Marisa Marthari - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Books by Marisa Marthari

This second volume on Early Cycladic (and Cycladicising) sculptures found in the Aegean, examines... more This second volume on Early Cycladic (and Cycladicising) sculptures found in the Aegean, examines finds from mainland Greece, along with the rarer items from the north and east Aegean, with the exception of those discovered in the Cyclades (covered in the preceding volume), and of those found in Crete. The significance of these finds is that these are the principal testimonies of the influence of the Early Bronze Age Cycladic cultures in the wider Aegean. This influence is shown both by the export of sculptures produced in the Cyclades (and made of Cycladic marble) and of their imitations, produced elsewhere in the Aegean, usually of local marble. They hold the key, therefore, to the cultural interactions developing at this time, the so-called ‘international spirit’ manifest particularly during the Aegean Early Bronze II period. This was the time when the foundations of early Aegean civilization were being laid, and the material documented is thus of considerable significance. The volume is divided into sections wherein contributions examine finds and their archaeological, social, and economic contexts from specific regions. It concludes with an overview of the significance and role of these objects in the Early Bronze Age societies of the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean regions. This will be the first time that this material has been systematically gathered together. Highly illustrated, it follows and builds on the successful preceding volume, Early Cycladic Sculpture in Context (Oxbow 2016).

The sculpture of the Early Bronze Age Cyclades has been systematically studied since the time of ... more The sculpture of the Early Bronze Age Cyclades has been systematically studied since the time of Christos Tsountas at the end of the 19th century. But that study has been hampered by the circumstance that so many of the subsequent finds come from unauthorized excavations, where the archaeological context was irretrievably lost. Largely for that reason there are still many problems surrounding the chronology, the function and the meaning of Early Cycladic sculpture. This comprehensive re-assessment sets out to rectify that situation by publishing finds which have been recovered in controlled excavations in recent years, as well as earlier finds for which better documentation can now be provided. Using the material from recent excavation projects, it is possible now to undertake a fresh overview of the entire body of sculpture from the Cycladic islands which has been found in secure archaeological contexts. Beginning with early examples from Neolithic settlement sites and extending into a consideration of material found in later contexts, the 35 chapters are divided into sections which examine sculpture from settlements, cemeteries and the sanctuary at Kavos, concluding with a discussion of material, techniques and aspects of manufacture.

This is the first comprehensive reassessment of Early Bronze Age sculpture from the Cycladic isla... more This is the first comprehensive reassessment of Early Bronze Age sculpture from the Cycladic islands in a generation. Early Cycladic Sculpture in Context examines sculpture from settlements, cemeteries, and the sanctuary at Kavos, with a discussion of material, techniques and aspects of manufacture, and combines recent archaeological data with new information on previously recorded material.

Ios was little explored in the past. The sole excavation made there before the 1980s was by the B... more Ios was little explored in the past. The sole excavation made there before the 1980s was by the Belgian archaeologist Graindor in 1904. In the early 1980s, under the pressure of the development of tourism, the Ephorate of Antiquities for the Cyclades began rescue excavations in the area of the ancient city (Archaia Polis), which coincides with the site of the main village, Chora. While present on the island for these excavations we were stimulated to investigate it further, which led to the identification of a large number of hitherto unknown sites of all periods. Ios was evidently particularly important in the prehistoric era. In addition to the Early Cycladic cemeteries, several Early Cycladic settlements were also located, which is highly significant since very few such settlements are known from other islands. The continuity of habitation during the Middle and Late Bronze Age was also ascertained. Excavations and other investigations have also enriched our knowledge of Ios in historical times, both of the ancient city and the city-state.

The wealth of material from the large, well-preserved Early Cycladic settlement at Skarkos kindled interest in organizing an exhibition that would shed light on the economic and social structures of the Aegean communities in which Cycladic Culture developed during the 3rd millennium BC. Because of the dearth, hitherto, of information from settlements, research on this Culture has concentrated mainly on studying the funerary goods from Early Cycladic graves (especially marble figurines and vases) as works of high art, an approach which has been much criticized recently. This approach has also influenced the way in which Cycladic artefacts have been exhibited, to date. The new museum in Ios gave us the opportunity of considering other aspects of this Culture and of adopting a more global approach to it. The exhibition of objects from the historical period is guided by the same principle; the combination of the rich epigraphic material, mainly from the Hellenistic period, with recent excavation evidence, permits, among other things, the enhancement of such sectors as government, institutions, the economy and society.

The museum is housed in the Amoiradakeion Megaron, one of the five neoclassical buildings in Chora, which is otherwise distinguished by its traditional vernacular architecture. The Amoiradakeion was built in the early twentieth century as the residence of the Amoiradakis family, which had close ties with the Greek community in Egypt; it is a two-storey mansion in its own grounds. A marble-paved path led from the gateway, crowned by a pedimented architrave, to the front door. During the 1960s, when the road linking Yalo with Mylopota was laid, part of the path was destroyed, cutting the house off from its surroundings. Later repairs and renovations, primarily the removal of the monumental staircase between the two floors, which thus became completely independent, radically altered its interior. Despite these changes, however, the Amoiradakeion still retains its former grandeur.

Interventions were made by the the KA' Ephorate of Antiquities to the ground floor of the mansion in order to convert it into premises suitable for a museum. It was arranged to accommodate four ¬exhibition rooms¬ (¬1-4¬), occupying its central and east part, and three ¬activity rooms¬ (¬5-7¬), occupying its west part.

Each of the four exhibition rooms houses a thematic unit, presenting the ¬natural environment and the history of research¬, the ¬pronounced presence of Ios in the Early Cycladic world¬, the developments during the ¬Middle and Late Bronze Age¬, and the¬ course of Ios in Historical Times¬. The organization of the exhibition was determined by the special nature of the antiquities of Ios. The largest room in the building, Room 1, was chosen for the display of the important Early Bronze Age finds, which come mainly from the site of Skarkos. The small room next to it, Room 2, houses just a few artefacts of the Middle and Late Bronze Age. Pieces from historical times can be seen in rooms 3 and 4. The most significant of these, the sculptures from the ancient city of Ios, are shown to advantage in the lovely room 4, the second largest in the building.

The explanatory material (texts, information panels, plans, photographs) and publications (information leaflets, archaeological guidebook) aim to cover both the scientific and the educational role of the museum. It is hoped that the Ios Museum, with this dual character, its permanent exhibitions and the events organized in its activity rooms, will function as a living organism -- for all its small scale --, offering specialist scholars the opportunity of studying the material while at the same time appealing to the general public.

This book is not a museum guide in the usual sense, presenting the exhibits individually and assessing their archaeological and artistic merit. It narrates concisely developments on Ios from the Early Bronze Age until Late Antiquity, utilizing the museum exhibits to vivify this course in time, following the thematic units and sub-units. We thus hope that when visitor leaves the museum he/she have acquired some degree of knowledge about Ios in Antiquity.

Papers by Marisa Marthari

in D. Athanasoulis, P.P. Iossif and I.D. Fappas, “Kykladitisses”: Untold Stories of Women in the Cyclades, p.p. 349-381, 2024

The nippled ewers combine female with avian features and more specifically a woman’s body with tw... more The nippled ewers combine female with avian features and more specifically a woman’s body with two plastically rendered breasts on the front face below the neck with a bird’s head and often a bird’s craw, which are indicated by the beaked spout and the swelling below the neck of the vessel, respectively. It is very interesting to note here that the painted decoration of some nippled ewers includes female jewellery and sometimes non-anatomical eyes.

Therefore, the Early Cycladic female marble figurines and the Middle Cycladic and Late Cycladic ceramic nippled ewers constitute two groups of different, distinctive objects that nevertheless share certain characteristics. These characteristics are either general, such as their large number and their wide distribution in the Cycladic islands, or they are completely specific, such as the plastic breasts, painted jewellery, and painted non-anatomical eyes, indicating that the female-shaped jugs are, to a certain extent, replacing their predecessors, the marble female figurines, as message transmitters.

During the Late Cycladic I period the vessel was mainly manufactured at Akrotiri on Thera. The nippled ewers were produced there in large quantities and in two variations (with cut-away and with straight beaked spout), each with a stereotyped decoration. The excellent state of the town preservation helped in that large numbers survived to reach us. The nippled ewers are often found at Akrotiri in the place where the inhabitants left them when they abandoned the settlement. In several cases, they are even revealed neatly arranged in cupboards. The rich pictorial pottery repertoire of the Akrotiri final phase includes the painted nippled ewer.

Studying the considerable corpus of the nippled ewers of Akrotiri’s final phase, one realizes that a single interpretative treatment of these vessels, despite their general common features, is not sufficiently subtle. This is because the nippled ewers of the two main variations in this phase show significant differences between themselves in terms of shape, decoration, context, and ultimately the function and messages they convey. Their separate examination helps us to understand many aspects of the Akrotiri society with which these vessels are associated.

