Aimee Michelle Genova (Ph.D. Candidate, Department of History – Ancient Mediterranean World, University of Chicago) will address the topic “Knossos Before Arthur Evans: Archival Remnants of Heinrich Schliemann’s Bid for Kephala Hill”. The lecture is organized by the Friends of the Historical Archive of the Archaeological Service.
Knossos is synonymous with the accomplishments of Sir Arthur Evans in 1900, but the site’s history and reputation was a crucial part of the Cretan social fabric much earlier. Heinrich Schliemann is primarily regarded for his excavations at Troy, Mycenae, and Tiryns in the late 19th century, but his failed attempt to secure the site of Crete’s Knossos is perhaps a lesser known aspect to his archaeological narrative. The archaeological process for excavating Knossos extends beyond Schliemann’s firsthand commentary, and this presentation discusses the context of unpublished documents from Iosif Hatzidakis to Heinrich Schliemann between June 1886-May 1889 that were collected from the American School of Classical Studies at Athens through the Gennadius Library Archives.