then watch it all come together on opening night. I was happy being able to help out wherever I could, whether it was running last-minute errands, assembling furniture, ironing tablecloths, or greeting guests at the door. It was a very charming mix of responsibilities that made me appreciate just how many tiny moving parts go into making these events work.

Even though I’d been to Greece before, most of my time had been split between Athens and Crete, so I hadn’t seen much of the mainland. One of the best parts of living in Athens for three months is how easy it is to escape the city for little weekend adventures, and I made it to several places that had been sitting on my must-see list forever: Mycenae, Epidaurus, the Meteora monasteries, and the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina. In mid-October, I hopped on a bus to Delphi and ended up solo-hiking the 18km loop to the Corycian Cave. Delphi was absolutely surreal—sunny when I arrived, then suddenly swallowed in this thick, misty fog that made the whole sanctuary feel magical (I could barely see two steps in front of me). Despite nearly getting trapped in a herd of goats with their very angry shepherd dog at the top of Mount Parnassus, this was easily my favourite trip of the entire three months.

Spending the fall in Athens as the Canadian Institute’s intern has been such a privilege, and I genuinely can’t believe how fast it went by. I’m not emotionally prepared to say goodbye to Greece, or its sunsets, and return to -25 snowy Montréal, but here we are. I hope to be back again soon!

Aiko Byrne, Concordia University intern, Fall 2025

Reflections from Athens: A semester of research and discovery

2025-12-26T06:11:00.001+02:00

I have been extraordinarily fortunate to spend the last two years in Greece, and I am grateful for the opportunity provided by the Neda and Franz Leipen Fellowship, which has allowed me to continue living in a city and country that I have come to love deeply. In September 2025, I began my stay at the Canadian Institute in Greece with the hope of finishing my PhD thesis over the course of the academic year. The resources and hospitality of the CIG have greatly aided my progress towards this goal.

My doctoral research centers on Greek pottery collected during a field survey of the landscape around the ancient city of Metaponto in southern Italy. In particular, I have developed a revised typology for the important black gloss pottery from the Classical and Hellenistic periods. With ceramic studies, it is essential to have access to a broad variety of comparative material – in this I have been very well served by the libraries of the CIG and other foreign archaeological institutes such as the American and British Schools. I have also been able view material from important collections such as those housed in the National Archaeological Museum and the Athenian Agora. With the help of these resources, I have revised several chapters of my dissertation this semester and submitted a journal article related to my work.

In addition to my own research, this semester has been full of social and cultural enrichment. I have been able to expand my horizons by attending academic and cultural events in Athens. Highlights include a concert at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, movie night at the CIG, and the Greek Religion Seminars at the Swedish Institute in Athens. Such events are also a great opportunity to make connections with other scholars, many of whom have become good friends!

It is a true privilege to live in Athens for a long period. Becoming a regular at local coffee shops, seeing the Acropolis from every vantage point, sampling the best of both Greek and foreign cuisines – these are just a few of the joys that come from calling this city home (at least temporarily!). The city is also a great base for exploring other parts of Attic and Greece, and I have been able to take short trips to incredible sites like the cave of Pan at Daphni. These trips have broadened my knowledge of both ancient Greece and the modern nation.

My first semester at the CIG has flown by in a blur of library work, coffee breaks, and museum visits. I am very happy to have made good progress in my work and developed many personal connections in Athens. I am grateful for the support of the Institute’s staff and the Neda and Franz Leipen Fellowship, which have facilitated this wonderful experience. As I return home for the holidays, I am already looking forward to another great term in 2026!

Καλά Χριστούγεννα και Καλή Χρονιά!
Eric Del Fabbro, Neda and Franz Leipen Fellow 2025-2026

The Abdera Urban Plan Project (AUPP): Results from the 2025 season

2025-10-13T11:53:00.042+03:00

In June 2025, the AUPP began its second season with excavations at the site of the Roman period Insula of Houses at Abdera. The project is co-directed by Maria Chrysafi, Director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Xanthi and Dr. Maria Papaioannou from the Department of Historical Studies at the University of New Brunswick, under the auspices of the Canadian Institute in Greece and the Greek Ministry of Culture. Abdera is a coastal site in northern Greece nestled between the Rhodope mountains and the Aegean Sea with a spectacular view of the island of Thasos. Not far along the coast, to the west, is the site of Argilos where another CIG project was in full swing. Students from different disciplines and institutions – Canada, the US and Greece – convened to put into practice the knowledge they acquired in the classroom and from past experiences at other sites. Cohorts of workers and archaeologists from the Ephorate of Antiquities of Xanthi and professional museum staff offered their expertise and supervision to the group.

Left: David Pogoson, (Civil Engineering, University of New Brunswick); Centre & Right: Site supervisor, archaeologist Efie Kosmidou, Ephorate of Xanthi (centre): training session

Investigations of the Insula of Houses, begun in 1952 by Dimitrios Lazarides, were later continued by the Greek Archaeological Service. The results from last year’s geophysical survey (2024) conducted by FORTH allowed us to map remains of courtyard and peristyle houses beneath the surface and confirm the presence of another housing block to the east. This year our goal was to locate the road bordering the north side of the insula and the north wall of the Roman period peristyle house, reexamine Lazarides’ trench in the east portico of the house and locate remains of the Hellenistic period. Work at the site was supervised by archaeologist Efie Kosmidou from the Ephorate of Antiquities of Xanthi who was always’ on the go.’ She is to be commended for her expertise and skills in organizing workers, students, trenches, site documentation, and making sure that all ran smoothly.

Above: aerial view of excavations along northern limits of Insula of Houses; Below: work along the north wall of the peristyle house. Students: Left: David Pogoson; Right: Kate Seeger, Michaela Mirkopoulos, Maria Zatusevschi, Mary Lucovich & Maria Georgia Papoutsi

Work commenced along the north side of the peristyle house where a small section of the north wall and an extensive destruction layer came to light. This was a challenging site to dig as the soil was as hard as concrete and work progressed slowly. Consequently, we were unable to reach the foundations of the wall as originally planned. We also excavated, northward, along the east wall of the peristyle house hoping to locate the road delineating the northern limits of the insula. There is much debate about the exact location of the road.

Left: Excavations in the east portico of the Roman period peristyle house. Lazarides’ trench (1954); Right: covering Lazarides’ trench

Excavations in the east portico of the Roman period peristyle house were more productive. We located and excavated Lazarides’ trench which offered a treasure trove of surprises! Work began at a slow pace as the surface soil, like elsewhere, was rock hard but conditions changed, and the team managed to reach the flagstone pavement of an earlier, Hellenistic phase. This trench served as an excellent case study for documenting earlier excavations practices which intrigued us all.

Washing pottery sherds in the garden of the Abdera Museum. From bottom left to right: “Shy Kitty” (Abdera), Kate Seeger (St. Mary’s University, Halifax,) Maria Zatusevschi (University of Dallas, Texas), Maria Papoutsi (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), Mary Lucovich (University of Dallas, Texas), Mikaela Mirkopoulos (Toronto & University of Arizona), David Pogoson (University of New Brunswick), Athanasia Koutoula, Sinem Sadik and Chrysanthi Marinou (Demokritus University of Thrace)

Students took part in a multitude of tasks, from digging to sifting through dirt for small finds, keeping diaries and washing pottery in the courtyard of the Abdera Museum in the company of a camera-shy kitty (lower left corner) that arrived daily and on time to watch everyone work. Conservator Katerina Christou was always present to assist with the pottery and surprise us by presenting the small finds after cleaning and restoration: what a difference! Other educational activities included pottery classes at the museum offered by the co-directors, Maria Chrysafi (EAX) and Maria Papaioannou (UNB).

From Left to Right: Hiking up to Hellenistic fortress; view at the top; Inside Macedonian tomb

Students also engaged in a variety of weekend excursions which included visits to the old city of Xanthi and its museums (especially the Folklore Museum and the most intriguing Museum of Shadows), the nearby Lagoon of Porto Lagos with its two little islands connected by wooden bridges, each with a church (the Monastery of St. Nicholas and the Church of Panaghia Pantanassa), and the famous pink flamingos! A field trip up to the well-preserved Hellenistic fortress at Kalyva on Mt. Rhodope was accompanied by a breath-taking view of the surrounding forests and visit to the well-preserved 2^nd century BC Macedonian tomb. Many thanks to archaeologist Kiki Hatziprokopiou (Ephorate of Xanthi), who although on sabbatical leave offered to conduct the tour. And last but certainly not least, the island of Thasos was also on the list, and a dip in the Aegean was a popular choice!

A visit to the site by his Grace Bishop of Polystylon, k. Sophronios and excavation team

During the excavation season, officials and members of the local community and tourists took a keen interest in our project and came to visit the site and ask questions … which we were not always able to answer! Among those that honoured us with their presence was his Grace Bishop of Polystylon, k. Sophronios, who after touring the Byzantine Acropolis of Abdera, known as Polystylon, made his way down to our site. As an antiquities enthusiast and ardent supporter of archaeological projects he wished us a productive season.

AUPP 2025, Team

We thank all the workers, museum and hostel staff, archaeologists, surveyor Athanasios Deliorides, archaeologist Konstantinos Darakis for aerial photos of the site, and the Director of the Ephorate of Xanthi Maria Chrysafi, for their hard work and hospitality. It would be amiss not to mention our cook ‘kyria Efie’ who with her delicious meals made sure the students were ready for a hard day’s work.

This project would not have been possible without the generous financial support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Xanthi.

We are looking forward to discussing and analyzing the results of this year’s 2025 activities and planning for the 2026 season. The outcomes will afford a better understanding of the complexity of Greek town planning and provide a more nuanced approach to the study of the built environment and those who shaped it.

Maria Papaioannou, co-director AUPP, University of New Brunswick

Welcome, Eric and Aiko!

2025-09-22T11:45:00.017+03:00

The new academic year has begun at the Institute, and we welcome the Institute’s 2025-2026 Neda and Franz Leipen Fellow, Eric Del Fabbro, and Concordia University intern, Aiko Byrne.

Eric Del Fabbro is a PhD candidate in the Department of Greek and Roman Studies at McMaster University. He is a writing a thesis entitled “Settlement dynamics in the ancient chora of Metaponto: An archaeological investigation into the social, political, and economic history of the countryside.” under the supervision of Dr. Spencer Pope.

The countryside around the ancient polis of Metaponto in southern Italy has been the subject of an intensive field survey aimed at understanding patterns of rural settlement from prehistory to the early modern period. Eric’s project uses the ceramic artifacts collected from the survey to identify the chronology and function of the rural sites. The countryside was occupied by a dense network of farmsteads, necropoleis, and sanctuaries from the Archaic to Hellenistic period. His research seeks to understand how changes in rural settlement over time were connected to broader political and social developments that affected the whole polis. It also investigates questions related to the production and exchange of pottery in the chora.

Thanks to the Neda and Franz Leipen Fellowship, Eric hopes to complete the writing of his dissertation and do supplementary research on Greek Hellenistic pottery. During his nine-month stay in Greece, he will not only have access to a wide array of publications at the Canadian Institute in Greece and other foreign institutes, but he will also be able to study ceramic artifacts in the storerooms of the Athenian Agora and other major collections.

Aiko Byrne has recently completed her BA in Honours Classics: Ancient History and Archaeology at Concordia University in Montreal. She is especially interested in Late Bronze Age urbanism, household archaeology, and the use of digital methods in archaeological research.

Through her internship, Aiko hopes to deepen her understanding of cultural heritage work abroad while supporting meaningful partnerships between Canadian and Greek researchers and institutions.

Jonathan Tomlinson
Assistant Director

À la découverte d’Argilos : la saison de fouilles 2025 / Unearthing Argilos: 2025 Excavation Recap

2025-08-22T15:50:00.001+03:00

Plus de soixante étudiants universitaires et d’étudiants de CEGEP venus de partout dans le monde se sont réunis à Asprovalta, dans le nord de la Grèce, du 2 juin au 14 juillet 2025. Les participants ont pris part à des fouilles archéologiques sur le site d’Argilos, tout en réalisant des analyses approfondies des artefacts au musée d’Amphipolis, sous la supervision d’experts chevronnés.

Nos travaux sur le terrain ont été répartis entre deux secteurs dynamiques du site : le plateau Angelopoulos et le secteur commercial Koutloudis.

Over sixty university and CEGEP students from around the globe convened in Asprovalta, Northern Greece, between June 2 and July 14, 2025. Participants engaged in both onsite excavation at Argilos and detailed artifact analysis at the Amphipolis Museum under the guidance of seasoned experts.

We split our fieldwork between two vibrant sectors of the site: the Angelopoulos plateau and the Koutloudis commercial sector.

Plateau Angelopoulos / The Angelopoulos plateau

Découvert en 2022, le plateau Angelopoulos en est à sa troisième saison d’exploration. Après avoir cartographié une rue orientée nord-sud croisant une grande avenue est-ouest, notre objectif sur quatre semaines était de déterminer la fonction d’une vaste structure située au sud de cette avenue. Les fouilles ont confirmé qu’il s’agissait d’une grande maison munie d’une cour intérieure, révélant de nouvelles perspectives sur l’organisation domestique à Argilos. Un immense merci à Maria Clermont-Mignault et Ariane Poulin pour leurs efforts dans ce secteur.

