Events Calendar – British School at Athens

BSA Friends’ Lecture (online only)

Prof. Michael Cosmopoulos, “Homer and the Mycenaeans: The Mycenaean City of Iklaina and the Iliad”

Abstract: For thousands of years Homer’s Iliad has remained the classic tale of love, honor, and war.  Exciting archaeological discoveries in the past 150 years have unearthed the great palaces of the Homeric heroes and revived the fascinating society of the Mycenaeans.  In antiquity itself, and in our memory of antiquity, the great palaces at Mycenae, Tiryns, Pylos, and Troy stand at the crossroads between myths and historical reality.
The world of the Mycenaeans still holds, however, many surprises.  Recent excavations at the site of Iklaina have brought to light one of the capitals of the Mycenaean state of Pylos. Massive Cyclopean structures, monumental buildings decorated with beautiful wall paintings, advanced urban infrastructure allow us a glimpse into previously unknown aspects of the Homeric epics.

In this illustrated lecture Professor Cosmopoulos will present the exciting archaeological discoveries at Iklaina and discuss their significance for the historical foundation of Homer’s epics.

Please register to attend online via Zoom here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EkkOsVqnSECYfE1vvOd4ww

Please do consider making a donation.

The Friends of the BSA support the British School at Athens, which is a charity. The Friends organise regular lectures – like this one – and trips to Greece. We also raise funds to enhance the BSA and recently covered the costs of the final phase of the ‘Digital Thessaly’ project, making the archives of Alan Wace available to the wider public.

You can help us by making a donation here when you attend a lecture (we suggest £10 for Supporters, £15 otherwise): https://www.bsa.ac.uk/donate/

Collectively, all these gifts make a huge difference.

Tuesday 24 January 2023, 5pm (UK) / 7pm (Greece)