Events Calendar – British School at Athens

BSA Friends’ Lecture

Dr Flora Michelaki (BSA), “The tholos cemeteries in south-central Crete and their social implications during Pre- and Protopalatial periods”

Abstract: This lecture presents a synopsis of my doctoral thesis that aimed to examine the architectural and depositional complexity of the best documented tholos cemeteries in south-central Crete during the Prepalatial and Protopalatial periods. It also explored what they can tell us about broader social behaviour, its variations between communities and transformations through time, in this period spanning the development of the Minoan states. This research involves a commitment to the study of basic archaeological data, both unpublished and published, from a number of sites held in the Archaeological Museum and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Heraklion. The systematic documentation and analysis of the preserved material culture along with the surviving architectural remains allow the identification of patterns and local variations which contribute to a more nuanced understanding of these cemeteries and the societies that constructed and used them.

Bio: Dr Flora Michelaki holds a BSc in Archaeology from Cardiff University, an MA in Archaeology & Prehistory from the University of Sheffield, and a PhD in Archaeology from University College London. She has worked primarily in the Heraklion area of Crete, undertaking roles such as supervising fieldwork, studying, documenting, and writing-up material for excavations, as well as cataloguing for the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion and the Ephorate of Hellenic Archaeological Service. Dr Michelaki has contributed to various archaeological research projects across Crete, such as those on Moni Odigitria, Trypiti, Skinias, Knossos Urban Landscape Project, and the Knossos Gypsades Project, collaborating with institutions like the British School at Athens, the Institute for Aegean Prehistory, and the Greek Archaeological Service. Between 2010 and 2015, she served as a Curatorial Project Assistant, overseeing the curation and documentation of holdings at the Stratigraphical Museum of Knossos. Additionally, she has worked as a research assistant in the Classics Department at the University of Glasgow. Currently, she is employed as the administrative assistant for the London office of the British School at Athens.

Online only, 7pm (Greece) / 5pm (UK)

Please register here to attend online via Zoom webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VHcK1Ao7So-wLMVrYFINAA

Image: Lebena Gerokampos Tholos Tomb II, photo by F. Michelaki