ΤA NEA ΣΑΒΒΑΤΟΚΥΡΙΑΚΟ, Β' περίοδος, έτος 8ο, αρ. φύλλου 2. 159, 30 Νοεμβρίου - 1 Δεκεμβρίου 2024, Εις Μνήμην, σ.70

Την Τρίτη το απόγευμα δέχθηκα ένα τηλεφώνημα από την Βρετανία που με συγκλόνισε. Έφυγε για το μακ... more Την Τρίτη το απόγευμα δέχθηκα ένα τηλεφώνημα από την Βρετανία που με συγκλόνισε. Έφυγε για το μακρύ ταξίδι ο ομότιμος καθηγητής αρχαιολογίας του Πανεπιστημίου του Cambridge, Λόρδος Colin Renfrew. Έφυγε ο σημαντικότερος στις μέρες μας αρχαιολόγος διεθνώς που η ψυχή του όμως βρισκόταν στις Κυκλάδες, στο Αιγαίο, στην Ελλάδα. Έφυγε και ένας ακριβός δικός μου φίλος. Ειδικότερα η αρχαιολόγοι και η αρχαιολογία των Κυκλάδων του οφείλουμε πολλά αφού είναι εκείνος που ανέβασε την προϊστορία των νησιών αυτών στα πιο ψηλά μονοπάτια της επιστημονικής γνώσης και παράλληλα αγωνίστηκε με πάθος για την καταπολέμηση της αρχαιοκαπηλίας σε αυτά.
Ο Colin Renfrew ήταν μια προσωπικότητα μεγάλης εμβέλειας. Συγκαταλέγεται στους κορυφαίους ερευνητές της Ευρωπαϊκής προϊστορίας και έχει διακριθεί στους τομείς της αρχαιολογίας, της προϊστορίας των γλωσσών, της ραδιοχρονολόγησης και της αρχαιογενετικής για να απαριθμήσουμε ορισμένους μόνο από τους τομείς με τους οποίους ασχολήθηκε. Με το ρηξικέλευθο επιστημονικό του έργο ήλθα πρώτη φορά σε επαφή στα φοιτητικά μου χρόνια μέσω του καινοτόμου τότε βιβλίου του “The Emergence of Civilisation. The Cyclades and the Aegean in the Third Millennium B.C. (1972), ένα είδος Ευαγγελίου για εμάς τους φοιτητές που αγαπούσαμε την προϊστορία...

ΤA NEA ΣΑΒΒΑΤΟΚΥΡΙΑΚΟ, Β' περίοδος, έτος 7ο, αρ. φύλλου1.980, 27-28 Απριλίου 2024, Εις Μνήμην, σ.68

............ Η Ζαφειροπούλου συνδεόταν στενά με την Εφορεία Αρχαιοτήτων Κυκ... more ............
Η Ζαφειροπούλου συνδεόταν στενά με την Εφορεία Αρχαιοτήτων Κυκλάδων και Σάμου και με τον παλλόμενο κόσμο της έρευνας και της προσφοράς στις αρχαιότητες που βρισκόταν πίσω από αυτήν την ιστορική μονάδα της Αρχαιολογικής Υπηρεσίας. Είχε τοποθετηθεί στην περιοχή το 1963 και εκεί υπηρέτησε το μεγαλύτερο τμήμα του υπηρεσιακού της βίου. Όταν τοποθετήθηκα και εγώ εκεί στις αρχές της δεκαετίας του 1980 ως επιμελήτρια πια αρχαιοτήτων, την ξανασυνάντησα. Από τότε συμπορευτήκαμε στον θαυμάσιο κόσμο της κυκλαδικής αρχαιολογίας. Με την Φωτεινή μοιραζόμασταν την αγάπη για τις Κυκλάδες που ήταν απόλυτη και για τις δυο μας, την αγάπη για τις σημαντικές αρχαιότητες αυτών των νησιών, για το ιδιαίτερο τοπίο τους, για τη μοναδική παραδοσιακή αρχιτεκτονική τους και για τους υπέροχους παραδοσιακούς χορούς τους.
Το αξιολογότατο έργο της στα νησιά ήταν πολυσχιδές: ερευνητικό, ανασκαφικό, μουσειακό και σχετικό με την ανάδειξη των αρχαιολογικών χώρων, με την προστασία των παραδοσιακών οικισμών και την καταπολέμηση της αρχαιοκαπηλίας. Η Ζαφειροπούλου ήταν πληθωρική στην έρευνα και πολυγραφότατη. Παρότι κλασική αρχαιολόγος εκινείτο με άνεση από τους προϊστορικούς χρόνους έως και την ύστερη αρχαιότητα. Μας άφησε σπουδαίες μονογραφίες και πλούσια αρθρογραφία αλλά και εξαιρετικούς οδηγούς που απολαμβάνουν οι πολυπληθείς επισκέπτες των κυκλαδικών μουσείων.
Τα χρόνια από το 1981 έως τη συνταξιοδότησή της το 1995 που συνυπήρξαμε στην Εφορεία Αρχαιοτήτων Κυκλάδων και Σάμου ήταν ταραχώδη. Ένα - ένα τα νησιά με τα κατάλοιπα του μοναδικού «κυκλαδικού πολιτισμού» της τρίτης χιλιετίας π.Χ. και τις περίφημες πόλεις και ιερά των ιστορικών χρόνων άρχισαν να καλύπτονται εφιαλτικά με oικoδoμές, μέσα στα πλαίσια μιας κακώς εννοούμενης τουριστικής ανάπτυξης: Μύκovoς, Θήρα, Πάρος, Νάξος. Τί να πρωτoπρoλάβει κανείς! Ο δυναμισμός, το πείσμα και η έμφυτη αισιοδοξία της Φωτεινής ήταν η αιχμή του δόρατος στov άvισo αυτόν αγώνα. Δεκάδες σωστικές ανασκαφές, παρακολουθήσεις εκσκαφών θεμελίων σε εκατοντάδες οικόπεδα, διακοπές παράvoμωv εργασιών, δίκες επί δικών στα δικαστήρια της Σύρου και της Σάμου. Και μέσα σε αυτό το χάος η Φωτεινή είχε πάντα το κουράγιο για ένα χαμόγελο, λίγo κραγιόν, μία σύντομη συvoμιλία για τα ταξίδια της στις χαμένες πατρίδες που λάτρευε μια που καταγόταν από τη Μάδυτο της Ανατολικής Θράκης, έτσι που κανείς ξέφευγε από την πίεση.
........
Θα μου μείνει αξέχαστη μια ζεστή καλοκαιρινή βραδιά του 2013 στο Επάνω Κουφονήσι, όταν γιορτάζαμε τα γενέθλια του αγαπημένου της φίλου Λόρδου Colin Renfrew, καθηγητή αρχαιολογίας στο Πανεπιστήμιο του Cambridge. Κάποια στιγμή αρχίσαν τα βιολιά. Σηκώνεται επάνω, τραβάει τον Renfrew από το χέρι και αρχίζει να χορεύει μαζί του, αέρινη, τον κυκλαδίτικο μπάλο. Ήταν μια στιγμή που συμπύκνωνε τον παραδοσιακό κόσμο των Κυκλάδων και τον κόσμο της κυκλαδικής αρχαιολογίας, δυο σπουδαίους αλληλένδετους κόσμους στους οποίους αφιέρωσε τη ζωή της ολόκληρη.

Radiocarbon, Vol 65, Nr 5, 2023, p 1057–1079

We have radiocarbon-dated the main settlement of Skarkos (Skarkos II) on the Cycladic island of I... more We have radiocarbon-dated the main settlement of Skarkos (Skarkos II) on the Cycladic island of Ios, using a set of animal bone samples. The site of Skarkos stands on a hill in a coastal plain, mid-way down the western side of Ios island and about 1 km from the island’s harbour. It is the first time this important settlement with a wealth of finds and an extraordinary building system with two-storey houses is dated in absolute terms complementing the chronology of the Cycladic EBA II period.
The radiocarbon determinations show that the major phase of the settlement came to an end between circa 2550 and 2500 BC. The dates also confirm the archaeological evidence that the main occupation period is dated archaeologically to the EC II period (Keros-Syros culture). Furthermore, to embed the new Skarkos dates within the overall Cycladic chronology and define better the end of the EC II phase, we treated the Skarkos dates together with published dates from other Cycladic sites using Bayesian analysis considering two different models.

στο Φ. Ζαφειροπούλου-Παπαδοπούλου και Ζ. Παπαδοπούλου (επιμ.), Από τη Μύκονο στο Αιγαίο: Νίκος Ζαφειρόπουλος, ένας λόγιος αρχαιολόγος στο β΄µισό του 20ου αιώνα, Αθήνα: Μέλισσα , 92-197., 2023

Τον Νίκο Ζαφειρόπουλο τον γνώρισα ένα φθιvoπωριάτικo πρωινό ψηλά στη Σελλάδα της Θήρας, στov αγαπ... more Τον Νίκο Ζαφειρόπουλο τον γνώρισα ένα φθιvoπωριάτικo πρωινό ψηλά στη Σελλάδα της Θήρας, στov αγαπημένο τoυ τόπο. Είχα μόλις τελειώσει τις σπουδές μου στο Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών και εργαζόμουν στην ανασκαφή της Αρχαιολογικής Εταιρείας στο Ακρωτήρι της Θήρας. Μια μέρα, θέλησα να επισκεφτώ το αρχαίο νεκροταφείο της Σελλάδας και ευγενικά με πήρε μαζί του. Έσκαβε πάντα τον Νοέμβρη, που τον θεωρούσε τον καλύτερο μήνα για ανασκαφές στα κυκλαδονήσια. Μαζί με τov Χαράλαμπo Σιγάλα, που ήταν ο βοηθός του, με ξεvάγησαv στηv αvασκαφή και με φίλεψαν προσκαλώντας με στο λιτό τους γεύμα. Λίγο αργότερα, πέρασα στον διαγωνισμό για την Αρχαιολογική Υπηρεσία και διορίστηκα στηv Εφορεία Προϊστορικών και Κλασικών Αρχαιοτήτων Κυκλάδων και Σάμου, στov φυσικό του χώρο. Πίσω από τov απρόσωπo αυτό τίτλo κρυβόταν έvας oλόκληρoς κόσμoς, παλλόμενος, με ιστορία, με αγάπη και πάθος για τα νησιά στην καρδιά του Αιγαίου, και πολύτιμο κομμάτι του κόσμου αυτού ήταν o Νίκος Ζαφειρόπουλος...