Discovered in 2022, the Angelopoulos plateau entered its third season of exploration. After mapping a north–south street intersecting a grand east–west avenue, our four-week goal was to unlock the purpose of a large structure just south of that avenue. Excavations confirmed the building served as a large house with an interior courtyard, offering new insights into domestic organization in ancient Argilos. A huge shout-out to Maria Clermont-Mignault and Ariane Poulin for taking charge of this sector with expertise and enthusiasm.

Secteur Koutloudis / Koutloudis sector

Dans le quartier commercial, les efforts se sont concentrés sur la zone est, avec l’ouverture de cinq tranchées dans le bâtiment P et la mobilisation de quatre équipes dans le bâtiment Q. Le but principal était de mettre au jour la dernière couche d’occupation et d’évaluer si elle correspondait à la conquête de la ville par Philippe II de Macédoine en 357 av. J.-C. Chaque salle a révélé divers artefacts et éléments architecturaux intéressants, qui ont tous contribué à reconstituer les morceaux du « casse-tête » Argilos

In the commercial quarter, efforts concentrated on the eastern zone, with five trenches opened in Building P and four teams operating in Building Q. The primary aim was to expose the final occupation layer and assess whether it corresponded to Philip II of Macedon’s conquest in 357 BCE. Each room produced various interesting artifacts and architectural features, all of which aid in uncovering the pieces of the puzzle called Argilos.

Secteur Koutloudis, deux équipes situées dans P9 et P10 supervisées par Lola Baillet / Koutloudis sector, Rooms P9 and P10 supervised by Lola Baillet

Keven Ouellet et Sophie Crawford présentent leur palmette / Keven Ouellet and Sophie Crawford Presenting their Palmette

Deux projets spéciaux ont également été réalisés dans cette zone. Le premier consistait à dégager la porte est de la ville, que nous croyons être l’entrée principale en raison de sa proximité avec l’agora et la grande avenue menant au cœur de la cité. Le second portait sur l’exploration de deux immenses canaux de drainage qui dirigeaient les eaux vers la mer Égée. Merci à Keven Ouellet, Shelby Vieira, Lola Baillet, Samuel Chaput, Ian House, François Gignac et Niko Vasilikoudis pour leur encadrement des participants et l’organisation du travail dans ce secteur.

We also undertook two special projects in this area. The first was the uncovering of the Eastern gate of the city, which we believe may be the main entrance of the city, judging by its proximity to the Agora and the large avenue that leads into the city. The second was the exploration of two massive drainage channels that directed water toward the Aegean. Thank you to Keven Ouellet, Shelby Vieira, Lola Baillet, Samuel Chaput, Ian House, François Gignac, and Niko Vasilikoudis for leading and mentoring these trenches.

Sofia Aragones travaille dans le drain près du bâtiment P / Sofia Aragones Working in the Drain near building P

Cette année, nous avons également modernisé notre système de géolocalisation en temps réel, avec l’acquisition d’un nouveau récepteur GNSS avancé, afin de nous aider à préciser les coordonnées précises et les données d’élévation pour chaque artefact et élément architectural d’importance. L’intégration de ces données à notre plateforme SIG nous aide à comprendre la stratigraphie et les relations spatiales du site. Nous remercions tout particulièrement Frédéric Lemyre-Corbeil pour son importante contribution à cet aspect de notre travail.

This year we also revamped our real-time geolocation system, with the acquisition of a new advanced GNSS receiver to assist us in capturing precise coordinates and elevation data for every artifact and architectural feature. Integrating this data into our GIS platform helps us in understanding the site’s stratigraphy and spatial relationships. Special thanks to Frédéric Lemyre-Corbeil for his important contribution to this aspect of our work.

Frédéric Lemyre-Corbeil : À la recherche des satellites / Frédéric Lemyre-Corbeil: Harnessing the Power of Satellites

Le musée d’Amphipolis a joué un rôle central dans le travail post-fouille. Les étudiants y ont lavé, identifié, catalogué et interprété les artefacts, contribuant directement à la reconstitution du récit d’Argilos. Saskia Deluy et Laure Sarah Ethier Boutet ont dirigé ce volet, formant les étudiants à toutes les étapes du traitement des objets, complétant ainsi le cycle de fouille pour les recherches futures. Nous avons également reçu la visite de notre zooarchéologue, Angelos Gkotsinas, qui a, encore cette année, captivé l’auditoire avec un cours de zooarchéologie portant sur l’économie pastorale et l’exploitation animale à Argilos.

The Amphipolis facility served as a critical center for post-excavation work. Students undertook the washing, identification, cataloguing, and preliminary interpretation of artifacts, thereby contributing directly to the narrative of Ancient Argilos. Saskia Deluy and Laure Sarah Ethier Boutet led this project, teaching students how to handle, identify and catalogue these artifacts, completing the excavation process for future studies. On top of this, as a special guest, Angelos Gkotsinas engrossed the students with a zooarchaeology course on pastoral economies and animal exploitation at Argilos.

Nettoyage de poterie au musée par des étudiants engagés / Students Engaged in Pottery Washing at the Museum

Pierre-Alexandre Audet présente fièrement un os / Pierre-Alexandre Audet showing off a Bone

À l’arrière du musée, deux professionnels ont soutenu nos travaux par leur savoir-faire. Christos Kountouras, notre dessinateur technique, a produit une documentation visuelle précise et détaillée de chaque objet. De son côté, la conservatrice Dimitra Kampouri a pris en charge les artefacts spécialisés, veillant à leur stabilisation, leur restauration et leur préservation pour les générations à venir. Nos remerciements les plus chaleureux à la directrice de l’Éphorie, Dimitra Malamidou, et au gardien-chef Giorgos Galios, ainsi qu’à toute l’équipe du musée pour leur accueil et leur soutien indéfectible.

At the back of the museum, two professionals were supporting us through their expertise. Christos Kountouras, our draftsman, produced precise and detailed visual documentation of each object in the form of technical drawings. On the other side was conservator Dimitra Kampouri, who collected all specialized artifacts and ensured that they were stabilized, reassembled, and preserved for centuries to come. Heartfelt thanks to director Dimitra Malamidou, head guard Giorgos Galios, and the entire museum staff for their warmth and support.

Shelby Vieira présente à Pella / Shelby Vieira Presenting at Pella

Pour équilibrer le travail rigoureux avec des moments de détente, nous avons organisé des excursions vers divers sites et musées à Pella, Vergina, Thessalonique, Stagire, Thasos et Philippes. Chaque visite a enrichi la compréhension historique des étudiants et leur a permis de faire des liens concrets avec leurs découvertes sur le terrain.

To balance hard work with inspiration, we organized weekly field trips to various sites and museums at Pella, Vergina, Thessaloniki, Stagira, Thasos, and Philippi. Each visit deepened our students’ appreciation for the region’s layered history and helped them identify their findings and look forward to what they may find in the future.

Keven Ouellet présente la Maison hellénistique à Argilos / Keven Ouellet presenting the Hellenistic Mansion at Argilos

La 33e saison de fouilles à Argilos a permis des découvertes majeures, a affiné nos méthodes de travail et a suscité de nouvelles questions de recherche. Merci encore à tous les étudiants, membres du corps professoral et du personnel pour leur dévouement. Grâce à leurs efforts collectifs, les prochaines campagnes s’annoncent prometteuses et Argilos continuera de révéler les secrets du monde antique.

The 33rd season of excavation at Argilos yielded significant discoveries, refined our methodological approaches, and generated new research questions. Thank you once again to all students, faculty, and staff for their dedication, as their collective efforts lay the groundwork for forthcoming campaigns, ensuring that Argilos will continue to yield insights into the ancient world.

L’équipe Argilos 2025 / The Argilos 2025 Team

2025 Study Season at Ancient Eleon in Eastern Boeotia

2025-08-08T15:37:00.029+03:00

In 2025, the Eastern Boeotia Archaeological Project worked for five weeks (May 18 to June 21), focused on studying the excavated remains from ancient Eleon and survey material from the surrounding region. We have been working in the modern town of Arma since 2007, as a synergasia of the Canadian Institute in Greece and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Boeotia.

While it is very exciting to excavate and uncover new material, it is also extremely important to have time to go back to study the results of our field work and to bring our research toward publication. This is what is normally done in an archaeological study season, and this was our work in 2025.

Not only did we make progress toward the publication of our excavated and survey research, but we also used the study season as an opportunity for focused training as part of the University of Victoria’s Archaeological Field Work practicum. Ten students enrolled in the course (GRS 495) for academic credit and participated in all aspects of the research project. One aspect of the project that was the focus of our study this summer were the tombs excavated in the Blue Stone Structure. This burial complex dates to the Early Mycenaean period (ca. 1700-1600) and contains multiple burials at least 50 individuals. The goals of our study season were to examine each tomb individually, to assess aspects that might be unique to specific tombs, and what elements had shared characteristics. To accomplish this, we assigned small groups of students specific tombs and they were tasked with going through the excavation records (notebooks, photographs, databases, drawings, etc.) to write short reports on each tomb. They also presented their work to each other in an afternoon session which provided an opportunity for the students to hear from each other and what they each had found. It was a very good learning process and also resulted in summary material that is very useful to the project and our goals of publishing the tomb assemblages.

In addition, students assisted graduate students and post-doctoral team members on their research. One project was focused on the many Archaic figurines that we have excavated. The formal analysis of the figurines was directed by Dr. Haley Bertram who has worked with the EBAP team since 2011. This work was coordinated with petrographic research directed by Dr. Janelle Sadarananda (Skidmore College) to look at the various types of clays that were used for ceramics and figurines.

Professor and project co-director Trevor Van Damme (University of Warwick) directed ceramic studies in our apothiki (storage and research area). Trevor oversaw research focused on the Archaic levels at Eleon and on the earlier Mycenaean material. Students were engaged in the research by cleaning, sorting, weighing and describing the ceramic remains. They would look for joins and if enough were found from different sherd pieces, this material could be sent to our conservator, Nefeli Theocharous for mending. Once a significant amount of a pot was restored, the vessel could be drawn and photographed.

This painstaking work was very rewarding for the students who were able to see the many different aspects of an archaeological project that go beyond excavation.

In addition, the analysis of the human remains excavated from the Blue Stone Structure was directed by Professor Nicholas Herrmann of Texas State University. Most tombs contained multiple interments, so there is typically one articulated individual while the remaining individuals have been moved to the periphery of the tomb or redeposited in subfloor pits. These remains are commingled and fragmented and the analysis is very meticulous. The goals are to document, inventory, and photograph (when necessary) the skeletal material as well as resolve commingled deposits. A long-time EBAP team member, Krysten Cruz, is nearing completion of her dissertation research focused on understanding biological relationships among those buried within the BSS tombs. Her work includes information from select studies of ancient DNA, proteomics, and isotopes, that amplify the results of her study of patterns of biological relatedness evident through direct measurement of physical features in the skeletal remains. . For example, Krysten looks at detailed measurements of many hundreds of teeth from the BSS complex and can make suggestions about their relatedness as well as aspects of individuals’ health and lived experience based on their dentition.

Our study season was not confined to the apothiki. The final aspect of the work worth noting was the field study we conducted focused on the excavated remains of the fortification system around the lower town of Eleon. In 2024, we uncovered a substantial segment of walls connected by towers to the west and south of the Eleon acropolis. This was the area that faced the major Boeotian city of Thebes. The walls we uncovered date to the late Archaic period and seem to have only been in use for a short period of time (perhaps a few decades). Additional elements of the wall are extant at surface level in the fields around the acropolis and we were able to record their alignment with the parts we previously excavated.

Overall, it was a very good season for us at Eleon, resulting in progress toward the final publication of our previously excavated finds, and revealing interesting material for future research projects at the site. We continue to be grateful to the CIG and Jonathan Tomlinson for the helpful advice they have provided us with for nearly 20 years.

Brendan Burke, co-director, EBAP

First Season of the Southern Mani Archaeological Project!

2025-07-25T15:25:00.084+03:00

In May 2025, under the auspices of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lakonia, with a permit through the Canadian Institute in Greece, the Southern Mani Archaeological Project (SMAP) initiated pedestrian field survey in the area of Porto Kagio on the southwestern coast of the Mani peninsula. SMAP is directed by Drs. Chelsea Gardner (Acadia University), William Parkinson (Field Museum / University of Illinois at Chicago), and Rebecca Seifried (University of Massachusetts-Amherst), and during this initial pilot season we recorded material dating from the prehistoric period through the time of Turkish occupation, and mapped the Achilleio fortification. The following is a blog post written by undergraduate student research assistants Cameron Barnard, Bella MacQuarrie, and Christos Zigoumis.
– Chelsea Gardner and Bill Parkinson

Introduction

In May, a team of 15 gathered in Mani, Lakonia – in the southern Peloponnese – for the first season of the Southern Mani Archaeological Project. With funding from SSHRC, the goal of SMAP is to better understand the southern Mani peninsula’s history, landscape use, and resource exploitation as well as the relationship between southern Lakonia and the wider eastern Mediterranean region from a diachronic perspective. The team was made up of the three project directors; Dr. Mo Snyder as geological field supervisor and their student, Bella MacQuarrie; a lab supervisor; two photogrammetrists; four ethnographers led by Dr. Manos Spyridakis from the National and Kapadostrian University in Athens; and three student assistants. The students engaged in pedestrian survey and collection of a 0.5 km² area of interest (see Figure 1), discovering pottery sherds from the Neolithic up to the early modern period. At the same time, Dr. Snyder and Bella conducted daily fieldwork as part of an ongoing project to map the geology of the Mani Peninsula.

