Electra Apostola | University of the Aegean (original) (raw)
Talks by Electra Apostola
Στην Πρώιμη Εποχή του Σιδήρου ποίκιλα αιγυπτιακά και αιγυπτιάζοντα αντικείμενα διαδίδονται σε ολ... more Στην Πρώιμη Εποχή του Σιδήρου ποίκιλα αιγυπτιακά και αιγυπτιάζοντα αντικείμενα διαδίδονται σε ολόκληρο το χώρο της Μεσογείου. Ένα από τα πλουσιότερα σύνολα προέρχεται από το Αιγαίο και περιλαμβάνει εισαγωγές καθώς και τοπικές απομιμήσεις τεχνέργων, που βρέθηκαν κυρίως σε ιερά και τάφους της Αρχαϊκής Περιόδου. Ανάμεσα στα πιο σημαντικά αντικείμενα του συνόλου των Αιγυπτιακών συγκαταλέγονται περίαπτα και ειδώλια από φαγεντιανή που απεικονίζουν αιγυπτιακές θεότητες. Στην αρχαία Αίγυπτο τα αντικείμενα αυτά χρησιμοποιούνταν κυρίως ως μαγικά φυλαχτά για την προστασία από ποικίλους κινδύνους (ασθένειες, επικίνδυνα ζώα, κακόβουλες δαιμονικές δυνάμεις) αλλά και ως αναθήματα σε ιερά.
Πώς, όμως, μπορούν να ερμηνευθούν οι αντίστοιχες αναπαραστάσεις μέσα στα πλαίσια του ελληνικού θρησκευτικού περιβάλλοντος της Αρχαϊκής Εποχής; Διατηρούνται οι αρχικές συμβολικές και θεολογικές τους συνδηλώσεις ή αλλάζουν; Ποιά είναι τα κίνητρα για την χρήση τους ως αναθήματα ή ως κτερίσματα και ποιοί οι λόγοι για την παραγωγή τοπικών απομιμήσεων; Τα ερωτήματα αυτά θα επιχειρήσουμε να διερευνήσουμε αναλύοντας τη γεωγραφική κατανομή και το αρχαιολογικό περιβάλλον των αναπαραστάσεων και συσχετίζοντας τα αρχαιολογικά δεδομένα με το πολύπλοκο πλέγμα των εμπορικών και πολιτισμικών επαφών της Ανατολικής Μεσόγειου. Η μελέτη αυτή αποτελεί μέρος της εν εξελίξει διδακτορικής μου διατριβής, που χρηματοδοτείται από το Ερευνητικό Πρόγραμμα Ηράκλειτος ΙΙ-Επιχειρησιακό Πρόγραμμα «Εκπαίδευση και Δια Βίου Μάθηση» (ΕΣΠΑ 2007-2013). Εντάσσεται επίσης στο διεθνές ερευνητικό πρόγραμμα "Aegyptiaka"( συνδιοργανώση από το Πανεπιστήμιο Αιγαίου και το Πανεπιστήμιο της Βόννης), το οποίο ασχολείται με την ηλεκτρονική καταγραφή και συστηματική μελέτη των αιγυπτιακών και αιγυπτιαζόντων αντικειμένων στην Ύστερη Γεωμετρική και Αρχαϊκή Ελλάδα.
Papers by Electra Apostola
Egyptian and Egyptianizing scarabs in the Aegean (8th-6th BC): The Sanctuary of Hera Akraia-Limen... more Egyptian and Egyptianizing scarabs in the Aegean (8th-6th BC):
The Sanctuary of Hera Akraia-Limenia at Perachora as a case study, Cronache di Archeologia 40, 2021
During the Iron Age, especially between the 8th and the 6th century BC, Egyptian and Egyptianizin... more During the Iron Age, especially between the 8th and the 6th century BC, Egyptian and Egyptianizing artifacts were spread within the Mediterranean world through various trade and cultural networks. The largest assemblage of the Aegyptiaca in the Aegean derives from the three sanctuaries of Athena at Lindos, Camirus and Ialysus, on the island of Rhodes. The aim of this paper is to present a critical synthesis of the most representative religious artifacts, which were imported or locally made, and to trace their multiple connotations and functionality within the specific archaeological context. By analyzing the material in relation to the special cultural interaction between Egypt and the Aegean during the 26th Dynasty, we will attempt to trace modes of interaction, perception and creative reinterpretation of Egyptian symbols and ideas within the religious milieu of the archaic Dodecanese. This paper is part of the Aegyptiaca Project: Ecumene and Economy in the Horizon of Religion, an ...
