AIA VISITING LECTURER:
John K. Papadopoulos:
Shameless Potters and Ravagers of Kilns: Athenian Pots & Topography

Abstract:

Athenian black- and red-figure pottery of the Archaic and Classical periods have enjoyed a prominent place in the history of 18th through 20th century scholarship in classical archaeology. This lecture goes beyond the pots, the scenes depicted on them, and the changing attitudes towards their interpretation, in order to focus on the makers: the potters themselves. This lecture attempts to understand who they were, how and where they worked. Many clues are offered by the scenes on the pottery itself, and this is supplemented by a re-examination of the archaeological and literary evidence. New discoveries in central Athens, however, including much unpublished material from the American excavations in the Athenian Agora, add significantly to our knowledge, particularly for the location of the Potters' Quarter (Kerameikos) and the identity of some of the potters, both in terms of their ethnicity and gender. In reviewing this evidence, some radical revisions are suggested for the topography of early Athens.

Short bibliography and/or website on lecture topic (for lay reader):

J.K. Papadopoulos, Ceramicus Redivivus: The Early Iron Age Potters' Field in the Area of the Classical Athenian Agora (Hesperia Supplement 31) (Princeton 2003)

J. Camp, The Athenian Agora: Excavations in the Heart of Classical Athens (London 1986)

CV for John Papadopoulos

John K. Papadopoulos (Professor; Doctor)
Department of Classics and the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology
University of California, Los Angeles, Fowler A210
Los Angeles, CA 90077
(E-Mail) JKP@humnet.ucla.edu

Education: BA (Honors), MA (Honors), PhD (Archaeology): University of Sydney

Honors and awards: Max Le Petit Memorial Prize for Classical Archaeology (1978); James R. Stewart Prize for Near Eastern Archaeology (1979); Fellow of the Athens Archaeological Society (1992)

Past positions: Deputy Director, Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens (1987-1991)
Assistant Professor, Classical Archaeology, University of Sydney (1991-1993)
Associate Curator of Antiquities, the J. Paul Getty Museum (1994-2001)
Professor, Department of Classics & Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA (2002-present)

Areas of specialization: Classical Archaeology & Aegean Prehistory; Archaeology of Colonialism

Fieldwork: Has excavated widely in Australia (Aboriginal & historic sites), as well as Greece & South Italy. Served as Field Director of the Torone Excavations in northern Greece, as well the geophysical & underwater surveys of the site (1986-1995).

Main publications: Torone I: The Excavations of 1975, 1976, and 1978 (with A. Cambitoglou & O. Tudor Jones) (2001); The Archaeology of Colonialism (co-edited with C.L. Lyons); Ceramicus Redivivus (Hesperia Supplement 31) (2003); Theory & Practice in Mediterranean Archaeology: Old World & New World Perspectives (co-edited with R.M. Leventhal) (2003); The Extramural Sanctuary of Sybaris at Francavilla Marittima Recovered: The Archaic Votive Metal Objects (2003); The Early Iron Age Cemetery at Torone (forthcoming); The Athenian Agora: The Early Iron Age (2 volumes; forthcoming); author of over 50 scholarly articles and some 20 book reviews.