Figure 1. Image of study area of interest.

Fieldwork

The day began at 8:15AM, when everyone would jump in the cars to drive to site. Once there, a quick briefing would occur and we would go over the location(s) being surveyed and conduct a daily safety check. With pedestrian survey, every day was different! One day, it would be easy walking across rocky beaches or overgrown terraces, and others it would be breaking through thorn bushes and large spiderwebs down the side of the mountain (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Dr. Gardner in the field.

At times, the visibility was so poor we could not see the ground at all. Each unit surveyed was unlike the one before it. When ceramics or tile were found, they were counted, weighed, and bagged (see Figure 3). Backpacks would grow heavier throughout the day as ceramic samples were collected. When the fieldwork was over, the team would return to the hotel / base of operations, where the collected ceramics were washed and left to dry. Then the lab manager, Dr. Shannon Dunn (Bryn Mawr College), would sort and group the ceramics in each unit (based on time period, material, shape, etc.) and they would be entered into the database. The students would then photograph each group and upload the details on the database as well. Other skills the students learned during the season in Greece include georeferencing, ceramic analysis, and artifact cataloguing.

Figure 3. Team members (including Dr. Gardner and Cameron Barnard) counting sherds for the unit.

Results

The amount of material discovered far exceeded expectations, with the total count reaching approximately 1,200 individual sherds. Although many ceramic fragments were small and non-diagnostic, other pieces, such as rims, bases, handles, and glazed pieces can be diagnostic of different chronological periods (see Figures 4-6). The majority of these diagnostic pieces were found in concentrated areas, such as around buildings, above the beach, and under over-hanging rocks. This pattern possibly suggests that these ceramics had washed down from higher up the mountain, where buildings or a settlement could have been. This concentration of material is even more impressive since only ~10% of the 0.5 km² area of interest was surveyable; the rest of the landscape was inaccessible due to steep hills, dilapidated terraces, and dense thorny bushes. The team will head back to Greece later this year to review the ceramics with experts who study different time periods.

Figure 4. Diagnostic ceramic pieces, such as rims and bases.

Figure 5. Ceramic handles.

Figure 6. More diagnostic ceramic pieces.

Structures

The survey area proved not only to be rich in artefacts, but also in the number of structures and anomalies we were able to rediscover. One day, we found a rock-cut cistern (Figure 7) – which may be ancient – as Medieval cisterns are usually constructed of stone blocks rather than rock-cut, which was a surprise and further attests to continued human occupation of this area. Our LiDAR map showed this feature, but we had initially assumed it to be a sinkhole, so avoided it. It was only when the geological team approached it (thinking it was a sinkhole) that we made this discovery, showing that it is important to have many specialists on one team for the study of a specific area.

Figure 7. Rock cut cistern with view of the landscape and sea, immediately behind is the rock wall.

Near this cistern we also found graffiti cut into the exposed bedrock which consists of names, symbols, and dates (mostly 1950’s) which was convenient to us who wanted to know how old the graffiti was (Figure 8).

Figure 8. One graffito of a Greek last name.

Further down between two remas (dried riverbeds) appeared to be a large fortification wall with terraced walls inside gradually going down in elevation (Figure 9). The terraced walls were quite ordinary as most of the survey area had them, even if they were overgrown. But the wall was completely out of the ordinary. It was constructed of relatively small stones with no mortar or binding material in between and remained to a height of about four or five feet. It may have stood taller at one point as there was rockfall in most places, which might suggest that the wall may have at one point in history served a defensive purpose. But that doesn’t align with the shoddy construction and lack of evidence found within the walls, but there could be artefacts buried beneath the later terraced walls.

Figure 9. The rock wall.

A few days after this, Dr. Rebecca Seifried and student assistant, Christos Zigoumis, had the opportunity to explore a ruined structure which the locals referred to as “Frankoklisi” (Frankish church). This toponym excited the both of them since the Frankish presence in the Peloponnese lasted a comparatively short amount of time during which the ruling Frankish class constructed characteristically mediaeval western churches in such a foreign land. The Frankish presence in Mani is poorly understood and few remains of them are even known to exist here. As the two came upon “Frankoklisi” and scaled the remains of its walls, they quickly came to the realization that it was certainly not Frankish, or even Byzantine (Figure 10). They were unable to find an apse, which is an integral part in all churches of this period, and the entrance way was about nine feet wide; absurd for the 12×12 feet dimensions of the whole structure. Dr. Seifried suggested that it might have been a mosque or hammam, due to the Achilio fortress lying just up the mountain. This was an Ottoman construction and the easiest way to get from the sea to Achilio might have been to dock a ship at the beach where “Frankoklisi” is situated, where a path to the fortress may have been.

Figure 10. Birds eye view of ”Frankoklisi”.

Geology

The Geological Survey permit covers the archaeological site as well as the rest of the Mani Peninsula, offering a more comprehensive understanding of the area’s geological history. Daily fieldwork involved traversing the landscape to map bedrock exposures, documenting structural features, collecting rock samples, and interpreting the site’s geological history through both in-field observations and post-survey data analysis (Figure 11, 12).

Lithological samples were taken of each representative mappable unit; these samples will be processed in the Acadia Petrographic lab and analyzed. Lithological samples will either be cut hand-samples or made to thin sections, offering further classification and a more comprehensive guide to understanding the geology of the Mani Peninsula.

The outcome of this work is to create a detailed 1:50,000 bedrock geology map of the Mani Peninsula, as the most recent map of the area is from 1984. Although the previous map is comprehensive, it does not trace key marker metalimestone beds that are of interest for archaeological research on the peninsula.

Figure 11. Bella standing amongst an impressive coastal outcrop.

Figure 12. Dr. Snyder standing on top of a rugged rock face.

Cameron Barnard, Acadia University, BA Honours Classics and Biology (2025); University of Waterloo MA Anthropology (2027 anticipated).
Bella MacQuarrie, Acadia University, BSC Honours Geoscience (2025), MSC Geology (2027 anticipated).
Christos Zigoumis, Carleton University, BA Honours Greek and Roman Studies (2027 anticipated).

Le circuit cycladique et crétois 2025 du CIG a été une fois de plus un succès! / The CIG’s Cycladic Island and Crete 2025 Circuit was once again a Success!

2025-07-02T15:14:00.054+03:00

Et ainsi, la deuxième moitié de l’école d’été cycladique et crétoise du CIG touche à sa fin!

Ces trois semaines ont filé à toute vitesse, avec des étudiants toujours plus avides d’aventure et de savoir alors que nous explorions des musées, des sites archéologiques et les paysages spectaculaires de ces îles incroyables!

Avec Athènes et Paros déjà visitées, les étudiants ont débarqué à Santorini, émerveillés et impatients de découvrir ce que cette île, et encore plus la majestueuse Crète, leur réservaient.

And with that, the second half of the CIG’s Cycladic Island and Crete Summer School is complete!

These three weeks flew by, with students craving more adventure and knowledge as we explored museums, archaeological sites, and the breathtaking landscapes of these incredible islands!

With Athens and Paros already visited, the students disembarked in Santorini with wonder in their eyes, eager to see what this island—and even more so, majestic Crete—had in store.

Santorini a commencé en beauté alors que les étudiants se sont dirigés directement vers la ville d’Oia, déambulant dans ses nombreuses rues pittoresques et capturant de magnifiques photos des célèbres maisons bleues et blanches perchées sur les falaises. Le lendemain a été une journée bien remplie d’exploration à travers l’île. Première étape : le site archéologique d’Akrotiri, où les étudiants ont admiré cette ville ensevelie sous les cendres volcaniques, ses rues complexes et ses bâtiments à plusieurs étages.

Santorini started with a bang as students headed straight to the city of Oia, wandering through its many picturesque streets and capturing stunning photos of the iconic blue-and-white houses perched on the cliffs. The following day was packed with exploration as we traveled across the island. First stop: the archaeological site of Akrotiri, where students marveled at the volcanic-buried city, its intricate streets, and multi-story buildings.

Après une courte visite de Pyrgos, l’autobus les a déposés à Kamari, où certains ont profité de la plage de sable noir tandis que les plus téméraires ont gravi la montagne pour visiter le site classique et hellénistique de l’ancienne Théra, offrant une vue imprenable sur toute l’île. Ce bref passage à Santorini s’est conclu par une dernière matinée à le musée de Fira Fira avant que les étudiants ne descendent la falaise pour rejoindre le port, prêts à embarquer pour la Crète!

After a quick visit to Pyrgos, the bus dropped them off in Kamari, where some relaxed on the black sand beach while the more adventurous climbed the mountain to visit the Classical and Hellenistic site of Ancient Thera, which overlooks the entire island. Our short Santorini excursion wrapped up with a final morning at the museum of Fira before students descended the cliffside toward the port, preparing for their ferry to Crete!

Arriver en Crète donnait l’impression de rentrer à la maison. Ici, les étudiants ont enfin échappé aux foules pour plonger dans ce qui semblait être la Grèce traditionnelle. Les étudiants tremblaient d’excitation alors qu’ils se rendaient à Knossos, où ils ont découvert les célèbres reconstructions d’Evans et débattu des avantages et inconvénients de la reconstitution des sites archéologiques. Ensuite, ils ont admiré les innombrables artefacts du musée d’Héraklion—beaucoup d’entre eux avaient été étudiés en classe mais pouvaient désormais être observés en personne.

Landing in Crete felt like coming home. Here, students finally escaped the large crowds and stepped into what felt like traditional Greece. The students shook with excitement as they traveled to Knossos, where they encountered the famous reconstructions by Evans and debated the pros and cons of reconstructing archaeological sites. Afterwards, students marveled at the countless artifacts displayed at the Heraklion Museum—many of which they had studied in class but now had the chance to experience in person.

Le jour suivant, ils ont pris la direction du sud pour explorer le palais de Phaistos, avec un bref arrêt à Gortyne pour voir le célèbre code de lois gravé sur le mur derrière l’Odéon. Le palais de Malia fut une autre visite fascinante, où les étudiants ont parcouru ses ruelles labyrinthiques en posant des questions sur les efforts de conservation et les quartiers excavés. Le moment fort de la journée fut toutefois la traversée en bateau jusqu’à Spinalonga, où les étudiants ont visité l’île vénitienne qui deviendra plus tard tristement célèbre comme colonie de lépreux dans l’histoire moderne.

The next day, they ventured south to explore the Palace of Phaistos and took a quick peek at Gortyn to see the famous law code inscribed on the wall behind the Odeon. The Palace of Malia was another fascinating stop, with students roaming its labyrinthine streets, asking questions about conservation efforts and the excavated residential quarters. The highlight of the day, however, was a boat trip to Spinalonga, where students visited the Venetian island that later became infamous as a leper colony in modern history.

Après avoir visité tant de sites et de musées, quelques jours loin de l’archéologie les ont revigorés pour la découverte de l’ouest de l’île. Sur la route sinueuse menant à Réthymnon, nous avons fait un arrêt à la grotte de Svedoni, où ils ont admiré ses stalactites et stalagmites tout en observant les chauves-souris qui volaient autour d’eux. Le dîner s’est déroulé dans le charmant village de Margarites, où les étudiants ont observé les potiers façonner leurs œuvres—avant d’acheter presque tout leur stock! Malgré les fortes pluies et le sable du Sahara qui recouvrait l’île, rien ne pouvait les empêcher de randonner dans les gorges d’Imbros. Armés de ponchos, ils ont pris le départ de la randonnée et, rapidement, la pluie a laissé place aux éclats de rire et aux chants alors qu’ils traversaient l’étroite vallée entre deux montagnes.

After visiting so many sites and museums, a couple of days away from archaeology invigorated them for the western part of the island. On our winding road to Rethymno, we paused to explore the Cave of Svedoni, admiring its stalactites and stalagmites while bats fluttered overhead. Lunch was enjoyed in the charming village of Margarites, where students observed potters crafting their wares—and promptly bought out nearly all their stock! Despite heavy rainfall and Sahara sand blowing in the wind, nothing could stop them from hiking the Imbros Gorge. Ponchos on, they set off from the trailhead, and before long, the rain turned into laughter and singing as they navigated the stunning narrow valley between two mountains.

