Kostalena Michelaki
Biographic Data
| ID | 4071667 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kostalena Michelaki |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kostalena |
| FAMILY NAME | Michelaki |
| SIGNATURE | MICHELAKI K |
| AFFILIATIONS | Arizona State University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8397-3881 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 75 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 17 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Making by Rules—Making by Reflex
This study evaluates whether archaeological ceramic typologies correspond to coherent technological practices by analyzing 334 rim sherds from the Middle Neolithic site of Penitenzeria (Calabria, Italy). Conventional categories—Stentinello, Impressed, and Undecorated—are tested against variation in raw materials, forming, finishing, and firing using systematic attribute analysis, bivariate comparisons, and multidimensional scaling. Results show s…
Geochemical data treatment and interpretive uncertainty
On Sourcing Stonehenge Sarsen Stone #58
This is a brief response to Nash and Ciborowski's comments in 2025 on our 2024 paper, which focused on the reinterpretation of geochemical data for Stonehenge stone #58 published by Nash et al. in 2020. We address the problems they perceived in our use of absolute elemental concentrations, our selection of discriminating elements, and single‐sample comparisons and show the limited relevance of their arguments to our conclusions. We maintain that …
Stonehenge revisited
It is tempting in material sourcing analyses to treat chemical data primarily as numbers to be sorted, while disregarding their interlinked geochemistries. Consideration of geochemistry, however, often leads to the drawing of more nuanced and reliable conclusions. In this paper we re‐examine data published in 2020, related to the sourcing of stone #58 at Stonehenge, paying attention to geochemistry. We question the potential single‐source interpr…
Local variants or imports? Defining petrographic fabrics among regional ceramic traditions at La Quemada, Zacatecas, Mexico
Identifying accurate artefact morphological ranges using optimal linear estimation
A fundamental goal of archaeologists is to infer the behaviour of past humans from the attributes of the artefacts they left behind. The archaeological record is, however, fragmented and often provides a partial record of the total artefacts produced by a given population. In turn, there is potential for population-level morphometric data, and therefore behavioural inferences, to be biased relative to the trends realised in the past. This include…
The Twentieth Century Invention of Ancient Mountains
The high mountains of the Mediterranean are often considered as refuges of ancient traditions, particularly of pastoralism and brigandage. Is this image true? This paper reports the first systematic archaeological research on Aspromonte, Southern Calabria. Archaeological, cartographic and air photo evidence suggests that people used the high mountains in all periods from the Neolithic onwards. However, early usage was low-intensity and probably f…
Events, Social Memories, and Community in a Final Bronze Age Building’s Biography at Sant’Aniceto, Calabria, Italy
Archaeologists investigating Middle Bronze to Early Iron Age periods (1600–900 b.c.) in southern Italy often explore linkages between emerging inequality and foreign trade connections, establishing a coupled trope of “change emerges from external forces” and “waiting for civilization to arrive”. Based on excavations at the Recent/Final Bronze and Early Iron Ages (RFBA/IA, 1200–900 b.c.) site of Sant’Aniceto in Calabria, we offer an alternative na…
Justification for reassessing elemental analysis data of ceramics, sediments and lithics using rare earth element concentrations and ratios
The mensuration of multi‐elemental concentrations from assorted archaeological materials has always required great care and attention to detail to ensure good‐quality data and their ensuing interpretations. Although most suspect data were generated before the wide use of computers, error‐free data are not still a certainty. This paper presents the geochemical rationale for a proposed chemical data‐assessment process, using a globally dispersed co…
Tracing the Distribution of Late 16th and Early 17th Century European Copper Artefacts in Southern Québec and Ontario, Canada
To understand the nature of trade/exchange of ‘Basque’ copper kettles and their fragments among Indigenous communities from Québec to Ontario, Canada, we examined 948 copper samples from 75 archaeological sites. We found that 936 samples were sortable into 11 coarse chemical groups: seven biased towards Ontario, three favouring Québec and only one balanced between the two provinces. This pattern may represent kettles and pieces ‘mostly traded’ or…
Are the intensities and durations of small-scale pottery firings sufficient to completely dehydroxylate clays? Testing a key assumption underlying ceramic rehydroxylation dating
Using regional chemical comparisons of European copper to examine its trade to and among Indigenous groups in late 16th and early 17th century Canada
Local Clay Sources as Histories of Human–Landscape Interactions
Th century Huron village life
Using provenance data to assess archaeological landscapes
Chemistry Versus Data Dispersion