T. Carter, R. Moir and M. Marthari 2023. Defining cultural traditions in the Early Bronze Age Aegean: Characterizing obsidian consumption at Early Cycladic Kastri (Syros, Greece). Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

Free access for the next 50 days. https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1h0EX,rVDBflCL

The paper contributes to Aegean sourcing studies, and understanding of Melian obsidian exploitati... more The paper contributes to Aegean sourcing studies, and understanding of Melian obsidian exploitation over the long term, via a characterization study of 149 artefacts from the late Early Bronze Age II (mid-third millennium cal. BC) fortified site of Kastri on the Cycladic island of Syros, Greece.

in C.C. Doumas and A. Devetzi (eds.), Akrotiri, Thera forty years of research (1967-2007), Athens: Society for the Promotion of Studies on Prehistoric Thera, p.p. 473-489, 2021

The swallow is a particularly popular subject at Akrotiri monumental painting and pictorial potte... more The swallow is a particularly popular subject at Akrotiri monumental painting and pictorial pottery. It is depicted in four LCI wall-paintings: the so-called Spring Fresco, the Swallows Frieze from Xeste 3, one of the two Procession Frescoes from Xeste 3, and a wall-painting from Room 2 of Building Beta. The swallow also appears on a series of late Middle Cycladic bird jugs and nippled ewers, as well as on a variety of LCI shapes.

Ceramic vessels, wall-paintings, as well as gold-work with representations of swallows, have been found sporadically in other South Aegean sites too, in chronological horizons corresponding to those of the Akrotiri wall--paintings and ceramic vessels. From Phylakopi on Melos, there is a jug sherd and a wall-painting fragment with swallows. From the grave circles of Mycenae, there are two bird jugs and two gold-work pieces with swallows. At Miletus, sherds of a jug with the depiction of a swallow have been found. Beyond the Aegean, at Τel Kabri in Palestine, fragments of a miniature wall-painting of Aegean type with swallow have also come to light. As a rule, the jugs with swallow motifs have been considered imports from Thera, due to their striking similarity to their Theran counterparts. However, for the wall-paintings and the minor objects in gold, the local character of some is obvious.

By the late 2000s, the only artifacts with representations of swallows known from Crete were three small ivory plaques, recovered from the LMI B level in the palace at Zakros. In an article published in 2009, I discussed the representation (bird and plant) on a Protopalatial metal seal from the Prophitis Ilias necropolis at Knossos. The comparisons with Theran compositions with swallows in both vase-painting and wall-painting leave no doubt that this is a swallow clinging to a reed. The seal is from a MM II/IIIA excavation context and is not later than the early ΜΜ ΙΙΙ period. Furthermore, it is certainly not of Theran manufacture, imported to Crete, since no high-quality Middle Cycladic seals and indeed of metal have been found at Akrotiri. Consequently, I suggested that there is no doubt that it is Minoan and that the thematic repertoire relating to the swallow, well-known from the Theran iconographic milieu, was in part at least known also in Crete and indeed from an early date. This suggestion is further confirmed by a recent and very interesting discovery, a swallow fresco recovered also in the area of Knossos (Bugadha Metochi), in a rescue excavation carried out in 2008-2009, and 2012. The fragments of this fresco were found along with Protopalatial fragmentary pottery (mainly MM II and a few sherds MM IIIA).

What is hidden, however, behind the iconographic compositions that include swallows? It seems reasonable to assume the existence of a substrate of beliefs and concepts pertaining to the swallow, which was common, in large part, to Thera, Crete, and to the South Aegean world generally. Indeed, it is possible to approach certain aspects of this, by utilizing first all the rich iconographic data from Akrotiri. Some composite works of LC I Theran iconography that include the swallow, such as first the Spring Fresco from the east building of Building Complex Delta, second the wall-painting assemblage from Xeste 3, and the Swallows Strainer (inv. no. 3592) from the same building, and third the bathtub with figure-of-eight shields (inv. no. 8886) from Building Theta, complement each other in terms of content and allow us to posit some hypotheses; fourth the late Middle Cycladic and LC I nippled ewers with swallows generate further hypotheses.

In Marthari, M., C. Renfrew and M. Boyd (eds.) 2019. Beyond the Cyclades: Early Cycladic Sculpture in Context from Mainland Greece, the North and East Aegean. Oxford and Philadelphia: Oxbow

Marble sculptures of the Cycladic canonical folded-arm form are quite widely found outside the Cy... more Marble sculptures of the Cycladic canonical folded-arm form are quite widely found outside the Cycladic Islands themselves. They are mainly found in contexts of the mature phase of the Aegean Early Bronze Age, the time of the Keros-Syros culture, and the form seems to have developed in the Cycladic Islands, where it is preceded both by the Plastiras type and the Louros type. The earliest (Kapsala) variety of the folded-arm figure is rare outside the Cyclades, but the Spedos variety does occur at a number of sites on the Greek mainland and Euboea, to which those examples found were presumably imported from the Cyclades. In addition, the Dokathismata variety occurs at Nea Styra on Euboea. Among the varieties of the folded-arm type only one, the Koumasa variety, seems to have been produced outside the Cyclades...

Review and New Evidence on the Molluscan Purple Pigment Used in the Early Late Bronze Age Aegean Wall Paintings

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Heritage, 2021

The production and use of the pigment extracted from the murex molluscs is discussed here in asso... more The production and use of the pigment extracted from the murex molluscs is discussed here in association with the purple textile dyeing industry in the Prehistoric Aegean. “True” purple has been identified in a number of archaeological finds dating from the early Late Bronze Age, found in old and recent excavations at three different but contemporary sites: Akrotiri and Raos on Thera, and Trianda on Rhodes. The chemical composition of the shellfish purple pigment either found in lump form or applied on wall paintings is discussed in relation to the archaeological context of several examined finds and with reference to Pliny’s purpurissum. The results of a comprehensive methodology combining new data obtained with molecular spectroscopies (microRaman and FTIR) and already reported data obtained with high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode array detector (HPLC–DAD) applied to samples of the murex purple finds are discussed in comparison to published data relating to few other instances of analytically proven murex purple pigment found in the Aegean over the timespan of its documented exploitation.

in E. Borgna, I. Caloi, F.M. Carinci & R. Laffineur (eds) 2019, MNHMH/MNEME: Past and Memory in the Aegean Bonze Age, Liége: Peeters Leuven, 135-144, 2019

The settlement patterns and ceramic production in LC I/ LM IA Thera are two subjects about which ... more The settlement patterns and ceramic production in LC I/ LM IA Thera are two subjects about which new evidence has emerged during the past twenty years. As a result, we are now in a better position to approach the topic of memory and identity of Theran society in the final phase before the eruption of the volcano.
Recent surface surveys added more sites to the already known complex settlement pattern of LC I pre-eruption Thera including individual farms and rural settlements. Among the new sites is Raos, in the South Caldera, where a sophisticated building complex with frescoes was revealed. This brings Thera even closer to Crete than the rest of the Cyclades. On the other hand, most of the LC I sites dispersed in the island’s countryside were founded on earlier sites dating back to the Early Cycladic period, which shows a strong tradition and memory in the occupation processes.
The excavations at both Akrotiri and Raos in the 2000s and 2010s increased the ceramic material from the Volcanic Destruction Level by hundreds of complete vases and thousands of sherds. A look at the pottery of the Volcanic Destruction Level based on all the material that has been found to date, old and new, is able to shed plenty of light on the modes and dynamics of both penetration of Minoan elements into Thera and transmission of the Cycladic past
In addition to the imports from Crete a good many Minoan shapes, entirely unknown in the Cyclades, were produced locally, meeting the new requirements formed by the embracing of a Minoan way of life. The process of Minoan features penetrating Thera on the cultural and social level is considerably more complex than the penetration of Knossian features, for example, into other Minoan sites. From the moment a Minoan feature penetrated Theran pottery its course was independent of the course it followed in Crete where it originated. The autonomy of the Theran workshops is more noticeable with the creation by the Theran potters of a number of types drawn from the combination of some features of two different Minoan shapes. These improvisations show better than anything else that the Theran artists were not tied to a past that was not their own, such as the Minoan. They had no hesitation whatsoever in redesigning its products.
A great many local pottery shapes, however, the main examples being the beaked jugs and nippled ewers, are found in the framework of the tradition that developed in the Cyclades during the EC and MC periods. Both plastic form and painted decoration express the continuation of the sense of sparseness and the disarming simplicity of Cycladic art in great respect. It is also of special importance that the predominant ritual libation sets, judging by their greater numbers, are the local traditional libation sets, the nipple-jug and the cylindrical rhyton.
In conclusion, the evidence shows cultural and social transformation in LC I pre-eruption Τhera, which brings it closer than ever to Crete and Knossos without being very far away from its deeply rooted local traditions and memories in site occupation on the one hand and art, religion and cult practices on the other that reflect the deepest foundations of every society.

in H. Meller, D. Gronenborn & R.Risch (eds.), Surplus without the State ― Political Forms in Prehistory (10. Mitteldeutscher Archäologentag), Halle 2018: Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte Halle (Saale), p.p. 167-198

The site of Skarkos is situated on a hill, close to the large, sheltered harbour of the island of... more The site of Skarkos is situated on a hill, close to the large, sheltered harbour of the island of Ios. The excavations conducted by the author brought to light a multiperiod prehistoric site and, most significantly, a settlement of the Cycladic Early Bronze Age II. Indeed, Skarkos is the first site to offer astonishing evidence of a settlement of the mid-3rd millennium BC (Keros-Syros Culture) in the Cyclades. The settlement has a well-organised plan, with wide streets and squares, two-storey rectangular buildings and a drainage system. In the area excavated so far, 1o insulae and 55 buildings have been uncovered. Among the most interesting finds are marble figurines and fine vessels, stamp seals and dozens of terracotta, seal impressed, cubic objects that were possibly tied like labels to sacks and other containers. The discoveries at Skarkos demonstrate that the Cycladic communities had developed a much more complex internal organisation in the peak period of the Early Cycladic world than had previously been assumed.