Notre dernière journée en Crète était empreinte de nostalgie alors que les sacs étaient prêts à être embarqués. Avant le départ du traversier en soirée, les étudiants ont eu le temps de visiter le monastère de Gonia Odigitria, admirant ses nombreuses icônes, avant de découvrir le charmant musée de La Canée. Puis, avant d’arriver au port, ils ont exploré la ville vénitienne, flânant dans son vieux port historique et, bien sûr, dégustant une dernière glace!

Our last day in Crete was bittersweet as bags were packed. With a late ferry departure, students took the opportunity to visit the Monastery of Gonia Odigitria, admiring its rich collection of icons, followed by a stop at the charming Museum of Chania. Before heading to the port, they explored the Venetian city, strolling through its historic harbor and, of course, indulging in some gelato!

Le trajet de retour vers le Pirée était tout aussi chargé d’émotion. Bien après le coucher du soleil, les étudiants se sont réunis à l’arrière du bateau, regardant l’île disparaître à l’horizon. Ils ont partagé leurs souvenirs, ri en repensant aux moments les plus mémorables, discuté des questions qu’ils n’avaient pas eu le temps de poser sur les sites et musées et, bien entendu, tenté tant bien que mal de masquer leur tristesse face à la fin du voyage.

The ferry ride back to Piraeus was just as emotional. Long after sunset, students gathered at the back of the boat, watching the island fade into the distance. They reminisced about their experiences, laughed at unforgettable moments, discussed unanswered questions from sites and museums, and—naturally—tried their best to mask the sadness of their adventure coming to an end.

Je ne confirmerai ni ne nierai si des larmes ont coulé lors de ce dernier repas au restaurant… Mais ce que je peux affirmer, c’est que l’édition 2025 de l’école d’été cycladique et crétoise du CIG fut un succès retentissant. Les étudiants ont quitté la Grèce avec l’esprit rempli de nouvelles connaissances—et déjà en train de compter les jours avant leur retour.

À l’année prochaine!

I won’t confirm or deny whether tears were shed at the restaurant that last night. But what I can confirm is that the 2025 edition of the CIG’s Cycladic and Crete Summer School was an overwhelming success. Students left Greece with minds brimming with knowledge—and already counting down the days until their return.

Until next year!

C’est reparti! Le circuit Cycladique et Créte 2025 du CIG est lancé! / Here we go again! The CIG’s Cycladic Island and Crete 2025 Circuit is underway!

2025-06-06T14:55:00.049+03:00

Après le succès de l’année dernière, nous sommes heureux d’annoncer que le CIG relance officiellement le circuit Cyclades et Crète pour l’école d’été francophone 2025!

After the success of last year, we are happy to announce that the CIG’s 2025 Cycladic and Crete Francophone Summer School is officially underway!

Cette école d’été propose un voyage de trois semaines, débutant dans la capitale, Athènes, avant de poursuivre vers les magnifiques îles de Paros, la célèbre Santorini et la majestueuse Crète. Les étudiants suivent un programme structuré dirigé par des experts en art et en archéologie, explorant tous les sites et découvertes archéologiques essentiels.

This summer school consists of a three-week journey beginning in the capital, Athens, before travelling to the breathtaking islands of Paros, the famous Santorini, and the majestic Crete. Students follow a structured program led by experts in Art and Archaeology, exploring all the key archaeological sites and discoveries.

À Athènes, les étudiants ont eu un aperçu de la vie grecque tout en étant initiés à l’art et à l’archéologie de la Grèce antique, dans leur contexte historique et mythologique. Les après-midis étaient consacrés à revisiter la matière du cours à travers des visites sur les lieux historiques—que ce soit en admirant des artefacts dans le Musée archéologique national, Benaki ou cycladique, ou en parcourant les vestiges de l’Acropole et de l’Agora athénienne.

Athens offered students a taste of Greek life while introducing them to ancient Greek art and archaeology, complemented by historical and mythological contexts. Afternoons were spent revisiting course material through its tangible form—whether admiring artifacts at the National Archaeological, Benaki, or Cycladic museums, or walking among the ruins of the Acropolis and Athenian Agora.

Les cinq nuits à Athènes ont filé à toute vitesse, et dès le premier vendredi matin, les étudiants ont embarqué sur le traversier en direction de leur première île—Paros! Malgré le fort vent soufflant autour du port, leur excitation était palpable. Ils ont été les premiers à débarquer, tenant fermement leurs chapeaux et s’émerveillant devant les bâtiments blancs aux accents bleus de Parikia, avant de découvrir les artefacts exposés dans le musée archéologique de l’île.

The five nights in Athens flew by, and on the first Friday, students had an early morning start, boarding the ferry to their first island—Paros! Despite the strong gale blowing through the port, their excitement was unstoppable. They were the first to disembark, gripping their hats as they admired Parikia’s whitewashed buildings with blue accents and explored the artifacts housed in the island’s archaeological museum.

Le deuxième jour à Paros a été marqué par une aventure intense avec la visite de l’île de Délos. Les étudiants ont parcouru l’ancienne cité, entourée de champs de fleurs en pleine floraison, fascinés par l’état de préservation des structures et imaginant la vie quotidienne des anciens citoyens de Délos. Et, bien sûr, ils ont admiré les célèbres chats de l’île, qui semblaient toujours poser au bon endroit pour une photo et une caresse. La journée s’est terminée par un arrêt rapide à Mykonos, où les étudiants ont visité le musée archéologique et l’exposition mettant en vedette la plus ancienne représentation connue du cheval de Troie, avant de repartir vers Paros en bateau.

The second day on Paros was packed with adventure as students travelled to the island of Delos. They wandered through the ancient city, surrounded by fields of flowers in full bloom, marvelling at the well-preserved structures and imagining the daily lives of ancient Delian citizens, and, of course, admired the island’s famously photogenic cats, who seemed to pose at just the right spots. The day concluded with a quick stop in Mykonos, where students visited the Archaeological Museum of Mykonos and the exhibit featuring the oldest-known depiction of the Trojan Horse, before heading back to Paros by boat.

Le dernier jour à Paros a été une pause bien méritée dans l’archéologie. Cette fois, les étudiants ont exploré deux villes modernes. La première, Lefkes, où l’impressionnante église de la Sainte-Trinité domine la mer depuis les montagnes, entourée des plus vieux oliviers de Paros. La deuxième était la magnifique ville portuaire de Naoussa, où les étudiants ont pu se perdre dans ses ruelles charmantes et son port animé, tandis que certains ont profité de ce moment pour se détendre sur la plage et savourer le paysage.

The final day on Paros was a well-earned break from archaeology. Instead, students explored two modern villages. The first was Lefkes, where the impressive Church of the Holy Trinity stands tall, overlooking the sea from the mountains, alongside Paros’ oldest olive trees. The second was the beautiful port town of Naoussa, where students wandered freely through its charming streets and bustling harbour, while others embraced the opportunity to relax by the beach, soaking up the sun and the scenery.

À présent, les étudiants sont confortablement installés sur le traversier en direction de Santorini, impatients de découvrir la suite de leur aventure! Quels sites extraordinaires les attendent? Quel nouvel artefact les captivera? Et quelle vue spectaculaire leur coupera le souffle?

Now, the students are seated on the ferry to Santorini, eagerly anticipating what’s next! What sights will they witness? What new artifact will captivate them? And which stunning view will leave them breathless?

Suivez leur périple dans le prochain blog alors que la deuxième moitié de leur aventure dans les îles cycladiques se dévoile!

Follow along in the next blog as the second half of their Cycladic island adventure unfolds!

École d’été de l’ICG 2025: retour sur notre séjour, groupe francophone du circuit Péloponnèse / CIG Summer School 2025: Reflections on Our Trip – Francophone Group, Peloponnese Circuit

2025-06-02T14:46:00.041+03:00

C’est avec grand plaisir que nous vous communiquons le grand succès de la quatrième édition de l’école d’été de l’Institut canadien en Grèce, en Attique et autour du Péloponnèse!

Du 4 au 24 mai 2025, 36 étudiants passionnés ont vécu une expérience inoubliable lors de notre école d’été d’introduction à l’archéologie grecque. Le programme, combinant des cours théoriques avec les visites de nombreux sites et musées parmi les plus importants de la Grèce, a tenu toutes ses promesses – et plus encore!

It is with great pleasure that we share the tremendous success of the fourth edition of the Canadian Institute in Greece’s Summer School, held in Attica and throughout the Peloponnese!

From May 4 to 24, 2025, 36 passionate students took part in an unforgettable experience during our introductory summer school in Greek archaeology. The program, combining theoretical courses with visits to many of Greece’s most important sites and museums, delivered on all its promises – and then some!

Ces 3 semaines d’immersion à la culture grecque, tant antique que moderne, ont débutés à Athènes. Les matinées étaient consacrées aux cours donnés aux locaux de l’ICG, un lieu d’échanges stimulants où nous avons abordé les fondements de l’archéologie grecque, l’analyse de céramique, l’étude des sanctuaires, des tombes et des cités antiques. En après-midi, place aux visites : La célèbre Acropole et son musée associé, les agoras grecque et romaine ainsi que le musée archéologique national ont permis aux étudiants de concrétiser les connaissances ayant été acquises en classe. Le tout fut ponctué de découvertes de la ville moderne d’Athènes dont un tour de son centre historique et l’ascension du mont Lycabette ainsi que de la colline Philopappou, offrant des points vues spectaculaire, sans oublier le diner de bienvenue à la taverne traditionnelle Klimataria, où les étudiant ont été initiés aux délicieux et conviviaux mezzés grecs!

These three weeks of immersion into both ancient and modern Greek culture began in Athens. Mornings were dedicated to lectures at the CIG headquarters, a stimulating space for discussion where we explored the foundations of Greek archaeology, ceramic analysis, the study of sanctuaries, tombs, and ancient cities. Afternoons were devoted to site visits: the iconic Acropolis and its museum, the Greek and Roman agoras, and the National Archaeological Museum all allowed students to put into practice the knowledge gained in class. These visits were complemented by discoveries of modern Athens, including a tour of its historic center, hikes up Mount Lycabettus and Philopappos Hill with their breathtaking views, and a welcome dinner at the traditional taverna Klimataria, where students were introduced to the delicious and convivial world of Greek meze!

Une escapade sur l’île d’Égine nous a permis d’admirer le majestueux temple d’Aphaïa, en parfaite harmonie avec le paysage marin ainsi que de profiter d’un moment de calme insulaire en dehors de la capitale. Puis, cap vers des sanctuaires majeurs de l’Attique avec Brauron et le temple de Poséidon au cap Sounion, deux lieux où se mêlent archéologie et mythologie!

A day trip to the island of Aegina gave us the opportunity to admire the majestic Temple of Aphaia, harmoniously set against the seascape, and to enjoy a moment of island calm away from the capital. We then visited major sanctuaries in Attica, including Brauron and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion – two sites where archaeology and mythology blend seamlessly.

La seconde moitié du séjour nous a emmenés sur les routes du Péloponnèse. Eleusis, Corinthe, Mycènes, Tirynthe, Épidaure, Sparte, Olympie, Delphes… Autant de noms chargés de mythes, d’histoire et surtout, d’archéologie, que nous avons pu explorer sur le terrain, en suivant les traces de Pausanias.

The second half of the program took us through the Peloponnese. Eleusis, Corinth, Mycenae, Tiryns, Epidaurus, Sparta, Olympia, Delphi… So many names steeped in myth, history, and above all, archaeology, which we were able to explore on site, following in the footsteps of Pausanias.

Moments forts ? Les compétitions amicales sur les anciens stades de Némée, Messène et Olympie, où les étudiants ont pu se glisser – le temps d’une course – dans la peau d’athlètes antiques. Ou encore les dégustations dans les tavernes locales et une visite mémorable d’un vignoble de la région viticole de Némée.

Highlights? Friendly competitions in the ancient stadiums of Nemea, Messene, and Olympia, where students briefly stepped into the shoes of ancient athletes. Also unforgettable were tastings at local tavernas and a memorable visit to a vineyard in the renowned wine region of Nemea.

La curiosité et l’enthousiasme des étudiants ont été constants. Qu’il s’agisse d’identifier des éléments architecturaux sur un site ainsi que les artéfacts y ayant été mis au jour, puis conservés dans les musées, de discuter des interprétations historiques ou simplement de savourer des plats bien garnis, chacun a pleinement joui de l’immersion culturelle et scientifique

Au-delà des connaissances acquises, c’est une véritable communauté d’apprentissage et de passionnés d’antiquité qui s’est créée au fil des jours. En quittant la Grèce, tous ont emporté avec eux bien plus que des photos : une nouvelle compréhension de la culture grecque, des amitiés durables et une irrépressible envie d’y retourner!

The students’ curiosity and enthusiasm remained constant. Whether identifying architectural elements at a site, analyzing artifacts unearthed and preserved in museums, debating historical interpretations, or simply enjoying a hearty meal, everyone fully embraced the cultural and academic immersion.

Beyond the knowledge gained, a true learning community and a circle of antiquity enthusiasts took shape over the days. As they left Greece, participants brought home far more than just photos: a deeper understanding of Greek culture, lasting friendships, and an irresistible desire to return!

