The aim of this course is to offer an introduction to the myths of the ancient Greeks (stories told, adapted to various media and re-told over generations), and at the same time to provide a privileged overview of mythical accounts relating to Crete and Cretan mythical figures, integrated in the Greek tradition of the mythical past or represented in the Roman imagination.

A selection of case-study narratives will be used to examine the multifaceted meanings and functions of myth in general. Students will acquire familiarity with basic narratives, patterns, figures and ideas of classical myth through the study of a diverse collection of both literary evidence and visual material ranging from Archaic Greece to Imperial Rome. The goal is to become familiar with the stories themselves, to appreciate the variations that arise from their retelling, and generally to explore the significance of these stories in the wider context of Greek and Roman culture.

Modern approaches to the myths of classical Antiquity, as well as modern reception and adaptations are further aspects to be included in the analysis of the material under study. The Cretan perspective will offer a fresh and creative vantage point from which an awareness can be gained about the way in which Greeks and Romans understood their world and used myths to discuss love and gender, and to create and frame civic and cultural identities.

Course Syllabi

 The aim of this course is to offer a general introduction to the material culture of the so-called Aegean, the area that includes the Aegean Sea and its surrounding regions (today’s mainland Greece and Western Anatolia), but an introduction that places developments and advances in the wider frame of the eastern Mediterranean world. The time frame is the Bronze Age (3rd-2nd mill. BCE), which will be reviewed in three chronological entities: the Early Bronze Age (EBA, 3rd mill. BCE), the Middle Bronze Age (MBA, 2000-1700 BCE) and the Late Bronze Age (LBA, 1700-1200 BCE).

The course will offer an overview of the eastern Mediterranean during the Bronze Age from within the Aegean, with the purpose of pinpointing and explaining facts and episodes as results of internal as well as external procedures. The focus of developments during the 3rd mill. BCE appears to be in the Aegean islands (the Cylades and the islands of the eastern Aegean), whereas during the 2nd mill. BCE the lead shifts initially to Crete, only to be taken up by mainland Greece (primarily the Peloponnese and central Greece). The Aegean world during the Bronze Age will be discussed in terms of what it appears to receive and assimilate from the cultures of its wider region (Anatolia, Syro-Palestine, Cyprus, Egypt), but we will also examine what we estimate its contibution to the eastern Meditteranean world to be.

Apart from classes, the course will also include visits to key archaeological sites pertaining to the course topic (Phaistos-Agia Triada-Kommos, Malia).

Course Syllabi

 Greek gods were not immaterial entities, but were closely associated with specific objects, as is documented in archaeological contexts and often complemented by mythological narratives. Thousands of such objects have been unearthed during excavations of sacred assemblages, while epigraphic and literary sources refer to others. A great variety of objects have been found in sanctuaries, ranging from shells and simple clay objects to life-size statues. They provide us with valuable information, not only for the chronological framework and use of this space but also on the deities worshipped, the active dedicants, and the ritual practices that took place, all of which contribute to ongoing changes within society and, consequently, the evolving nature of religion over an arc of time. Through these objects we can see how the ancient Greeks created the appropriate material contexts for interaction with the divine, not only in public (on a state level) but also in private and in otherwise domestic contexts.

The aim of this course is to provide as complete a picture as possible of the range of finds in assemblages that can be ascribed a sacred character, as opposed to those that are profane. Sacred assemblages include not only those from sanctuaries and hypethral places of worship, but also associated with domestic cults and practices related to the official inauguration of buildings of a private nature, i.e. houses and buildings of industrial and commercial use, as well as public structures. We will consider questions regarding the use and significance of these artefacts, both as personal expression of the dedicant and as coherent, repeating sets that reflect a collective and repeated practice.

In addition to class-based learning, the course will also include fieldtrips to important archaeological sites, museums and excavation depots in Crete and Athens. Artefactual handling and compiling artefact biographies will play important roles in the student’s appreciation of this specific aspect of material culture.

The aims of this course is to offer a general introduction to the history and material culture of ancient Crete between the collapse of the Mycenaean states around 1200 BCE and the end of the early imperial period around 300 CE. Often neglected in comparison with the famous civilizations of the Bronze Age, Cretan history and archaeology during the historical periods is a highly fascinating subject on its own.

The course will offer an overview of the history of Cretan communities, and the major transformations they experienced in different periods. It will trace both the similarities with developments elsewhere in the Greek world, as well as the important Cretan peculiarities in comparison to other Greek communities. In this respect, this course will enable students both to explore an important local Greek culture, as well as to think about the wider trajectory of ancient Greek history through the lens of Crete. We shall examine political, military, economic, social and cultural aspects of Cretan history by combining the written sources (literary and epigraphical) with the stimulating material evidence.

