Coming December 9th to the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, Dr. Jan Driessen will present the lecture “In the Shadow of the Minotaur – Recent Excavations at Sissi.” Part of the series 2019-2020 Circle of Archaeological Lectures, the lecture will cover the work of his team’s excavations and research at the Sissi archaeological site in Lasithi Prefecture, Crete.
Dr. Driessen, working with a team of archaeologists, scientists, and researchers from the Catholic University of Louvain, and under the auspices of the Belgian School at Athens, already unearthed stunning discoveries in the field. The discovery of a court-centered building complex so close to Minoan Palace at Malia, is an astonishing find. And, according to Professor Driessen, the recent shaft grave discovery is the first of its kind in eastern Crete.
The Sissi Archaeological Project is a detailed exploration of a Minoan seaside settlement and cemetery on the Kephali hill east of Malia. The Sissi site offers the unique opportunity to examine the relationships over time between a first magnitude center like Malia (MMI), and a secondary center in its immediate vicinity.
Both the Malia palace and the Sissi location remained in use until their final abandonment in the late 13th c. BCE. Dr. Driessen and his colleagues have studied in depth this fascinating test case for comparing intra-regional material culture – both where production and consumption are concerned – and opens interesting research avenues to explore various forms of dependency through time and the implementation of emerging social and economic links.
The discovery of a court-centered complex, possibly a second-order palace, adds a new dimension to the study of Minoan civilization. The new angle of research will certainly revise the thinking surrounding Minoan palatial centers. Driessen’s upcoming talk will provide crucial context and information about this extraordinary project.
“In the Shadow of the Minotaur – Recent Excavations at Sissi,” takes place Monday 9th December. Admission is free, and the lecture begins at 19:00. Priority will be given to first arrivals beginning from 18:30. To find out more visit the website of the Museum of Cycladic Art, or call: +30 210 72 28 321-3