Mediterranean Horizons
Archaeological Studies in Honour of Soren Dietz
1st Edition
Published on 13. May 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
264 pages
978-94-6426-448-7 (ISBN)
Description
The Mediterranean has always been a crossroads of cultures, ideas, and histories. From the Stone Age to the first millennium BC, this vibrant region shaped-and was shaped by-the movements of people, the exchange of goods, and the rise of complex societies. Mediterranean Horizons celebrates the career of Søren Dietz, a pioneering archaeologist and founder of The Danish Institute in Athens whose work has illuminated these connections across time and space.
This honorary volume brings together researchers and friends to explore themes close to Søren's heart: the Aegean's ancient past, the Bronze Age networks linking Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, and the rich tapestry of life in Greece and Tunisia. The book begins in the Stone Age, where climate shifts and the quest for rare materials drove early communities to innovate and adapt. It then turns to the Bronze Age, a time of bold trade routes, shared crafts, and cultural exchanges-from Baltic amber reaching Mycenaean Greece to Minoan treasures found in warrior graves.
Later sections focus on mainland Greece, where Søren's excavations revealed the daily lives of Iron Age villagers, the grandeur of ancient theaters, and the secrets of fortified cities. The journey ends in Tunisia, where his work in Carthage and the Africa Proconsularis project uncovered layers of history beneath the North African soil.
More than just a collection of research, this book is a tribute to curiosity and collaboration. It reflects Søren's belief that archaeology is not just about uncovering objects, but about understanding the people and societies who made and used them. With vivid stories and novel insights, Mediterranean Horizons invites readers to explore the past-and to see how its echoes still resonate today.
More details
Series
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
Leiden
Netherlands
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 280 mm
Width: 210 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
965 gr
ISBN-13
978-94-6426-448-7 (9789464264487)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.59641/j4m0g1h2i3
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Dr. Pernille Bangsgaard:
Pernille Bangsgaard is senior researcher at the Globe Institute, Copenhagen University and coordinator of ArchaeoScience. She holds a PhD in near Eastern Archaeology with a specialization in Zooarchaeology. Her research interest focuses on the relationships between human societies and the animals they kept, bred, eat and lived with, with a particular interest in faunal deposition practices. She works in Denmark, the Middle East and northeast Africa.
Dr. John Lund:
John Lund holds a MA in Classical Archaeology and received a dr.phil. degree from the University of Copenhagen. He is Senior Researcher Emeritus at the National Museum of Denmark and has participated in archaeological field work in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Tunisia. His research focus is on ancient material culture as a source for the Hellenistic and Roman economies of the Eastern Mediterranean. He also has a keen interest in the history of Danish archaeological research in the Mediterranean countries.
Dr. Peter Pentz:
Peter Pentz is MA in Medieval Archaeology from Aarhus University and Fil. Dr. from Gothenburg University. His areas of expertise are Islamic archaeology, Medieval and Viking Age archaeology and Museology. Peter has participated in archaeological fieldwork in Denmark, Norway, Greece, Syria and Tunisia. Currently he is curator at The National Museum of Denmark, where he previously served as Director of International Collections and Director of Research.
Dr. Lasse Vilien Sørensen:
Lasse Vilien Sørensen is a senior researcher at The National Museum of Denmark, with over 25 years of expertise in European prehistoric archaeology. His work spans interdisciplinary research on Late Paleolithic-Mesolithic settlements and burials in Northern Europe, the spread of agriculture in Scandinavia, and the exploitation of rare raw materials in the Aegean.
Pernille Bangsgaard is senior researcher at the Globe Institute, Copenhagen University and coordinator of ArchaeoScience. She holds a PhD in near Eastern Archaeology with a specialization in Zooarchaeology. Her research interest focuses on the relationships between human societies and the animals they kept, bred, eat and lived with, with a particular interest in faunal deposition practices. She works in Denmark, the Middle East and northeast Africa.
Dr. John Lund:
John Lund holds a MA in Classical Archaeology and received a dr.phil. degree from the University of Copenhagen. He is Senior Researcher Emeritus at the National Museum of Denmark and has participated in archaeological field work in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Tunisia. His research focus is on ancient material culture as a source for the Hellenistic and Roman economies of the Eastern Mediterranean. He also has a keen interest in the history of Danish archaeological research in the Mediterranean countries.
Dr. Peter Pentz:
Peter Pentz is MA in Medieval Archaeology from Aarhus University and Fil. Dr. from Gothenburg University. His areas of expertise are Islamic archaeology, Medieval and Viking Age archaeology and Museology. Peter has participated in archaeological fieldwork in Denmark, Norway, Greece, Syria and Tunisia. Currently he is curator at The National Museum of Denmark, where he previously served as Director of International Collections and Director of Research.
Dr. Lasse Vilien Sørensen:
Lasse Vilien Sørensen is a senior researcher at The National Museum of Denmark, with over 25 years of expertise in European prehistoric archaeology. His work spans interdisciplinary research on Late Paleolithic-Mesolithic settlements and burials in Northern Europe, the spread of agriculture in Scandinavia, and the exploitation of rare raw materials in the Aegean.
