HELD ON TUESDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2016
AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ANTIQUITIES IN LEIDEN, THE NETHERLANDS
Dr. Guy Sanders
RECENT FINDS FROM ANCIENT CORINTH
HOW LITTLE THINGS MAKE BIG DIFFERENCES
The location of Corinth at the Isthmus has ensured that from the Neolithic to the beginnings of the Modern Greek State, the city has had a central role in the commerce of the Eastern Mediterranean. Its location is also responsible for the poverty, in the archaeological record, of the famous wealth of the city with the result that researchers have been forced to concentrate on the mundane.
Over the past 20 years we have adopted Northern European methodologies replacing those traditionally used by Classical archaeologists and, as a result, the little things we find have made big differences to the way we think about chronology, material culture and the place of Corinth in the past. Corinth’s cultural “reach”, both ancient and modern, means that these changes have a local regional and even European-wide impact.
Guy D. R. Sanders has been director of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens’ Excavations at Corinth since 1997. He received his BA from the University of Southampton (1977, Geography and Archaeology) and went on to work as a land surveyor from 1978-1984. He received his MA from the University of Missouri (1986, Art History and Archaeology) and completed most class work for a PhD before taking up the post of Assistant Director of the British School at Athens (1988-94). His PhD was conferred by the University of Birmingham (1996, Ancient History and Archaeology) before being appointed Associate Director of Corinth in the same year.
Sanders has excavated at Ayios Stephanos (1974, 1977) and the Menelaion in Lakonia (1974, 1984), at Phylakopi on Melos (1975, 1976), at Kourion as Field Director (1980-1981) and Saranda Kolonnes, 1983-1984) both on Cyprus, at Mirobriga in Portugal (1981, 1982) and Corinth (1986, 1995-1997). He has participated in archaeological surveys in Lakonia (1983-1988), the Strymon Delta (1983), Kalavasos and Stymphalos (1981-1983) and co-directed a survey in Melos with Richard Catling (1989-1992).
As a medieval and Roman ceramics consultant Sanders has worked on several projects including twelve months as a research assistant in Corinth to Professor Kathleen Slane (1985-1986). His own excavations on Geometric, Hellenistic, Roman, medieval, and early modern levels in the Panayia Field at Corinth were conducted from 1995 to 2007. Excavations at Nezi field began in 2007. His interests lie in economic, social and historical geography, archaeological science and ceramics especially of the Late Roman, Byzantine, post Byzantine and Early Modern periods.
Prof. Dr. Joost Crouwel moderated the evening.