Architektur, Siegel und Aspekte der sozialen Organisation in der Blütezeit der frühbronzezeitlichen Kykladen: Hinweise aus der Großsiedlung Skarkos auf der Insel Ios
Die Fundstelle Skarkos liegt auf einem Hügel in der Nähe des großen geschützten Hafens auf der Insel Ios. Die von der Autorin durchgeführten Ausgrabungen brachten eine mehrphasige prähistorische Fundstelle zutage und – als wichtigste Entdeckung – eine Siedlung der kykladischen Frühbronzezeit II. Skarkos ist die erste Fundstelle mit erstaunlichen Siedlungsüberresten des mittleren 3. Jts. v. Chr. (Keros-Syros-Kultur) auf den Kykladen. Der Siedlungsgrundriss zeugt von einer gut organisierten Planung mit breiten Straßen und Plätzen, zweistöckigen Rechteckbauten und einem Abwassersystem. In der bisher ausgegrabenen Fläche lassen sich 1o insulae und 55 Gebäude ausmachen. Einige der interessantesten Funde sind Marmorfiguren und feinkeramische Gefäße, Stempelsiegel sowie Dutzende von kubischen Terrakottaobjekten mit Siegelabdrücken, welche an Säcken und anderen Behältern befestigt als Etiketten gedient haben könnten. Die in Skarkos zum Vorschein gekommenen Funde und Befunde weisen darauf hin, dass die kykladischen Ge meinschaften in der frühkykladischen Blütezeit weit komplexere interne Organisationsformen entwickelt hatten als bisher angenommen.

in A.G. Vlachopoulos (ed.), ΧΡΩΣΤΗΡΕΣ / PAINTBRUSHES. Wall-painting and Vase-painting of the Second Millennium BC in Dialogue. University of Ioannina / Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports - Archaeological Receipts Fund: Athens 2018, pp. 205-221

I had examined the relationship between pottery and wall-painting for the first time in 1997, at ... more I had examined the relationship between pottery and wall-painting for the first time in 1997, at the conference organized on the Thera wall-paintings, in my paper entitled “The Attraction of the Pictorial: Observations on the Relationship of Theran Pottery and Theran Fresco Iconography”, which was published in the conference proceedings. In that paper I had argued that local Theran pattern-painted pottery (both Cycladic and Minoanizing shapes) comprises the richest corpus of pictorial motifs in the Aegean at the beginning of the Late Bronze Age. I also suggested that the representations on certain Late Cycladic I ceramic vessels were influenced by those of wall-paintings and, conversely, that the swallow motif crossed over from pottery to Theran frescoes at the beginning of the LC I period.
Over the years since that paper, there has been no essential change in the general picture regarding pictorial pottery and mural painting from the last habitation phase on Thera. Nonetheless, certain new evidence from excavations conducted at both Akrotiri and the recently discovered site at Raos, is the stimulus for a reconsideration of the topic, or at least some of its aspects. In addition, I would like to put the two arts under discussion in a broader context, emphasizing that in prosperous Thera just prior to its volcanic destruction, conditions were ideal for the flourishing of all the Aegean visual arts…

in D. Athanasoulis, P.P. Iossif and I.D. Fappas, “Kykladitisses”: Untold Stories of Women in the Cyclades, p.p. 349-381, 2024

ΤA NEA ΣΑΒΒΑΤΟΚΥΡΙΑΚΟ, Β' περίοδος, έτος 8ο, αρ. φύλλου 2. 159, 30 Νοεμβρίου - 1 Δεκεμβρίου 2024, Εις Μνήμην, σ.70

ΤA NEA ΣΑΒΒΑΤΟΚΥΡΙΑΚΟ, Β' περίοδος, έτος 7ο, αρ. φύλλου1.980, 27-28 Απριλίου 2024, Εις Μνήμην, σ.68

Radiocarbon, Vol 65, Nr 5, 2023, p 1057–1079

Free access for the next 50 days. https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1h0EX,rVDBflCL

in C.C. Doumas and A. Devetzi (eds.), Akrotiri, Thera forty years of research (1967-2007), Athens: Society for the Promotion of Studies on Prehistoric Thera, p.p. 473-489, 2021

In Marthari, M., C. Renfrew and M. Boyd (eds.) 2019. Beyond the Cyclades: Early Cycladic Sculpture in Context from Mainland Greece, the North and East Aegean. Oxford and Philadelphia: Oxbow

Review and New Evidence on the Molluscan Purple Pigment Used in the Early Late Bronze Age Aegean Wall Paintings

Heritage, 2021

in E. Borgna, I. Caloi, F.M. Carinci & R. Laffineur (eds) 2019, MNHMH/MNEME: Past and Memory in the Aegean Bonze Age, Liége: Peeters Leuven, 135-144, 2019

in S. Sherratt (ed.), The Wall-Paintings of Thera, Volume II. Athens 2001: the Thera Foundation, pp. 873-889

Thera is unusual in having a large body of pictorial pottery decorated with a wide variety of mot... more Thera is unusual in having a large body of pictorial pottery decorated with a wide variety of motifs. These motifs fall into two iconographic circles: one consisting of cultivated plants and painted representations of vessels; the other of subjects drawn from the natural marine and terrestrial worlds, which recall the themes of Theran frescoes. This paper pursues the long- standing question of the nature of the relationship between vase painting and wall painting by considering the decoration of a number of individual vases as a whole and comparing it to the way in which frescoes are used to decorate rooms or entire buildings. The results shed further light not only on the iconographical, technical and social aspects of Theran vase painting, but also on the history of Theran wall painting.

in V. Vlachou and A. Gadolou (eds.), ΤΕΡΨΙΣ. Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology in Honour of Nota Kourou, Brussels 2017, pp. 147-160., 2017

A “frying pan” of some interest, since it depicts a longboat, (Syros Museum 1163) was found in a... more A “frying pan” of some interest, since it depicts a longboat, (Syros Museum 1163) was found in a rescue excavation conducted under the direction of the author in the Roussos field at Chalandriani in Syros in 2002-2008. The field lies in the West Sector of the Early Cycladic Chalandriani cemetery . The excavation revealed 28 undisturbed graves of the corbelled type with grave goods more or less similar to those from Tsountas’s excavations, and distinguished by their variety and wealth. The new find (from Grave VII), besides enlarging the corpus of known depictions of longboats on ‘frying pans’, provides an opportunity, because of its well-documented contexts, to understand better certain aspects of these intriguing objects and the EBA II Chalandriani society they reflect.

in M. Marthari, C. Renfrew and M. Boyd, Early Cycladic Sculpture in Context, Oxford and Philadelphia: Oxbow, pp. 119-164., 2017

Skarkos is an important Bronze Age Cycladic site situated on a low hill at the head of the natu... more Skarkos is an important Bronze Age Cycladic site situated on a low hill at the head of the natural harbour of the island of Ios. What is particularly important at Skarkos is the large early EBA II settlement, i.e. the Skarkos II settlement. This is uniquely well-preserved for a Cycladic domestic site of this period. The buildings are two-storeyed and most still stand to the height of the upper storey. The abundant moveable finds of Skarkos II are also remarkably well preserved. The figurines hold a special place among the moveable finds. A total of 52 figurines, 33 of which are complete, with eleven heads and eight bodies, have been recovered from Skarkos. Indeed, with few exceptions, they were found in situ inside the buildings and the open spaces of Skarkos II. It should be stressed that this is the first time a notable number of figurines has been found in an Early Cycladic settlement and indeed one that flourished during the heyday of the Early Cycladic world. From this perspective, this is a find of major importance. Only two of the 52 figurines found so far at the Skarkos settlement are folded-arm figurines of the Chalandriani variety. The remaining 50 figurines are schematic. Forty-nine of these are of the Apeiranthos type.