Given the common use of chemical concentration data to define ceramic groups that aid in the exploration of ancient technology, trade and provenance, it is important to reflect on how we collectively establish and define both chemical groups and outliers. In this paper, we argue that commonly used data analysis procedures, such as principal component analysis and centred log‐ratio principal component analysis favoured in the examination of cerami…
Making Pots and Potters in the Bronze Age Maros Villages of Kiszombor-Új-Élet and Klárafalva-Hajdova
This article examines the choices potters made while collecting and preparing their raw materials, forming, finishing and firing their pots in the Bronze Age villages of Kiszombor-Új-Élet (2600–2000 cal. bc) and Klárafalva-Hajdova (2000–1650 cal. bc) in present-day southeastern Hungary. Following the one-thousand-year-long ceramic tradition of these villagers, known archaeologically as members of the Maros group, I highlight choices that were sha…
Local Clay Sources as Histories of Human–Landscape Interactions
Th century Huron village life
Making Pots and Potters in the Bronze Age Maros Villages of Kiszombor-Új-Élet and Klárafalva-Hajdova
This article examines the choices potters made while collecting and preparing their raw materials, forming, finishing and firing their pots in the Bronze Age villages of Kiszombor-Új-Élet (2600–2000 cal. bc) and Klárafalva-Hajdova (2000–1650 cal. bc) in present-day southeastern Hungary. Following the one-thousand-year-long ceramic tradition of these villagers, known archaeologically as members of the Maros group, I highlight choices that were sha…
Using provenance data to assess archaeological landscapes
Tracing the Distribution of Late 16th and Early 17th Century European Copper Artefacts in Southern Québec and Ontario, Canada
To understand the nature of trade/exchange of ‘Basque’ copper kettles and their fragments among Indigenous communities from Québec to Ontario, Canada, we examined 948 copper samples from 75 archaeological sites. We found that 936 samples were sortable into 11 coarse chemical groups: seven biased towards Ontario, three favouring Québec and only one balanced between the two provinces. This pattern may represent kettles and pieces ‘mostly traded’ or…
Chemistry Versus Data Dispersion
Given the common use of chemical concentration data to define ceramic groups that aid in the exploration of ancient technology, trade and provenance, it is important to reflect on how we collectively establish and define both chemical groups and outliers. In this paper, we argue that commonly used data analysis procedures, such as principal component analysis and centred log‐ratio principal component analysis favoured in the examination of cerami…
Identifying accurate artefact morphological ranges using optimal linear estimation
A fundamental goal of archaeologists is to infer the behaviour of past humans from the attributes of the artefacts they left behind. The archaeological record is, however, fragmented and often provides a partial record of the total artefacts produced by a given population. In turn, there is potential for population-level morphometric data, and therefore behavioural inferences, to be biased relative to the trends realised in the past. This include…
Stonehenge revisited
It is tempting in material sourcing analyses to treat chemical data primarily as numbers to be sorted, while disregarding their interlinked geochemistries. Consideration of geochemistry, however, often leads to the drawing of more nuanced and reliable conclusions. In this paper we re‐examine data published in 2020, related to the sourcing of stone #58 at Stonehenge, paying attention to geochemistry. We question the potential single‐source interpr…
Events, Social Memories, and Community in a Final Bronze Age Building’s Biography at Sant’Aniceto, Calabria, Italy
Archaeologists investigating Middle Bronze to Early Iron Age periods (1600–900 b.c.) in southern Italy often explore linkages between emerging inequality and foreign trade connections, establishing a coupled trope of “change emerges from external forces” and “waiting for civilization to arrive”. Based on excavations at the Recent/Final Bronze and Early Iron Ages (RFBA/IA, 1200–900 b.c.) site of Sant’Aniceto in Calabria, we offer an alternative na…
Justification for reassessing elemental analysis data of ceramics, sediments and lithics using rare earth element concentrations and ratios
The mensuration of multi‐elemental concentrations from assorted archaeological materials has always required great care and attention to detail to ensure good‐quality data and their ensuing interpretations. Although most suspect data were generated before the wide use of computers, error‐free data are not still a certainty. This paper presents the geochemical rationale for a proposed chemical data‐assessment process, using a globally dispersed co…
Are the intensities and durations of small-scale pottery firings sufficient to completely dehydroxylate clays? Testing a key assumption underlying ceramic rehydroxylation dating
Using regional chemical comparisons of European copper to examine its trade to and among Indigenous groups in late 16th and early 17th century Canada
Making Pots and Potters in the Bronze Age Maros Villages of Kiszombor-Új-Élet and Klárafalva-Hajdova
This article examines the choices potters made while collecting and preparing their raw materials, forming, finishing and firing their pots in the Bronze Age villages of Kiszombor-Új-Élet (2600–2000 cal. bc) and Klárafalva-Hajdova (2000–1650 cal. bc) in present-day southeastern Hungary. Following the one-thousand-year-long ceramic tradition of these villagers, known archaeologically as members of the Maros group, I highlight choices that were sha…
Using provenance data to assess archaeological landscapes
