The Netherlands Institute at Athens, in collaboration with the Royal Museums of Art and History Brussels, The National Archaeological Museum Athens, The Archaeological Research Unit of the University of Cyprus, The École française d’Athènes and The University College Roosevelt (NL) are very pleased to announce our upcoming event in our Lecture series and Discussion Forum TEXNH: Making, creating, and agency networks in the Ancient Mediterranean world.
Hybrid lecture by Dr. Éléonore Favier, Membre scientifique de l’École française d’Athènes.
“What is the relationship between a city’s commercial harbor and its workshops? A work in progress on the case of Delos”
For physical attendance please register by sending an email to: [email protected]. For online registration please visit: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcodOGsqjktE9BrBsTRODVdfaC8XBOdiin3
The event will also be streamed live. For registration please visit:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcodOGsqjktE9BrBsTRODVdfaC8XBOdiin3
Abstract
What is the relationship between a city’s commercial harbor and its workshops? A work in progress on the case of Delos.
The city of Delos is today primarily viewed as a commercial hub, largely due to its harbor. While the harbor was already significant during the period of Independence (314–167/6 BCE), it expanded in the mid-2nd century BCE during the Athenian dominance, when the Roman Senate declared it a free port. The productive aspect of the city has been largely overlooked, with its economy being regarded as purely commercial. Yet, the numerous workshops on the island attest to its productive nature. What was the relationship between this commercial harbor—whose significance is undeniable—and these workshops, about which we know so little? In this lecture, I will present the many questions and the few answers I have thus far. Raw data and bibliography are always the starting point of our research, so I will begin with a state-of-the-art overview, presenting the available sources and reviewing the historiography on this issue. I will then explore how the workshops functioned alongside the harbor, and vice versa, looking for connections between the two. The diachronic perspective on such issues allows us to highlight the importance of geopolitical events and to establish links with state institutions. While I currently have more questions than answers, I believe we must consider a complementary relationship between the workshops and the port, one that moves beyond the commercial dominance that has long been emphasized.