Seeing Sites and Cities: my undergraduate experience living in Greece

2025-04-18T14:19:00.032+03:00

When I was in elementary school, I set a goal to travel to Athens. There was something about the history, and architecture that always stood out to me and was a major influence on my life and career. This used to be a long-term goal, and I had set a plan to visit when I had completed my masters. One can imagine my excitement when I was offered a 3-month internship working for the Canadian Institute in Greece (CIG). Working for 3 months allowed me to gain experience working in a library while offering me more than enough time to see many of the sites I have read about. What I didn’t expect was how this job may change me and my plans, and allow me to discover Athens and discover myself and my interests. So without any further introduction, what did I do while in Greece?

The first responsibility I want to discuss is my work at the CIG. For the past 12 weeks, I was tasked with a myriad of jobs in the CIG’s library. Most days were spent sorting and shelving books, while accessioning any new books that were delivered. Additionally, I was responsible for posting on the CIG’s social media, posting about my trips and announcing any upcoming events that occurred at the CIG. At first, this work was somewhat new to me, especially working in a library. However, as the weeks continued, I found that I enjoyed the library work. Creating order and structure out of disorganized books brought me a sense of joy, especially when reorganizing the library. As a result, this helped me to consider working in a library when I am back in Canada. The final jobs I received in this position were event work. During events, I prepared foods for the event and served wine. Compared to the library work, these events were far more familiar, and acted as a great way to refine my serving skills.

While the work was important to my position, travelling around Greece was another major aspect, and was probably the best part of my stay. At first, I was nervous about planning my trips, so I stuck to visits around the city’s sites and museums. My visits to sites like the Panathenaic stadium, Temple of Zeus, and the Ancient Agora helped me learn how to navigate the city, as well as build up my confidence in planning trips. If I were asked what my favorite site in Athens is, I would say that the Acropolis lived up to and exceeded my expectations. Having the opportunity to visit the Parthenon, and take photos of the surrounding architecture was one of if not the most memorable day I had in Athens. Meanwhile, my trips to museums helped me to see many artifacts and statues that I have studied firsthand. Take for instance my trip to the National Archaeological Museum, where I saw the mask of Agamemnon, the Statue of Poseidon, and the Antikythera mechanism, which had all been discussed in my university lectures. Seeing these artifacts up close gave me a better scope and size of larger artifacts, while allowing one to see the detailing in smaller artifacts. At the same time, these visits gave me the opportunity to see artifacts I had never learned about, such as at the Museum of Cycladic art, which surprised me in how invested I became in the Cycladic figurines from the Early Bronze Age. By traveling to the museum, I learned more about the Cycladic culture than I ever had in schools, where it was given a passing mention.

Eventually, I built up the confidence to take longer trips outside of Athens. From the seventh week onward, I tried to schedule trips outside of Athens every weekend, with some of my favorite trips being Delphi, Thessaloniki, Aegina, and Cape Sounion. These trips gave me a better view of Greece’s wide and varying landscape, which I came to love more with each trip. Tall mountains, wide valleys, and wondrous waterways and cliffs left me in awe just as much as the temples. Of all my trips, my favorite had to be the Island of Aegina, where the Temple of Aphaia resides. This temple stands out to me due to its archaeological importance in Aegina, as well as its history. Learning that there has always been a temple dating back to 500 BCE, and reading about the evolution of the patron goddess of the temple, from the Goddess Aphaia to Athena. Likewise, the city had so many sites to offer, and some delicious seafood. Finally, the Island reminded me greatly of Tobemorey, a seaside city I visit in Canada every Summer, providing this trip with a slight nostalgic tinge. Walking along the seaside, listening to the waves made me regret leaving, filling me with a need to return so I can visit the other islands in the Aegean sea.

A lot of what I discussed has primarily been what I did on my own. However, I believe that the most important thing I did was meet new people and make new friends. Traveling far from Canada could sometimes feel lonely, but participating in events around Athens allowed me to meet and connect with so many people. Large events were not the only way, as I frequently visited the Red Lion Pub to play darts with members of many of the surrounding institutes. As a result, many of my trips would not be on my own, and I was accompanied by a friend or two.

Overall, my trip to Athens and Greece overall has been a highlight in my life. I learned how to work in a library, visited some of the most beautiful sites, and made some excellent connections. Meanwhile I made some great friendships that will last long after I return to Canada. As a result, I find returning to Canada to be bittersweet, as while I enjoy returning, there is going to be so much more that I will miss. However, I know that I will inevitably return someday soon. So this is not a goodbye, but see you soon. Thank you to everyone I met, and thank you for reading.

Wyatt Lane
University of Waterloo Intern, winter 2025

Welcome, Wyatt!

2025-01-17T03:52:00.001+02:00

Earlier this week we welcomed our new intern from the University of Waterloo, Wyatt Lane, who will be with us in Athens until April.

Wyatt is an Honours Arts undergraduate student in Classical Studies. His interests predominantly lie in Greek Mythology and History, and examining modern retellings of Hellenistic Myths to understand changes in cultural norms.

Through his internship, Wyatt intends to receive a better understanding of Hellenistic religious practices by studying the sites and artifacts. He will then take this knowledge back to Canada to help him to continue his undergraduate studies and pursue a Graduate Degree in Classical Studies.

Jonathan Tomlinson
Assistant Director

Exploring Greece Through Festivals: My First Four Months as the Alföldi-Rosenbaum Fellow

2025-01-03T07:15:00.048+02:00

View over the acropolis of Athens and Mount Lykavitos

I first started coming to Greece in the summer of 2014 and never could have imagined that, 10 years later, I would still be travelling here for work. Thanks to the Elisabeth Alföldi-Rosenbaum Fellowship, I am now able to live in Athens for the first time, enjoying the beautiful city throughout the year. In September 2024 I began my stay at the Canadian Institute to finish up my doctoral research on “festivals and regional identity in Hellenistic Thessaly”, which has been aided greatly by the resources of the CIG, and the many contacts I have made as a CIG member.

Theatre at the archaeological site of Pleuron

The purpose of this fellowship being to complete my dissertation, I have spent many hours in the libraries of the foreign research institutes around Athens. In addition to the CIG, I have been able to conduct work in and browse through libraries such as the Blegen of the American School and the library of the British School. In addition to the many hours of research spent in these libraries, I have also been able to expand my research network by attending lectures at the various archaeological schools and institutes, with particular focus for the Greek Religion Seminars at the Swedish Institute in Athens and the TEXNH lectures at the Netherlands Institute in Athens. I am greatly looking forward to the upcoming semester, as the University of Thessaly in March will hold the 8^th annual conference “Αρχαιολογικό Έργο Θεσσαλίας και Στερεάς Ελλάδας” (ΑΕΘΣΕ). I look forward to attending again to solidify connections with other scholars working on Thessaly and hearing all about the new discoveries in the region.

Theatre A’ in Larisa, Thessaly

My research seeks to understand the role of festivals in identity-formation processes during the Hellenistic period in Thessaly and attempts to answer the question of how festivals served to connect communities within the region as well as the wider Greek world. My research adds to our regional knowledge of the role of religious festivals in the increasingly internationalized Hellenistic world. This research centers on a comprehensive assessment of Thessalian religious festivals and their interplay with identity formation on a local, regional, and international scale, which serves as an important comparison for other regions in this time period. The dataset for this research primarily involves inscriptions, but also archaeological evidence such as theatres and sanctuaries.

View over the Thessalian plains

There is nothing more inspiring for someone working on Ancient Greece than having the opportunity to walk the streets of Athens, seeing all the ancient remains you have spent your life studying and imagining yourself walking the footsteps of those you study. In between all the work in libraries, I have managed to take research trips as well as more leisurely trips to broaden my knowledge of Greece. This has included travelling around the Peloponnese focussing on many of the sites that held the ancient Panhellenic festivals, as this comparanda connects particularly to my research. Other trips have included exploring Attica more broadly, as well as daily walks around Athens, and the occasional hike up Mount Hymettos.

Christmas lights at Syntagma square

This first semester has more than lived up to my expectations. In addition to academic opportunities, I have also made many personal connections and friends from around Athens, with Red Lion nights really helping to meet those from other archaeological schools. As I fly back to Edmonton for the holidays, I can happily reflect on the first semester of Alföldi-Rosenbaum Fellowship and look forward to the upcoming term!

Καλά Χριστούγεννα και Καλή Χρονιά!
Adam Wiznura, Elisabeth Alföldi-Rosenbaum Fellow 2024-2025

From Catalogues to Colossals: Unearthing History During My Greek Odyssey

2024-12-27T07:34:00.038+02:00

This fall has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life. As an intern at the Canadian Institute in Greece (CIG), I’ve had the opportunity to immerse myself in the heart of Mediterranean history and culture, all while gaining hands-on experience that has deepened my passion for archaeology. My journey began with a flight to Athens, marking my first visit to Greece. Watching the sunrise from the plane as it glided over the Aegean Sea, I felt a mixture of excitement and awe. This was the start of an adventure that would shape my understanding of history, archaeology, and myself.

Settling into the CIG guest apartments, I quickly adapted to the rhythm of life in Athens. The view from my new home was breathtaking, with the Acropolis standing as a constant reminder of the rich past I had come to study. My mornings often began with walks through the vibrant streets, where I encountered local wildlife like cats and turtles, adding charm to my daily routine. At the institute, my work was both rewarding and eye-opening. From cataloguing books to assisting with day-to-day operations, I gained valuable insight into the behind-the-scenes efforts that support archaeological research. The institute’s library became a treasure trove of knowledge, where I delved deeper into topics I had studied at Laurier and would carry with me to Queen’s University.

Beyond my work, Greece itself became my classroom. Visiting the Acropolis, I marveled at the Parthenon’s enduring grandeur and imagined the lives of those who had once walked its marble steps. A trip to Delphi allowed me to stand where the ancient oracles once did, the sacred aura of the site complemented by the breathtaking view of the Parnassus mountains.

At Mycenae, I stepped through the famous Lion Gate and into a civilization I had only read about, feeling the weight of history in every stone. Epidaurus revealed the incredible ingenuity of ancient Greek engineering, with its theater’s acoustics leaving me in awe.

Cape Sounion provided the perfect end to a day with its stunning sunset over the Temple of Poseidon. A visit to Meteora was another unforgettable highlight. The towering rock formations, crowned with monasteries, felt like stepping into another world. Watching the sun set over the Thessalian plains, casting the monasteries in golden light, was a moment of peace and reflection that I will carry with me forever. Each site enriched my understanding of ancient Greece and its profound influence on the modern world. The connections between the archaeological remains and the history I had studied became clearer with every visit.

The experience wasn’t limited to history; it was also about people and culture. From conversations with fellow interns and archaeologists to evenings spent enjoying Greek cuisine and exploring Athens’ vibrant neighborhoods, I’ve come to appreciate the warmth and hospitality of the Greek people.As my time in Greece comes to a close, I’m incredibly grateful to the Canadian Institute in Greece for this opportunity. The knowledge I’ve gained, both academic and personal, will guide me as I continue my studies and pursue a career in archaeology. This summer was more than an internship—it was a journey through history, culture, and self-discovery. I look forward to the day I return to Greece, not just to revisit its ancient wonders but to continue learning and growing in the field I love.

Dante Campanella
Wilfrid Laurier University Intern, Fall 2024

John Fossey, 1943–2024

2024-12-17T09:57:00.004+02:00

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of John Fossey, Professor Emeritus at McGill University, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and one of the founding members of the Canadian Institute in Greece. He passed away on December 1st.

John taught at McGill for over 30 years and helped to establish its program in Classical Archaeology. He conducted excavations in Greece and was first Canadian archaeologist to work on Greek diaspora sites in the region of the Black Sea, including fieldwork in Bulgaria and Georgia. A prolific scholar, John authored nine books, among which was The History of the Greek Diaspora: From Antiquity to Modern Times, and over 100 journal articles. He inspired a generation of scholars throughout his career.

During meetings and discussions in the early 1970s, John was one of the key individuals who helped found the Canadian Institute in Greece (originally called the Canadian Archaeological Institute at Athens). Along with Bob Buck from the University of Alberta, John lobbied other archaeological organizations in Canada and the first report of a new institute being founded that would focus on Greece occurred at the November 1973 general meeting of the Canadian Society for Archaeology and Abroad (an organization for which John had also served as President). Approval of the new Institute as a legal entity in Canada occurred in 1974. Lobbying continued and John and his colleagues helped Canada establish a "foreign archaeological school" in Greece on February 12, 1976. John served as the first President of the Board of this new Institute and also its first Director, until 1979.

Part of John’s motivation for establishing a Canadian institute in Greece was the difficulties he and other Canadian researchers were having in obtaining fieldwork permits in the early 1970s. In 1972, John excavated at Lake Vouliagmeni on the Perachora peninsula under the aegis of the British School at Athens. The BSA did not offer a permit for this work to continue in 1973. Another of the founding members of the CIG, John Desmarais, reported that John was so incensed by this outcome, he vowed to create a Canadian institute.