Chemistry Versus Data Dispersion
Given the common use of chemical concentration data to define ceramic groups that aid in the exploration of ancient technology, trade and provenance, it is important to reflect on how we collectively establish and define both chemical groups and outliers. In this paper, we argue that commonly used data analysis procedures, such as principal component analysis and centred log‐ratio principal component analysis favoured in the examination of cerami…
Th century Huron village life
Local Clay Sources as Histories of Human–Landscape Interactions
Using regional chemical comparisons of European copper to examine its trade to and among Indigenous groups in late 16th and early 17th century Canada
Are the intensities and durations of small-scale pottery firings sufficient to completely dehydroxylate clays? Testing a key assumption underlying ceramic rehydroxylation dating
Tracing the Distribution of Late 16th and Early 17th Century European Copper Artefacts in Southern Québec and Ontario, Canada
To understand the nature of trade/exchange of ‘Basque’ copper kettles and their fragments among Indigenous communities from Québec to Ontario, Canada, we examined 948 copper samples from 75 archaeological sites. We found that 936 samples were sortable into 11 coarse chemical groups: seven biased towards Ontario, three favouring Québec and only one balanced between the two provinces. This pattern may represent kettles and pieces ‘mostly traded’ or…
Events, Social Memories, and Community in a Final Bronze Age Building’s Biography at Sant’Aniceto, Calabria, Italy
Archaeologists investigating Middle Bronze to Early Iron Age periods (1600–900 b.c.) in southern Italy often explore linkages between emerging inequality and foreign trade connections, establishing a coupled trope of “change emerges from external forces” and “waiting for civilization to arrive”. Based on excavations at the Recent/Final Bronze and Early Iron Ages (RFBA/IA, 1200–900 b.c.) site of Sant’Aniceto in Calabria, we offer an alternative na…
Justification for reassessing elemental analysis data of ceramics, sediments and lithics using rare earth element concentrations and ratios
The mensuration of multi‐elemental concentrations from assorted archaeological materials has always required great care and attention to detail to ensure good‐quality data and their ensuing interpretations. Although most suspect data were generated before the wide use of computers, error‐free data are not still a certainty. This paper presents the geochemical rationale for a proposed chemical data‐assessment process, using a globally dispersed co…
The Twentieth Century Invention of Ancient Mountains
The high mountains of the Mediterranean are often considered as refuges of ancient traditions, particularly of pastoralism and brigandage. Is this image true? This paper reports the first systematic archaeological research on Aspromonte, Southern Calabria. Archaeological, cartographic and air photo evidence suggests that people used the high mountains in all periods from the Neolithic onwards. However, early usage was low-intensity and probably f…
Identifying accurate artefact morphological ranges using optimal linear estimation
A fundamental goal of archaeologists is to infer the behaviour of past humans from the attributes of the artefacts they left behind. The archaeological record is, however, fragmented and often provides a partial record of the total artefacts produced by a given population. In turn, there is potential for population-level morphometric data, and therefore behavioural inferences, to be biased relative to the trends realised in the past. This include…
Local variants or imports? Defining petrographic fabrics among regional ceramic traditions at La Quemada, Zacatecas, Mexico
Stonehenge revisited
It is tempting in material sourcing analyses to treat chemical data primarily as numbers to be sorted, while disregarding their interlinked geochemistries. Consideration of geochemistry, however, often leads to the drawing of more nuanced and reliable conclusions. In this paper we re‐examine data published in 2020, related to the sourcing of stone #58 at Stonehenge, paying attention to geochemistry. We question the potential single‐source interpr…
Making by Rules—Making by Reflex
This study evaluates whether archaeological ceramic typologies correspond to coherent technological practices by analyzing 334 rim sherds from the Middle Neolithic site of Penitenzeria (Calabria, Italy). Conventional categories—Stentinello, Impressed, and Undecorated—are tested against variation in raw materials, forming, finishing, and firing using systematic attribute analysis, bivariate comparisons, and multidimensional scaling. Results show s…
Geochemical data treatment and interpretive uncertainty
On Sourcing Stonehenge Sarsen Stone #58
This is a brief response to Nash and Ciborowski's comments in 2025 on our 2024 paper, which focused on the reinterpretation of geochemical data for Stonehenge stone #58 published by Nash et al. in 2020. We address the problems they perceived in our use of absolute elemental concentrations, our selection of discriminating elements, and single‐sample comparisons and show the limited relevance of their arguments to our conclusions. We maintain that …
Archaeology (14 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (12 works) · Geography (11 works) · Geology (9 works) · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis (8 works) · History (6 works) · Art (5 works) · Computer Science (4 works) · Geology (4 works) · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies (4 works)