Current Research in Egyptology 2014
Popular Religion and Ritual in Prehistoric and Ancient Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean, 2019
S. Pinarello, J. Yoo, J. Lundock, C. Walsh (eds.), Current Research in Egyptology XV: Proceedings of the Fifteenth Annual Symposium University College London & King's College London 2014: Αncient Egypt in a global world. Oxbow, Oxbow books, 100-112, 2015
G. Vavouranakis, Κ. Kopanias and C. Kanellopoulos (eds.), Popular religion and ritual in prehistoric and ancient Greece and the eastern Mediterranean. Oxford: Αrchaeopress, 113-124, 2018
During the Archaic period, when commercial and cultural networks in the Eastern Mediterranean flo... more During the Archaic period, when commercial and cultural networks in the Eastern Mediterranean flourished again, Egyptian and Egyptianizing artefacts were spread within the Aegean. The largest assemblages of Aegyptiaca come from sanctuaries and tombs in Rhodes and Samos. Among the most common objects were amulets and figurines depicting Egyptian deities. The most popular divinity in the Aegean was Bes, a demon-god mainly associated with fertility, protection of motherhood and childbirth. The aim of this paper is to trace the multiple connotations of Bes representations at the aforementioned sites with regard to the archaeological context, and the general historical framework. Furthermore, we will try to trace iconographical and symbolical influences of Bes image on local demonic entities of the 6th century BC, the so-called ‘Fat-bellied’ demons. The presence of Bes’s image and its local ‘adaptation’ in the Aegean reflects a special cultural interaction during the 7th and 6th centuries BC. Within this framework Egyptian symbols and ideas were adopted, transformed and had an impact on popular religious tradition and cult.
AURA, 2019
During the Iron Age, especially between the 8th and the 6th century BC, Egyptian and Egyptianizin... more During the Iron Age, especially between the 8th and the 6th century BC, Egyptian and Egyptianizing artifacts were spread within the Mediterranean world through various trade and cultural networks. The largest assemblage of the Aegyptiaca in the Aegean derives from the three sanctuaries of Athena at Lindos, Camirus and Ialysus, on the island of Rhodes. The aim of this paper is to present a critical synthesis of the most representative religious artifacts, which were imported or locally made, and to trace their multiple connotations and functionality within the specific archaeological context. By analyzing the material in relation to the special cultural interaction between Egypt and the Aegean during the 26th Dynasty, we will attempt to trace modes of interaction, perception and creative reinterpretation of Egyptian symbols and ideas within the religious milieu of the archaic Dodecanese. This paper is part of the Aegyptiaca Project: Ecumene and Economy in the Horizon of Religion, an international collaborative project of the University of the Aegean (Department of Mediterranean Studies) and the University of Bonn (Institute of Egyptology), which focuses on the systematic study of the Egyptian and Egyptianizing objects in Archaic Greece.
Göttinger Miszellen 258, 2019
In the Early Iron Age the Eastern Mediterranean gradually turned into a complex network of system... more In the Early Iron Age the Eastern Mediterranean gradually turned into a complex network of systematic contacts among the Aegean, Cyprus, Egypt, Syro-Palestine and areas of the Near East. From the tenth century BC onwards relations between the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean were intensified mainly due to the growing Cypriot, Euboean and Phoenician commercial activity. Moreover, from the eighth to the sixth century BC direct cultural contact between the Nile land and the Greek world gained ground and this was demonstrated in multiple and different ways. Greek traders were active in the Nile Delta from the middle of the seventh century BC or even earlier, but trade obtained a more profound character only after the foundation of Naukratis at the end of the seventh century BC. Furthermore, written testimonies about pharaonic gifts to Greek sanctuaries indicate diplomatic relations among the Saite Dynasty and Greek cities, particularly in the East Greece. Another significant aspect of cross cultural interaction was the recruitment of Ionian and Carian mercenaries by Psamtek I (664-610 BC). Some of them who rose to high offices were gradually assimilated in the Egyptian society by marrying Egyptian women, participated in religious ceremonies and even followed local burial customs. As a result of the aforementioned cultural contact, Egyptian ideas affected different aspects of life and art, as shown by the impact on monumental sculpture, architecture and pottery analyzed in many studies. Less visible, but still traceable, is the relation of Egyptian religious ideology with Greek philosophy.
