Press Releases
Contact: Prof. Michael Hoff, Professor of Art History, UNL, 472-5342What: Archaeological Institute of America, Public Lecture
Presenter: Dr. Derek B. Counts, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Lecture Title: "Divine Symbols and Local Traditions: A Regional Approach to Cypriote Religion"
Date: Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Where: Richards Hall, Room 15, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Time: 7:30 PM
The Lincoln - Omaha Society of the Archaeological Institute of America announces its fourth lecture of the 2006-07 season. Dr. Derek Counts, an archaeologist specializing on the Archaeology of Greece and Cyprus, will deliver a lecture on his excavations at the religious sanctuary at Athieniou in Cyprus, especially as it concerns ancient religion.
The island of Cyprus, situated at the crossroads of the ancient Mediterranean, possesses an incredibly diverse archaeological record. Contact with Greece, Anatolia, the Near East, and Egypt guaranteed a constant movement of art, ideas, and even people to and from the island. There is perhaps no better place to witness the impact of these exchanges than in the study of Cypriote religion. Since 1991, the Athienou Archaeological Project has been excavating a rural sanctuary in the Malloura valley, located in the central-eastern part of Cyprus. Our investigations are making important contributions to the study of Cypriote religious cult, especially in the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods (ca. 750-50 B.C.).
Through the close study of the finds from the sanctuary, especially the limestone votive sculptures related to divine images, the mixing of local styles and tastes with foreign (e.g., Greek, Phoenician, Egyptian) artistic elements can be evaluated first-hand. Moreover, comparisons with other sites in the region offer valuable evidence regarding artistic communication and socio-economic exchanges within the island. As a result, a more lucid picture of the complexity of Cypriote culture, art, and religion during these periods begins to emerge. Counts received his Ph.D. from Brown University in Old World Archaeology and is assistant professor of Art History at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Professor Townsend's research interests are in classical art and archaeology generally, and Cypriote and East Mediterranean archaeology more specifically. He has published several articles on his excavations in Cyprus and also on Cypriote sculpture.
Future AIA Lectures:
April 1 - Effie Athanassopoulos, University of Nebraska
Sun., 2:00 PM 'Ancient' Landscape: Archaeology and Nation-Building in Greece, 17th - 19th Century
Abbott Lecture Hall, Joslyn Art Museum, 2201 Dodge Street, Omaha
April 16 - Andrew Stewart, University of California, Berkeley
Mon., 7:30 PM Tel Dor: An Ancient Crossroads on the Coast of Israel
Room 15, Richards Hall, Stadium Drive, UNL
