On two Saturdays in November, students, scholars, and interested members of the southern California community gathered together to learn about the techniques used by Mycenaean and Minoan craftspeople and to study connections between Minoan Crete and the Mycenaean Greek mainland.
In collaboration, the UCLA Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture and the J. Paul Getty Museum hosted Nikolas Papadimitriou (Director, Paul and Alexandra Canellopoulos Museum, Athens), Eleni Konstantinidi-Syvridi (Curator, Department of Prehistoric, Egyptian, Cypriot and Near Eastern Collections of Antiquities, at the Hellenic National Archaeological Museum, Athens), and Akis Goumas (contemporary jewelry maker and researcher of ancient crafting technologies), who presented new findings about Late Bronze Age craft practices and demonstrated ancient tools and crafting techniques.
The scholars also presented their work to a large audience at the University of California, San Diego, under the sponsorship of the Center for Hellenic Studies. One week later, Professor Andreas G. Vlachopoulos (University of Ioannina) lectured at UCLA on “Pylos and Minoan Crete,” investigating the extensive Minoan influence on Pylos and Mycenaean sites in the region through semi-precious seal stones, gold rings, architecture, wall painting, and religious symbolism.
UCLA Professor David Schneller, co-organizer of the series, noted: “This was an exceptionally rare opportunity for students and for members of the university and museum communities not only to observe but to actively participate in experimental research. It was inspiring to watch students engage directly with scholars and makers who are typically far beyond their reach. These are precisely the kinds of outcomes that our collaborative efforts make possible.”
Dr. Claire Lyons, Curator of Antiquities at the Getty Villa and co-organizer of the series, added: “We were very excited to deepen the community’s engagement with objects on view in The Kingdom of Pylos: Warrior-Princes of Mycenaean Greece. The speakers’ close analyses of technology enable us to appreciate Mycenaean and Minoan art from the vantage point of the artisans who created it and the influences that shaped their work.”
Papadimitriou, Konstantinidi, and Goumas, who have been working together for more than two decades, also met with UCLA graduate students and discussed museum and curatorial work in Athens, the impending renovations of the Hellenic National Archaeological Museum, and the nature of collaborative research. The team then joined undergraduates from UC San Diego’s Pandora Forum, a student club focused on Classical Studies, and visited the university’s innovative Craft Center.
Akis Goumas, who served as an artist-in-residence at UCLA through the SNF-sponsored program Gefyra, mesmerized audience members with his detailed comments on materials such as gold and semi-precious stones used during the Mycenaean period, explaining artisanal processes with his own reproductions of the tools employed by ancient craftspeople. Goumas subsequently demonstrated the value of “experimental archaeology” at UC San Diego and at the Getty Villa, where he described how the celebrated Pylos Combat Agate from the Griffin Warrior grave was made.
On December 6, the UCLA SNF Hellenic Center and J. Paul Getty Museum will host a symposium entitled “Messenia to Mesopotamia: New Directions in the Art, Archaeology, and Reception of the Second Millennium BCE.” Speakers include Professors Emily Egan (University of Maryland), Joanne Murphy (UNC Greensboro), David Schneller (UCLA), and Dr. Efthymia Tsiolaki (University of Toronto), as well as graduate students from UCLA involved in a seminar focusing on the second millennium BCE. During this final program, participants will share new discoveries, fresh ideas, and creative approaches to understanding the interconnected worlds of this pivotal era of the ancient past.
Sharon Gerstel, Director of the UCLA SNF Hellenic Center, noted: “We were delighted to collaborate with the J. Paul Getty Museum in bringing well-known Greek scholars, curators, and artists to Los Angeles. I am very grateful to Edward Kelting, Director of the Center for Hellenic Studies, for inviting our guests to lecture at UC San Diego. The tremendous support for these events and the large audiences for the lectures demonstrate an abiding interest in the Minoan and Mycenaean cultures.”
This series of events was made possible by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and co-sponsored by UCLA College, Division of Humanities; The Peter J. and Caroline B. Caloyeras Endowment for the Arts; The George P. Kolovos Family Centennial Term Chair in Hellenic Studies; The Joan Palevsky Chair of Classics at UCLA; Gefyra; UCLA Global Antiquity; UCLA Department of Art History; UCLA Department of Classics; UCLA Department of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures; UCLA David C. Copley Center for the Study of Costume Design.
For more details, visit https://hellenic.ucla.edu and https://www.getty.edu/exhibitions/pylos/. Read the article here in The National Herald: https://www.thenationalherald.com/new-views-of-the-kingdom-of-pylos/