2014-2017

The goal of this project was to discover and explore new archaeological sites in the territory of Argos: ancient towns and farmsteads, fortifications, and sanctuaries. In the Archaic period, the men of Argos were famous for their excellence in battle – the “linen-corseleted Argives, goads of war” – and their city played a significant role in all periods of Greek history. Argos is ideally situated, with a steep acropolis and rich farmland bounded by the mountains and the sea, and it has been continuously inhabited since prehistory. The importance of this region from the Bronze Age to Ottoman period is well-known, but the territory of Argos is poorly understood archaeologically, as there had been no modern survey of the Argive countryside. Using advanced techniques in archaeological survey, we explored the western hinterland of Argos and gathered information about landscape use and settlement patterns there from the Neolithic period (ca. 6000 BC) to the Greek War of Independence (early 19th c. AD). Our multi-disciplinary approach incorporated the fields of archaeology, anthropology, geology and geography. Students gained experience with survey methodology, ceramic analysis, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), geology and modern ethnographic studies. In addition, visits to the main sites of the region, including Mycenae, Corinth, Nemea and Epidaurus, provided students with first-hand, in-depth knowledge of the archaeology and history of Greece.

The Western Argolid in 2022 (Photo D. Nakassis)

Official Western Argolid Regional Project website

Publications

Articles & book chapters

  1. S. Gallimore, S. James, W. Caraher, and D. Nakassis. 2017. “To Argos: Archaeological Survey in the Western Argolid, 2014-2016,” in From Maple to Olive: Proceedings of a Colloquium to Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Canadian Institute in Greece, Athens, 10-11 June 2016, ed. D.W. Rupp and J.E. Tomlinson. Publications of the Canadian Institute in Greece 10 (Athens: Canadian Institute in Greece) 421-438. LINK
  2. P.E. Tetford, J.R. Desloges, and D. Nakassis. 2017. “Modelling surface geomorphic processes using the RUSLE and specific stream power in a GIS framework, NE Peloponnese, Greece,” Modeling Earth Systems and Environment 3.4: 1229-1244.  LINK
  3. P.E. Tetford, J.R. Desloges, and D. Nakassis. 2018. “The Potential Relationship Between Archaeological Artifact Exposure and Surface Geomorphic Processes: Northeastern Peloponnese, Greece,” Journal of Field Archaeology 43.7: 538-550.  LINK
  4. G. Erny and W. Caraher. 2020. “The Kingdom of Chelmis: Architecture, Material Culture, and the Modern Landscape of the Western Argolid,” Journal of Field Archaeology, 45:3, 209-221. LINK
  5. W. Caraher, S. Gallimore, D. Nakassis, and S.A. James. 2020. “Survey and the 7th century in the Western Argolid,” Journal of Greek Archaeology 5, 377-405.
  6. S. James. 2020. “Rediscovering the Late Hellenistic-Early Roman Peloponnese: Analyzing transitional ceramic assemblages found on archaeological survey,” HEROM: Journal on Hellenistic and Roman Material Culture 9: 327-352.
  7. W. Caraher, D. Nakassis, and I. Antoniadou. 2021. “Roads, Routes and Abandoned Villages in the Western Argolid,” in Deserted Villages: Perspectives from the Eastern Mediterranean, edited by R.M. Seifried and D.E. Brown Stewart. The Digital Press: Grand Forks, 319-346. LINK

Reports

  1. D.W. Rupp, T. Carter, A. Charami, B. Burke, B. Burns, Z. Bonias, J.Y. Perreault, D. Nakassis, S. Gallimore, S. James, S. Karapanou, M.J. Haagsma. 2017. “Fieldwork of the Canadian Institute in Greece in 2014.” Mouseion 14.2, 173-195. LINK
  2. D.W. Rupp, Z. Bonias, J.Y. Perreault, A. Charami, B. Burke, B. Burnes, T. Carter, D. Athanasoulis, D. Nakassis, S. Gallimore, S. James, S. Karapanou, M. Haagsma, L. Surtees. 2018. “Fieldwork of the Canadian Institute in 2015.” Mouseion 15.2, 297-319. LINK
  3. D.W. Rupp, Z. Bonias, J.Y. Perreault, A. Charami, B. Burke, B., Burns, T. Carter, D. Athanasoulis, D. Nakassis, S. Gallimore, S. James, S. Karapanou, M.J. Haagsma. 2019. “Fieldwork of the Canadian Institute in Greece in 2016.” Mouseion 16.2, 343-364. LINK
  4. D.W. Rupp, T. Carter, D. Athanasoulis, A. Charami, B. Burke, B. Burns, A. Papadimitriou, S. Gallimore, D. Nakassis, S. James, Z. Bonias, J.Y. Perreault, S. Karapanou, and M.J. Haagsma (2020 [2021]) “Fieldwork of the Canadian Institute in Greece in 2017,” Mouseion 17, 395-416. LINK
  5. B. Burke, D. Athanasoulis, Z. Bonias, B. Burns, T. Carter, A. Charami, S. Gallimore, M.J. Haagsma, S. James, S. Karapanou, D. Nakassis, A. Papadimitriou, J.Y. Perreault, and L. Surtees. 2021. “Fieldwork of the Canadian Institute in 2018,” Mouseion 18.2, 255-284. LINK

Manual

Western Argolid Regional Project (WARP), Field Manual 2014-2016 Seasons. William Caraher, Grace Erny, Alyssa Friedman, Scott Gallimore, Melanie Godsey, Machal Gradoz, Sarah James, Stephanie Steinke, Dimitri Nakassis. 2020 ( tDAR id: 458238) ; doi:10.6067/XCV8458238 LINK