Over 100 years after Stephanos Xanthoudides undertook the first archaeological research at Minoan Koumasa, a 5-year research project started in 2012 under the auspices of the Athens Archaeological Society. The aim of this project is the systematic excavation of the settlement, the ‘sanctuary’, and the cemetery, as well as the detailed study of the long history of the site during the Minoan period, and the reconstruction of the Minoan landscape in the wider Koumasa area. The liminal character of this Minoan centre between the Asterousia Mountains and the Mesara Plain, and the rich archaeological data from both old and new excavations, provide us with the opportunity to see with a new perspective the evolution of Minoan civilisation from the viewpoint of a vibrant ‘peripheral’ centre. One of the most important long-term aims of this new project, beyond the purely archaeological treatment of the site, is the study and promotion of the wider Koumasa area as a cultural landscape – a notion that bridges the gap between past and present, and also promotes the social role of modern archaeology.

Invitation