Dr Mark D. Hammond (Elisabeth Alföldi-Rosenbaum Fellow, The Canadian Institute in Greece), “From the Kiln to the Grave: The Early Excavations of a Late Roman Cemetery on the Hill of Zeus, Corinth”

In 1933 the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, attempting to locate a temple dedicated to Zeus, dug four trial trenches on the so-called “Hill of Zeus” in Corinth. Instead, they uncovered part of a large Early Christian cemetery to the west of the Asklepieion. The results of these excavations were never published but a new study aims to contextualize this material both within the cemetery and Late Roman Corinth generally. Although working with an 83-year old excavation poses various challenges, the first stage of the study, focused on the ceramics recovered from the graves, is revealing important results. Detailed examination of the vessels themselves is providing insight into the manufacturing practices that produced them as well as their intended (and unintended) use at the grave, while careful consideration of the fabrics together with comparative analyses place the vessels within pre-established local, regional, and long-distance networks and offer some refinements to the chronology of the cemetery.

John Serrati (University of Ottawa), "Hoplites and Heroes: Homer on the Battlefields of Classical Greece"

Here, the works of Homer play a crucial role; marching to war, the hoplites undoubtedly saw Achilles, Hektor, and Agamemnon in themselves.  Just as these heroes of the past had competed with each other for battle honours, so too did the men of the phalanx seek to outdo each other as well as to best their opponents.  The works of Homer thus played a key role in the reinforcement of Greek ag​n​o​stic culture, and served as the prime motivation for Greeks to throw themselves into the thick of combat.

Jacob Heywood (Ph.D. Candidate, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne), “Cretan Larnakes: Towards an Understanding of Syntax in Late Minoan III Funerary Iconography”

The Late Minoan III period on Crete (ca. 1430-1100 BCE) was characterised by substantial socio-political discontinuity and island-wide change following the decline of the Minoan palaces. Alongside an array of other developments in material culture, the period was marked by a clear shift in mortuary practices, which included the expansion and re-invention of the pre-existing tradition of burial in clay funerary containers known as ‘larnakes’. Unlike funerary receptacles from earlier periods, many LM III larnakes are adorned with rich painted compositions. These draw upon a wide range of floral, faunal, cultic, and geometric motifs, many of which were already well-established in Cretan iconographic traditions. Despite having received a great deal of scholarly attention, the exact symbolic significance of larnax decoration remains difficult to interpret, particularly given its typically abstract nature.   

This talk investigates the value of a systematic ‘syntactic’ approach to larnax decoration as a means of establishing a more solid foundation for its iconographic interpretation. The identification and quantification of the specific symbolic associations and patterns characterising the use of individual larnax motifs may permit a more thorough understanding of the fundamental visual structures through which meaning was generated. A greater knowledge of this syntax can aid ongoing attempts to assess the possible funerary meanings associated with LM III art, as well highlight in more detail the relationship between the sudden development of larnax iconography and the processes of socio-cultural change occurring on Crete during this period. In particular, an analysis of syntactic patterns can assist in demonstrating how familiar Minoan symbols- for example the horns of consecration and double axe- were adapted to serve new mortuary functions as larnax adornments, and the extent to which this use is consistent with that of both earlier and other contemporary artistic contexts.

Thomas G. Chondros (University of Patras), "Reconstructing the Trojan Horse"