The Netherlands Institute at Athens, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Laconia and the University of Groningen are organizing the early career scholar conference ‘Middle and Late Helladic Laconia: Competing principalities?’ on 12-13 April 2019 at the premises of the NIA, Makri 11, Athens. In various ways, this conference can be seen as a follow-up of the Round Table Conference on Early Helladic Laconia, hosted by the NIA in 2010.
Call for Papers
It was in 1992, that OTPK Dickinson wrote about central Late Helladic Laconia, that he had an impression of “competing and unstable principalities in the early period and perhaps centrifugal tendencies”. We are now more than 25 years later, and the uncovering of the first traces of a Mycenaean palatial settlement at Ayios Vasilios and various excavations along the newly constructed highways, have given a new impetus to discussion of the political organization of Laconia during the Late Bronze Age.
This conference aims to explore in more details developments in Laconia during the Middle and Late Helladic period. We wish to discuss results from recent work carried out in the region, understand the development of individual sites, reconstruct (inter)dependency of nearby sites, and to relate events at settlements with events and developments taking place in their surrounding territories and beyond. In this way, we also hope to explore trajectories of political and social change at individual sites and within larger areas, and if and how these trajectories may differ from other regions, such as the well-explored regions of the Argolid and Messenia.
We are pleased to invite papers discussing results from recent (rescue) excavations, surveys and other investigations, thereby specifically addressing the above—mentioned issues.
The language of the 20—minute presentations and the discussions will be English; please contact the organizers if you want to present in another language. You are kindly asked to submit your 300—word abstract before December 30, 2018 to [email protected] and [email protected]. If you only wish to participate, you can register at the same email addresses.
The conference aims to pre-circulate drafts of the papers to be delivered among the presenters, a week before the conference takes place, this to enhance discussions. Additionally, we aim to publish the articles in a peer-reviewed volume. Please indicate if you are willing to contribute to this publication and note that the deadline for the final version of the 5000-word article will be December 20, 2019. Publication is foreseen in 2020.
The organizers will probably not be able to reimburse travel expenses. The NIA will provide accommodation for the speakers, either at the institute or at a nearby facility.
For information, please contact the following members of the organizing committee by e-mail: University of Groningen: Corien Wiersma [email protected] Ephorate of Antiquities of Laconia: Maria Tsouli [email protected]
We are looking forward to your participation as a speaker or attendee.
Organizing Committee: Dr. Tsouli, Dr. Wiersma, Dr. van de Put, Mrs Maltezou,
Scientific Committee: Prof. Banou, Mrs Pantou, Dr. Prent, Dr. van de Put, Dr. Tsouli, Mrs Vasilogamvrou, Prof. Voutsaki, Dr. Wiersma
