Sofia Voutsaki
Biographic Data
| ID | 171338 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sofia Voutsaki |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sofia |
| FAMILY NAME | Voutsaki |
| SIGNATURE | VOUTSAKI S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Groningen |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6859-5264 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 80 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1997 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Voorwoord Paleo-aktueel 34
Θαλεροί τ ̓ αἰζηοί: Hunting scenes in Mycenaean pictorial tradition and Homeric epic
This paper addresses the visual language of a specific set of Mycenaean wall-paintings that depict hunting scenes. Specifically, it aims to investigate the purposes and modes of their depiction. It will be argued that the recurrence of hunting scenes, and specifically boar hunting scenes, in the Late Bronze Age (LBA) Greek wall painting tradition refers to a set of common values and ideals, linked to the visualisation of an elite, or palatial ide…
The absolute chronology of the North Cemetery at Ayios Vasileios, Laconia
We establish the absolute chronology of Ayios Vasileios North Cemetery using 14 C dating. • KDE model of 56 14 C dates is compared to ceramic chronology of Mycenaean Greece. • The cemetery was in continuous use through Middle Helladic III to Late Helladic IIB. In mortuary archaeology, it can be particularly difficult to establish a spatiotemporal framework for specific contexts such as commingled or unfurnished burials. This is the case for the A…
Kinship as social strategy: A contextual biodistance analysis of the Early Mycenaean Ayios Vasileios North Cemetery, southern Greece
Biological distance measured from cranial and dental data. • Biologically homogeneous group buried in the same burial ground over a long period of time. • Mortuary practices as kin-making strategy. • Kinship as strategy for anchoring innovation in social practices. The Early Mycenaean era in mainland southern Greece is characterized by radical social transformations. The changes observed in the mortuary sphere include the introduction of new prac…
Investigation of consumption practices in the early Mycenaean period through biomolecular analyses: The case of the Ayios Vasileios North Cemetery (Laconia)
Exploring Dietary Differentiation in the Roman Province of Macedonia: Isotopic Evidence from Pontokomi-Vrysi and Nea Kerdylia-Strovolos
This paper used stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N) to examine whether intra- and inter-site sex and age differences existed within two distinct communities of Roman Macedonia in relation to the dietary preferences of their inhabitants. It also explored the degree of influence that the micro-ecology characterising the sub-region each community used to reside and the social status of these individuals had in determining the observed dietary pr…
The site of Ayios Vasileios in Laconia from the prehistoric to the early modern period. Results of the pedestrian field survey
The Ayios Vasileios Survey Project is part of the Ayios Vasileios Excavations Project. The broader project includes the excavations of the Mycenaean palace and the early Mycenaean North Cemetery. The survey project consists of a pedestrian survey and a geophysical exploration of the area, and is accompanied by an ethnographic survey. In this article we discuss the results of the pedestrian survey and offer a reconstruction of the habitation histo…
A palace under the olive trees. Investigating the spatial organization of the Mycenaean palatial center at Ayios Vasileios (Laconia, Greece) through large-scale magnetic gradiometry
The results of a large-scale magnetometry survey are used to investigate two key aspects of the spatial organization of the Mycenaean palatial settlement at Ayios Vasileios (Laconia, Greece): the extent of the site and the existence, or possibly even zoning of distinct functional areas. These include the palatial core, funerary zones, industrial areas, and infrastructure. The unique situation at Ayios Vasileios, which remained relatively undistur…
A bioarcheological contribution to the social history of Roman Macedonia: The Pontokomi‐Vrysi site in Kozani Prefecture, Greece
Roman Macedonia has been largely neglected by bioarcheological research. As a result, little is known about the imprint of living conditions of that time on the skeletons of its inhabitants, especially those of the lower classes. This paper presents the paleopathological study conducted on a Roman period (1st–4th c. CE) skeletal assemblage from Pontokomi‐Vrysi, a site in the semi‐mountainous region of Eordaea in Upper Macedonia (now in Kozani Pre…
Pronkjewails in verre oorden: Gronings onderzoek naar de dood in het oostelijk Middellandse Zeegebied
Pronkjewails in distant places: Mortuary studies in the eastern Mediterranean by the GIA. The Greek Archaeology research group of the GIA specializes in mortuary archaeology, studying sites in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East that date from the Bronze Age through to the Late Roman period. Our methodology includes theoretical approaches; cemetery excavations; the analysis of legacy data; studies of grave architecture, tombstones and grave…
