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Department of Archaeology

 

Biography

I am originally from Cyprus, and have a keen interest in the archaeology of religion and ethnicity due to my upbringing in a country at the intersection of three continents and populated by many ethnic groups. After finishing my secondary education, I did my undergraduate in Archaeology at the University of Cambridge, where I studied various regions of the world, as well as archaeological theory and science. While studying the region of South Asia, as well as Greece, I developed a keen interest in the archaeology of the Indo-Greek and Greco-Bactrian Kingdoms.

I continued this flexible pattern during my Master’s in Archaeology at University College London, where I studied both the Archaeology of Buddhism as well as that of the Silk Roads. These topics enhanced my understanding of religious studies, as well as hybridity and culture contact. My Master’s Thesis was on religious hybridity in the Gandhara Palettes, where I argued that elite habitus demonstrated in the palettes was a unique production based on eclectic use of markers from the Iranian, Greek and Indian cultural vocabularies.

I have also worked on the Keros Seaways Project, the Archaeology of Southwest Sardinia Project, as well as assisted in stock-taking of the archaeological collections of the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation. 

Research

My interest in hybridity, ethnicity and religion has led me to study places from all over the world. My PhD Thesis focuses on the Hellenistic Far East regions of Bactria and Gandhara. I am looking specifically at the role of religion and its manifestations in urban landscapes, specifically with regards to religious hybridity and patronage, especially between Iranian, Hellenic and South Asian religious traditions. I use GIS as well as artistic interpretation to look into urban distributions of religious artefacts and evaluating strategic uses of hybridity. By building accurate maps of major urban sites in the region, I aim to outline the distribution of art within urban landscapes. Then, using object biographies, I aim to outline the patterns of hybridity between these traditions as materialized by various groups of people based on their location in cities and their relation to possible authors and audiences. I am drawing upon material and methodology from Classics, Indology and Iranian Studies, as well as Religious and Post-Colonial Studies to understand the dynamics in the region. I aim to contribute to conversations on globalization and multiculturalism, as well as religious studies via my studies.

Key Publications

Other publications: 

Teaching and Supervisions

Teaching: 

Supervising:

  • A1: World Archaeology (2021-2022)
  • A2: Archaeology in Action (2021-Present)

Teaching Assistant:

  • A2: Archaeology in Action (2022-Present)
Research supervision: 

Supervisors:

Dr Cameron A. Petrie

Dr Jason D. Hawkes

Advisor:

Prof. Robin Osborne

    Other Professional Activities

    • Cambridge Annual Student Archaeology Conference: Communications Officer and Proceedings Editor (October 2021-October 2022)
    • Secretary for Archaeological Review from Cambridge Journal (October 2021-Present)
    • Indigenous Studies Discussion Group: Convenor and Communications Officer (October 2021-Present)
    • Secretary for Cambridge Migration Society (2021-2022)
    • Postgraduate Academic Representative for School of Humanities and Social Sciences (2021-2022)
    • Postgraduate Academic Representative at the Faculty of Human, Social and Political Sciences (2021-2022)
    • PhD Representative at the Department of Archaeology (2021-2022)
    • Cambridge Refugee Scholarship Campaign: Vice-President and Advisor (2021-2022)

    Job Titles

    PhD Student in Archaeology

    General Info

    Not available for consultancy
    Research Expertise / Fields of study: 
    Material Culture
    Built Environment
    Artefact Analysis & Technology
    Art and Iconography
    Archaeological Theory
    Cultural Heritage

    Contact Details

    cn399 [at] cam.ac.uk

    Affiliations

    Person keywords: 
    Religion, Hybridity, Ethnicity, Postcolonialism, Multiculturalism
    Subjects: 
    Archaeology
    Themes: 
    Environment, Landscapes and Settlement
    Material Culture
    Rethinking Complexity
    Geographical areas: 
    Aegean
    Central Asia
    East Asia
    Mediterranean
    Mesopotamia and the Near East
    South Asia
    Periods of interest: 
    Classical - Roman
    Other Historical