Marina Daniel has recently returned from an extended research stay on the island of Lesvos as part of her newly launched doctoral project at ICAC-URV, that started in May under the supervision of Dr Alexandra Livarda and Professor Joaquín Ruiz de Arbulo Bayona. Her PhD investigates the agricultural economies of the prehistoric Aegean through archaeobotanical evidence from island and mainland sites. By examining preserved plant remains, her research explores how past communities negotiated, developed and managed their subsistence base and strategies under diverse environmental and social conditions.
Marina, within the research framework of her thesis, forms part of the new collaboration between the archaeobotany team at ICAC, headed by Senior Researcher Alexandra Livarda, and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lesvos, directed by Dr Pavlos Triantafyllidis, that seek to promote the archaeobotanical work and add a different dimension to how we understand the history of the island.
At Lesvos, during the months of June and July, the archaeobotany team, headed by Marina, processed soil samples from three archaeological sites of the island using flotation, organised the recovered material for further study, and gained valuable first-hand knowledge of the island’s archaeology.
Dr Pavlos Triantafyllidis, Dimitra Zoi, Nikos Douloumpekis, and the wider staff of the Ephorate offered the team a very warm welcome and generous hospitality. They also ensured that suitable workspaces, facilities, and equipment were available, allowing the archaeobotanical work to proceed smoothly and efficiently.
The visit was both scientifically productive and personally rewarding. It provided an excellent foundation for our future collaboration while offering our team the opportunity to work and learn within the remarkable archaeological landscape of Lesvos.
A big thank you to all the stuff at Lesvos – we are very much looking forward to returning to the island!