Oral health and its implications on male-female dietary differences: A study from the Roman Province of Macedonia
Ancient Monuments and Modern Identities: A Critical History of Archaeology in 19th and 20th Century Greece
The Hellenization of the prehistoric past
This chapter focuses on the work of Christos Tsountas, the first and most eminent Greek prehistorian. It also focuses on Tsountas' contribution to the assimilation of the prehistoric, pre-Hellenic past into a narrative about Greek ethnic origins and national identity. The chapter argues that the connection between archaeology and nationalism is more complex than has often been assumed, precisely because archaeological practice, attitudes to the p…
Commingled burials and shifting notions of the self at the onset of the Mycenaean era (1700–1500 BCE): The case of the Ayios Vasilios North Cemetery, Laconia
Isotopic (13C, 15N) investigation of diet and social structure in Early Iron Age Halos, Greece
From Reciprocity to Centricity: The Middle Bronze Age in the Greek Mainland
In this paper, I examine the role of reciprocal relations in processes of social change. More precisely, I discuss the transformation of modes of interaction and sumptuary behavior across a long period, from the collapse of the Early Bronze Age proto-urban societies, through the slow recovery during the Middle Bronze Age, to the intensification of social change during the transition to the Mycenaean period. A deep crisis swept across the southern…
From Value to Meaning, From Things to Persons: The Grave Circles of Mycenae Reconsidered
Moral theories, Homeric questions – and the shaft graves of Mycenae. A response
I would like to thank Silvia Tomášková, Christoph Ulf and James Wright for their comments, which allow me to clarify and expand my argument. As I cannot address all the points they raise in this response, I have decided to concentrate on three themes: (i) the application of moral theory, (ii) Homeric questions and (iii) the focus on the shaft graves of Mycenae
Agency and personhood at the onset of the Mycenaean period
This paper offers a critical evaluation of the debate on agency and personhood in archaeology. Despite some very interesting and sharp discussions, the debate has suffered from the projection of anachronistic definitions of the person and an overreliance on specific ethnographic readings. In addition, little attempt is made to integrate abstract theoretical discussions with close analyses of empirical data. I would like to suggest that this shoul…
Radiocarbon analysis and the history of the East Cemetary, Asine
[This contribution is only available in print] This paper presents the results of the radiocarbon analysis of human bones from the East Cemetery (IQ tumulus), Middle Helladic Asine. The analyses have been carried out at the Centre for Isotope Research, University of Groningen, using the AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectroscopy) method. The main aim of the analysis is to elucidate the history of use of the tumulus and the surrounding extramural cemetery…
Isotopic dietary reconstruction of humans from Middle Bronze Age Lerna, Argolid, Greece
Value beyond Ugarit
I should start by saying how refreshing it is to see Mycenaean pottery, a body of material discussed usually in terms of ever more refined and accurately dated typological sequences, being examined in its context and in the light of a sophisticated theoretical approach
The Creation of Value and Prestige in the Aegean Late Bronze Age
1997). The Creation of Value and Prestige in the Aegean Late Bronze Age. Journal of European Archaeology: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 34-52
The Creation of Value and Prestige in the Aegean Late Bronze Age
1997). The Creation of Value and Prestige in the Aegean Late Bronze Age. Journal of European Archaeology: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 34-52
Isotopic dietary reconstruction of humans from Middle Bronze Age Lerna, Argolid, Greece
Commingled burials and shifting notions of the self at the onset of the Mycenaean era (1700–1500 BCE): The case of the Ayios Vasilios North Cemetery, Laconia
From Reciprocity to Centricity: The Middle Bronze Age in the Greek Mainland
In this paper, I examine the role of reciprocal relations in processes of social change. More precisely, I discuss the transformation of modes of interaction and sumptuary behavior across a long period, from the collapse of the Early Bronze Age proto-urban societies, through the slow recovery during the Middle Bronze Age, to the intensification of social change during the transition to the Mycenaean period. A deep crisis swept across the southern…
Agency and personhood at the onset of the Mycenaean period
This paper offers a critical evaluation of the debate on agency and personhood in archaeology. Despite some very interesting and sharp discussions, the debate has suffered from the projection of anachronistic definitions of the person and an overreliance on specific ethnographic readings. In addition, little attempt is made to integrate abstract theoretical discussions with close analyses of empirical data. I would like to suggest that this shoul…
