The January 2026 issue of Nestor (53.1) is available as a free download.
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Mediterranean Archaeological Trust
On 27 February 2026 applications for grants (small—up to £4,999—or large—£5,000– £10,000) are due to the Mediterranean Archaeological Trust. Within the terms of the Trust, priority may be given to projects concerning the Bronze Age in particular, and Mediterranean sites in general, however the trust funds research from a diversity of sites and eras and grant making is within the complete discretion of the Trustees. Grants must be used to expedite publication. Further information and forms for both types of grants are available at https://medarchaeotrust.com/.
Margo Tytus Visiting Scholars and Cincinnati Summer Residency
On 15 March 2026 applications are due for both the Margo Tytus Visiting Scholars Program and the Cincinnati Summer Residency Program for 2026-2027. Applicants for the Margo Tytus Visiting Scholars Program will ordinarily be senior scholars who are a minimum of five years beyond receipt of the PhD, with notable publication histories, who are expected to be in residence at the University of Cincinnati for a minimum of one semester (ca. four months) and a maximum of two during the regular academic year. Tytus Scholars receive a monthly stipend of $1,500 plus housing near campus and a transportation allowance, as well as office space attached to the Burnam Classics Library.
Applicants for the Cincinnati Summer Residency program who would benefit from the use of a world-class Classics library will have their PhD in hand by the time of application and will ordinarily be in residence at the University of Cincinnati for approximately two months in the summer terms, May to mid-August. Cincinnati Summer Residents receive housing near campus and office space attached to the Burnam Classics Library only. Further information and application forms are available at https://classics.uc.edu/humanities/classics/tytus.
ASOR 2026
On 15 January 2026 abstracts are due for new member-organized session and workshop proposal for the American Schools of Overseas Research Annual Meeting 2026 (ASOR 2026), to be held in Chicago and hybrid on 18-21 November 2026. Paper and workshop proposals may be submitted between 15 February and 15 March, and poster proposals between 1 June and 1 August. Further information, including already accepted conference sessions and proposal submission forms, is available at https://www.asor.org/am/.
Malcolm H. Wiener Symposium
On 10 January 2026 (10:30 am PST) the Friends of the INSTAP Study Center will present the 4th Annual Malcolm H. Wiener Symposium, in conjunction with the 2026 AIA annual meeting in San Francisco. Registration for virtual attendance is available at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/-G6Hdv50TMCs5VANkILtrw. The speakers will be:
E. Nodarou and Y. Papadatos, “From pots to politics: ceramic regionalism and political integration in east Crete during the Neopalatial period”
TEKTON
On 12-14 March 2026 a conference entitled TEKTON: Material and Technical Perspectives on Architectural Design and Construction Processes in the Aegean Bronze Age will take place the Acropolis Museum in Athens. Further information is available at https://tekton.ugent.be/. The program will be:
M. Magnisali, T. Bilis, and A. Vlachopoulos, “Monumentality and materiality: construction techniques and symbolism at the Early Bronze Age acropolis of Vathy, Astypalaia”
M. Floquet, M. J. Boyd, and C. Renfrew†, “Maintaining the built environment in the Early Bronze Age Cyclades: new evidence from Dhaskalio, Keros”
M. Marthari, “The development of a complex domestic architecture in the Early Bronze Age Cyclades: The Early Cycladic II settlement of Skarkos on Ios”
V. Şahoğlu, Ü. Gündoğan, O. Kouka, and D. Özkut, “Liman Tepe: the architectural and spatial transformation of a coastal Western Anatolian settlement during the Early Bronze Age”
O. Kouka, “Local and regional planning and building perspectives in East Aegean island sites of the Early Bronze Age”
R. Aslan, “Innovation and adaptation in Bronze Age building traditions: the case of Troy”
P. Hnila, “Decoding Minoan astraki, Mycenaean migma, and Hittite conglomerate through pyrotechnology: timber’s overlooked role in the formation of unintended concrete masonry”
J. Driessen, “Gathering grounds: what can the court building at Sissi tell us about the local development of the ‘Minoan palace?’”
