The Azoria Project Excavations: A Study of Urbanization on Crete, 700-500 B.C.

FAIN: RZ-51427-12

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1350)
Donald C. Haggis (Project Director: December 2011 to September 2016)

Archaeological excavation and analysis at Azoria, an early Archaic Greek city, located on the island of Crete. (36 months)

The Azoria Project is the excavation of an Archaic Greek city (7th-6th century BCE) on the island of Crete in the Aegean, with the aims of studying the process of urbanization and the changing sociopolitical and economic organization of an emergent urban community in the transition from the Early Iron Age (1200-700 BCE) to Archaic periods (700-600 BCE). The project explores the material correlates for emerging social and political institutions, addressing the historical and archaeological problem of an apparent hiatus or discontinuity in the archaeological record of Crete in the 6th century BCE. The hypothesis of the Azoria Project is that the Archaic period represents a critical threshold of culture change and, rather than a phase of collapse, a period of rapid urban growth, the development of new political centers, and the restructuring of cultural landscapes.

Media Coverage

In ancient land, UNC-led teams unearth history (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Rob Christensen
Publication: Raleigh News and Observer
Date: 7/26/2014
Abstract: News story on 2014 excavations.
URL: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/07/26/4031884_in-ancient-land-unc-led-teams.html?sp=/99/100/&rh=1

The earliest post-Minoan Cretan city discovered, shedding light on the "period of silence" (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Leonidas Koudoumogiannakis
Publication: Flashnews.gr
Date: 7/17/2013
Abstract: ?e???da? G. ???d??µ???a??????, “?p??a??f???e ? p?? p???µ? p??? st?? ???t? µet? t?? µ?????? ep??? f?t????ta? t?? "ep??? t?? s??p??"” ?e??pet?a 21?? ????, 18 July 2013; Flashnews.gr, July 17, 2013.( http://tro-ma-ktiko.blogspot.gr/2013/07/blog-post_479.html)
URL: http://tro-ma-ktiko.blogspot.gr/2013/07/blog-post_479.html

The Archaic period olive press at Kavousi (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Panagiotis Georgoudis
Publication: efsyn.gr
Date: 3/9/2016
Abstract: Interview with the excavator on the Archaic olive oil press at Azoria and the broader significance of the site.
URL: http://www.efsyn.gr/arthro/elaiotriveio-arhaikis-periodoy-sto-lasithi

2,700 year-old dining hall is about more than just food (Media Coverage)
Author(s): J. Blackwell
Publication: Newsletter of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Excavation Issue
Date: 3/11/2016
Abstract: Newsletter article: “2,700 year-old dining hall is about more than just food,” Newsletter of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Excavation Issue, Spring 2016.
URL: http://www.ascsa.edu.gr/index.php/publications/newsletter/

Excavations at Azoria continue in 2016 (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Leonidas Klonztas
Publication: Anatoli
Date: 4/26/2016
Abstract: ?e???da? ????t?a?, “S??e?????ta? ?a? t? 2016 ?? a?as?af?? st?? ?????? ?aß??s???,” Anatoli on-line, 5 ?a???a???? 2016.
URL: http://www.anatolh.com/2016/01/05/%CF%83%CF%85%CE%BD%CE%B5%CF%87%CE%AF%CE%B6%CE%BF%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%B1%CE%B9-%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9-%CF%84%CE%BF-2016-%CE%BF%CE%B9-%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%B1%CF%83%CE%BA%CE%B1%CF%86%CE%AD%CF%82-%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF/

Associated Products

Research design, Recovery Strategies, and the Conundrum and Conceit of Best Practices in Excavation: Some Thoughts on a Decade of Fieldwork at Azoria, Crete (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Research design, Recovery Strategies, and the Conundrum and Conceit of Best Practices in Excavation: Some Thoughts on a Decade of Fieldwork at Azoria, Crete
Author: Donald C. Haggis
Abstract: Archaeological Institute of America 2014 Annual Meeting Workshop: Managing Multidisciplinary Field Research Projects: Best Practices and Problem-solving Strategies Multidisciplinary field research projects have increasingly become the norm in archaeology. Geoarchaeologists, archaeobotanists, zooarchaeologists, and bioarchaeologists among others are members of the field research team. On the excavation complex sampling protocols for radiocarbon dating, organic residue analysis, phytolith analysis, and the like need to be followed. The complexity of these projects requires planning and management skills for which few archaeologists are prepared. Bringing the multifaceted results of these projects to publication can be particularly challenging. In this workshop directors and members of multidisciplinary field research projects present and discuss best practices and problem-solving strategies.
Date: 01/05/2014

Excavation of the Northwest Building at Azoria, Eastern Crete (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Excavation of the Northwest Building at Azoria, Eastern Crete
Author: Donald C. Haggis
Author: Margaret S. Mook
Abstract: Reports from the Field: Greece and Cyprus, 115th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America, Chicago, Illinois, January 2-5, 2014. Report on the 2013 excavations of the Northwest Building at Azoria, and the form, function, and integration of domestic space in the Archaic city.
Date: 01/04/2014

