The Archaeological Museum of Heraklion invites you on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, to a lecture on the temporary archaeological exhibition EKATOMPOLIS: The World of Archaic Crete.

The speakers will be the co-directors of the archaeological research in Driros, Vasiliki Zografaki, Head of the Department of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities and Museums and Deputy Head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lasithi, and Alexandre Farnoux, Professor of Greek Archaeology and Art History at the Sorbonne and Secretary General of the French Archaeological Research Commission at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The lecture will be delivered in Greek. 

In the mid-19th century, near present-day Neapoli Lasithiou, the inscribed stone bearing the oath of the 180 young men of Driros (late 3rd century BC) was discovered by chance, revealing the location of ancient Driros. Built on the slopes and in the saddle between two hills, it occupied a strategic and naturally fortified position, controlling the most important passes of eastern Crete.

Excavations in the early 20th century brought to light a geometric-archaic necropolis and the image of an important city, as inscriptions with legislative texts, temples, and numerous movable finds, including the “Trinity of Driros,” the famous hammered statues, which are on display in the Permanent Collection of the Museum and, until March 2026, in a prominent position in the temporary exhibition Ekatompolis.

Today, new excavations by the Lasithi Antiquities Authority in collaboration with the French School of Athens are gradually revealing another side of Driros: a thriving Hellenistic city in the interior, where its ancient past remains alive and strong everywhere.

Date: Wednesday 10 September 2025

Time: 19:00

Venue:Archaeological Museum of Heraklion – Lecture Hall

Admission Free

The lecture will be broadcast live on the Museum’s YouTube channel.

Vassiliki Zografaki

(short bio)

Vasiliki Zografaki is Head of the Department of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities and Museums and Deputy Head of the Lasithi Antiquities Authority. She has participated in conferences with presentations on archaeological topics, has given lectures at Greek and foreign universities, and has published articles on archaeology and history. She has conducted numerous rescue excavations in eastern Crete and, together with Alexandre Farnoux, directs the systematic excavation of Driros.

Alexandre Farnoux 

(short bio)

Alexandre Farnoux is Professor of Greek Archaeology and Art History at the Sorbonne and Secretary General of the French Archaeological Research Commission at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was director of the French School of Athens from 2011 to 2019. He has participated in important excavations of the School, including those in Malia and Lato, and together with Vasiliki Zografaki, he directs the systematic excavation research of Dreros. His research focuses, among other things, on the birth and development of the cities of Crete, Homeric archaeology, and the history and theory of archaeology.