Apart from classes, the course will also include visits to important archaeological sites and museums (Gortyn, Eleutherna, Herakleion Museum).

Course Syllabi

This course explores the rich visual narratives depicted on ancient Greek vases from the Geometric period (8th century BC) through the Classical period (4th century BC). By analyzing a variety of vase paintings, students will investigate how myths, daily life, religious practices, and historical events were represented in ceramic art. The course will also consider the social, political, and cultural contexts in which these vases were produced and used, as well as the technological advancements in pottery and painting styles. Special emphasis will be placed on key themes such as sports and gymnastics, Greek mythology, male ideology and symposia, women and their activities, religion and worship practices, death and burial practices, slaves and strangers, and sexuality and love as depicted in vase painting. The course will incorporate interpretive approaches, most notably from City of Images, while also providing a brief introduction to techniques, workshops, and key painters and potters.

 By the end of this course, students will:

1. Analyze visual narratives and storytelling techniques employed by ancient Greek vase painters.
2. Discuss the role of vases in Greek society, including their use in symposium culture, religious rituals, and as grave markers.
3. Evaluate the relationship between literary traditions (e.g., Homeric epics, tragedy) and visual storytelling.
4. Develop skills in visual analysis and interpretation of ancient artworks.
5. Engage with current scholarly debates on Greek vase painting.

Course Syllabi

The aims of this course is to offer an introduction to the archaeology of the Minoan civilization that developed on the island of Crete during the prehistoric period (7000 BCE to 1100 BCE). This will include the early occupation of the island, since the beginning of farming (7000-6500 BCE) until the creation of the earliest palatial culture in Europe (2000 BCE-1200 BCE), and its downfall (12^th century BCE). This unique and famous culture will be presented through its fascinating and engaging archaeological finds.

The course will offer an overview of the Minoan culture and will analyze several themes that explain how it was formed through time. The idiosyncrasies of Crete will be explained and comparisons will be made with contemporary mainland Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. The ways settlements and the first palatial states in Europe were developed will be important subjects to discuss. It is also very significant to consider the character and form of the earliest organized religion that appeared in Europe. The Minoan material culture also reflected the multiplicity of arts and crafts that that were locally produced, which employed Cretan and exotic materials alike. In this course students will be able to explore several aspects of the everyday life, culture, society, economy, religion and politics of Minoan Crete and the effect of this island in the broader Aegean and Mediterranean.

Apart from classes, the course will also include visits to important archaeological sites and museums (Knossos, Phaistos, Herakleion Museum).

Course Syllabi

Why does the Athenian philosopher Plato set his final dialogue, the Laws, on the island of Crete? Focusing on Plato’s account of his second best city, Magnesia, the new colony that is supposedly established on the island of Crete, this course introduces the students to a series of major themes and ideas that are developed throughout the platonic dialogues, ranging from moral psychology and political theory to theology, natural science, to the educational role of art, the importance of persuasion and the value but also the constraints of philosophical explanation. Special attention will be given to the contrast between different political cultures (reflected in the author’s choice to present his text in the form of a dialogue between representatives of different city-states (Athens, Sparta and Cnossos), and respectively different lawcodes but also virtues, as well as to the invocation of divine authority (reflected in the fact that the dialogue is supposed to take place in the course of a pilgrimage to the cave of Zeus on Mount Ida, from which King Minos allegedly received his laws).

Course Syllabi

This course offers an overview of the c.300 years between the conquest of the Persian kingdom by Alexander the Great and his expansion to India (334-324 BC) and the subjugation of the last Hellenistic state, Ptolemaic Egypt, to Rome (31 BC). The emergence by 275 BC of Hellenistic kingdoms from the extended Macedonian kingdom established by Alexander the Great opened up a new era, during which it was kings who pulled the strings of political entities around the Mediterranean. The present course aims to outline the administrative, economic, social and cultural profile of each of the main kingdoms, in order to highlight their respective similarities and major divergences. Our ultimate aim is not only to reveal the reasons that led to the Hellenistic states’ gradual subjugation to Rome and to the transformation of the Mediterranean into a Roman “mare nostrum”, but also to offer a glimpse of the diverse, distinct features which emerged and flourished within the cosmopolitan environment thus formed and which may be considered peculiar to this exceptionally stimulating, and strikingly similar to the modern, period.

Course Syllabi