International Conference ‘KEA – KYTHNOS II: HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY’, 10-14 May 2025.

Thirty years have passed since the seminal conference for Cycladic history and archaeology ‘Kea – Kythnos: History and Archaeology’ which was held on the two islands in 1994. Thanks to the publication of the proceedings, (L. G. Mendoni – A. Mazarakis Aenian (eds.), Κέα – Κύθνος: Ιστορία και Αρχαιολογία. Πρακτικά Διεθνούς Συμποσίου, Κέα – Κύθνος 22-25 Ιουνίου 1994, (STUDY 27; Athens 1998)), this conference constituted an important springboard for the systematic engagement with the archaeological sites and monuments of the two islands in the following decades, enriching our knowledge about them and providing a basic background for the study, protection and promotion of the monuments.

Today, thirty years on, the results of the hard work of the Ministry of Culture and the scholarly community in general on both islands are visible. New Archaeological Museums have been established in Kea (2002) and Kythnos (2023), the promotion of the archaeological site of Karthaia on Kea was completed and received a Europa Nostra award, the restoration of the Tower of Agia Marina continues, systematic land and underwater excavations have revealed very important parts of the ancient city of Kythnos (today Vryokastro), especially its sanctuaries, whilst numerous surface surveys and rescue excavations have enriched the historical topography and expanded the historical depth of the Western Cyclades. At the same time hundreds of books and studies have been published by Universities, Foreign Schools and individual scholars, completely changing the archaeological map on both islands.

In this context, the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades, the Department of History, Archaeology and Social Anthropology of the University of Thessaly and the Institute of Historical Research of the National Research Foundation are organizing the second conference on the topic ‘KEA – KYTHNOS II: HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY’ on 10-14 May 2024, in Kythnos and Kea, with the expectation that this new conference will act just as well as a catalyst for research on the two islands in the coming decades.