Content
Editorial Preface
Pernille Bangsgaard, John Lund, Peter Pentz and Lasse Vilien Sørensen
Opening Tribute
Per Kristian Madsen
Søren Dietz, Gösta Enbom and the Greek World
Mogens Pelt
Prehistoric Communities in Greece from the Early Holocene to the Beginning of the Bronze Age in the 'Shadow' of Rapid Climatic Changes (RCC Events)
Ioannis Aslanis
The Neolithic Odyssey - the emergence of institutionalized journeys and exploitations of rare raw materials in the Aegean
Lasse Vilien Sørensen, Frederik Vingaard, Mads Lou Bendtsen and Pernille Bangsgaard
Cycladic Prehistory and Cave Research: a Review
Fanis Mavridis
The Levantine Connection: Reassessing the Geographical Origins of Some Near Eastern Innovations of the Early Helladic 'Period of the Corridor Houses'
Joseph Maran
Middle Bronze Age Decorated Antler Horse Bits Linking Denmark, Hungary and Early Mycenean Greece
Kristian Kristiansen
Following Glass Beads, Razors and Amber: Long-distance Exchange of Commodities and Ideas During the Bronze Age, Connecting the Mediterranean and Denmark
Flemming Kaul
'Ear picks' and a 'cosmetic box' from the Grave of the Griffin Warrior
Jack L. Davis and Sharon R. Stocker
The Argolid at the Transition to the Mycenaean Age Revisited
Michael Lindblom
The Paradox of Regional Studies: Distinctive Introverted Communities with Histories and Prehistories of Internal and External Population Mobility. The Case of Boiotia, Central Greece in the Iron Age
John Bintliff
The First-generation Settlement in Archaic Chalkis in Aetolia: Courtyard Houses, Feasting and Weaving
Sanne Houby-Nielsen
The Theatre at Kalydon
Rune Frederiksen
"Kalydon inside the walls" Re-examining the Urban Fabric and Demography of the Ancient City
Søren Handberg
Vroulia Ware Cups: the Typology, Dating and Distribution of an Archaic Pottery Group from Rhodes
Stine Schierup
Picturesque Eclecticism - Holger Rasmussen's Drawings from Lindos
Peter Pentz
The Dawn of the Danish Involvement in the Archaeology of Carthage
John Lund
Town and Country in Africa Proconsularis - Segermes in Context
Jesper Carlsen
Light's 'Doubt', the Truth of Photography
Peter Brandes
Pernille Bangsgaard, John Lund, Peter Pentz and Lasse Vilien Sørensen
Opening Tribute
Per Kristian Madsen
Søren Dietz, Gösta Enbom and the Greek World
Mogens Pelt
Prehistoric Communities in Greece from the Early Holocene to the Beginning of the Bronze Age in the 'Shadow' of Rapid Climatic Changes (RCC Events)
Ioannis Aslanis
The Neolithic Odyssey - the emergence of institutionalized journeys and exploitations of rare raw materials in the Aegean
Lasse Vilien Sørensen, Frederik Vingaard, Mads Lou Bendtsen and Pernille Bangsgaard
Cycladic Prehistory and Cave Research: a Review
Fanis Mavridis
The Levantine Connection: Reassessing the Geographical Origins of Some Near Eastern Innovations of the Early Helladic 'Period of the Corridor Houses'
Joseph Maran
Middle Bronze Age Decorated Antler Horse Bits Linking Denmark, Hungary and Early Mycenean Greece
Kristian Kristiansen
Following Glass Beads, Razors and Amber: Long-distance Exchange of Commodities and Ideas During the Bronze Age, Connecting the Mediterranean and Denmark
Flemming Kaul
'Ear picks' and a 'cosmetic box' from the Grave of the Griffin Warrior
Jack L. Davis and Sharon R. Stocker
The Argolid at the Transition to the Mycenaean Age Revisited
Michael Lindblom
The Paradox of Regional Studies: Distinctive Introverted Communities with Histories and Prehistories of Internal and External Population Mobility. The Case of Boiotia, Central Greece in the Iron Age
John Bintliff
The First-generation Settlement in Archaic Chalkis in Aetolia: Courtyard Houses, Feasting and Weaving
Sanne Houby-Nielsen
The Theatre at Kalydon
Rune Frederiksen
"Kalydon inside the walls" Re-examining the Urban Fabric and Demography of the Ancient City
Søren Handberg
Vroulia Ware Cups: the Typology, Dating and Distribution of an Archaic Pottery Group from Rhodes
Stine Schierup
Picturesque Eclecticism - Holger Rasmussen's Drawings from Lindos
Peter Pentz
The Dawn of the Danish Involvement in the Archaeology of Carthage
John Lund
Town and Country in Africa Proconsularis - Segermes in Context
Jesper Carlsen
Light's 'Doubt', the Truth of Photography
Peter Brandes