Research Interests

The ancient Mediterranean, and in particular the Aegean, is the geographical heart of my research. My PhD focused on the social roles of plants in the Aegean Bronze Age, and my ongoing work combines palaeobotanical and iconographic analyses with ethnobotanical methodologies to study the interaction between humans and plants in the past. I am particularly interested in the diachronic development of Minoan and Mycenaean floral motifs such as the lily, crocus, and papyrus across different media including frescoes, ceramics, jewellery, and sealstones. I am also interested in ancient gardens as loci for religious activity and as statements of power - venues to display exotic trophies of conquest, trade, and overseas travel. The re-embodiment of the past is another theme within my research, encompassing issues such as the bodily experience of monuments and artefacts, consumption events and memory, and the archaeology of altered states. I currently work on the Priniatikos Pyrgos Archaeological Project, in east Crete. As well as coordinating the fieldschool there, I study the Early Minoan pottery from the site.

Courses

ANTH 513
Fall 2009

Curriculum Vitae

Available upon request

Selected publications

Philosophies of power and performance in the first Mediterranean gardens. (forthcoming) IN D. O’Brien (ed.) Gardening and Philosophy: Cultivating Wisdom. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

Rev. Basil Zula and the Thermopylae garden at Kilwarlin, Co. Down. (2007) IN J.V. Luce, C. Morris, and C. Souyoudzoglou-Haywood (eds) The Lure of Greece. Irish Involvement in Greek Culture, Literature, History and Politics. Dublin: Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies at Athens, 19-31.

Flower lovers? Reconsidering the gardens of Minoan Crete. (2006) IN J-P. Morel, J. Juan, and J. Matamala (eds) The Archaeology of Crop Fields and Gardens. Proceedings of the 1st Conference on Crop Fields and Gardens Archaeology, Barcelona (Spain), 1-3 June 2006. Bari: Edipuglia, 189-195.

SOMA 2004. Symposium on Mediterranean Archaeology. (2006) J. Day, C. Greenlaw, H. Hall, A. Kelly, L. Matassa, K. McAleese, E. Saunders, and D. Stritch (eds)  Oxford: Archaeopress.

Making ‘scents’ of flowery pots. Minoan ceramic vessels with botanical relief. (2006) IN J. Day et al. (eds) 33-37.

Adventures in fields of flowers: research on contemporary saffron cultivation and its application to the Aegean Bronze Age. (2005) IN C. Briault, J. Green, A. Kaldelis, and A. Stellatou (eds) SOMA 2003. Symposium on Mediterranean Archaeology. Oxford: Archaeopress, 49-52.