Dr Craig Barker (University of Sydney)

Dispatches from the Trenches. A Report on the 2023 Season at Paphos in Cyprus

14 June 2023 | 6:30pm

The University of Sydney has been excavating the World Heritage listed site of the ancient theatre of Nea Paphos under the auspices of the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus since 1995. The Paphos Theatre Archaeological Project has revealed not only the earliest permanent theatre on the island, used for performance for more than six centuries from c. 300 BCE, but also significant Roman urban infrastructure. One exciting aspect of the project has been the greater understanding of the archaeology of Late Antique, Medieval, Venetian Cyprus; and the excavations are a major contributor to broader research into these aspects of study.

Dr Craig Barker will provide an overview of the first post-pandemic season of fieldwork in Paphos and review new results and finds. He will also outline plans for future work at the site and the ways in which the project has worked alongside visual artists to capture a new aspect of understanding the past.

Dr Craig Barker is a Mediterranean archaeologist and museum educator and administrator. He is Director of the Paphos Theatre Archaeological Project in Cyprus and the Head of Public Engagement at the Chau Chak Wing Museum. Craig has a PhD in Classical Archaeology from the University of Sydney and fieldwork experience in Australia, Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus. Craig’s research interests include theatre architecture, the Hellenistic wine trade, Hellenistic funeral practices, and perceptions of archaeology in popular culture. He has published on a wide range of Cypriot material and is currently writing a history of archaeology at the University of Sydney. He is actively involved in public archaeology, hosting ABC Radio’s Can You Dig It segment from 2015 to 2022 and is host of the CCWM podcast Object Matters.

The public lecture will be held online on Zoom and in person at CCANESA (Level 4 Madsen Building F09 University of Sydney).

Costs vary for attendance by zoom or at CCANESA so please select your option and register by 9 June 2023 on the payment page at the NEAF Plus website.

Payment information at the NEAF Plus website:

neaf.sydney.edu.au/events-and-tours/

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