Irene Lemos

Irene Lemos is a prominent British classical archaeologist and academic specializing in the archaeology of Early Greece, particularly from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age. She holds the position of Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Oxford and is a Fellow of Merton College, Oxford.

Education and Career

Lemos completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Athens and earned her doctorate from Somerville College, Oxford, in 1988. Her doctoral thesis focused on "Regional characteristics in the Protogeometric Period." Following her doctorate, she held fellowships at both Somerville and St Peter's College, Oxford, before moving to the University of Edinburgh, where she served as a lecturer and reader from 1995 to 2004. In 2004, she returned to Oxford as a Reader in Classical Archaeology and became a Professor in 2007.12

Research Focus

Her research primarily involves excavations at Lefkandi, a significant archaeological site on the Greek island of Euboea, which she has directed since 2003. Lemos's work explores material culture, interconnections among communities during the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages, and the introduction of new technologies such as iron and alphabetic writing. She is also involved in studying collective ritual activities in archaeology.234

Academic Contributions

Lemos has published extensively on topics related to her field, including burial practices and exchange patterns in the Mediterranean. She supervises graduate students and teaches undergraduate courses on Greek history and archaeology. Additionally, she is a corresponding member of the German Archaeological Institute and a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.124