Recent excavations at Azoria and some thoughts on urbanization in Archaic Crete (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Recent excavations at Azoria and some thoughts on urbanization in Archaic Crete
Author: Donald C. Haggis
Abstract: Colloquium: “From Ptolis to Polis: Issues in the Transition of Political Economies,” Cotsen Hall, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Cotsen Hall.
Date: 11/23/2013
Primary URL: http://www.ascsa.edu.gr/index.php/news/newsDetails/videocast-colloquium-from-ptolis-to-polis-issues-in-the-transition-of-polit

Recent excavations at Azoria and some thoughts on urbanization in Archaic Crete (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Recent excavations at Azoria and some thoughts on urbanization in Archaic Crete
Author: Donald C. Haggis
Abstract: Corbett Lecture, Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge, November 21, 2013.
Date: 11/21/2013
Primary URL: http://www.classics.cam.ac.uk/research/research-archive/seminars/corbett-archive

Reconstructing Olive Oil Processing at Azoria: An Early Greek City on Crete (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Reconstructing Olive Oil Processing at Azoria: An Early Greek City on Crete
Author: Donald C. Haggis
Author: Margaret S. Mook
Author: C. Margaret Scarry
Abstract: 16th Conference of the International Workgroup for Paleoethnobotany, Thessaloniki, Greece, June 17-21, 2013.
Date: 06/17/2013
Primary URL: http://iwgp-2013.web.auth.gr/

Excavations at Azoria and Stratigraphic Evidence for the Restructuring of Cretan Landscapes ca. 600 BC (Book Section)
Title: Excavations at Azoria and Stratigraphic Evidence for the Restructuring of Cretan Landscapes ca. 600 BC
Author: Donald C. Haggis
Editor: Oliver Pilz
Editor: Gunnar Seelentag
Abstract: “Excavations at Azoria and Stratigraphic Evidence for the Restructuring of Cretan Landscapes ca. 600 BC,” in O. Pilz and G. Seelentag, eds., Cultural Practices and Material Culture in Archaic and Classical Crete: Proceedings of the International Conference, Mainz, May 20-21, 2011 (Ein neues Bild Kretas in archaischer und klassischer Zeit: Kulturelle Praktiken und materielle Kultur im 6. und 5. Jh. v. Chr.) (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2014), 11-39.
Year: 2014
Primary URL: http://www.degruyter.com/view/product/210662
Access Model: Purchase
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Book Title: Cultural Practices and Material Culture in Archaic and Classical Crete
ISBN: 978-3-11-03317

The Archaeology of Urbanization: Research Design and the Excavation of an Archaic Greek City on Crete (Book Section)
Title: The Archaeology of Urbanization: Research Design and the Excavation of an Archaic Greek City on Crete
Author: Donald C. Haggis
Editor: Carla M. Antonaccio
Editor: Donald C. Haggis
Abstract: "The Archaeology of Urbanization: Research Design and the Excavation of an Archaic Greek City on Crete,” in D.C. Haggis and C.M. Antonaccio, eds., Classical Archaeology in Context Theory and Practice in Excavation in the Greek World (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter Reference, 2015) 219-258.
Year: 2015
Primary URL: http://www.degruyter.com/view/product/128539?rskey=4US9zg&result=1
Access Model: Purchase
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Book Title: Classical Archaeology in Context Theory and Practice in Excavation in the Greek World
ISBN: 978-1-934078-4

Azoria and Archaic Urbanization (Book Section)
Title: Azoria and Archaic Urbanization
Author: Donald C. Haggis
Editor: Jan Driessen
Editor: Florence Gaignerot Driessen
Abstract: "Azoria and Archaic Urbanization,” in F. Gaignerot-Driessen and J. Driessen eds., Cretan Cities: Formation and Transformation. Lectures at UCLouvian (Aegis 7 /Actes de colloques 2014: La naissance de cités crétoises) (Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, 2014), 119-139.
Year: 2014
Primary URL: http://pul.uclouvain.be/en/collections/aegis/
Access Model: Purchase
Publisher: Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve
Book Title: Cretan Cities: Formation and Transformation. Lectures at UCLouvian (Aegis 7 /Actes de colloques 2014: La naissance de cités crétoises
ISBN: 978-2-87558-32

Urbanization and the Emergence of the Greek Polis: The Case of Azoria, Crete (Book Section)
Title: Urbanization and the Emergence of the Greek Polis: The Case of Azoria, Crete
Author: Rodney D. Fitzsimons
Editor: A. Creekmore
Editor: K.D. Fisher
Abstract: R.D. Fitzsimons, “Urbanization and the Emergence of the Greek Polis: The Case of Azoria, Crete,” in A. Creekmore and K. D. Fisher, eds., Making Ancient Cities: Studies of the Production of Space in Early Urban Environments (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2014), 288-338.
Year: 2014
Primary URL: http://www.cambridge.org/fr/academic/subjects/archaeology/prehistory/making-ancient-cities-space-and-place-early-urban-societies
Access Model: Purchase
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Book Title: Making Ancient Cities: Studies of the Production of Space in Early Urban Environments
ISBN: 9781107046528