The evidence shows that Skarkos was an important marble-working centre. A great variety of complete marble objects was unearthed, comprising circular slabs used as lids for clay storage jars, various implements, a wide variety of coarse and fine vessels (handless bowls, horizontal lug bowls, and footed bowls), and the figurines. More than 30 unfinished fine marble vessels have been revealed, indicating that these were made in the settlement or at some places very close to it. As for the figurines, it should be noted that two of them are unfinished. This indicates that the carving of the figurines, or at least of the small schematic ones, took place in the settlement. The Building of the Figurines is one of the places where figurines and other artefacts were carved. The finds and their contexts leave no doubt that activities related to marble working took place in this building. It is the first time we have such a combination of evidence from an Early Cycladic site that leads us to assume the processing of marble in a specific space.

in M. Marthari, C. Renfrew and M. Boyd, Early Cycladic Sculpture in Context, Oxford and Philadelphia: Oxbow, pp. 297-309

The Chalandriani cemetery is the largest and most extensive EC burial ground known. More than 700... more The Chalandriani cemetery is the largest and most extensive EC burial ground known. More than 700 graves of the subterranean corbelled type have been excavated to date.
The accompanying artefacts are distinguished by their variety and richness. These include among other impressive pottery, marble vessels, silver and bronze artefacts. Figurines, however, are rare in this cemetery. Only six figurines come from the 540 graves that Tsountas brought to light by excavation in 1898. In addition, two figurines were unearthed in a rescue excavation carried out recently by the writer, which brought to light 28 graves in total. In sum, only 22 figurines, twelve ‘naturalistic’ and ten schematic, came to light in the 727 graves excavated at the Chalandriani cemetery.

In contrast, 22 figurines were uncovered in only five graves at the Aplomata cemetery on Naxos. Thirteen figurines, 11 of marble and two of shell, were found in grave 13 at Aplomata. On the other hand, it is only at the cemetery at Chalandriani that pottery, mainly ‘frying-pans’, with representations of boats have been uncovered The evidence shows great differences among the Cycladic communities in the selection of the grave-goods. These selections might reflect the greater accessibility of a community to a special kind of material, for instance, good quality white marble. However, they might also echo the structural peculiarities of each individual community.

in M. Marthari, C. Renfrew and M. Boyd (eds.), Early Cycladic Sculpture in Context, Oxford and Philadelphia: Oxbow, pp. 13-21

It was a February afternoon in 2009, in the prehistoric antiquities room of the Archaeological Mu... more It was a February afternoon in 2009, in the prehistoric
antiquities room of the Archaeological Museum of Naxos,
when I first talked with Colin Renfrew about the publication
of all the Early Cycladic figurines found in excavations.
Our conversation took place among the cases in which
the antiquities from Keros, and all the large figurines
from Aplomata, Phiondas, and other sites are exhibited.
Renfrew, as the excavator of Keros, where a large number
of marble figurine fragments and vases have been recently
found, wanted to look for comparanda in the excavated
material. The author, as the then Ephor of the Ephorate
of Antiquities for the Cyclades but also the excavator of
Skarkos, wished to see all the excavated material published.
Thus we joined forces and after a long collaboration our
efforts materialized in the form of a symposium entitled
Early Cycladic Sculpture in Context, held at the Athens
Archaeological Society on 27–29 May 2014.

The results of this symposium are presented here.
The current volume aims to publish a very important
class of material, partly unknown to scholarship. At the
same time, it constitutes a break from the usual way of
treating and publishing Early Cycladic sculptures...

Ε. Μέρμηγκα (επιμ.), Σπείρα: Επιστημονική Συνάντηση προς τιμήν της Αγγέλικας Ντούζουγλη και του Κωνσταντίνου Ζάχου. Πρακτικά. Αθήνα: Ταμείο Αρχαιολογικών Πόρων και Απαλλοτριώσεων, σελ. 55-66., 2017

From 2006 to 2012 new investigations were conducted on the steep hill of Kastri on Syros, under t... more From 2006 to 2012 new investigations were conducted on the steep hill of Kastri on Syros, under the auspices of the Archaeological Society at Athens and the direction of the author. These included further excavation, aerial photography and surveying of the building remains. This is the third series of investigations, after the earlier ones carried out by C. Tsountas in 1899 and Ε.-M. Bossert in 1962.
With the new excavations a more accurate picture of the fortifications, the plan and the extent of the settlement has been gained. It is now clear that the fortification system at Kastri was based on three walls, rather than two as thought before 2006. They are the bulwark and the main fortification wall with the horseshoe-shaped bastions in the north, on the hillside, and an arc-shaped internal fortification wall to the north, on the hilltop. This third fortification wall and the building space surrounded by it, both unknown until 2006, were a kind of citadel for the prehistoric settlement at Kastri. Τhe pottery of the entire settlement includes diagnostic shapes of the “Kastri group”.

Συριανά Γράμματα, περίοδος Β', τεύχος 1, σελ. 142-153 , 2017

Η Χαλαvδριαvή στηv Απάvω Μεριά της Σύρoυ είvαι είναι μια πολύ ιδιαίτερη περιοχή που ασκεί μεγάλη ... more Η Χαλαvδριαvή στηv Απάvω Μεριά της Σύρoυ είvαι είναι μια πολύ ιδιαίτερη περιοχή που ασκεί μεγάλη γοητεία τόσο στους ίδιους τους Συριανούς όσο και στους επισκέπτες της Σύρου. Από εκεί υπάρχει ορατότητα προς πολλά Κυκλαδονήσια ενώ η Άνδρος και η Τήνος φαίνονται σα να είναι δίπλα. Η φύση είναι επιβλητική και σε αιχμαλωτίζει με την απέριττη ομορφιά της. Το ήρεμο οροπέδιο της Χαλανδριανής απλώνεται από τους πρόποδες του λόφου με το εκκλησάκι της Παναγίας της Χαλανδριανής στα νότια ως τη θάλασσα στα βόρεια. Το ρέμα της Ποταμιάς χωρίζει το οροπέδιο από το απόκρημνο ύψωμα Καστρί που ορθώνεται άγριο και γοητευτικό μαγνητίζοντας το βλέμμα...

The basic characteristics of the LC I/LM IA Volcanic Destruction Level pottery on Thera are outli... more The basic characteristics of the LC I/LM IA Volcanic Destruction Level pottery on Thera are outlined. This destruction level has been identified both in the main urban centre and harbour of the island, Akrotiri, and in the other recently excavated sites of the island.
The excellent preservation of these closed ceramic assemblages, which comprise thousands of complete vessels, allows for a better chronological determination of ceramic assemblages on Crete and the strongly Minoanising South Aegean in general.

Εφορεία Αρχαιοτήτων Κυκλάδων-Εθνικό Ίδρυμα Ερευνών- Πανεπιστήμιο Θεσσαλίας,

Έως το τέλος του περασμένου αιώνα δεν ήταν σχεδόν τίποτε γνωστό για τις βόρειες Κυκλάδες της πρώ... more Έως το τέλος του περασμένου αιώνα δεν ήταν σχεδόν τίποτε γνωστό για τις βόρειες Κυκλάδες της πρώιμης Μεσοκυκλαδικής περιόδου με εξαίρεση την Αγία Ειρήνη της Κέας της περιόδου IV. Η Αγία Ειρήνη είναι ένα σημαντικό αιγαιακό λιμάνι που θεωρείται η πύλη των Κυκλάδων και του νοτιότερου Αιγαίου προς το μεταλλοφόρο Λαύριο. Υπήρχε, όμως, η λανθασμένη εντύπωση ότι ήταν το μοναδικό κέντρο τόσο στο ίδιο το νησί της Κέας όσο και στην ευρύτερη περιοχή των βορείων Κυκλάδων. Η επισήμανση ενός δεύτερου πρώιμου μεσοκυκλαδικού οικισμού στην Καρθαία της Κέας σύγχρονου με τις πρώιμες φάσεις της Αγίας Ειρήνης της περιόδου IV (Μεσομινωική ΙΙ Α/ Μεσοελλαδική ΙΙ περίοδος), στη νοτιοανατολική παραλία του νησιού κατά την ανασκαφή του θεάτρου της αρχαίας πόλης από την Εύα Σημαντώνη-Μπουρνιά και την Τάνια Πανάγου από το 2011 και μετά κατέρριψε την έως τότε επικρατούσα άποψη. Το 2010 επισημάνθηκε επίσης η επιβλητική προϊστορική ακρόπολη της Παναγίας Αντιλαλούσας στη Γυάρο, του βόρειου νησιού των Κυκλάδων που βρίσκεται δίπλα στην Κέα. Η Αντιλαλούσα φαίνεται να είναι αντίστοιχης χρονολόγησης και να διαθέτει παρόμοιο ευρύ πλέγμα σχέσεων με την Αγία Ειρήνη της πρώιμης περιόδου ΙV και την Καρθαία της Κέας.
Οι ανακαλύψεις αυτές δεν αφήνουν πλέον αμφιβολία ότι το οικιστικό δίκτυο στις βόρειες εσχατιές του κυκλαδικού νησιωτικού συμπλέγματος και ο ρόλος που αυτό έπαιζε στις θαλάσσιες επικοινωνίες και το εμπόριο της εποχής στα πρώτα στάδια της Μέσης Εποχής του Χαλκού ήταν πολύ πιο σύνθετα από εκείνα που μπορούσε κανείς να υποθέσει έως και τις αρχές της δεκαετίας του 2000.

