The Zakynthos Archaeology Project
Years of Operation:
2005-2015
Director(s):
Gert Jan van Wijngaarden, University of Amsterdam
Associate Director(s):
Andreas Sotiriou, Ephorate of Antiquities, Zakynthos
Objectives of the Project:
The island of Zakynthos (Greece) has a rich and varied history, but is notoriously lacking in archaeological remains. This “scarcity of archaeology” is primarily due to the extensive destruction of the ancient landscapes by earthquakes and intensive agriculture and building. Starting point for this project is our conviction that we need to be better informed about archaeologically marginal areas such as Zakynthos in order to understand the ancient world.
The Zakynthos Archaeology Project is an interdisciplinary research with the aim to relate the distribution of archaeological finds to the dynamic landscape of the island. To achieve this, scholars and students from various Dutch and Greek universities carry out a range of researches: intensive archaeological survey, remote sensing, geological prospection, limited archaeological excavations (test trenches), study of materials and reconnaissance surveys. The project is a cooperation between the Netherlands Institute in Athens and the Ephorate for Antiquities at Zakynthos.
Funding
The University of Amsterdam
The Netherlands Institute for Scientific Research (NWO)
UTOPA Foundation (Leiden)
The institute for Aegean Prehistory (New York)
The Mediterranean Archaeological Trust (London)
Major Publications:
Pieters, N., A. Stoker, M. Tendürüs, G.J. van Wijngaarden 2007: Archeologie in een extreem dynamisch landschap: het Zakynthos Archeologie Project. Tijdschrift voor Mediterrane Archeologie 37, 26-32.
Gkouma, M. , G.J.M. van Wijngaarden, S. Soetens 2011: assessing the effects of geomorphological processes on archaeological denisties: a GIS case study on Zakynthos Island Greece. Journal of Archaeological Science 38, 2714-2725.
Von Stein, I, G.J.M. van Wijngaarden 2012: Just in time… Assessing Cape Kaloyeros on Zakynthos
before it is gone. Pharos. Journal of the Netherlands Institute at Athens 18.2, 57-82.
Van Wijngaarden, G. J.M., G. Kourtesi-Phillipakis, N. Pieters 2013: New Archaeological sites and finds on Zakynthos. In: G.J. van Wijngaarden & A. Sotiriou (eds.) Archaeology in the southern Ionian islands, Pharos. Journal of the Netherlands Institute at Athens 19.1, 127-159.
Avramidis, P., S. Kalaitzidis, G. Iliopoulos, P. Papadopoulou, K, Nikolaou, S. Papazisimou, K.
Christanis, G. van Wijngaarden 2017, The so-called ‘Herodotus’ springs’ at ‘Keri Lake’ in Zakynthos Island: a palaeoenvironmental and palaeoecological approach, Journal of Quarternary Sciences 439, 37-51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2016.12.014
Avramidis, P., Iliopoulos, G., N. Konstantinos, N. Kontopoulos, A. Koutsodendris, G.J. van Wijngaarden 2017, Holocene Sedimentology and coastal geomorphology of Zakynthos Island Ionian Sea: a history of a divided Mediterranean island. Palaeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 487, 340-354.
Versloot A.I. 2018, The ‘lost’ stelai of Zakynthos. The significant value of rediscovered epigraphical/archaeological objects, Journal of Epigraphic Studies 1, 143-167.
Van Wijngaarden, G., Ch. Merkouri, S. Ligkovanlis, A. Versloot & M. Spegi in press (2019), The
Zakynthos Archaeology Project. Report on the 2015 surface survey at Skoulikado-Kallimachou, Pharos, Journal of the Netherlands Institute at Athens, Pharos. Journal of the Netherlands Institute at Athens 23 (2019)
Contact Information
Website
The Zakynthos Archaeology Project – University of Amsterdam (uva.nl)