The structuring of urban space in Archaic Crete: an example of settlement development from the Early Iron Age to Archaic periods (Book Section)
Title: The structuring of urban space in Archaic Crete: an example of settlement development from the Early Iron Age to Archaic periods
Author: Donald C. Haggis
Editor: J.-P. Descoeudres
Editor: S.A. Paspalas
Abstract: D. C. Haggis, “The structuring of urban space in Archaic Crete: an example of settlement development from the Early Iron Age to Archaic periods,” in J.-P. Descoeudres and S.A. Paspalas, eds., Zagora in Context: Settlements and Intercommunal Links in the Geometric Period (900-700 BC) Proceedings of the conference held by the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens and the Archaeological Society at Athens, Athens 20-22 May, 2012 (Mediterranean Archaeology 25 (2012) [2015]), 201-215.
Year: 2015
Primary URL: http://sydney.edu.au/arts/publications/meditarch/journal.shtml
Access Model: Purchase; subscription
Publisher: Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens (Sydney); Mediterranean Archaeology
Book Title: Zagora in Context: Settlements and Intercommunal Links in the Geometric Period (900-700 BC) Proceedings of the conference held by the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens and the Archaeological Society at Athens, Athens 20-22 May, 2012

Informal and Practical Uses of Writing on Potsherds from Azoria, Crete (Article)
Title: Informal and Practical Uses of Writing on Potsherds from Azoria, Crete
Author: William C. West
Abstract: W.C. West, "Informal and Practical Uses of Writing on Potsherds from Azoria, Crete" ZPE 193 (2015) 151-163.
Year: 2015
Primary URL: http://ifa.phil-fak.uni-koeln.de/zpe.html
Access Model: Subscription
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik (ZPE)
Publisher: Universität zu Köln Philosophische Fakultät Institut für Altertumskunde

Stratigraphic Excavations at Azoria in 2015 (Article)
Title: Stratigraphic Excavations at Azoria in 2015
Author: D.C. Haggis
Author: M.S. Mook
Abstract: D.C. Haggis and M.S. Mook, “Stratigraphic Excavations at Azoria in 2015,” Kentro 18 (2015) 18-23.
Year: 2015
Primary URL: http://www.instapstudycenter.net/PDFs/Newsletter/Vol-18-Kentro-2015-Fall.pdf
Access Model: digital open access
Format: Other
Periodical Title: Kentro
Publisher: The Institute for Aegean Prehistory

Excavations at Azoria, East Crete 2013-2015 (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Excavations at Azoria, East Crete 2013-2015
Author: M.S. Mook
Author: D.C. Haggis
Author: R.D. Fitzsimons
Author: M.C. Scarry
Author: F. Dibble
Abstract: M.S. Mook, D.C. Haggis, R.D. Fitzsimons, M.C. Scarry, and F. Dibble, “Excavations at Azoria, East Crete 2013-2015,” 117th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America, San Francisco, California, January 6–9, 2016.
Date: 01/08/2016
Conference Name: 117th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America, San Francisco, California, January 6–9, 2016.

The Politics of Consumption in an Archaic Cretan City (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: The Politics of Consumption in an Archaic Cretan City
Author: D.C. Haggis
Abstract: D.C. Haggis, “The Politics of Consumption in an Archaic Cretan City,” American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Cotsen Hall, December 10, 2015. (videocast)
Date: 12/10/2015
Primary URL: http://www.ascsa.edu.gr/index.php/News/newsDetails/videocast-the-politics-of-consumption-in-an-archaic-cretan-city
Conference Name: American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Cotsen Hall lectures

The 6th-Century B.C. Olive Press from the Early City of Azoria Kavousi (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: The 6th-Century B.C. Olive Press from the Early City of Azoria Kavousi
Author: D.C. Haggis
Abstract: D.C. Haggis, “?? e?a??t??ße?? t?? 6?? a???a p.?. st?? p???µ? p??? t?? ?????? ?aß??s???,” 1o ??e???? S???d??? «? ?st????? ?a? p???t?st??? d??stas? t?? ???t???? ??at??f??», ?µ?µa ??at??f?? ?a? ??a?t?????a? t?? ?.?.?.?. ???t??; ???a??sµ?? ??apt???? S?te?a? ?.?.?. ?.?.?.; Siteia, Crete, 19-20 June, 2015.
Date: 06/20/2015
Primary URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd-lD6wQHds
Conference Name: First International Symposium: The Historical and Cultural Dimensions of Cretan Agricultural Production, The Siteia Development Organization

Recent excavations at Azoria and problems of settlement structure in Archaic Crete (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Recent excavations at Azoria and problems of settlement structure in Archaic Crete
Author: D.C. Haggis
Abstract: D.C. Haggis, “Recent excavations at Azoria and problems of settlement structure in Archaic Crete,” Department of Classics, University of Cincinnati, Blegen Library, March 23, 2015.
Date: 03/23/2015
Conference Name: Invited lecture, Department of Classics, University of Cincinnati, Blegen Library

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