Introduction

I am a research archaeologist specializing on the study of Greek prehistory, in particular, Neolithic culture. Aspiring to acquire a more integrated understanding of prehistory, I also relate my work to the succeeding Early Bronze Age.

I am affiliated with the Department of Paleoanthropology-Speleology of the Ministry of Culture as a member of staff within both the cultural heritage management and research domains. Between 2005 and 2011, I was a member of the academic faculty of Prehistoric Archaeology at the University of the Aegean, Rhodes.

My primary research focus is on pottery, the primary equipment of prehistoric households. Starting with the study of ceramic containers, I have progressed to acquire and develop a broad overview of the daily practice, where possible assessing the meanings constructed by and between individuals and societies of the past.

I base my approach on my perception of these containers as things which play multiple roles for the prehistoric human. They serve as -and thus explain for us- the everyday functional and ritual food- related equipment. They also are shaped under -and thus attest to- the strength of tradition, technical advances, environmental adaptations, and modes of communication between the communities. Simultaneously, they are bearers of memory, of the experience of personal senses and of the conscious significance that convey both the individual and social personality of potter and user, as well as the social dynamics between them. With this line of enquiry, I explore the degree of interaction between the circumstantial and contingent decisions taken by a certain man or woman in the past, in both the short and long term against the backdrop of their community. Finally, I perceive the result of this interpretative processing in the present, and explore the limits of subjectivity in current scholarship, seeking to revitalize disciplinary approaches.

I have been fortunate to have been able to study various aspects of the Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age in the Greek mainland and the Aegean, which has offered me access to immense knowledge of the local and diachronic range of prehistory between the 7th and 3rd millennium BC. The key sites which have contributed to expanding my research approaches are the cave of Cyclops in the north Aegean, for its ritual aspect of use; the cave of Theopetra in Thessaly, for creating a strong tradition behind the dominating landmark; Franchthi cave in the Argolid, for providing the opportunity and the challenge to revisit a long-established reference site, and, Alepotrypa cave in the Mani, for the opportunity to explore the social discourse related to the range of treatments applied to the dead. Material from sites studied also include the tell site of Koutroulou Magoula in Thessaly, for the interaction demonstrated between the technological and social transformations, several small establishments in north Attica, for their early technological advances in an isolated inland area; the proto-urban Bronze Age center of Helike in the Peloponnese, for the level of technological specialization and the distribution of space and wealth, and, finally, the acropolis of Koukounaries in Paros, for its very Cycladic character.

I obtained my Ph.D. (2005) on the Middle Neolithic red-patterned ware from the cave of the Cyclops, in the north Aegean, from the University of Ioannina, and my B.A. degree (1993) from the University of Athens. I started my work in this discipline with research work in the field, which has in turn influenced my experience and understanding of the prehistoric remains which I have studied. I work within interdisciplinary research teams, publish articles in Greek and international archaeological journals, excavations volumes and conference proceedings, and have been supported by grants or fellowship program contributions. Beyond my academic focus, in my position and with my duties in the cultural heritage management sector, I strongly believe that the sites and monuments of every archaeological period are able to become a rich resource of knowledge and sustainability suited to public outreach.