John continued to support the CIG throughout his life and made large donations of books to our library, most recently in 2020. The CIG owes a great debt to John for his tireless work in helping to establish a new foreign archaeological school in Athens and for working to ensure that fieldwork permits would be available to Canadian archaeologists working in Greece. Without him, we would not be here today.

We offer our utmost condolences to John’s children, Jean-Paul, Myrtis, and Pauline, and the rest of his family. And we offer our most sincere thanks to John for everything he did to help establish the CIG.

https://jjcardinal.ca/en/m-john-michael-fossey/#comment-16768

Welcome, Adam and Dante!

2024-09-27T04:58:00.001+03:00

The new academic year has begun at the Institute, and we welcome the Institute’s 2024-2025 Alföldi-Rosenbaum Fellow, Adam Wiznura, and Wilfrid Laurier University intern, Dante Campanella.

Adam Wiznura is a PhD student in Ancient History at the University of Groningen, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Onno van Nijf and Dr. Christina Williamson. His PhD project is entitled “Connecting the Greeks: Regional Festival Networks in Hellenistic and Roman Thessaly”.

Festivals of all types, including athletic and religious festivals, contribute to a sense of belonging and identity at a local level and are a way of creating connectivity at a regional level. This research posits that festivals and festival networks played a large part in the creation of a Thessalian regional identity. Festivals in Thessaly, during the Hellenistic and early Roman Periods, are of importance as they represent not only connectivity between peoples in Thessaly, but because of the erratic and uncertain nature of the period in Thessaly (invasions, forced population movements, increased foreign contacts, and political and religious reforms), the festivals are a good chronological indicator of how beliefs and customs were ever changing but could also stay the same. His research seeks to understand the roles of festivals in identity-formation processes during the Hellenistic period in Thessaly. It also attempts to answer the question of how festivals served to connect communities within the region as well as the wider Greek world, and the role of festivals in establishing a cohesive sense of regional identity.

Thanks to the Elisabeth Alföldi-Rosenbaum Fellowship, Adam hopes to complete the writing of his dissertation and do supplementary research further analysing the athletic culture in Thessaly during the Roman period, to which his nine-month stay in Greece is instrumental. He will not only be able to have access to a wide variety of publications in the Canadian Institute in Greece and other foreign institutes but will also be able to interact with scholars who share common research interests. Additional research trips through Thessaly will also aid in the contextualisation of festivals within the region.

Dante Campanella recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Archaeology and Heritage Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University. Dante is now a graduate student at Queen’s University studying Classical Archaeology with a special interest in the Eastern Mediterranean.

During his undergrad Dante participated in field training in Madaba, Jordan where he gained a better understanding of archaeology in the Eastern Mediterranean. Dante wishes to investigate further into the relationships between different peoples regarding trade and the economy in the classical period.

Exploring Greece will allow Dante to better understand the relationships between people and its impact on trade and the economy by looking at sites and artifacts which show this relationship.

Jonathan Tomlinson
Assistant Director

The Central Achaia Phthiotis Survey (CAPS): the 2024 season

2024-09-06T11:23:00.003+03:00

The fifth field season of the Central Achaia Phthiotis Survey (CAPS) project ran from July 6th to August 11th 2024. We welcomed back staff and volunteers as well as new field schools students. Despite the soaring temperatures (up to 40°C!) we had a successful and fun season!

The CAPS 2024 team. We are unfortunately missing Sophia Karapanou in the picture.

The project, codirected by Dr. Margriet Haagsma (University of Alberta) and Sophia Karapanou (Ephorate of Antiquities in Larissa, Thessaly), is funded by Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Faculty of Arts of the University of Alberta. We have the pleasure of working with the support of the Canadian Institute in Greece (CIG), the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, the Municipality of Pharsala, and the town and people of Narthaki. We would like to thank all the many people involved in our project running so successfully. A special thanks to the mayor of Pharsala, Makis Eskioglou, who generously supported the addition of air conditioning units to the school where the students stay and visited us for dinner. We are fortunate to work with the village proedros, Thanasis Lelentzis, who is always available to help things run smoothly. Finally, we would like to thank Elias Papadopoulos and his family for their kindness and hospitality.

The CAPS project is interested in land use over time and seeks a diachronic understanding of the region: we ask how people's experience of the landscape has changed and how human actions have impacted the landscape. These research questions are addressed through a combination of intensive (broad, systematic survey over a large area) and extensive (long range, targeted recording of sites of interest) survey methodologies. Since the beginning of the CAPS project in 2019, we have been able to collect a tremendous amount of data regarding the past of Achaia Phthiotis, documenting material from the Neolithic to Early Modern periods.

Beyond ancient changes to the landscape we are increasingly aware of modern anthropogenic impacts. The solar panel prjects that were in the planning stages last year are now more conspicuously under construction with much of our survey area being impacted. The situation is complex, with many stakeholders including local landowners, foreign energy companies, and the Greek ephorate. Fortunately, thanks to the work of the Ephorate based on the results of our previous years of survey, areas with high densities of archaeological material have been excluded from the construction.

This season the field survey teams, consisting of University of Alberta field school students, volunteers, and staff, focused closer to our home in the village of Narthaki, intensively surveying agricultural fields. One major area of interest was the vicinity of the modern village of Platanos. This small village has been a landmark for both the CAPS project and previous Kastro Kallithea Archaeological Project, passed by almost every morning on the way to the Kastro at Kallithea or to regions marked for survey. Beginning in 2023 and continuing this year, we began investigating the settlement near enough to begin uncovering both its recent and more distant past.

In the first week of 2024, we began seeing the first signs of late Ottoman pottery in the region, as well as ceramic water pipes. Both speak to the longstanding occupation of the site, but it was not until the second week of the project (and the first week with field school students!) that we began to appreciate the volume of material. Field school students were treated to many archaeologists' dreams: a long-term dumping site. From near the edge of Platanos, huge volumes of broken ceramic, dating from the modern back to at least the Ottoman period attested to the long and intense occupation of the settlement. These findings are somewhat unusual for our survey project, which normally collects highly dispersed material, rather than a site of occupation. The material we have recovered dates from c. 18th to 19th century CE, speaking to the early modern occupation of the region, and the likely presence of the Ottoman çiftlik Tzakerlı.

As we moved further from Platanos, we once again began to once again recover older material. Moving further from the modern settlement, we began to encounter fields with large concentrations of stones, out of context, but possibly hinting at early architecture. Fragmentary ceramics, from these areas point to the long standing occupation of this region, with pottery sherds ranging in date from the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman periods recovered. Less frequently, we also caught a glimpse of even earlier periods, when stone tools and lithic debitage dating as far back as the Neolithic period were collected.

Undergraduate students Abraar, Erin, and Emme showing the archaeological material recovered from a single tract!

Along with our intensive survey, we were joined by Dr. Grigoris N. Tsokas (University of Thessaly) and his team who performed geophysical survey of two sites of interest: Kastraki and Platanos Magoula. The Platanos Magoula was discovered as part of the CAPS survey during the 2021 season. Professor Tsokas kindly invited the field school students to watch the work in the field and gave a lecture on the methods using case studies drawn from the 400 sites (!) he and his team have surveyed. The results of this analysis will inform future work in the region.

Field school students, volunteers, and staff at Dr. Grigoris N. Tsokas’ lecture on geophysical survey.

In addition to our director, Dr. Margriet Haagsma, and the undergraduate field school students, the team consisted of a graduate students and volunteers (Dustin Berndt-Setter, Kate Grabinsky, Anna Hijmans, Amilia Hildahl, Ava Laville, Matt Spinks, and Dana Stephens) who worked hard to make the field season a success. Ed Middleton (McMaster University) ran the intensive survey as field director with Ava Laville. Dr. Magie Aiken (Swedish Museum of Natural History) was responsible for the GIS of the survey. The apothiki was run by Adam Wiznura (University of Groningen) who taught students how to classify ceramic material. Dr. Gino Canlas (University of Western Ontario) supervised the study of the material from Kastraki, one of the archaeological sites we identified in the survey. We were joined by Dr. Sandra Garvie-Lok (University of Alberta) who worked with faunal material from the Kastro Kallithea project and was kind enough to teach a module on isotope analysis to the students.

Beyond our survey work, the field school students benefited from field trips to visit archaeological sites, museums, and other archaeological projects. If you are interested in more information on our project you can check out our website https://caps.artsrn.ualberta.ca/ or, if you’re interested in the pictures, you can find us on Instagram (@achaiaphthiotis) and Facebook (Central Achaia Phthiotis Survey).

Magie Aiken, Margriet Haagsma, Edward Middleton, CAPS

The Abdera Urban Plan Project (AUPP 2024): A Multidisciplinary approach to the study of urban identities

2024-08-30T11:11:00.002+03:00

Abdera, Thrace (Kallintzi 2010)

The Abdera Urban Plan Project (AUPP) is a three-year SSHRC project (2023-2026) co-directed by Maria Chrysafi of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Xanthi and Maria Papaioannou, Department of Historical Studies, University of New Brunswick with generous support from the Canadian Institute in Greece, the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, the museum at Abdera, the local community and the Prefecture of Xanthi. The AUPP began its first season this summer with a well-attended public lecture on June 15^th at the Abdera Museum by Maria Papaioannou entitled “Living in Roman Greece” that included a brief overview of the AUPP project. Following the lecture, enthusiastic attendees (students and non-students) came forward to volunteer for next summer’s excavations! The following Monday a geophysical survey of the site began under sunny and hot June skies accompanied by a cool breeze from the Aegean.

The island of Thasos in the blue background. View from the archaeological site of Abdera

For those not familiar with the site, Abdera is located along the Thracian coastal in the prefecture of Xanthi, just 5km south of the modern village of Abdera that features a majestic view of the island of Thasos against a clear blue sky. The city was first founded in the 7^th and 6^th centuries BC by colonist from Asia Minor, and subsequently became a very wealthy and powerful city state as evidenced by its coins found in far away places such as Egypt and Mesopotamia; the poet Pindar praises the city for its ‘plentiful vines and bountiful fruits.’ For those however who favour the mythical foundation story, it was Heracles apparently who founded the city naming it after his companion Abderos who unfortunately met a grewsome death, devoured by the famous man-eating horses of the Thracian king, Diomedes. In historical times Abdera was the home of many famous Greek poets and philosophers, among them Demokritos the father of the atom theory. The physician Hippocrates is also known to have spent some time there apparently invited by the citizens of Abdera to cure the ailing Demokritos.

Abdera, aerial view of Insula of Houses with the Roman period peristyle house to the north (viewer’s left)

The site was first excavated in the 1950s by the newly appointed Director of Antiquities of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Demetrios Lazarides, who discovered the remains of fragmentary houses of a late classical-Hellenistic grid planned city. No complete housing block has ever been investigated and only one-well preserved Roman period peristyle house from the Insula of Houses was revealed in its entirety (albeit missing almost entirely its north wall). The boundary roads to the east, west and south of this insula were discovered in subsequent investigations conducted between 1996 and 2019 by the Archaeological Service of Xanthi, but the north road has not been identified. Previous studies on this housing block includes an architectural study of the Roman period peristyle house (figs. 3 and 4) by the AUPP co-director Maria Papaioannou and in 2016 with an Insight Grant from SSHRC, Maria and collaborator Peter Dare from Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering UNB conducted Terrestrial Laser Scanning to create a digital archive of the Insula of Houses and visualization theories.

The results of these earlier investigations sparked an interest in the study of the built environment, the various architectural phases of the Insula of Houses from Hellenistic to Roman times and its impact on urban identities. This new data combined with past studies will contribute to our understanding of the various political, social and economic networks that helped shape the town-plan of Abdera. We hope to answer questions that help identify those responsible for the project, what group of people it meant to accommodate, and the types of housing that existed at different time periods. The outcomes may challenge the long-standing theories regarding the uniform layout of the town plan of Abdera based on the democratic notion of isonomia, as some researchers have postulated.

The AUPP office under the oak tree at the SW corner of the site. The survey team taking a lunch break. From left, Nikos Papadopoulos, Gianluca Cantoro, Angelo Plageras and Demitri Oikonomou

On June 17^th the FORTH Team from the Institute for Mediterranean Studies arrived and set up their office beneath a large oak tree at the northwest corner of the site. Although there were some delays as the Wi-Fi was not cooperating, which made it difficult for Angelo and Demitri to establish a connection between the GPS and the magnetometer, the problem was soon resolved, and work began. Next Ground Penetrating Radar was also applied followed by Electrical Resistivity conducted by Niko (Research Director of FORTH) in selective areas that required some additional clarification. Digital documentation (TLS) of the site in areas not previously covered in the 2016 study was conducted by Gianluca, Archaeologist of the National Research Council of Italy and member of the FORTH team.