House workshops and artisans' quarters at the Early Cycladic II settlement of Skarkos, on Ios b... more House workshops and artisans' quarters
at the Early Cycladic II settlement of Skarkos, on Ios
by Marisa Marthari

The excavations, including those of the last five years, of the flourishing Early Cycladic II settlement, Skarkos II, on the island of Ios, have provided valuable evidence for the craft activities of the Early Cycladic communities. They have recovered a) several obsidian workshops; b) two marble workshops seen for the first time in the EBA Cyclades, for the most part producing figurines and marble vessels, respectively; and c) a metal workshop the first known as early as the Keros-Syros culture period.

Skarkos II, being excavated over a wide extent, shows that some buildings served as the combined workshops and residences in the Early Cycladic II period: most likely of the craftsmen themselves and their families. Furthermore, it is also noticeable that two or perhaps more such buildings – each manufacturing different product – were set in specific areas within the densely built settlements, that thereby facilitated their operation. There was, therefore, from early on in the Cyclades a deliberate arrangement of the working spaces, which shows how the community organized these matters within the fabric of the settlement.

With the excavations of important Early Cycladic settlements, such as Skarkos, Kastri, and Dhaskalio, currently in progress, a world is unfolding before our eyes whose complexity we had not envisaged before. Although the authority and power structures of that world were quite different from those of the later palace societies of Crete, one could easily use the same terms for the workshops and workshop areas in the thriving Early Cycladic centers, that is ‘house workshops’ and ‘artisans’ quarters’.

The metallurgical objects, in combination with the numerous weapons and tools found in the old ex... more The metallurgical objects, in combination with the numerous weapons and tools found in the old excavations in the Kastri fortified settlement, established it as an important place for the practice of metalworking and especially the manufacture of bronze artefacts. From the new excavations, evidence emerged also for the casting of lead in Kastri, since according to the study of the late Myrto Georgakopoulou, honoured in the current conference, two objects show that lead was stored in the settlement for further processing. These items are a) an object in the shape of a very shallow bowl, which is probably some form of lead ‘tortoise’, namely metal that has been roughly cast in this shape for storage until it used to make an object by casting or forging and b) a set of folded lead sheets which most likely came from a damaged bowl, a part of which was kept for recycling.
It is of particular importance that during the 2019 excavation period at the major early EBA II Skarkos settlement, significant metallurgical objects came to light for the first time, which leaves no doubt about the practice of metalworking in that site as well. Those objects were all found in the small and narrow building Bb and include: a) the lower part of a large ceramic vessel with copper residues inside, probably used as a portable hearth, b) two clay tuyères and, c) a lead spool, an artefact possibly used as balance weight and associated with metalworking according to some scholars. Therefore, Skarkos is to be added to the EBA domestic sites where metalworking was practised. It is, in fact, one of the earliest of those locales.

Η Σύρος είναι ένας τόπος που η κύρια αρχαία πόλη της έχει καταστραφεί σχεδόν ολοκληρωτικά από την... more Η Σύρος είναι ένας τόπος που η κύρια αρχαία πόλη της έχει καταστραφεί σχεδόν ολοκληρωτικά από την προσφυγική, μνημειώδη Ερμούπολη στο πρώτο μισό του 19ου αιώνα. Επομένως η ανάγκη για την προστασία των υπόλοιπων αρχαιολογικών θέσεων προβάλλει ιδιαίτερα επιτακτική.
Η αρχαιολογική υπηρεσία προστατεύει τις αρχαιότητες βασισμένη στον Αρχαιολογικό Νόμο, κηρύσσοντας αρχαιολογικούς χώρους, οριοθετώντας ζώνες προστασίας των αρχαίων και διεξάγοντας σωστικές ανασκαφές. Από την άλλη μεριά η στάση των κατοίκων και των τοπικών φορέων ως προς το περιβάλλον, φυσικό και οικιστικό, επηρεάζει σημαντικά και τις αρχαιότητες αφού οι τελευταίες ως μέρος πλέον του σύγχρονου τοπίου συνομιλούν και αλληλεπιδρούν με αυτό.
Η προστασία του ιδιαίτερου φυσικού κάλλους περιβάλλοντος της βόρειας Σύρου (Επάνω Μεριάς), το οποίο μεταξύ άλλων διατηρεί ανέπαφο το κυκλαδίτικο αγροτικό τοπίο και την κυκλαδίτικη παραδοσιακή αρχιτεκτονική, μέσω του προγράμματος Natura αλλά και η ευαισθησία που δείχνουν κατά κανόνα οι Συριανοί για το τμήμα αυτό του νησιού αναπτύσσοντας μάλιστα εκεί εναλλακτικές μορφές τουρισμού, όπως ο περιπατητικός τουρισμός και ο αγροτουρισμός, βοηθούν στο να μένουν ανέπαφοι οι σημαντικοί αρχαιολογικοί χώροι της περιοχής. Έτσι εντάσσονται και αυτοί σε ένα πλαίσιο αειφόρου ανάπτυξης, μακριά από τις καταστροφικές συνέπειες της τουριστικής υπερεκμετάλλευσης.
Αντίθετα, η τουριστική ανάπτυξη του νότιου τμήματος του νησιού ακολουθώντας το πρότυπο του μαζικού τουρισμού, ακόμη και αν είναι κατά πολύ ηπιότερη από εκείνην άλλων Κυκλάδων, έχει ως αποτέλεσμα την αλλοίωση του περιβάλλοντος των αρχαιολογικών χώρων και σε ορισμένες περιπτώσεις την βλάβη και την καταστροφή αρχαιοτήτων.
Μέσα σε αυτά τα πλαίσια αναπτύσσονται προβληματισμοί και αναζητούνται οι καλύτερες δυνατές λύσεις για την προστασία και ανάδειξη των αρχαιοτήτων σε ένα νησί που τα τελευταία χρόνια αναζητεί εναλλακτικούς δρόμους στην αγροτική παραγωγή και την τουριστική ανάπτυξη ενώ ταυτόχρονα έχει να επιδείξει αξιόλογα επιτεύγματα και στον πολιτιστικό τομέα.

The site of Skarkos, the largest of all known Early Cycladic II sites, stands on a commanding hil... more The site of Skarkos, the largest of all known Early Cycladic II sites, stands on a commanding hill overlooking a coastal plain and one of the largest sheltered harbors in the Cyclades. The excavations conducted by the author brought to light a multiperiod prehistoric site and, most significantly, a settlement of the mid-third millennium BC. More than one-third of the settlement has been excavated over the last fifteen years. The walls of the buildings are preserved to a maximum height of four meters. This unique preservation provides a clear idea of the layout, architecture of settlements in the Cyclades during the peak of the Early Cycladic world. Skarkos has a well-organised plan, with wide streets and squares, two-storey rectangular buildings (at least 55 have been uncovered), and a complicated drainage system. The inhabitants developed agricultural, craft, and trading activities, and especially prominent were masons, marble-carvers (two early marble workshops were excavated), and potters. Skarkos has also produced evidence of seals and sealing, including a large number of clay seal-impressed objects marking ownership or personal identity. This talk will be offered on Zoom. Please RSVP to hellenic@humnet.ucla.edu to receive the link.

(2018) House, settlement, and society in the Cyclades in the mid-third millennium BC: The site at Skarkos on the island of Ios. Universität Heidelberg, Institut für Klassische Archäologie (15 May).

Memory and identity in LC I/LM IA Thera as reflected in settlement patterns and ceramic product... more Memory and identity in LC I/LM IA Thera as reflected in settlement patterns
and ceramic production

The settlement patterns and ceramic production in LC I/ LM IA Thera are two subjects about which new evidence has emerged during the past twenty years. As a result, we are now in a better position to approach the topic of memory and identity of Theran society in the final phase before the eruption of the volcano.
Recent surface surveys added more sites to the already known complex settlement pattern of LC I pre-eruption Thera including individual farms and rural settlements. Among the new sites is Raos, in the South Caldera, where a sophisticated building complex with frescoes was revealed. This brings Thera even closer to Crete than the rest of the Cyclades. On the other hand, most of the LC I sites dispersed in the island’s countryside were founded on earlier sites dating back to the Early Cycladic period, which shows a strong tradition and memory in the occupation processes.
The excavations at both Akrotiri and Raos in the 2000s and 2010s increased the ceramic material from the Volcanic Destruction Level by hundreds of complete vases and thousands of sherds. A look at the pottery of the Volcanic Destruction Level based on all the material that has been found to date, old and new, is able to shed plenty of light on the modes and dynamics of both penetration of Minoan elements into Thera and transmission of the Cycladic past
In addition to the imports from Crete a good many Minoan shapes, entirely unknown in the Cyclades, were produced locally, meeting the new requirements formed by the embracing of a Minoan way of life. The process of Minoan features penetrating Thera on the cultural and social level is considerably more complex than the penetration of Knossian features, for example, into other Minoan sites. From the moment a Minoan feature penetrated Theran pottery its course was independent of the course it followed in Crete where it originated. The autonomy of the Theran workshops is more noticeable with the creation by the Theran potters of a number of types drawn from the combination of some features of two different Minoan shapes. These improvisations show better than anything else that the Theran artists were not tied to a past that was not their own, such as the Minoan. They had no hesitation whatsoever in redesigning its products.
A great many local pottery shapes, however, the main examples being the beaked jugs and nippled ewers, are found in the framework of the tradition that developed in the Cyclades during the EC and MC periods. Both plastic form and painted decoration express the continuation of the sense of sparseness and the disarming simplicity of Cycladic art in great respect. It is also of special importance that the predominant ritual libation sets, judging by their greater numbers, are the local traditional libation sets, the nipple-jug and the cylindrical rhyton.
In conclusion the evidence shows cultural and social transformation in LC I pre-eruption Τhera, which brings it closer than ever to Crete and Knossos without being very far away from its deeply rooted local traditions and memories in site occupation on the one hand and art, religion and cult practices on the other that reflect the deepest foundations of every society.

