Kommos Conservancy

06/05/2026

Isotope analysis of copper artefacts from Bronze Age Möriken-Wildegg, Switzerland found some copper was likely sourced as far away as Cyprus, indicating that, c.1400 BC, even rural communities were involved in the extensive Eurasian market networks.
https://www.facebook.com/AntiquityJournal
Antiquity is a peer-reviewed journal of world archaeology, founded in 1927 and edited in Durham

24/04/2026

nearby to Kommos, Gortys (or Gortyna) in Crete was inhabited for approximately 6,000 years, with human activity stretching from the Neolithic era (c. 7000 BC) until its final destruction by the Arabs in A.D. 824–828. The city experienced its peak during the Roman period (1st–5th centuries A.D.) as the capital of Crete and Cyrenaica.

Heinrich Hall is at Archaeological Site of Gortys and writes:
Not a very common sight: a statue of the Roman emperor Caligula, at Gortyn (or Gortyna) on the island of Crete.
Caligula was the third emperor of the Roman Empire. He ruled from AD/CE 37 until his assassination in 41. He was a great-grandson of Augustus, the first emperor, and the son of Germanicus, one of the most famous generals of the early empire.

Caligula is notorious as the first 'mad' emperor, with all sorts of crazy and unsavoury stories attached to him, but it's difficult to distinguish between history and propaganda. It appears that even madness is in the eye of the beholder. Things haven't changed that much...
The statue shows him as a 'togatus', a Roman dignitary clad in the toga, the formal garment worn by dignitaries in the city of Rome. The fact that the toga is draped over his head like a hood probably indicates that he is depicted as a priest.

The sculpture was discovered without much context near the Roman Odeion (concert hall) at Gortyn, the Roman capital of Crete. The Sebasteion, shrine to the imperial family, was nearby and it's likely that the statue once stood in it.

Gortyn is an extraordinarily fascinating and beautiful archaeological site, set amongst olive groves in the vast Mesara Plain. Since 2023, it hosts the Archaeological Museum of the Mesara, where the statue of Caligula is on display.

I've been fascinated with this still largely unexcavated site since the 1990s and I never miss a chance to explore it. If you are interested in such exploration, and in being professionally guided at Gortyn, follow me here and join me in Greece!
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Heinrich%20Hall%20is%20at%20Archaeological%20Site%20of%20Gortys

https://www.theguardian.com/profile/heinrich-hall

24/03/2026

New Keys at the Central Courts
An abstract from archaeologist Jan Driessen and Charlotte Langohr's 2014 publication “Recent Developments in the Archaeology of Minoan Crete” provides a comprehensive overview of the evolving understanding of Minoan society, particularly regarding concepts of authority, social structure, and community dynamics during the Bronze Age.

https://www.aegeussociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Driessen-Langohr-2014-Developments.pdf

Here are the central themes highlighted in their paper:

Questioning Centralization
The authors indicate that the previously accepted notion of a centralized Minoan palatial authority is now under scrutiny. This refers to reconsidering how power and control were organized and exercised within Minoan society across different periods.

Redistribution
The concept of redistribution was once a widely accepted explanation for the economic and social dynamics of Minoan palaces. However, Driessen and Langohr assert that this idea is no longer universally applicable across the various phases of palatial development. The implication is that economic practices were likely more complex and varied than previously thought.

Commensality
Commensality as a Key Concept: The authors propose that "commensality" has emerged as the key concept to understand the social, political, and economic structures of Minoan society. This practice of eating and drinking together signifies more than mere sustenance; it is a fundamental social act that fosters community bonds, reinforces cultural practices, and shapes social hierarchies.

Social Dynamics
Commensality serves dual functions: it can promote inclusion within certain social groups while simultaneously creating boundaries that exclude others. This nuanced understanding of social practices allows for more sophisticated interpretations of how Minoan society functioned interpersonally and politically.

Archaeological Developments
Influence of New Excavations: Driessen and Langohr highlight that recent archaeological excavations have significantly changed perspectives on Minoan society. New findings have filled gaps in the archaeological record and provided additional material evidence for under-explored periods.

Methodological Shifts
There has been a shift towards more integrative methodologies that incorporate bottom-up approaches where social theory and anthropological perspectives play a more prominent role. This has enabled archaeologists to better understand the complexities of Minoan society.

Personal Interpretation:
Finally, the authors clarify that their views reflect a personal interpretation of the evidence and recent developments in the field. They recognize that these interpretations may not be universally accepted among all scholars.

23/03/2026

Jan DRIESSEN & Charlotte LANGOHR in 2014 reported in their, "Recent developments in the archaeology of Minoan Crete", that in Central Crete the 23rd Ephorate, were involved with the excavation
of interesting Neolithic remains at Gazi near Iraklion by Adonis Vasilakis. They go on to identify that Vasilakis is the same archaeologist who excavated what seems to be another example of a Minoan shipshed at Katsambas immediately east of Iraklion, consisting of at least five halls, each about 23 m long and 6 m wide. Destroyed by fire, they seem to date to LM II-IIIA. As at Kommos, they probably represent a rebuilding of an earlier Neopalatial arsenal.
https://www.academia.edu/3775224/Recent_developements_in_the_Archaeology_of_Minoan_Crete?email_work_card=abstract-read-more

https://honorfrostfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Minoan-Harbour-Installations-in-Eastern-Crete-Thesis-Report-by-Lina-Bitsakaki-Honor-Frost-Foundation.pdf

22/03/2026

archaeologist Santo Privitera challenges this traditional view of fishing ...with artifacts from the Middle Late Helladic IIIC, approximately 1150–1100/1090 BC

For decades, historians have considered fishing a minor economic activity in the Mycenaean civilization of the Bronze Age. The absence of references to this practice in the Linear B tablets, the administrative archives of the palaces, seemed to confirm that fishing occupied a secondary place in the

19/03/2026

On 06 March 2026, we are grateful that Lydia Isola sent us these photographs of collapse of the salt cedar (Tamarix) used by the Shaw's to stabilize the barrier of excavated sand, dumped on the western boarder of the beach. But the Libyan Sea has eroded that border. Several years ago conservation architect, Professor Emerita Clairy Palyvou had developed a preliminary concept to replace the sand with a more substantial and permanent defense. Now Professor Emeritus - Excavation Director James Wright will soon return and consider this circumstance and actions that may improve that collapsed area.

12/01/2026

Nefertiti c. 1370 – c. 1330 BC) In this period (Late Minoan IIIA period), Kommos flourished as a major international trading port on Crete under the regional control of the Mycenaean-influenced center at nearby Hagia Triada.
https://explorersweb.com/four-years-later-an-update-on-the-supposed-discovery-of-nefertitis-tomb/
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Egyptologists announced in 2022 that they had found the mummy and tomb of Nefertiti. There's been no word since then. What's going on?

06/01/2026

On the western edge of the Mesara plain lies Kommos, the Minoan port and later in time the Greek sanctuary. ( one s=σ in Greek Μεσαρά) https://e-mesara.gr/
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1424069465951386

28/12/2025

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-022-01952-3

The authors generate a genome-wide dataset of 102 individuals who lived in Crete, the Greek mainland and the Aegean islands between the Neolithic and the Iron Age, identifying high levels of biological and cultural connectedness within the ancient Aegean.

18/12/2025

Kommos would benefit by the use of similar demographic support and reciprocal archaeo-historian touring and lecture exchange. Congratulations to the Cycladic Art Museum and their devoted community program. There is hope in the future for the Kommos site's expanded public outreach and support.