Monthly Archives: August 2014

Plakari 2014

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The NIA is responsible for the Dutch archaeological fieldwork in Greece. Therefore I visited the surveys, excavations and material campaigns of 2014. For the one-but-last I went by bus and boat to Southern Evvia, to the site of Plakari near Karystos.
Plakari is a hilltop settlement and sanctuary, with a magnificent view over a valley, natural harbours, and a wide stretch of sea with a scattering of distant coastlines. It is situated near Karystos in the south of the island of Evvia (Euboea). A team of the VU University Amsterdam/Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Greek 11th Ephorate under the direction of Jan Paul Crielaard and Maria Kosma is presently excavating the site.
This convenient and breezy place was already occupied in the Final Neolithic and Early Bronze Age (3500-2000 BCE). In the Middle and Late Bronze Age, the site seems to have been unoccupied, to flourish again as a sanctuary and settlement from the early Iron Age on (11th-10th century BCE). The first finds, a few years ago, were part of a very rich Iron Age and Archaic votive deposit, situated on the hill side. This season, several structures are being uncovered to get a clearer picture of the development and significance of the cult site. Was it a local site of worship, or did the gifts come from a wider area? More generally, what was the place of Plakari in the network of Aegean connections throughout the ages? These, and other, questions are addressed in this very interesting NIA project.
Posted by Winfred van de Put

First Blogpost

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August is a hot and quiet month in Athens. Greeks are sensible enough to spend their diakopes on breezy beaches while some are just taking it easy in their city or cater for the tourist masses; archaeologists are doing their fieldwork, universities have come to a halt, invitations for lectures and seminars are conspicuously absent. In short, a good time to set up a blog for the Netherlands Institute at Athens. It is an addition to our website, our facebook presence and our twitter account @NIAthens. Researchers spending time at the Institute, students and lecturers following or giving courses, bursaries and staff of the Institute will be invited to contribute to the NIA – blog. paintingFor now, the most popular image of the year so far, a photo by Willem Ledeboer from his office of the painting of the shutters of the institute in an even brighter blue (yes, it is possible).

Posted by Winfred van de Put