ΕΦΑ Κυκλάδων, 22 Νοεμβρίου, Αθήνα, Βυζαντινό και Χριστιανικό Μουσείο. Οι ανασκαφές στον λόφο ... more ΕΦΑ Κυκλάδων, 22 Νοεμβρίου, Αθήνα, Βυζαντινό και Χριστιανικό Μουσείο.

Οι ανασκαφές στον λόφο του Σκάρκου στην Ίο έχουν φέρει στο φως μια σημαντική αρχαιολογική θέση, στην οποία η ανθρώπινη παρουσία υπήρξε συνεχής τουλάχιστον από την Πρωτοκυκλαδική Ι περίοδο έως τους ρωμαϊκούς χρόνους. Τα κτιριακά όμως κατάλοιπα που δεσπόζουν στον λόφο καταλαμβάνοντας τον σχεδόν ολόκληρο είναι εκείνα του Σκάρκου ΙΙ, ενός μεγάλου, ακμαίου οικισμού της περιόδου ιδιαίτερης ανάπτυξης και εξωστρέφειας του Πρωτοκυκλαδικού κόσμου, της γνωστής ως Πρωτοκυκλαδικής ΙΙ περιόδου ή περιόδου της πολιτισμικής ενότητας Κέρου-Σύρου.
Ο Σκάρκος ΙΙ, ο οποίος σώζεται σε εξαιρετική κατάσταση διατήρησης για έναν αιγαιακό οικισμό των μέσων της τρίτης χιλιετίας π.Χ., είναι οργανωμένος γύρω από την κορυφή του ομώνυμου λόφου χωρίς να προστατεύεται από ιδιαίτερο τείχος. Ωστόσο οι εξωτερικοί τοίχοι των ακραίων κτιρίων του οικισμού αποτελούν κατά κάποιον τρόπο έναν ενιαίο περιμετρικό τοίχο για την οριοθέτηση και προφανώς την προστασία του χώρου. Ο πυκνός οικιστικός ιστός αναπτύσσεται κατά μήκος δύο μεγάλων κεντρικών δρόμων, πλάτους έως και 2 μ., οι οποίοι περιβάλλουν την κορυφή του λόφου και διευρύνονται κατά διαστήματα για να σχηματίσουν μικρούς ή μεγαλύτερους ανοιχτούς χώρους. Τα οικοδομικά τετράγωνα περιλαμβάνουν δύο έως οκτώ διώροφα κυρίως κτίρια..
Τα κτίρια που ανασκάφηκαν είναι κυρίως ιδιωτικές κατοικίες και παρουσιάζουν αξιοσημείωτες ομοιότητες στο περίγραμμα, τη δομή, το σχήμα κυκλοφορίας των ενοίκων, την εσωτερική διάταξη και την χρήση των χώρων. Έχει όμως ανασκαφεί και ένα κτίριο, το Κτίριο των Ειδωλίων, που η κύρια χρήση του ήταν εργαστηριακή αφού σε αυτό λειτουργούσε εργαστήριο μαρμαροτεχνίας.
Η εξαιρετικά σωζόμενη κτιριακή υποδομή του Σκάρκου σε συνδυασμό με τα κινητά ευρήματα βοηθά να γίνουν κατανοητές οι σύνθετες κοινωνικές δομές των Κυκλάδων κατά την περίοδο ακμής του Πρωτοκυκλαδικού κόσμου.

Architecture and aspects of social organization in Early Bronze Age Cyclades: the evidence from... more Architecture and aspects of social organization in Early Bronze Age Cyclades:
the evidence from the major settlement at Skarkos on the island of Ios

The multiperiod site of Skarkos is situated on a hill in the middle of the west side of the island of Ios, a southern Cycladic island. It is in proximity to one of the most spacious sheltered harbours in the archipelago of the Cyclades. What is of particular significance at Skarkos is the large early Early Bronze Age II settlement (Skarkos II), the remains of which predominate on the hill. More than one-third of this settlement has been excavated mainly in the last fifteen years. The walls of the buildings are preserved to a maximum height of 4 meters. This unique state of preservation helps to understand the layout, architecture, and structures of settlements in the Cyclades during the peak of the Early Cycladic world.
Skarkos II, c. 1.1 ha in extent, is organized concentrically, but it does not seem to be protected by a separate defensive wall. The external walls of extreme buildings, however, constitute in some way a single perimeter wall for demarcating and obviously protecting the site. The dense urban tissue develops along the length of two long main streets, up to 2 metres wide, which encircle the top of the hill and widen at intervals to form small or larger open spaces. Incorporated in the street network are the building blocks, the insulae, each one of which is occupied by two to eight buildings. Ten such insulae have been uncovered in the excavated area, with a total of fifty-five buildings. The settlement is provided with a network of drains, running from the top to the foot of the hill. The drainage network appears to have been to drain away water.
The buildings excavated to date are all houses and present notable similarities in outline, structure, circulatory patterns, interior arrangement and functions. Each house includes spaces for special activities such as areas for the preparation and cooking of food on the ground floor, areas for agricultural and pottery storage on the ground but also on the upper floor, and living areas on the upper floor. They feature wide entrances, often with marble thresholds, windows, stone built staircases, ‘built-in’ cupboards, usually in pairs, and chests constructed of schist slabs.

The evidence suggest the existence of internal organization and social ranking within the Skarkos community. The settlement grew larger with the construction of new buildings which were added on as extensions of older ones, since care was taken not to close off the streets and squares in order to insure access, lighting, and ventilation to both the old and new buildings. The form and plan of the buildings underwent continuous development, with absolute respect being paid, however, to the unwritten laws and codes stipulated by the community. Some of the houses are larger than others. The largest include at least 12 rooms on both the ground and upper floor. In some instances a statement of ownership or personal identity was necessary, as we see in the ceramic vessels bearing potters' marks, the seals and the numerous seal impressed oblong terracotta objects and vessels. Both of these marking systems could be at the very least, indicative of a kind of control and organization of production.

Investigating the outskirts of the prehistoric town at Akrotiri, Thera Α rich LC I/LM IA building... more Investigating the outskirts of the prehistoric town at Akrotiri, Thera Α rich LC I/LM IA building complex at the site of Raos Ερευνώντας τα περίχωρα της προϊστορικής πόλης του Ακρωτηρίου Θήρας Ένα πλούσιο ΥΚ Ι/ΥΜΙ Α κτιριακό συγκρότημα στη θέση Ραός Το σεμινάριο θα δοθεί στα αγγλικά / The seminar will be in English

Σωστική ανασκαφή της Εφορείας Αρχαιοτήτων Κυκλάδων που διεξήχθη στη Χαλανδριανή την δεκαετία του ... more Σωστική ανασκαφή της Εφορείας Αρχαιοτήτων Κυκλάδων που διεξήχθη στη Χαλανδριανή την δεκαετία του 2000 και η νέα συστηματική ανασκαφή της εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογικής Εταιρείας στο Καστρί που άρχισε το 2006 και βρίσκεται σε εξέλιξη βοηθούν να γίνουν καλλίτερα κατανοητές η μορφή και η σημασία των σημαντικότατων Πρωτοκυκλαδικών θέσεων της Απάνω Μεριάς στη Σύρο.
Στο νεκροταφείο της Χαλανδριανής ήλθε στο φως μια συστάδα αδιατάρακτων τάφων. Τα κτερίσματα των τάφων αυτών είναι εντυπωσιακά, όπως εκείνα των ανασκαφών του Τσούντα. Από την έρευνα που διενεργήθηκε όμως ανάμεσα στους τάφους της συστάδας και την γύρω περιοχή προέκυψαν και άγνωστα έως τώρα στοιχεία για την κοινοτική λειτουργία του νεκροταφείου. Αυτά είναι η ύπαρξη κτιστού περιβόλου και βραχογραφιών αλλά και η χρήση κεραμικών τύπων που παραπέμπουν στην διενέργεια ειδικών τελετών.
Στον οικισμό του Καστριού η νέα έρευνα βοήθησε να αποκτηθεί σαφέστερη εικόνα από εκείνην που υπήρχε στο παρελθόν για την οχύρωση, την κάτοψη και την έκταση του οικισμού. Κατ’ αρχήν έγινε κατανοητό ότι η οχύρωσή του βασιζόταν σε τρεις και όχι σε δύο οχυρωματικούς περιβόλους, όπως εθεωρείτο πριν από το 2006: το προτείχισμα, το κυρίως τείχος με τους πεταλόσχημους πύργους και το τείχος της κορυφής του υψώματος. Επίσης έγινε σαφές ότι πίσω από το τρίτο αυτό τείχος υπήρχε κατοικήσιμος χώρος. Το εσώτερο δηλαδή τοξοειδές τείχος και ο χώρος που περιέκλειε αποτελούσαν ένα είδος ακρόπολης για την προϊστορική εγκατάσταση του Καστριού.