Α. Καλαϊτζάκη και Γ. Μαυρουδής (επιμ.), Μεσόγειος: Σχέσεις Λαών από την Προιστορική έως τη Βυζαντινή Περίοδο. Πρακτικά 3ου Πανελλήνιου Φοιτητικού Συνεδρίου Αρχαιολογίας. Ρόδος: Πανεπιστήμιο Αιγαίου, 101-114. http://aegeanegyptology.gr/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Ancient-Mediterranean-Series-I.pdf
Databases by Electra Apostola
Recent & Upcoming Conference Talks by Electra Apostola
by Panagiotis Kousoulis, Grigorios Kontopoulos, Electra Apostola, Anna Kalaitzaki, Matthew L Skuse, Virginia Webb, Alexandra Villing, Dominique Barcat, Aurelia Masson-Berghoff (Masson), Fani Seroglou, Natasha (Anastasia) Psarologaki, Justin Yoo, Dalit Regev, Georges Mavroudis, and Giorgos Bourogiannis
The Aegyptiaca Symposium is the second international colloquium in the Ex Oriente Lux series and ... more The Aegyptiaca Symposium is the second international colloquium in the Ex Oriente Lux series and it was born out of the interdisciplinary research project Aegyptiaca: Ecumene and Economy in the Horizon of Religion, which is coordinated by the University of the Aegean (Department of Mediterranean Studies), the University of Bonn (Institute of Egyptology) and the University οf Thessaly (Department of History, Archaeology and Social Anthropology) since 2007. The Project and the Symposium focuse on the Egyptian and egyptianised material from archaic Greece and on the re-evaluation of the Egyptian cross-cultural interactivity with the Aegean world and the Early Iron Age eastern Mediterranean in the sphere of economy and religion.
Aegyptiaca Project website: http://aegeanegyptology.gr/the-aegyptiaca-project-ecumene-…/
Ninth European Conference of Egyptologists , 2021
In the Iron Age, the reactivation of cultural interconnection between Egypt and the Aegean is exe... more In the Iron Age, the reactivation of cultural interconnection between Egypt and the Aegean is exemplified through the diffusion of various motifs and ideas, but mostly through the great amount (more than 5000) of Egyptian and Egyptianizing objects, known as Aegyptiaca. This assemblage includes amulets, figurines, vessels, jewellery, but mostly scarabs. From the middle of the seventh and during the sixth century BC, Egyptianizing artefacts of mixed style were manufactured in a faience workshop, most likely established on Rhodes, although objects related to the manufacture of these artifacts, such as moulds or raw materials, have not been found. It has been stated that the most abundant type of scarabs in the Aegean, known in the bibliography as "Lindos-Perachora" or "Rhodes-Perachora" may also have been manufactured on the same island, from the latter half of the eighth century BC to the first quarter of the seventh century BC. The majority of these scarabs depict good-wish formulae or distorted combinations of hieroglyphic signs, while others bear scenes with animals, humans and mythological beasts. It is noticeable that the largest number and variety of this type derives from the sanctuary of Hera Limenia at Perachora (more than 700). The presence of many series of almost identical pieces in this site is a crucial element requiring further study, since it could indicate the existence of a workshop there. This paper aims to investigate typology and archaeological context of "Rhodes-Perachora" scarabs, in order to shed more light on their origin and meaning. It also aims to study morphological and iconographical links of this group with the well known Naukratite scarabs and scaraboids, which were produced in the Scarab Factory of the Greek Emporium during the sixth century BC. Since Egyptianizing scarabs are the largest category of Aegyptiaca in the Aegean, they represent an interesting case study to evaluate the transformation process of Egyptian images and signs within the Greek cultural milieu.
