You are invited to an online lecture on Thursday February 19th, 2026 at 19.00 pm (Greek time) 17.00 pm (Ireland time), 12.00 pm (Standard Eastern Time) by Natalie Abell (University of Michigan), ‘Households as hosts? Quantifying cups and cookpots to shed light on commensality at Bronze Age Ayia Irini, Kea.’

Abstract: This study is a team project of Natalie Abell, Jami Baxley Craig, Lauren Alberti, and Christine Weber, presented by Natalie Abell.

A recent re-evaluation of archival excavation documents from Bronze Age Ayia Irini on the Cycladic island of Kea has provided new data for the quantities of cooking and drinking equipment, namely tripod vessels and handleless cups, at the site. These vessels were present in many later MBA and earlier LBA deposits, mostly from in and around houses. Some of these deposits and houses contained very high numbers of handleless cups and/or tripod vessels (hundreds to thousands). These quantities seem to exceed even the most generous interpretation of the daily needs of household inhabitants, especially since the site itself probably housed a population of 500 or fewer people at its maximum extent.  Although most studies of commensal activities in the Aegean focus on identifying primary feasting deposits, the evidence from Ayia Irini seems more likely to represent the stockpiling of commensal equipment by individual households for future events. Analysis of the assemblage of tripods and handleless cups from Ayia Irini, therefore, provides a new perspective on how local commensal practices were embedded in household activities, domestic economy, and ritual practice.

Please register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/PH32CjhlT7CAPaWDRabkaQ