Localism and (inter)regionalism in Postpalatial Crete: the view from Sissi
(2026) Mediterranean Archaeology Collaborative Specialization (MACS) Proseminar — Location: Toronto (9.April.2026)
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- Abstract
- (en) Since 2007, the AegIS research group at UCLouvain, working under the auspices of the Belgian School at Athens and the direction of Jan Driessen, has conducted systematic excavations at the coastal Minoan site of Sissi, located approximately four kilometres east of the palace centre of Malia. These investigations have revealed an extensive and exceptionally well-preserved settlement sequence spanning the entire Bronze Age (ca. 2600-1200 BCE). The excavations have brought to light a broad spectrum of architectural contexts, including funerary areas, domestic quarters, artisanal installations, and two substantial public complexes. Among these, Building CDE – an imposing, multi-room structure erected on the summit of the hill during the Postpalatial period (Late Minoan IIIB, 13th century BCE) – is particularly remarkable for both its scale and its internal organisation. Its architectural configuration, together with the diversity of artefacts recovered, attests to an exceptional concentration of domestic, craft, and cultic activities, as well as abundant evidence for communal gatherings and collective practices. Through a detailed examination and contextualisation of the varied ceramic assemblages from Building CDE, this lecture offers new insights into the social and economic organisation of the LM IIIB communities of Sissi and its surrounding region. At the same time, it engages directly with ongoing debates concerning the Postpalatial period in Crete. By situating the evidence from Sissi within broader interregional frameworks, the lecture addresses key questions: to what extent does this era reflect prosperity or crisis? How were economic networks configured, particularly when viewed through the distribution and function of (transport) stirrup jars? And what evidence is there for the mobility of mainland groups to Crete during the so-called “crisis years”?
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Langohr, C. (2026). Localism and (inter)regionalism in Postpalatial Crete: the view from Sissi. Mediterranean Archaeology Collaborative Specialization (MACS) Proseminar, Toronto. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/278226