Nikos and Angelo conducting electrical resistivity; Maria Papaioannou “mowing the lawn -and lending a hand with the GPR; TLS by Gianluca; Dimitri and Angelo with the magnetometer

GPR revealed remains of a peristyle house (highlighted in a red rectangle) at the southwest corner of the Roman period peristyle house at the north end of the insula

Preliminary results from the geohpysical survey have revealed some exciting finds. A complete plan of a large house, featuring remains of well-preserved stone walls, with rooms surrounding a central peristyle coutryard appeared just to the southwest corner of the excavated Roman peristyle house! (Rectangular red area in figure 7). The dimensions appear to be similar to those of the Roman peristyle house which features a ground floor plan of approximately 500 m2. This was an unexpected find that made our day! The final results will be submitted by the FORTH team in September. Based on the geophysical findngs we will select areas to conduct test trenches next summer. We hope to locate the road boardering the north side of the Insula of Houses and thus verify the exact dimensions of the insula, identify walls and plans of early Hellenistic period houses and confirm the existance of structures (domestic?) in the neighbouring insulae to the north, east and south. We look forward to organizing our 2025 field project and excavating a site next season which promises to be full of surprises… we hope!

At the end of the day…Dimitri, Nikos, Angelo, Gianluca, Maria Ch. and Maria P.

Former Director of the Ephorate of Xanthi, Konstantina Kallintzi, and current Deputy Director Maria Chrysafi surveying from the north end of the housing block the cleared areas surrounding the Insula of Houses.

Maria Papaioannou, University of New Brunswick, co-director, AUPP

The Bays of East Attica Regional Survey (BEARS) 2024: Koroni-ing Achievement

2024-08-23T11:05:00.001+03:00

Miriam Clinton and Robert Stephan atop a ruined structure while mapping on Koroni in 2024

Anyone who spends enough time working on archaeological field projects will eventually learn several immutable ‘rules’ about how things tend to go. First, the most interesting and exciting finds always appear on the very last day of an excavation when you desperately need to backfill trenches and wrap things up to complete the season. Second, whenever you wish there would be a nice breeze to cool your team off on a hot day, the air will be a thick, humid doldrum of stillness, while on days where you need to fly your drone, the most horrendous hurricane-force gales will mercilessly pummel your site as if propelled by a vengeful god. Finally, most definitely guaranteed: you can rely on the fact that no matter how many times you test out your electronic equipment prior to the season, it will not work properly when you really need it to – this is especially true if there are important or many people staring at you as you continuously click buttons, turn the unit on and back off again, and otherwise struggle to troubleshoot various tech issues while muttering and cursing quietly under your breath.

In other words, archaeological projects almost involve at least a little bit of chaos, and even the best-laid plans end up scattered in a colorful confetti of nonsense on the lab floor. This is not meant as a criticism! Rather, it simply comes with the territory. Many practitioners (present company included) arrive in the field having freshly emerged, gollum-like, from dark winter lairs requiring struggles with musty tomes rather than dGPS units and require a few beats to reboot. Archaeological fieldwork involves a lot of elements that are out of one’s control – like the weather – or hard to predict – like what turns up when you stick a shovel in the ground. Part of the fun of the entire operation is that you don’t really know how things are going to go and must make constant adjustments to deal with surprises, as in a video game.

After 15+ years spent learning these rules, I was fully prepared to embrace a ‘chaotic era’ while getting ready to co-direct a field project for the first time in 2019, when we were setting up for the first season of the Bays of East Attica Regional Survey (BEARS), back in 2019. Weirdly, however, the project went extremely smoothly, with an almost disappointing lack of proper chaos from beginning to end, even taking into account the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Every season we had about the exact amount of time and personnel that we needed to do what we needed to do, usually finishing up fieldwork a few days early so that we could spend time tidying up loose ends. Nobody got injured, no drones were crashed, and we never even lost a team member or an artifact into the sea, despite many opportunities amidst transferring people and objects on/off a boat nearly every day of every season. There was a potentially chaotic moment on the last day of mapping on Raftis Island in 2023, when we found a gold coin while walking back to the boat to leave (see rule #1 above). But even then, all we had to do was put it in a bag and take it to the museum – hardly making a confetti of nonsense out of our plans!

Team members hopping off the dinghy onto Raftis Island via beach-rock hopscotch in July 2024

The closest we had to a chaos, I suppose, arrived courtesy of the unexpectedly massive tangle of architectural remains on the Koroni peninsula. The Koroni peninsula, located at the south end of the bay of Porto Rafti, is home to a fortified acropolis and town, mostly datable to the Hellenistic period (third century BCE) and associated with Ptolemaic mercenaries arriving to the area during the Chremonidean War (260s BCE). A small team of researchers from the American School of Classical Studies had produced a plan of the fortifications and other architecture on the site during a brief campaign in 1960. Since mapping and documentation technology has advanced considerably during the last sixty years, one of our goals in the BEARS project was to revisit the architecture on Koroni and re-document the remains to create an updated plan of the site, with a team of mappers led by Miriam Clinton from Rhodes College.

It turns out that the original plan of the site made by the ASCSA team was, to put it generously, a bit more of an abstraction, verging towards imaginary fever dream territory, than an accurate recording. As we progressed with Koroni mapping during the 2022 season, it became clear that there were hundreds upon hundreds of walls on the site that had simply been ignored by the ASCSA team, stretching across the saddle below the acropolis and down its slopes on all sides. We threw a ton of personnel at the project of completing a proper map of all these walls in 2022. However, much of the site is now badly overgrown, not to mention steep and sheltered from any breeze by the acropolis looming above, so the work was punishing, and progress slow. Moreover, the more team members slogged about the site, the more unknown and unmapped structures kept emerging from the bushes. Thus, following yet another seven-week campaign of mapping on Koroni during the 2023 study season, there remained at least eighty full undocumented structures in the saddle of the site.

Pondering architecture amidst the thorny slopes of the Koroni saddle

Thus, Miriam, myself, and fellow BEARS lifer Robert Stephan doggedly returned to finish the Koroni map in early June 2024. All in all, we ended up mapping more than 1,000 walls on Koroni, including not only Hellenistic structures, but also architecture dating to the Bronze Age, and many probably Medieval or Early Modern installations that had been ignored in previous maps. I am happy to report that the dGPS unit (mostly) behaved itself – following the obligatory preliminary muttering session on day one, of course!

In some ways it was slightly less than ideal to have such a small rump of a 2024 season; surely much more elegant to call it a full wrap after the epic and hugely productive 2023 campaign! At the same time, it was great fun to have an opportunity to spend a mellow time in the field churning through tasks with two very old and dear friends (I met Miriam working on the Saronic Harbors Archaeological Research Project way back in 2008 while Rob and I were in grad school together from 2007–2013). I guess that’s another important rule of archaeology – one of the best parts is that you get to meet amazing and interesting people who become your friends for life!

Triumphant Koroni mappers of 2024 after completing documentation of the final feature

In addition to – at long last – completing the gargantuan task of mapping Koroni, the work of the BEARS project in 2024 included a geological component. As readers of the 2023 BEARS blog post may recall, amongst the surprising finds from Raftis Island were a huge assemblage of groundstone artifacts made from a chaotic array of different materials – andesites and basalts and granodiorites and magnetites and gabbros galore! Thus, in July we arranged for a geologist, Christos Stergiou, to visit Raftis along with our groundstone specialist Eleni Chreiazomenou to gather some material for geochemical sampling and analyses, which will help us to better understand where all these materials came from. That, in turn, will help us fill in our reconstruction of the trade and exchange networks people living on Raftis in the Bronze Age may have been involved with.

Eleni Chreiazomenou and Christos Stergiou with a heap of groundstone artifacts on Raftis Island

It was a beautiful day out on the island, though of course (see rule #2 above) it was very, very windy, which made getting onto and off the steep slopes of the island a fun challenge (especially at the end of the day when everyone’s bags were weighed down with many kilograms of special rocks). Christos and Eleni also joined us in the Brauron museum the following day to have another look at the material we had collected in previous seasons. I was excited to learn that some of our ‘mystery rocks’ (every project has them!) are in fact iron ores, which may add another prong to the “fires of industry” theme of the project’s results. Some of these will also be sent for geochemical analysis, which will help us determine where they might have come from. It will be very interesting to see how these results shake out, hopefully over the coming year.

Eleni and Christos working with groundstone artifacts in the museum

Meanwhile, my co-director Catherine Pratt and I have begun gathering chapters for the final publication of the project’s results. We are excited to have many new things to say about the history and archaeology of this beautiful corner of Attica, from the hard-earned new multi-period architectural map of Koroni to detailed information about geological materials entering the bay in the Bronze Age, and heaps more in between. Thanks, as always, to all readers for taking an interest in our work in Porto Rafti and to the many organizations and individuals who have made the BEARS project possible!

Eleni, Christos, and the author traipsing off into the horizon on the slopes of Raftis Island

Sarah Murray, University of Toronto, co-director, BEARS

Archaeology at ancient Eleon and Graduate Training

2024-08-16T10:55:00.036+03:00

Eastern Boeotia Archaeological Project team photo 2024

From May 13-June 23, 2024, the Eastern Boeotia Archaeological Project again conducted excavations at the site of ancient Eleon in central Greece. This project is a synergasia of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Boeotia, directed by Alexandra Charami, and the Canadian Institute in Greece working with the University of Victoria. In 2024, we continued excavations, but rather than work on the top of the low plateau where we have previously worked and uncovered substantial Mycenaean remains, this year, we moved our investigation to the lower town surrounding the acropolis. In previous seasons we had surveyed in this area and noted polygonal masonry comparable to the large polygonal wall along the eastern edge of the acropolis. We opened trenches to test our survey methods and we were very successful in exposing a significant stretch of the lower town fortification system, complete with towers and stone socles which supported mudbrick superstructure. With detailed study of the ceramics, including roof tiles, we discovered that the construction date of the fortification system is in the late Archaic period, and it was destroyed in the early Classical age (ca. 500-450 BCE). We hope to report on this work at the Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America in January 2025 in Philadelphia.

Lower town tower (left) and wall socle (right)

Trevor Van Damme and pottery in apothiki (left) and excavation (right)

Our work in 2024, like every year since the Eastern Boeotia Archaeological Project began in 2007, provides research-engaged learning and university course credit for undergraduates at the University of Victoria, Wellesley College, and other universities in Canada and the US. Some of our team members miss their graduation at their home institution so we have our own ‘EBAP Graduation’ party each summer.

Graduates 2024: Lucas Goulden, Shayla Faminow, Riley Kernohan, Haley Bertram, Hana Sugioka, Ben Watts Wooldridge

Excavation supervisors: Bryan Burns, Hana Sugioka, Graham Braun, Haley Bertram, Ben Watts Wooldridge, Brendan Burke

In addition to hands-on learning for undergraduates, EBAP also provides research opportunities and experience for graduate students who engage with material from our project, supervise excavation, and conduct research projects of their own. Many of these projects have resulted in Master’s theses and PhD dissertations. In 2024, we had four excellent graduate students who supervised individual trenches and we are very grateful for their dedication. All the supervisors have worked with our project previously including Haley Bertram, who started with us in 2011 and successfully completed her dissertation at the University of Cincinnati. Haley was the senior supervisor leading the team and will start as Resident Instructor at the Intercollegiate Center in Rome in September. Hana Sugioka just completed her MA at the University of Texas at Austin in Art History and will start a PhD at UC Berkeley after an internship at the Getty Museum. Ben Watts Wooldridge is completing his MA at the University of Victoria and will start his PhD work at Princeton University this year. Graham Braun completed his MA at UBC and is in the PhD program at Cincinnati. This coming year he will be the Emily Vermeule fellow as a Regular Member of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Our graduate student supervisors are an extremely valuable part of the team and without their detailed record keeping and effective management of our undergraduate students, we would not have accomplished all that we did in 2024.

Team on break from lower town excavation

One of the things all graduates are told about their research projects, especially their PhD dissertation topics, is that their work should be original and one that advances the field of archaeology and Greek studies. Finding something new to say can be a great challenge since the field of Classical archaeology has such a long and distinguished history. By providing newly excavated material from our excavation for study, analysis, and publication, our project believes it is a doubly successful endeavor: graduate students get original material to work on to complete their degrees and our shared research results are disseminated and published. Recent projects include Haley Bertram looking at our archaic and classical figurines for an MA at UBC; Max MacDonald looking at textile equipment for an MA at UVic; Matthew Bullock studying faunal remains from Eleon for his MA in Anthropology MA at UVic; Janelle Sadarananda studying clay chemistry of the Archaic ceramics for her PhD at the University of Pennsylvania; Scott Evans looking at the lithic/chipped stone from Eleon for his UVic MA; Alix Galumbeck examining the bull figures and Mycenaean religion at Eleon for her UVic MA; Ben Watts Wooldridge from UVic studying figural decorated pottery from ancient Eleon for his MA; and Krysten Cruz studying our early Mycenaean human population for her PhD at Texas Tech.

Janelle Sadarananda presenting her petrography research

In addition, we work with young scholars who include material from Eleon in their wider regional studies, some as post-doctoral projects. This includes Vernon Stafford from the University of Tennessee, Sally McGrath UNB, Bella Dimova of the British School at Athens, Amanda Gaggioli at the University of Memphis, Chris Hale of the Polish Academy of Science, Jeremey Beller and Annika Berendt from the University of Victoria, and Symeon Gkinoudis from Groningen University. Having advanced students and young scholars keeps our project engaged with the most recent methods of research and theory, and it provides a clear inspiration to our undergraduates on the wide variety of fields that engage with our excavations at Eleon. They see what is possible for them to continue their studies in the field of archaeology, classics, anthropology, etc. Interdisciplinary training is also important for graduate students who are specializing in history and literature, including Luke Montgomery and Grace Niehaus, pursuing their MAs at the University of Victoria.