Talks by Electra Apostola
Στην Πρώιμη Εποχή του Σιδήρου ποίκιλα αιγυπτιακά και αιγυπτιάζοντα αντικείμενα διαδίδονται σε ολ... more Στην Πρώιμη Εποχή του Σιδήρου ποίκιλα αιγυπτιακά και αιγυπτιάζοντα αντικείμενα διαδίδονται σε ολόκληρο το χώρο της Μεσογείου. Ένα από τα πλουσιότερα σύνολα προέρχεται από το Αιγαίο και περιλαμβάνει εισαγωγές καθώς και τοπικές απομιμήσεις τεχνέργων, που βρέθηκαν κυρίως σε ιερά και τάφους της Αρχαϊκής Περιόδου. Ανάμεσα στα πιο σημαντικά αντικείμενα του συνόλου των Αιγυπτιακών συγκαταλέγονται περίαπτα και ειδώλια από φαγεντιανή που απεικονίζουν αιγυπτιακές θεότητες. Στην αρχαία Αίγυπτο τα αντικείμενα αυτά χρησιμοποιούνταν κυρίως ως μαγικά φυλαχτά για την προστασία από ποικίλους κινδύνους (ασθένειες, επικίνδυνα ζώα, κακόβουλες δαιμονικές δυνάμεις) αλλά και ως αναθήματα σε ιερά.
Πώς, όμως, μπορούν να ερμηνευθούν οι αντίστοιχες αναπαραστάσεις μέσα στα πλαίσια του ελληνικού θρησκευτικού περιβάλλοντος της Αρχαϊκής Εποχής; Διατηρούνται οι αρχικές συμβολικές και θεολογικές τους συνδηλώσεις ή αλλάζουν; Ποιά είναι τα κίνητρα για την χρήση τους ως αναθήματα ή ως κτερίσματα και ποιοί οι λόγοι για την παραγωγή τοπικών απομιμήσεων; Τα ερωτήματα αυτά θα επιχειρήσουμε να διερευνήσουμε αναλύοντας τη γεωγραφική κατανομή και το αρχαιολογικό περιβάλλον των αναπαραστάσεων και συσχετίζοντας τα αρχαιολογικά δεδομένα με το πολύπλοκο πλέγμα των εμπορικών και πολιτισμικών επαφών της Ανατολικής Μεσόγειου. Η μελέτη αυτή αποτελεί μέρος της εν εξελίξει διδακτορικής μου διατριβής, που χρηματοδοτείται από το Ερευνητικό Πρόγραμμα Ηράκλειτος ΙΙ-Επιχειρησιακό Πρόγραμμα «Εκπαίδευση και Δια Βίου Μάθηση» (ΕΣΠΑ 2007-2013). Εντάσσεται επίσης στο διεθνές ερευνητικό πρόγραμμα "Aegyptiaka"( συνδιοργανώση από το Πανεπιστήμιο Αιγαίου και το Πανεπιστήμιο της Βόννης), το οποίο ασχολείται με την ηλεκτρονική καταγραφή και συστηματική μελέτη των αιγυπτιακών και αιγυπτιαζόντων αντικειμένων στην Ύστερη Γεωμετρική και Αρχαϊκή Ελλάδα.
Egyptian and Egyptianizing scarabs in the Aegean (8th-6th BC): The Sanctuary of Hera Akraia-Limen... more Egyptian and Egyptianizing scarabs in the Aegean (8th-6th BC):
The Sanctuary of Hera Akraia-Limenia at Perachora as a case study, Cronache di Archeologia 40, 2021
During the Iron Age, especially between the 8th and the 6th century BC, Egyptian and Egyptianizin... more During the Iron Age, especially between the 8th and the 6th century BC, Egyptian and Egyptianizing artifacts were spread within the Mediterranean world through various trade and cultural networks. The largest assemblage of the Aegyptiaca in the Aegean derives from the three sanctuaries of Athena at Lindos, Camirus and Ialysus, on the island of Rhodes. The aim of this paper is to present a critical synthesis of the most representative religious artifacts, which were imported or locally made, and to trace their multiple connotations and functionality within the specific archaeological context. By analyzing the material in relation to the special cultural interaction between Egypt and the Aegean during the 26th Dynasty, we will attempt to trace modes of interaction, perception and creative reinterpretation of Egyptian symbols and ideas within the religious milieu of the archaic Dodecanese. This paper is part of the Aegyptiaca Project: Ecumene and Economy in the Horizon of Religion, an ...
