Research Projects

Books

Iakovidis, Sp. and E. French, Archaeological Atlas of Mycenae, Library of the Athens Archaeological Society 229, Athens 2003.

Iakovidis, Sp., Ανασκαφές Μυκηνών I: Η Βορειοδυτική Συνοικία, Library of the Athens Archaeological Society 244, Athens 2006.

Iakovidis, Sp., et al., Ανασκαφές Μυκηνών III: Η Νοτιοδυτική Συνοικία, Library of the Athens Archaeological Society 278, Athens 2013.

Danielidou, D., Ανασκαφές Μυκηνών II: Το 'Εργαστήριο' των Μυκηνών, Library of the Athens Archaeological Society 258, Athens 2008.

Maggidis, Chr. (with contributions by H. Dierckx, A. Stamos, D. Reese, A. Brybaert, N. Lianos), The Palatial Workshops of Mycenae: The Artisans’ Workshops and the House of Columns (funded by the Institute for Aegean Prehistory, to be published by the Athens Archaeological Society – in progress, near completion).

Maggidis, Chr. (with contributions by A. Stamos, K. Vouvalidis, G. Tsokas, P. Karkanas, E. Blinkhorn, N. Lianos, R. Shears, D. Fallu), The Lower Town of Mycenae I: Geophysical Survey 2003-2013 (publication-ready; submitted for publication review to the Athens Archaeological Society).

Maggidis, Chr., et al., The Lower Town of Mycenae II: Excavations 2007-2013 (to be published by the Athens Archaeological Society; in working progress).

Maggidis, Chr., et al., Mycenae Excavations: Building K (in progress).

Articles

Iakovidis, Sp., “Destruction Horizons at Late Bronze Age Mycenae,” in: Φίλια Έπη εις Γεώργιον Μυλωνάν διά τα 60 έτη του ανασκαφικού του έργου. Library of the Athens Archaeological Society 103, 1986, vol. I, pp. 233-260.

Iakovidis, Sp., “Mycenae in the Light of Recent Discoveries,” in: Atti e Memorie des Secondo Congresso Internazionale di Micenologia (Roma-Napoli, 14-20 ottobre 1991) (E. De Miro, L. Godart, A. Sacconi, eds), 1996, vol. III, pp. 1039-1049.

Maggidis, Chr. and A. Stamos, “Detecting Mycenae: Systematic Remote Sensing Survey in the 'Lower City' – Towards the Discovery of the Mycenaean Settlement Outside the Citadel,” 2nd International Conference on Remote Sensing Archaeology: From Space to Place, Rome 2006, BAR, Oxford 2006, pp. 157-166.

Maggidis, Chr. and A. Stamos, “Systematic Remote Sensing Survey in the 'Lower Town' of Mycenae: Dynamics of Settlement and Ancient Landscape and Mechanisms of Spatial Transformation,” 3rd International Conference on Remote Sensing Archaeology, India 2009, BAR, Oxford 2009.

Maggidis, Chr., “Mycenae Abroad: Mycenaean Foreign Policy, the Anatolian Frontier, and the Theory of Overextension – Reconstructing an Integrated Causal Nexus for the Decline and Fall of the Mycenaean World,” in P. Kousoulis and K. Magliveras (eds), Moving Across Borders: Foreign Relations, Religion and Cultural Interactions in the Ancient Mediterranean, Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 159, Louvain, Peeters Publishers 2007, pp. 71-100.

Maggidis, Chr., “Mycenaean Palatial Overextension and the Dynamics of the Systems Collapse of the Mycenaean World,” in DORON. Studies in Honor of Professor Sp. Iakovidis, Academy of Athens Monographs 6, Athens 2009, pp. 397-418.

Maggidis, Chr., “Unearthing the City of Agamemnon,” in Popular Archaeology Magazine, June 2014, vol. 15 (http://popular-archaeology.com/issue/06052014/article/unearthing-the-city-ofagamemnon).

Maggidis, Chr., “Κάτω Πόλη Μυκηνών 2003-2012: τα υστερομυκηναϊκά ευρήματα” in Το Αρχαιολογικό Έργο στην Πελοπόννησο, ΑΕΠΕΛ 1 (2012), Kalamata 2018, pp. 127-136.