K. A. Jazwa, “Early Helladic building traditions in Attica”
A. Samouris, S. Kyrillidou, S. Andreou, and S. Triantaphyllou, “Rethinking the life history of mudbricks and vernacular architecture through a transdisciplinary approach: the case of Thessaloniki Toumba, Northern Greece”
P. Bacoup, “Wood in the earthen architecture of the Aegean Bronze Age: methodological approach and first insights”
C. H. Roosevelt and C. Luke, “Pragmatic, versatile, and ecologically responsive: the Bronze Age architecture of Kaymakçı in Western Anatolia”
T. Bilis and N. Divari-Valakou, “The walls of Midea: new evidence and interpretations”
I. Bitis, F. Georma, and I. Nikolakopoulou, “Destruction – repair – transformation of the archetype: evidence for Bronze Age Aegean architecture from Akrotiri, Thera”
C. Palyvou, “The Galatas Palace: an opportunity to reassess the innovative character of Minoan architecture”
D. Puglisi and M. Chiricallo, “Designing ‘from above’: new perspectives on Minoan upper-floor architecture from the Villa Reale at Haghia Triada”
J. C. McEnroe, “Building builders buildings: agency and social practice in Neopalatial Gournia”
I. Zogkos and Z. Papadopoulou, “The Mycenaean acropolis at tis Baronas to Froudi: architecture and architectural practices in Siphnos and the Cyclades during the Late Bronze Age”
J. C. Wright, “Vernacular and monumental: what are we talking about?”
M. Devolder, E. Christaki, and M. Prete, “Tracking designers and builders in Bronze Age Cretan architecture: a combined approach to cut-stone and timber masonry, masons’ marks, and building form”
A. Salichou, “Building a new regime: materials used in the construction of the Zakros Palace as a reflection of the special requirements of the project”
E. Mantzourani and G. Vavouranakis, “Selective strategies in cut-stone features of East Cretan villas”
R. Worsham and Y. de Raaff, “Gateways and boundaries: the design and function of the Early Mycenaean gates at Malthi”
E. Abay, “Power, planning, and material practice: elite mobility and urban infrastructure in Late Bronze Age Beycesultan”
S. Günel, “The 2nd millennium BCE settlement of Çine-Tepecik: architecture and reflections on social life”
A. Brysbaert, “Managing the flow of materials in Late Bronze Age Aegean constructions”
N. Karadimas, “The architectural creation of the West Stoa at Agios Vasileios, Laconia”
M. C. Nelson, “Architecture and social production at Iklaina: interactions between elite and non-elite building traditions”
N. G. Blackwell, “Constructing depth: architectural approaches to recessed façades in Mycenaean tholoi”
Ç. Maner, “Meaning-making in Hittite and Mycenaean architecture: elite consumption, internationalism or zeitgeist?”
Österreichischer Archäologentag
On 25-27 February 2026 the 20. Österreichischer Archäologentag (2026) will be held in Wien. Further information is available at https://klass-archaeologie.univie.ac.at/news-events/einzelansicht/news/20-oesterreichischer-archaeologietag/. Papers of interest to Nestor readers will include:
B. Huber, “Monumentalisation, Representation and Fortification. Überlegungen zur repräsentativen Funktion von (früh)mykenischen Befestigungen ausgehend von der befestigten Siedlung Ägina Kolonna”
H. Mieling, “Genreszenen der Miniaturfriese des Westhauses von Akrotiri auf Thera und ihr Zusammenhang mit einer möglichen ägäischen Poesie”
J. Weilhartner, “Tierfelle und Lederwaren: Gerbereien in der mykenischen Palastzeit”
F. Blakolmer, “Gesellschaftliche Ungleichheit in der minoisch-mykenischen Ikonographie”
S. Gimatzidis, “Aegean connectivity prior to Greek migration: a revised theoretical and empirical perspective”
At the Crossroads of Greek Religion
On 13 December 2025 an international workshop entitled At the Crossroads of Greek Religion: Interactions with the Eastern Mediterranean was held in hybrid format at the Swedish Institute at Athens. Further information is available at https://www.sia.gr/en/articles.php?tid=1220. The program was:
R. Laemmle, “A game of two halves? Homer and the invention of a Greek underworld”
F. Lepori, “A non-Greek ritual in the Homeric poems? The pit ritual in the Nekyia (Odyssey 11) from a formulaic perspective”
M. Bachvarova, “From economics to poetics: The role of Samos in the transmission of Near Eastern cult practices”
I. Rutherford, “Pegasus’ bridle and other horsey rituals: A neglected aspect of religious interaction in the Late Bronze Age”