Current Research in Egyptology 2014
Popular Religion and Ritual in Prehistoric and Ancient Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean, 2019
S. Pinarello, J. Yoo, J. Lundock, C. Walsh (eds.), Current Research in Egyptology XV: Proceedings of the Fifteenth Annual Symposium University College London & King's College London 2014: Αncient Egypt in a global world. Oxbow, Oxbow books, 100-112, 2015
G. Vavouranakis, Κ. Kopanias and C. Kanellopoulos (eds.), Popular religion and ritual in prehistoric and ancient Greece and the eastern Mediterranean. Oxford: Αrchaeopress, 113-124, 2018
During the Archaic period, when commercial and cultural networks in the Eastern Mediterranean flo... more During the Archaic period, when commercial and cultural networks in the Eastern Mediterranean flourished again, Egyptian and Egyptianizing artefacts were spread within the Aegean. The largest assemblages of Aegyptiaca come from sanctuaries and tombs in Rhodes and Samos. Among the most common objects were amulets and figurines depicting Egyptian deities. The most popular divinity in the Aegean was Bes, a demon-god mainly associated with fertility, protection of motherhood and childbirth. The aim of this paper is to trace the multiple connotations of Bes representations at the aforementioned sites with regard to the archaeological context, and the general historical framework. Furthermore, we will try to trace iconographical and symbolical influences of Bes image on local demonic entities of the 6th century BC, the so-called ‘Fat-bellied’ demons. The presence of Bes’s image and its local ‘adaptation’ in the Aegean reflects a special cultural interaction during the 7th and 6th centuries BC. Within this framework Egyptian symbols and ideas were adopted, transformed and had an impact on popular religious tradition and cult.
AURA, 2019
During the Iron Age, especially between the 8th and the 6th century BC, Egyptian and Egyptianizin... more During the Iron Age, especially between the 8th and the 6th century BC, Egyptian and Egyptianizing artifacts were spread within the Mediterranean world through various trade and cultural networks. The largest assemblage of the Aegyptiaca in the Aegean derives from the three sanctuaries of Athena at Lindos, Camirus and Ialysus, on the island of Rhodes. The aim of this paper is to present a critical synthesis of the most representative religious artifacts, which were imported or locally made, and to trace their multiple connotations and functionality within the specific archaeological context. By analyzing the material in relation to the special cultural interaction between Egypt and the Aegean during the 26th Dynasty, we will attempt to trace modes of interaction, perception and creative reinterpretation of Egyptian symbols and ideas within the religious milieu of the archaic Dodecanese. This paper is part of the Aegyptiaca Project: Ecumene and Economy in the Horizon of Religion, an international collaborative project of the University of the Aegean (Department of Mediterranean Studies) and the University of Bonn (Institute of Egyptology), which focuses on the systematic study of the Egyptian and Egyptianizing objects in Archaic Greece.
Göttinger Miszellen 258, 2019
In the Early Iron Age the Eastern Mediterranean gradually turned into a complex network of system... more In the Early Iron Age the Eastern Mediterranean gradually turned into a complex network of systematic contacts among the Aegean, Cyprus, Egypt, Syro-Palestine and areas of the Near East. From the tenth century BC onwards relations between the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean were intensified mainly due to the growing Cypriot, Euboean and Phoenician commercial activity. Moreover, from the eighth to the sixth century BC direct cultural contact between the Nile land and the Greek world gained ground and this was demonstrated in multiple and different ways. Greek traders were active in the Nile Delta from the middle of the seventh century BC or even earlier, but trade obtained a more profound character only after the foundation of Naukratis at the end of the seventh century BC. Furthermore, written testimonies about pharaonic gifts to Greek sanctuaries indicate diplomatic relations among the Saite Dynasty and Greek cities, particularly in the East Greece. Another significant aspect of cross cultural interaction was the recruitment of Ionian and Carian mercenaries by Psamtek I (664-610 BC). Some of them who rose to high offices were gradually assimilated in the Egyptian society by marrying Egyptian women, participated in religious ceremonies and even followed local burial customs. As a result of the aforementioned cultural contact, Egyptian ideas affected different aspects of life and art, as shown by the impact on monumental sculpture, architecture and pottery analyzed in many studies. Less visible, but still traceable, is the relation of Egyptian religious ideology with Greek philosophy.