Symeon Gkinoudis presenting his research on paleobotany

We greatly value the contributions that all of our team members make to the project, but we especially appreciate our graduate students. We look forward to continuing working with them in the future and hope that many of them will incorporate research from Eleon in their future projects.. We look forward to continuing our work at ancient Eleon in 2025 and are very grateful to the Canadian Institute in Greece and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Boeotia for all of their help.

Team leaving ancient Eleon 2024

Brendan Burke, Bryan Burns & Trevor Van Damme, EBAP

My Life is in (Ancient Greek) Ruins

2024-08-09T05:47:00.001+03:00

When I got the news I was accepted for the CIG internship I was ecstatic. I just finished the third year of my undergraduate degree in Mediterranean Archaeology and felt a longing to engage with the material I was learning about in class. I had never been to Southern Europe before, but even as I saw the sun rise near the end of the 8 hour plane journey, I know I was going to embark on a life-changing adventure.

I was put to work straight away, helping out and guiding other travelers who had also just arrived in Greece to the CIG guest apartments. I also set to exploring my new home for the summer, and getting used to the entirely unfamiliar Greek sun. Although I started to melt right away, I was able to visit Hadrian's library. I was fascinated by the supple marble, porous clay bricks, and the simple fact that I was standing in the same places as the people I studied while an ocean away.

My time in Greece followed this pattern of helping keep the institute running and cataloguing newly arrived books, then going out to explore on the evenings and weekends. One weekend I was visiting Delphi and the scenic Mountain town of Arachova, while the next I was off to ancient Mycenae and Epidaurus. I was able to cross the Aegean to visit Aegina; sampling pistachios and running up mountains scattered with ruins of a long gone city. Even within Athens, after work was over, I toured through the city visiting sites like Philoppapos Hill, The Agora, The Acropolis and more. Much to my delight, I had the opportunity to peruse the collections of artifacts and sculptures like those at Benaki Museum or the National Archaeological Museum, unburdened by the cost of entry thanks to the Ministry of Culture pass I received as part of my internship.

On top of all this, then there were darts nights at the Red Lion. Here I was able to bask in the familiar presences of my Professors from Trent, alongside new faces like Janne, the Intern from the Finnish institute. I was able to talk to working Archaeologists, those who I hope to join as I continue onwards forming my skills as an apprentice in the field, pushed on by a reinforced passion for history. Now, I also may or may not have a new hobby to pick up back in Canada. I even had the opportunity to celebrate Canada day under the Acropolis with the Ambassador of Canada; an event I was extremely privileged and honoured to be invited to, and which was only possible through the Internship.

Now not only do I have hobbies and souvenirs to bring back, but also friends and experiences that will last with me for the rest of my professional and personal life. One of these memories was a trip to Meteora, where I was able to watch the sun slowly slide below the horizon, casting bronze light across the Thessalian plains. Here, I met some friends and acquaintances I knew from back home, which made the fading sunlight feel even warmer. Another fond memory I'll keep with me is watching the sunset over the Odeon of Herodes Atticus as Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto is beautifully played by an orchestra as part of the Athens-Epidaurus festival.

The story doesn't even end there, as my last excursion outside of Athens during the internship came and went like the sun over the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. Through my work at the internship, I found the resources and advice I needed to be able to make a pilgrimage to Mount Athos in August. This experience, I hope, will round out this chapter of my life as one full of professional, spiritual and personal growth. While I’ve seen a few beautiful sunsets over the ruins in Greece, I hope that because of the time I spent here, I’ll be able to come back one day and experience the sunrise over the ancient sites to which I’ve decided to dedicate my career.

Brandon Montague

Trent University intern, summer 2024

Many visits to Greece, yet more to discover!

2024-08-02T05:56:00.001+03:00

As my internship at the Canadian Institute in Greece ends, it brings up the reflection on my time spent here in Athens and the responsibilities and activities I have partaken in. Over the last two and a half months, I have been able to learn new things and experience places I have visited before but go to others I had never been to. This internship helped me to step out of my comfort zone and put myself out there a little more.

My graduate studies in European Affairs led me to the institute for the completion of an internship in Europe, and I am grateful to have been introduced to the institute in the past while completing a course for my undergraduate studies here in Greece. Although I do not have a strong knowledge of archaeology, this internship motivated me to learn more about Greece’s history and be more aware of how archaeology has influenced our modern world. While my main tasks at the institute were working in the library organizing and cataloguing the books, I was also given the opportunity to assist with events and meet new people.

As many of you have been following our adventures on social media, managing and providing content gave me the opportunity to explore parts of Athens that I never had before. One of the expeditions that I was most excited to go to and gather content for was the ancient Greek Agora. For years I have been trying to go to this archaeological site, and with my internship here, I finally was able to do so, while bearing in mind the significance of the archaeological remains. Completing my internship at the institute helped me put into perspective and be more aware of the significance of archaeology in Greece. Not just the usual tourism aspect of visiting the site, but actually taking the time to understand everything there. Sometimes we take for granted that we have these marvels in our world, but it is important to realize their significance to the past and how important it is that we still have these artifacts and sites today.

Being Greek and having been to Greece on numerous occasions, I have been fortunate to have seen many of Greece’s museums and archaeological sites. However, working at the institute gave me the privilege of to explore more of what Greece had to offer. Not only did the institute give me the opportunity to explore more of Greece, but to meet new people. I was able to meet various diplomats and professors and have meaningful conversations with them. I am grateful to have been able to meet so many different people and the impact they had on my perspective of Greece.

Overall, my time here in Greece, as always was enjoyable, but this experience as an intern will be unforgettable. The opportunity to work at the Canadian Institute in Greece was very impactful for my continuing education. Thank you to all those who make it possible for the institute to be available to us and being a resource for Canadian scholars.

Christina Coutsougeras
University of Toronto intern, Summer 2024

Les derniers jours de l’École d’été 2024 de l’ICG! / The finale of CIG’s 2024 Summer Schools

2024-06-04T14:00:00.030+03:00

Durant cette dernière semaine de l’École d’été, les deux groupes francophones participant à l’itinéraire Attique-Péloponnèse ont continué leur périple dans la péninsule. Bien qu’il tire à sa fin, beaucoup reste à découvrir!

The final week of the CIG's Attic-Peloponnese Summer school saw the francophone groups continue their travels. Although they knew the journey was nearing its end, they still had much to discover and many more memories.

Alors que le groupe 2 l’avait visité la semaine dernière, c’est maintenant au tour du groupe 1 d’explorer le site de la cité byzantine de Mystras, nichée sur le flanc du mont Taygetus, en parcourant ses rues et en découvrant les racoins de ses nombreux monastères. Offrant un panorama de toute la vallée à ses pieds, autrefois sous la dominion de Sparte, la vue à partir des ruines de son château était époustouflante.

While the second group had seen it last week, it was group 1 turn to explore the awe-inspiring site of Mystras, nestled on Mt. Taygetus. They traversed the ancient streets, paying their respects at the numerous monasteries. The view from the site, encompassing the entire valley once under the dominion of ancient Sparta, was a sight to behold.

L’un après l’autre, les deux groupes ont également eu l’occasion de faire un arrêt sur la route vers Pylos, pour visiter le site de l’ancienne Mèssene. Les nombreux vestiges d’époques hellénistique et romaine, dont de nombreux sanctuaires, une agora, des commerces, le stade et même des latrines romaines ont permis aux étudiants de s’imprégner des différents lieux de la vie quotidienne antique.

Both groups, brimming with excitement, stopped in Messenia on their way to Pylos. Here, they eagerly delved into the remnants of the Hellenistic and Roman city. The students immersed themselves in the various sanctuaries, the bustling agora with its many stores, the grand stadium, and even the Roman latrines, their curiosity piqued by the place's rich history and culture.

S’ensuivait le lendemain une journée dans la ville moderne de Methoni, afin de visiter son château et son église. Après le rythme effréné des derniers jours, les étudiants ont passé un après-midi libre bien mérité! Alors que le groupe 1 en a profité pour explorer la ville davantage et pour passer du temps à la plage, le groupe 2 est retourné à Pylos où les étudiants ont pu participer à un tour de bateau. Cette excursion dans la baie de Pylos fut l’occasion de voir de nombreuses grottes de l’île de Sphaktiria ainsi que les nombreux monuments érigés à la mémoire des alliés des Grecs lors de la guerre d’indépendance.

The next day was spent in the modern town of Methoni. Here, the students explored the castle and its lone church. Once finished, they had time to explore the town and take advantage of the beautiful weather to go to the beach. Once back in Pylos, the second group decided to organize a little boat ride to see the various coves in the region and stop by the island of Sphaktiria and its many monuments.

Les deux groupes ont finalement pris la direction d’Olympie, en prenant toutefois le soin de visiter les vestiges du Palais de Nestor. À Olympie, Dr. Angelos Gkotsinas, archéologue en charge de la restauration de l’atelier de Phidias, a offert une extraordinaire visite privée du site et du musée archéologique d’Olympie. Sa présentation vive et imagée a véritablement permis aux étudiants de s’imprégner de l’ambiance qui a pu autrefois habiter l’ancien sanctuaire, bien sûr couronnée par une ultime course dans le stade. En soirée, les étudiants ont logé à Patras, ce qui leur a donné l’occasion de visiter la troisième plus grande ville de Grèce et de traverser son pont, merveille d’ingénierie moderne!

The next day, the groups passed by the Palace of Nestor as they left Pylos on their way to Olympia. Dr. Angelos Gkotsinas, an archeologist in charge of restoring Phideas' workshop, gave both groups a private tour of the ancient site and museum. The final running competition was held at the ancient stadium, where the winners were crowned with wreaths. That night, the students stayed at a hotel in the heart of Patras to give them a chance to explore the third biggest city in Greece.

À Delphes, la beauté des environs et la grandeur du site expliquent pourquoi ce dernier a été le favori de plusieurs! Ils ont aussi été marqués par le remarquable état de préservation de plusieurs de ses bâtiments tels que le Trésor des Athéniens, le stade et la Tholos du sanctuaire d’Athéna Pronaia.

The following day, the students arrived in Delphi to visit the ancient site, which had become many students' favourite. They were fascinated by the preservation of monuments such as the Athenian Treasury, the Stadium, and the Tholos from the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia. Afterward, they ate and spent the rest of the night exploring the cute village of Arahova.

Après une dernière nuit passée dans le village d’Arachova, les étudiants se sont arrêtés à la forteresse d’Éleuthère sur leur chemin de retour vers Athènes. Les étudiants ont pu explorer la structure de cette fortification qui compte parmis les mieux préservées en Grèce, en marchant sur les murs et entrant dans les tours, comme les soldats l’ont fait plusieurs milliers d’années auparavant.

The trip to the Peloponnese ended with a final visit to the fortress of Eleutherai. The fortifications are known as one of the most well-preserved in Greece, and the students were fascinated by the structure as they walked through old doorways and along the walls, attempting to relive what life must have been like stationed in that spot thousands of years ago.

Avec un retour à Athènes 2 jours avant le groupe 1, le groupe 2 en a profité pour visiter le sanctuaire d’Artémis à Brauron ainsi que son musée qui se démarque par ses nombreux artéfacts liés à l’enfance, le temple de Poséidon au Cap Sounion, et le cimetière du Kerameikos.

The second group arrived in Athens a few days before summer school ended, allowing them to visit a few sites they had not had a chance to before. The first was a visit to the Sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron and its beautiful museum before continuing onto the temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. The following day, they finished their trip with the Keramikos, where they visited the ancient cemetery along with one of the gates of Ancient Athens.

Les deux groupes, séparés depuis près de 2 semaines, se sont retrouvés à l’occasion d’un souper d’au revoir à la taverne Zeus Xenios dans le quartier Anafiotika. Rires et anecdotes etaient au rendez-vous. Bien sûr, la perspective de leur départ et de la fin de cette expérience enrichissante en a ému plus d’un.

On the final day, both groups gathered at Xenos Zeus for a heartwarming dinner. The air was filled with laughter and chatter as the students shared stories and experiences from their trips. Amidst the joy, there were also a few tears from students who were not ready to say goodbye, their shared experiences forging bonds that they wished could last a lifetime.

Merci d’avoir suivi nos voyages à travers l’Attique et le Péloponnèse avec nos deux groupes d’étudiants exceptionnels. C’est déjà avec beaucoup d’enthousiasme que nous pensons aux programmes de l’année prochaine, où nous espérons vous revoir!

Thank you for following our journey throughout Attic and the Peloponnese. This year, we spent time with an amazing group of students with so much potential that it will be very hard to beat. But we will, once again, take on the challenge in next year's summer schools!