Alex Knodell, professor of classics and director of archaeology, has received a collaborative convening grant, co-funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Hellenic Foundation for Research & Innovation (HFRI). Together with Nena Galanidou (University of Crete), Knodell will host a three-day international conference, followed by two on-site workshops in the northeastern Mediterranean islands. The conference will bring together researchers from the U.S., Greece, and elsewhere to develop new methodological and comparative frameworks for small-island studies based on recent research in Greece, one of the world’s most significant island theaters.
Island archaeology, now a well-established subfield of archaeology, has brought significant advances to our understanding of human migration, evolution, and social complexity. Small islands are particularly significant in their capacity to shed light on some of the least known patterns and scales of human adaptability, endurance, and activity in marginal environments from prehistoric to modern times. The aim of the conference is to render small-island archaeology—especially in Greece—a visible and holistic specialization in the study of the human past.