Maggidis, Chr. and N. Lianos, “The Archaeological Discovery and Identification of the Palace Throne at Mycenae” in Το Αρχαιολογικό Έργο στην Πελοπόννησο, ΑΕΠΕΛ 2 (2017), Kalamata (forthcoming in 2019).

Maggidis, Chr., “The Palace Throne at Mycenae: Constructing Collective Historical Memory and Power Ideology” in Mneme: Past and Memory in the Aegean Bronze Age, Aegaeum 17, Venice and Udine (forthcoming in 2019).

Dissertations

A. Stamos (Temple Univ.); K. Lantzas (Univ. of Sheffield); S. Peterson (Temple Univ.); D. Fallu (Univ. of Boston).

Discoveries in the Field

“At Mycenae, in the period 2002-2008, we excavated inside the citadel and unearthed a whole building (K), which yielded hundreds of important finds (http://mycenae-excavations.org/citadel.html); the final publication is currently in working progress.

Meanwhile, a systematic remote-sensing survey commenced in 2003, a product of collaboration between Dickinson, INSTAP and the University of Thessaloniki; the geophysical survey applied various methods and techniques (ground penetrating radar, geomagnetometry, electrical resistivity, satellite/aerial photography) to map all buried structures in the area around the citadel and create a 3D digital model of the Lower Town of Mycenae (http://mycenae-excavations.org/gis.html). Preliminary results of the geophysical survey were published in professional journals and were presented at international conferences and guest lectures; the final publication (volume I) is currently in press.
After the completion of the first phase of the geophysical survey, we expropriated the most promising part of the surveyed land (four acres) thanks to a generous grant of Ch. and M. Case, J. Wagman, and the Dickinson College Roberts Fund.

In the period 2007-2013, we conducted the systematic excavation of the Lower Town of Mycenae (the first of a Mycenaean urban center of that size and importance) under the auspices of the Archaeological Society of Athens with the collaboration of INSTAP and the University of Thessaloniki. The geophysical survey and systematic excavation of the Lower Town at Mycenae (2003-2013) revealed an extensive Mycenaean settlement outside the citadel, which was protected by an outer fortification wall with gates, as well as overlying structures and buildings dating to the Early Iron Age (PG/G houses, workshops, silos, retaining walls, graves) and the Archaic period, thus establishing for the first time a continuous, well-stratified occupation of Mycenae in all the successive periods from the 13th century BC to the 6th century BC. Such strong confirmation of continued presence following the decline of the palatial center of Mycenae and the subsequent political decentralization, economic collapse, and social dissolution, becomes very important, as it complements and reinforces the post-Mycenaean archaeological picture of transition in the Early Iron Age Argolid and substantiates cultural continuity in the region. The exploration of the lay-out, borders, size, and modified landscape of the town has radically changed the topography of Mycenae, and offered a better understanding of the dynamic interaction between town and palace, ancient economy and environment (http://mycenae-excavations.org/lower_town.html). Preliminary results of the excavation were published in professional journals and were presented at international conferences and guest lectures; the final publication (volume II) is currently in working progress.

The recent discovery (2014) of a huge stone fragment of the Mycenaean royal throne in the dry riverbed of Chavos, right below the palace of Mycenae, stirred strong academic and public interest on account of the unique find (the only throne of a Mycenaean palace ever found so far on mainland Greece), its archaeological importance and special semantic value as a symbol connected with myth and ancient literary tradition. The multifaceted interdisciplinary study of the find proved that it can be securely identified as the throne of the last phase of the Mycenae palace (1250-1200 BC). Such identification is based on solid, diverse and interlaced argumentation, including archaeological, morphological, technical, geological, topographical, and literary evidence, comparanda, comparative study of dimensions and proportions, and examination of impact traces. The throne of Mycenae prove to be one of the most splendid finds of the Mycenaean civilization. The royal throne of Mycenae was presented at an international press conference for 80 newspapers, TV channels, and electronic media from around the globe, an open public lecture in Athens, and international conferences; the final publication is forthcoming.

The startling discovery of the Lower Town and of the palace throne some 130 years after Schliemann’s discoveries at Mycenae have been enjoying wide publicity in both professional and popular media (http://mycenae-excavations.org/news.html).”

Under Excavation