Oral health and its implications on male-female dietary differences: A study from the Roman Province of Macedonia
Exploring Dietary Differentiation in the Roman Province of Macedonia: Isotopic Evidence from Pontokomi-Vrysi and Nea Kerdylia-Strovolos
This paper used stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N) to examine whether intra- and inter-site sex and age differences existed within two distinct communities of Roman Macedonia in relation to the dietary preferences of their inhabitants. It also explored the degree of influence that the micro-ecology characterising the sub-region each community used to reside and the social status of these individuals had in determining the observed dietary pr…
A bioarcheological contribution to the social history of Roman Macedonia: The Pontokomi‐Vrysi site in Kozani Prefecture, Greece
Roman Macedonia has been largely neglected by bioarcheological research. As a result, little is known about the imprint of living conditions of that time on the skeletons of its inhabitants, especially those of the lower classes. This paper presents the paleopathological study conducted on a Roman period (1st–4th c. CE) skeletal assemblage from Pontokomi‐Vrysi, a site in the semi‐mountainous region of Eordaea in Upper Macedonia (now in Kozani Pre…
Isotopic (13C, 15N) investigation of diet and social structure in Early Iron Age Halos, Greece
The Creation of Value and Prestige in the Aegean Late Bronze Age
1997). The Creation of Value and Prestige in the Aegean Late Bronze Age. Journal of European Archaeology: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 34-52
Value beyond Ugarit
I should start by saying how refreshing it is to see Mycenaean pottery, a body of material discussed usually in terms of ever more refined and accurately dated typological sequences, being examined in its context and in the light of a sophisticated theoretical approach
Isotopic dietary reconstruction of humans from Middle Bronze Age Lerna, Argolid, Greece
Radiocarbon analysis and the history of the East Cemetary, Asine
[This contribution is only available in print] This paper presents the results of the radiocarbon analysis of human bones from the East Cemetery (IQ tumulus), Middle Helladic Asine. The analyses have been carried out at the Centre for Isotope Research, University of Groningen, using the AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectroscopy) method. The main aim of the analysis is to elucidate the history of use of the tumulus and the surrounding extramural cemetery…
Moral theories, Homeric questions – and the shaft graves of Mycenae. A response
I would like to thank Silvia Tomášková, Christoph Ulf and James Wright for their comments, which allow me to clarify and expand my argument. As I cannot address all the points they raise in this response, I have decided to concentrate on three themes: (i) the application of moral theory, (ii) Homeric questions and (iii) the focus on the shaft graves of Mycenae
Agency and personhood at the onset of the Mycenaean period
This paper offers a critical evaluation of the debate on agency and personhood in archaeology. Despite some very interesting and sharp discussions, the debate has suffered from the projection of anachronistic definitions of the person and an overreliance on specific ethnographic readings. In addition, little attempt is made to integrate abstract theoretical discussions with close analyses of empirical data. I would like to suggest that this shoul…
From Value to Meaning, From Things to Persons: The Grave Circles of Mycenae Reconsidered
Commingled burials and shifting notions of the self at the onset of the Mycenaean era (1700–1500 BCE): The case of the Ayios Vasilios North Cemetery, Laconia
Isotopic (13C, 15N) investigation of diet and social structure in Early Iron Age Halos, Greece
From Reciprocity to Centricity: The Middle Bronze Age in the Greek Mainland
In this paper, I examine the role of reciprocal relations in processes of social change. More precisely, I discuss the transformation of modes of interaction and sumptuary behavior across a long period, from the collapse of the Early Bronze Age proto-urban societies, through the slow recovery during the Middle Bronze Age, to the intensification of social change during the transition to the Mycenaean period. A deep crisis swept across the southern…
Ancient Monuments and Modern Identities: A Critical History of Archaeology in 19th and 20th Century Greece
The Hellenization of the prehistoric past
This chapter focuses on the work of Christos Tsountas, the first and most eminent Greek prehistorian. It also focuses on Tsountas' contribution to the assimilation of the prehistoric, pre-Hellenic past into a narrative about Greek ethnic origins and national identity. The chapter argues that the connection between archaeology and nationalism is more complex than has often been assumed, precisely because archaeological practice, attitudes to the p…
Pronkjewails in verre oorden: Gronings onderzoek naar de dood in het oostelijk Middellandse Zeegebied
