Although close to Athens, Kythnos remains one of the lesser-known islands of the Cyclades. Its capital, today called Vryokastro, has a rich ancient history from the 12th century BC to the 7th century AD. Land and underwater fieldwork have brought to light four sanctuaries, each dedicated to different deities. One of these was unplundered, a unique finding that greatly advances our knowledge about the use of ancient Greek temples from the Archaic period to the Roman era.

This public lecture presents this exceptional discovery, as well as Vyrokastro’s other temples, its settlement on the acropolis, the Hellenistic ‘prytaneion’, a proto-Byzantine basilica church, and the city’s harbour installations, to celebrate what has been called ‘the best Greek island you have never heard of’.

About the speaker

Alexander Mazarakis Ainian is a Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Thessaly, where he has worked since 1999. Born in Athens in 1959, he studied History of Art and Archaeology at the Free University of Brussels (ULB) and completed his PhD at the University of London (UCL) with a scholarship from the "A. Onassis" Public Benefit Foundation. His archaeological field projects include Skala Oropos and Vari in Attica, Kythnos in the Cyclades, Soros in Magnesia, Kefala on Skiathos. His research output includes works on Early Iron Age architecture in Greece, Homeric questions, and the results of his excavations, in Greek, English, French, German and Italian. Among his many honours, in 2024 he received an honorary doctorate from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University.

This public lecture is co-sponsored by the Classical Association of Victoria (CAV), which since 1912 has operated for the propagation and well-being of Classics and Ancient World Studies in the state of Victoria; and by the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens (AAIA), which is the national centre for advanced research by Australian scholars on the Hellenic world from the distant past to the modern day. Both the CAV and the University of Melbourne are Institutional Members of the AAIA.

Enquiries

Please send your enquiries to arts-engage@unimelb.edu.au

Sign up for our newsletter and stay connected with the latest updates from the Faculty of Arts.

Top image credit: Costas Xenikakis