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
(2023), Archaeology, Colonialism And Competing Nationalisms In Cyprus: An Attempt at a Cosmopolitan Resolution, Archaeological Review from Cambridge 38.1
(2023) Providing a Comparative Geo-referenced Database for Religious Artefacts in Ai Khanoum and Taxila’s Sirkap Mound. Journal of Open Archaeology Data, 11: 8, pp. 1–10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/joad.106
(2023). An Updated List of Gandhara Palettes and Their Utility for the Study of Hybridity. Journal of Open Humanities Data, 9: 7, pp. 1–6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/johd.105
(Ed. 2023), Archaeology and the Publics, Archaeological Review from Cambridge 38.2
(2023), Introduction, Archaeology and the Publics, Archaeological Review from Cambridge 38.2
MyHE+ University of Cambridge Lecture: https://myheplus.com/subject/archaeology/religion-and-art-in-the-hellenistic-far-east
Teaching and Supervisions
Supervising:
- A1: World Archaeology (2021-2022)
- A2: Archaeology in Action (2021-2023)
- Pembroke International Programme (2022-Present)
Teaching Assistant:
- A2: Archaeology in Action (2022-Present)
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-December 2023)
- Indigenous Studies Discussion Group: Convenor and Communications Officer (October 2021-December 2023)
- Theme Editor, Archaeology and the Publics, Volume 38.2 for Archaeological Review from Cambridg (2023)
- 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)