The Archaeological Museum of Heraklion is organizing a lecture on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, as part of the archaeological exhibition EKATOMPOLIS: The World of Archaic Crete, which is being held in collaboration with the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Heraklion.

The speaker will be Dr. Vasiliki Sithiakaki, Head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Heraklion.

The rescue excavations carried out by the Archaeological Service offer researchers great opportunities to rearrange the cognitive subject of archaeology, which stems from… unexpected findings.

Urban archaeology and field research conducted in connection with large and small development projects in the Prefecture of Heraklion, rich in significant remains of human presence and habitation dating back 9,000 years, offer invaluable data to the historical, archaeological, artistic, and even emotional capital of Crete.

So what have recent research projects in the plain of Kastelli, the valley of Aposelemis, Hersonissos, and the city of Heraklion yielded? How do the conclusions from the study of rescue excavations and the participation of the Heraklion Archaeological Service in systematic research enrich, open new avenues, or modify the image of the island at the dawn of Greek history?

Curator Dr. V. Sithiakaki will present the latest archaeological data from the work of the Ephorate she heads, participating in the discussion on the historical course of Crete towards the genesis of the ancient city.

Dr. Vasiliki Sithiakaki

Born in Heraklion, Crete, she studied Archaeology at the University of Crete and received her master’s and doctoral degrees from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. A permanent employee of the Ministry of Culture since 1994, she served at the 7th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities in Larissa and then at the 13th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities in Heraklion, which she took over in 2011. Since the end of 2014, she has been director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Heraklion. She was an alternate member of the Central Archaeological Council and is a member of the Local Council of Monuments of Crete. He has long-standing experience in excavations, including in the city of Larissa, the basilica of Daphne in Fthiotida, the second basilica and the settlement of Limenas Chersonisou, Agios Titos in Gortyna, the area of Kastelli, and he co-directs the systematic excavation of the Archaeological Society of Athens in ancient Lyttos, with professors Angelos Haniotis and Antonis Kotsonas, and the systematic excavation of the five-aisled basilica of the Metropolis of Gortyna with professor Isabella Baldini (IAS). She has published numerous articles and studies on architecture, sculpture, and topography of Late Antiquity and the Byzantine period. She is a member of the Archaeological Society of Athens, the Christian Archaeological Society, and the Society of Cretan Historical Studies, and a collaborating researcher at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW) at New York University.

Date: Wednesday 22 October 2025
Time: 18:30
Venue: Archaeological Museum of Herakleon- Lecture Hall
Admission Free

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