Α. Καλαϊτζάκη και Γ. Μαυρουδής (επιμ.), Μεσόγειος: Σχέσεις Λαών από την Προιστορική έως τη Βυζαντινή Περίοδο. Πρακτικά 3ου Πανελλήνιου Φοιτητικού Συνεδρίου Αρχαιολογίας. Ρόδος: Πανεπιστήμιο Αιγαίου, 101-114. http://aegeanegyptology.gr/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Ancient-Mediterranean-Series-I.pdf
by Panagiotis Kousoulis, Grigorios Kontopoulos, Electra Apostola, Anna Kalaitzaki, Matthew L Skuse, Virginia Webb, Alexandra Villing, Dominique Barcat, Aurelia Masson-Berghoff (Masson), Fani Seroglou, Natasha (Anastasia) Psarologaki, Justin Yoo, Dalit Regev, Georges Mavroudis, and Giorgos Bourogiannis
The Aegyptiaca Symposium is the second international colloquium in the Ex Oriente Lux series and ... more The Aegyptiaca Symposium is the second international colloquium in the Ex Oriente Lux series and it was born out of the interdisciplinary research project Aegyptiaca: Ecumene and Economy in the Horizon of Religion, which is coordinated by the University of the Aegean (Department of Mediterranean Studies), the University of Bonn (Institute of Egyptology) and the University οf Thessaly (Department of History, Archaeology and Social Anthropology) since 2007. The Project and the Symposium focuse on the Egyptian and egyptianised material from archaic Greece and on the re-evaluation of the Egyptian cross-cultural interactivity with the Aegean world and the Early Iron Age eastern Mediterranean in the sphere of economy and religion.
Aegyptiaca Project website: http://aegeanegyptology.gr/the-aegyptiaca-project-ecumene-…/
Ninth European Conference of Egyptologists , 2021
In the Iron Age, the reactivation of cultural interconnection between Egypt and the Aegean is exe... more In the Iron Age, the reactivation of cultural interconnection between Egypt and the Aegean is exemplified through the diffusion of various motifs and ideas, but mostly through the great amount (more than 5000) of Egyptian and Egyptianizing objects, known as Aegyptiaca. This assemblage includes amulets, figurines, vessels, jewellery, but mostly scarabs. From the middle of the seventh and during the sixth century BC, Egyptianizing artefacts of mixed style were manufactured in a faience workshop, most likely established on Rhodes, although objects related to the manufacture of these artifacts, such as moulds or raw materials, have not been found. It has been stated that the most abundant type of scarabs in the Aegean, known in the bibliography as "Lindos-Perachora" or "Rhodes-Perachora" may also have been manufactured on the same island, from the latter half of the eighth century BC to the first quarter of the seventh century BC. The majority of these scarabs depict good-wish formulae or distorted combinations of hieroglyphic signs, while others bear scenes with animals, humans and mythological beasts. It is noticeable that the largest number and variety of this type derives from the sanctuary of Hera Limenia at Perachora (more than 700). The presence of many series of almost identical pieces in this site is a crucial element requiring further study, since it could indicate the existence of a workshop there. This paper aims to investigate typology and archaeological context of "Rhodes-Perachora" scarabs, in order to shed more light on their origin and meaning. It also aims to study morphological and iconographical links of this group with the well known Naukratite scarabs and scaraboids, which were produced in the Scarab Factory of the Greek Emporium during the sixth century BC. Since Egyptianizing scarabs are the largest category of Aegyptiaca in the Aegean, they represent an interesting case study to evaluate the transformation process of Egyptian images and signs within the Greek cultural milieu.