This presentation provides an overview of recent work on prehistoric Kea (Cyclades, Greece), which has focused on characterizing and contextualizing metal and metallurgical artifacts from two sites in the northwestern part of the island, Kephala and Ayia Irini. Final Neolithic Kephala has produced some of the earliest evidence for metallurgy in the southern Aegean (4th millennium BCE). Metallurgical tools and debris have also been found at the long-lived site of Ayia Irini, in deposits dating from the Final Neolithic through the Late Bronze Age (4th–2nd millennium BCE). Participation in exchange and metallurgy seems to have been crucial to the local economy throughout these eras. This rich assemblage enables an investigation of how metallurgists on Kea were integrated into local and regional networks over the long term.

Natalie Abell is an associate professor of classical archaeology and the director of the Interdepartmental Program in Ancient Mediterranean Art and Archaeology.

This event will take place in Room 125 of the Kelsey Museum’s Newberry Hall. Light refreshments and food will be provided before the lecture, which will begin at 6 PM.

FAST (Field Archaeology Series on Thursday) lectures are free and open to the public. If you have any questions or concerns regarding accessing this event, please visit our accessibility page at https://myumi.ch/zwPkd or contact the education office by calling (734) 647-4167. We ask for advance notice as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.