Συνεχίστηκαν και εφέτος οι έρευνες στο Καστρί της Σύρου, τον οχυρωμένο Πρωτοκυκλαδικό οικισμό της... more Συνεχίστηκαν και εφέτος οι έρευνες στο Καστρί της Σύρου, τον οχυρωμένο Πρωτοκυκλαδικό οικισμό της Χαλανδριανής, υπό τη διεύθυνση της Επιτίμου Διευθύντριας Αρχαιοτήτων Μαρίζας Μαρθάρη. Οι εργασίες πεδίου περιέλαβαν εκτεταμένο λεπτομερή καθαρισμό ολόκληρου του αρχαιολογικού χώρου, περιορισμένη ανασκαφική έρευνα και έρευνα επιφανείας σχετική με τις βραχογραφίες τόσο εντός του οχυρωμένου οικισμού όσο και στο άμεσο περιβάλλον του εκτός των τειχών. Ακολούθησε μελέτη κινητών ευρημάτων στο Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Σύρου.

Συνεχίστηκαν και κατά το 2016 οι έρευνες στο Καστρί της Σύρου, τον οχυρωμένο πρωτοκυκλαδικό οικισ... more Συνεχίστηκαν και κατά το 2016 οι έρευνες στο Καστρί της Σύρου, τον οχυρωμένο πρωτοκυκλαδικό οικισμό της Χαλανδριανής, υπό τη διεύθυνση της Επιτίμου Διευθύντριας Αρχαιοτήτων Μαρίζας Μαρθάρη. Οι εργασίες πεδίου επικεντρώθηκαν σε έρευνα σχετική με τις βραχογραφίες εντός του τειχισμένου οικισμού αλλά για πρώτη φορά και εκτός του οικισμού, κυρίως στις προσβάσεις που οδηγούν από τους πρόποδες στην κορυφή του υψώματος, όπου βρίσκεται ο οικισμός. Στο ανατολικό τμήμα του οικισμού εντοπίσθηκαν ορισμένες νέες βραχογραφίες με τριγωνικά, κυκλοτερή και ελικοειδή θέματα. Στην ανατολική πρόσβαση που συνδέει το νεκροταφείο της Χαλανδριανής, με τον οικισμό του Καστριού επισημάνθηκαν μεμονωμένα βραχογραφήματα.

Marthari, M. 2015. Ανασκαφή στο Καστρί Χαλανδριανής Σύρου έτους 2012 (Excavation at Kastri, Chalandriani on Syros, 2012 season), Praktika Ath. Arch. Soc. 167, pp. 107-110.

Marthari, M. 2014. Ανασκαφή στο Καστρί Χαλανδριανής Σύρου έτους 2011 (Excavation at Kastri, Chalandriani on Syros, 2011 season), Praktika Ath. Arch. Soc. 166, pp. 85-86

Marthari, M. 2013. Ανασκαφή στο Καστρί Χαλανδριανής Σύρου έτους 2010 (Excavation at Kastri, Chalandriani on Syros, 2010 season), Praktika Ath. Arch. Soc. 165, pp. 113-118.

Marthari, M. 2012. Ανασκαφή στο Καστρί Χαλανδριανής Σύρου έτους 2009 (Excavation at Kastri, Chalandriani on Syros, 2009 season), Praktika Ath. Arch. Soc. 164, pp. 141-144.

Marthari, M. 2010. Ανασκαφή στο Καστρί Χαλανδριανής Σύρου έτους 2008 (Excavation at Kastri, Chalandriani on Syros, 2008 season), Praktika Ath. Arch. Soc. 163, pp. 87-92.

Journal of Greek Archaeology, 2022

This article aims to summarise the results of three periods of fieldwork carried out at Keros in ... more This article aims to summarise the results of three periods of fieldwork carried out at Keros in the Cyclades since 2006. These are the Cambridge Keros Project of 2006–2008, the Keros Island Survey of 2012–2013, and the Keros-Naxos Seaways Project of 2015–2018. Taken together, these form a coherent, large-scale project that aimed to study a maritime landscape in some depth, putting the Kavos and Dhaskalio sites in a broader context, while through excavation understanding in great detail the formation, use and abandonment of the sanctuary site on Kavos and the large built-up area on Dhaskalio.

Figure 1. The western tip of Keros with the islet of Dhaskalio, showing archaeological zones ment... more Figure 1. The western tip of Keros with the islet of Dhaskalio, showing archaeological zones mentioned in the text. Inset, position of Keros in the Aegean.

Marthari, M. 2016. Two torsos of Early Cycladic marble female figurines of unknown provenance and twelve artefacts from Kastri on Syros. Entries nos. 9-10, 18, 28-29, 40, 45, 54-55, 111, 112, 119, 136 and 139 in “Cycladic Society 5000 years ago”

in N.C. Stampolidis, Cycladic Society 5000 years ago. Athens: Museum of Cycladic Art – Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports, pp. 136-137, 144, 148, 152-153, 154, 157, 180-181, 183 and 191-192., 2016

N.C. Stambolidis (ed.), "Πλόες… από τη Σιδώνα στη Χουέλβα: σχέσεις λαών της Μεσογείου, 16ος -6ος αι. π.Χ. Athens: Museum of Cycladic Art, 2003

ΤΑ ΝΕΑ ΤΗΣ ΤΕΧΝΗΣ, 2020

Αξέχαστη θα μου μείνει η πρώτη μου επαφή με το Ακρωτήρι της Θήρας, όπου πρωτοπήγα ως φοιτήτρια. Ε... more Αξέχαστη θα μου μείνει η πρώτη μου επαφή με το Ακρωτήρι της Θήρας, όπου πρωτοπήγα ως φοιτήτρια. Είχε μόλις αναλάβει τη διεύθυνση της ανασκαφής ο τότε Έφορος Αρχαιοτήτων Ρόδου Χρίστος Ντούμας μετά την απώλεια του καθηγητή Σπυρίδωνος Μαρινάτου. Όταν έφθασα με έστειλε να βοηθήσω στη Δυτική Οικία. Εκεί ανασκαπτόταν ένα τμήμα του ισογείου του δωματίου 5 με πολύχρωμα αγγεία στη θέση τους και ανάμεσά τους πεσμένα μικρά κομμάτια της Μικρογραφίας του Στόλου από τον όροφο. Η πρώτη εργασία που μου ανατέθηκε ήταν να γράφω τις ανασκαφικές ενδείξεις των μαγικών αυτών ευρημάτων. Παρά τη λεπτομερή δουλειά υπήρχε πολύ κέφι στο σκάμμα: ιστορίες από τα προηγούμενα χρόνια της ανασκαφής, πειράγματα και αστεία. Έτρεμε και η γη που και που, πράγμα συνηθισμένο στη Σαντορίνη. Μόλις πλησίαζε ο αξέχαστος συντηρητής Τάσος Μαργαριτώφ που φοβόταν πολύ τους σεισμούς αρχίζαμε να φωνάζουμε όλοι μαζί, γελώντας, «σεισμός-σεισμός!». Την ώρα του δειλινού μαζευόμασταν μπροστά στον ξενώνα αγναντεύοντας τη θάλασσα. Εκεί θέριευαν οι συζητήσεις για τα πρωϊνά ευρήματα, την ηφαιστειακή καταστροφή, τις σχέσεις του Ακρωτηρίου με τη μινωική Κρήτη. Στιγμές μοναδικές, αλησμόνητες!

Αργότερα, ως πρωτοδιόριστη αρχαιολόγος της Εφορείας Αρχαιοτήτων Κυκλάδων εντόπισα στην Ίο τον Σκάρκο, μια θέση με την οποία έμελλε να αποκτήσω σχέση ζωής. Ο λόφος του Σκάρκου που βρίσκεται στον μυχό του μεγάλου λιμανιού του νησιού τράβηξε την προσοχή μου από το Κάστρο της Χώρας. Τον επισκέφθηκα ένα απόγευμα και ένοιωσα μεγάλη χαρά όταν διαπίστωσα ότι έβριθε επιφανειακών ευρημάτων που έδειχναν την ύπαρξη εκεί ενός σημαντικού οικιστικού κέντρου της Πρωτοκυκλαδικής ΙΙ περιόδου (μέσα τρίτης χιλιετίας π.Χ.), γνωστής κυρίως από τα νεκροταφεία και την τέχνη, τα περίφημα μαρμάρινα ειδώλια, αλλά όχι από τους οικισμούς. Είχε σχεδόν νυχτώσει και εγώ ενθουσιασμένη ακόμη μάζευα διαγνωστικά θραύσματα κεραμικής. Η ανασκαφή στον Σκάρκο αποτελεί έως σήμερα μοναδική εμπειρία, αφού φέρνει στο φως τον μεγαλύτερο και καλύτερα διατηρημένο έως τώρα γνωστό οικισμό της ακμής του Πρωτοκυκλαδικού κόσμου. Κάθε νέα διώροφη κατοικία που αποκαλύπτεται, κάθε εργαστήριο που ερευνάται (κατασκευής μαρμάρινων ειδωλίων, μαρμάρινων αγγείων ή μεταλλοτεχνίας) αφήνει άφωνη την ανασκαφική ομάδα. Η κοινωνική και οικονομική ζωή μιας τόσο μακρινής εποχής ζωντανή μπροστά στα μάτια μας! Πρόκειται για μια ανασκαφή πραγματικά ομιλούσα.