A scientific event of great importance and at the same time a celebration of letters, the 13th International Cretological Conference will take place in, under the Agios Nikolaos, Lassithi, from 5 to 9 October 2022 organizational responsibility of the Society of Cretan Historical Studies and the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos.

It is the seventh International Cretological Congress organized by the Society of Cretan Historical Studies, which founded and established the institution of Cretological Congresses in 1961, holding the 1st International Cretological Congress in the Basilica of St. Mark’s, which had just been restored on the initiative and care of Company of Cretans Historical Studies, and since then has been put to public use. The previous (twelfth) Congress was held with great success in September 2016 at the Cultural and Conference Centre of the Municipality of Heraklion, also organised by the Company of Cretans Historical Studies.

The Cretan Congress remains a great interdisciplinary forum, a wide field of meeting for researchers of all periods of Cretan prehistory and history. Evidence of the productivity of the international scientific community at the Conference is provided by the 3,615 original papers presented by Greek and foreign researchers between 1961 and 2016, studies accessible to the general public through the printed or electronic publications “Proceedings”, which follow the Conferences.

The proceedings of the 8th Cretan Conference have been divided, as usual, into three sections corresponding to the same number of major periods of Cretan history:

(a) Prehistory and Antiquity,

(b) Byzantium and the Venetian period, and (c) Prehistory and Antiquity.

(c) Modern and Contemporary times.

The theme of the Conference, for all its sections, was initially set as the axis of the Conference, in view of its realization in 2021, as “Reversals, ruptures, discontinuities, revolutions”. After the Congress was postponed for a year due to the circumstances of the pandemic, a second thematic axis was added: “Health and disease in human communities”.

During the five days of the Conference, 484 scholars, renowned scientists and researchers, as well as many young people in their first steps in science, from Greece and 20 other countries, will participate in the five days of the Conference. A total of 347 original scientific papers will be presented at the Conference, the result of the most recent research in archaeology, history, ethnography, art and literature of Crete. The presentations have been organized in thematic sections per session.

The Conference will run simultaneously in up to six different rooms in the physical space and in an equal number of virtual rooms on the Internet. Six workshops and the presentation of 24 individual posters have been included in the proceedings. The number of oral presentations amounts to 315. All papers presented at the Conference were accepted after a double anonymous scientific review of the proposals submitted.

Invited speakers at the Plenary Sessions of the Conference will be:

Alexandre Farnoux, Honorary Director of the French School of Athens and former Professor of Greek Archaeology and Art History at the University of Sorbonne and Christos Loukos, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Crete (5/10),

Jan Driessen, Professor of Archaeology at the Catholic University of Louvain, former Director of the Belgian School of Athens and Enrico Zanini, Professor of Byzantine Archaeology at the University of Siena (6/10),

Maria Konstantoudaki-Kitromilidou, Professor Emeritus of Byzantine Archaeology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and Alexis Politis, Professor Emeritus of Modern Greek Philology at the University of Crete (7/10).

The Conference will be opened by the Regional Governor of Crete, Mr. Stavros Arnaoutakis.

The 13th International Congress of Cretology will be “hybrid”, as delegates will have the opportunity to participate either physically or remotely via an electronic platform. Physical presence was chosen by more than 85% of the delegates (416 delegates).

An innovation of the 8th ICC is the livestreaming of all the proceedings via the conference website (www.13-iccs.gr), which will allow free viewing by any interested party in any corner of the world. The broadcast will be complemented by interviews and reports posted on the ECMI/IMC social media. Of course, interested members of the public are also welcome to attend the Conference in person.

The Conference, which will be held at the Wyndham Grand Crete Mirabello Bay Hotel, will adhere to the health protocols as applicable.

The Conference is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Region of Crete, the Cultural Sports Organisation of the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos, the Andreou and Maria Kalokairinou Foundations, Typokreta S.A., Plastics of Crete S.A., Minoan Lines S.A. and Anek Lines & Blue Star Ferries.

The composition of the Organizing Committee of the ICGC is as follows:

President, Olga Graziou, Professor Emeritus of the University of CreteSecretary General, Alexis Kalokairinos, President of the HCIM, Professor of the University of Crete.Special Secretary, Lena Tzedaki-Apostolaki, General Secretary of the HCIM, philologist-historian, Honorary School CounsellorTreasurer, Argyri Galenianou, CSIM Treasurer, economist

Members: Antonis Zervos, Mayor of Agios NikolaosAntonynon Nikolaos, Head of the Lassithi Antiquities Ephorate.Dimitrios Stephanis, Deputy Director of the Lagos National Park, Lagos National Park. Dimitris Stephanos Dimitrios Dimitrios Stephanos, Deputy Head of the Department of Modern Monuments and Technical Works of Crete Gelina Harlaftis, Director of the Institute of Mediterranean Studies of the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas Thomas Brogan, Director of the Institute for Aegean Prehistory Study (INSTAP) Center for East Crete Pavlina Karanastasi, former Chair of the Department of History and Archaeology of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Crete, Professor at the University of Crete Stelios Panagiotakis, President of the Department of Philology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Crete, Professor, University of Crete Claire Mitsotaki, Vice President of EKIM, author, Eva Grammatikaki, Archaeologist, Honorary Curator of Antiquities, Member of the EKIM Board of Directors ,Gogo Moschovi, Archaeologist, Byzantinologist, Head of the Department of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Antiquities and Museums of the Lassithi Antiquities Ephorate, Member of the Board of Directors of Company of Cretans Historical Studies, Giorgos Nikolakakis, Deputy Director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hellenic Archaeological Museum of Greece, member of the board of directors ,Professor of the University of Crete, Member of the Board of Directors of the Company of Cretans Historical Studies

The Honorary Committee of the Conference is composed of

Lina Mendoni, Minister of Culture and Sports

His Eminence Archbishop Eugenios of Crete

His Eminence Metropolitan of Petra and Chersonissos, Mr Gerasimos

Stavros Arnaoutakis, Regional Governor of Crete

Ioannis Androulakis, Vice-Regional Governor of Lasithi

Georgios Kontakis, Rector of the University of Crete

Evangelos Diamantopoulos, Rector of the Technical University of Crete

Nikolaos Katsarakis, Rector of the Hellenic Mediterranean University

Nektarios Tavernarakis, President of the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas

Grigoris Sifakis, Professor Emeritus of Ancient Greek Philology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and New York University

At the press conference for the presentation of the ICGC, which took place today (30/9/2022) at the Historical Museum of Crete, the President of the Organizing Committee Olga Graziou, the President of the HCIM and Secretary General of the Organizing Committee Alexis Kalokairinos, the Vice-Regional Governor of Crete Kostas Fassoulakis and the Deputy Mayor of Agios Nikolaos Haris Alexakis spoke. Also present were the members of the Board of Directors of the HCIM and the Organizing Committee, Eva Grammatikaki, Claire Mitsotaki, Argyri Galenianou, Gogo Moshovi and George Nikolakakis.