Pronkjewails in distant places: Mortuary studies in the eastern Mediterranean by the GIA. The Greek Archaeology research group of the GIA specializes in mortuary archaeology, studying sites in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East that date from the Bronze Age through to the Late Roman period. Our methodology includes theoretical approaches; cemetery excavations; the analysis of legacy data; studies of grave architecture, tombstones and grave…
Oral health and its implications on male-female dietary differences: A study from the Roman Province of Macedonia
The site of Ayios Vasileios in Laconia from the prehistoric to the early modern period. Results of the pedestrian field survey
The Ayios Vasileios Survey Project is part of the Ayios Vasileios Excavations Project. The broader project includes the excavations of the Mycenaean palace and the early Mycenaean North Cemetery. The survey project consists of a pedestrian survey and a geophysical exploration of the area, and is accompanied by an ethnographic survey. In this article we discuss the results of the pedestrian survey and offer a reconstruction of the habitation histo…
A palace under the olive trees. Investigating the spatial organization of the Mycenaean palatial center at Ayios Vasileios (Laconia, Greece) through large-scale magnetic gradiometry
The results of a large-scale magnetometry survey are used to investigate two key aspects of the spatial organization of the Mycenaean palatial settlement at Ayios Vasileios (Laconia, Greece): the extent of the site and the existence, or possibly even zoning of distinct functional areas. These include the palatial core, funerary zones, industrial areas, and infrastructure. The unique situation at Ayios Vasileios, which remained relatively undistur…
A bioarcheological contribution to the social history of Roman Macedonia: The Pontokomi‐Vrysi site in Kozani Prefecture, Greece
Roman Macedonia has been largely neglected by bioarcheological research. As a result, little is known about the imprint of living conditions of that time on the skeletons of its inhabitants, especially those of the lower classes. This paper presents the paleopathological study conducted on a Roman period (1st–4th c. CE) skeletal assemblage from Pontokomi‐Vrysi, a site in the semi‐mountainous region of Eordaea in Upper Macedonia (now in Kozani Pre…
Investigation of consumption practices in the early Mycenaean period through biomolecular analyses: The case of the Ayios Vasileios North Cemetery (Laconia)
Exploring Dietary Differentiation in the Roman Province of Macedonia: Isotopic Evidence from Pontokomi-Vrysi and Nea Kerdylia-Strovolos
This paper used stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N) to examine whether intra- and inter-site sex and age differences existed within two distinct communities of Roman Macedonia in relation to the dietary preferences of their inhabitants. It also explored the degree of influence that the micro-ecology characterising the sub-region each community used to reside and the social status of these individuals had in determining the observed dietary pr…
Θαλεροί τ ̓ αἰζηοί: Hunting scenes in Mycenaean pictorial tradition and Homeric epic
This paper addresses the visual language of a specific set of Mycenaean wall-paintings that depict hunting scenes. Specifically, it aims to investigate the purposes and modes of their depiction. It will be argued that the recurrence of hunting scenes, and specifically boar hunting scenes, in the Late Bronze Age (LBA) Greek wall painting tradition refers to a set of common values and ideals, linked to the visualisation of an elite, or palatial ide…
The absolute chronology of the North Cemetery at Ayios Vasileios, Laconia
We establish the absolute chronology of Ayios Vasileios North Cemetery using 14 C dating. • KDE model of 56 14 C dates is compared to ceramic chronology of Mycenaean Greece. • The cemetery was in continuous use through Middle Helladic III to Late Helladic IIB. In mortuary archaeology, it can be particularly difficult to establish a spatiotemporal framework for specific contexts such as commingled or unfurnished burials. This is the case for the A…
Kinship as social strategy: A contextual biodistance analysis of the Early Mycenaean Ayios Vasileios North Cemetery, southern Greece
Biological distance measured from cranial and dental data. • Biologically homogeneous group buried in the same burial ground over a long period of time. • Mortuary practices as kin-making strategy. • Kinship as strategy for anchoring innovation in social practices. The Early Mycenaean era in mainland southern Greece is characterized by radical social transformations. The changes observed in the mortuary sphere include the introduction of new prac…
Voorwoord Paleo-aktueel 34
Archaeology (17 works) · Geography (14 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (13 works) · History (13 works) · Art (9 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Ancient history (7 works) · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History (7 works) · Bronze Age (7 works) · Ancient Near East History (6 works)