Ioannis Liritzis

Henan University · Key Research Institute of Yellow River Civilization and Sustainable Development & Collaborative Center on Yellow River Civilization, Laboratory of Yellow River Cultural Heritage

Research at the anonymous Cave of Schisto in Keratsini, Attica begun in 2006 and continues in the form of a rescue excavation of the Ephorate of Palaeoanthropology – Speleology of the Greek Ministry of Culture. The cave served as a Sanctuary during Historical times, while its utilization extends up to Byzantine and even more recent years. In Prehis...

Historical texts incorporate important characteristics that need to be assessed including genre, text structure and content. Often overlooked are characteristics of handwritten manuscripts commonly divided into legibility, readability and aesthetics. To determine the scientific feasibility of classification of handwritten texts an objective approac...

Historical texts incorporate important characteristics that need to be assessed including genre, text structure and content. Often overlooked are characteristics of handwritten manuscripts commonly divided into legibility, readability and aesthetics. To determine the scientific feasibility of classification of handwritten texts an objective approac...

A new handwritten twenty pages’ manuscript of initiation to the Greek secret “friendly society” organization which was formed beginning of 19th century and essentially established the Greek independence against the Turks has been investigated. Historical accounts, spectroscopy analysis using Raman, X Ray Fluorescence and Near Infrared, for paper an...

Alerted by a trio of papers that appear in the journal SCIENCE today (26 th August 2022) I present briefly the essential findings with some extension on the hot subject of ancient DNA studies over all the World but mainly the SE Mediterranean and Euro-Asian neighborhood. These three papers summarize the results of a remarkable Ancient DNA project a...

Literary and archaeological sources have preserved a rich history of Southern Europe and West Asia since the Bronze Age that can be complemented by genetics. Mycenaean period elites in Greece did not differ from the general population and included both people with some steppe ancestry and others, like the Griffin Warrior, without it. Similarly, peo...

We present the first ancient DNA data from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic of Mesopotamia (Southeastern Turkey and Northern Iraq), Cyprus, and the Northwestern Zagros, along with the first data from Neolithic Armenia. We show that these and neighboring populations were formed through admixture of pre-Neolithic sources related to Anatolian, Caucasus, and...

We present the first ancient DNA data from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic of Mesopotamia (Southeastern Turkey and Northern Iraq), Cyprus, and the Northwestern Zagros, along with the first data from Neolithic Armenia. We show that these and neighboring populations were formed through admixture of pre-Neolithic sources related to Anatolian, Caucasus, and...

Literary and archaeological sources have preserved a rich history of Southern Europe and West Asia since the Bronze Age that can be complemented by genetics. Mycenaean period elites in Greece did not differ from the general population and included both people with some steppe ancestry and others, like the Griffin Warrior, without it. Similarly, peo...

We present the first ancient DNA data from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic of Mesopotamia (Southeastern Turkey and Northern Iraq), Cyprus, and the Northwestern Zagros, along with the first data from Neolithic Armenia. We show that these and neighboring populations were formed through admixture of pre-Neolithic sources related to Anatolian, Caucasus, and...

Literary and archaeological sources have preserved a rich history of Southern Europe and West Asia since the Bronze Age that can be complemented by genetics. Mycenaean period elites in Greece did not differ from the general population and included both people with some steppe ancestry and others, like the Griffin Warrior, without it. Similarly, peo...

Disasters and Society: Comparing the Shang and Mycenaean Response to Natural Phenomena through Text and Archaeology

A critical assessment of the heterogeneous prehistoric societies of Liangzhu in China and Cyclades in Greece, forged by differing geographical, ecological, topographical, demographic, and historical conditions, is proposed. Through juxtaposition, the obtained contrasting image reveals the textures of cultures and leads to mutual understanding. For...

The complexity in the styles of 1200 Byzantine icons painted between 13th and 16th from Greece, Russia and Romania was investigated through the Kolmogorov algorithmic information theory. The aim was to identify specific quantitative patterns which define the key characteristics of the three different painting schools. Our novel approach using the a...

The Kastrouli Late Bronze settlement in Phocis province, central Greece, has been proved to have been an important center in the periphery of the Mycenaean palaces. It was reused at least partially and was cultivated until the 20th century. The presence of a flat area off the Kastrouli hill and the seasonal flooding nowadays led to the present inve...

Our paper aims at a critical reviewing of the research that has dealt with the Gorgon-Medusa and Gorgoneion (decapitated head) apotropaic feminine beast, as recorded in various artifacts and monuments of the ancient Greek World, from early 19th century until today. Multiple works by ancient sources provide a wide-ranging and diverse picture of the...

This chapter describes the digital workflow from archaeological data collection in the field to permanent storage in the UCSD Library and dissemination via VR environments that UCSD, as the lead campus for the Catalyst project, designed and field-tested at sites in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean. This contribution has a particular emphas...

This paper tests the suitability of automated point cloud classification tools provided by the popular image-based modeling (IBM) software package Agisoft Metashape for the generation of digital terrain models (DTMs) at moderately-vegetated archaeological sites. DTMs are often required for various forms of archaeological mapping and analysis. The s...

The optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating is a steadily developed method in the fields of archaeology, geoarchaeology and earth sciences. The trapped electrons in lattice defects of suitable minerals during irradiation by natural radioisotopes throughout the time and the emitted luminescent light after agitation by optical radiation in the l...

Our paper aims at a critical reviewing of the research that has dealt with the Gorgon-Medusa and Gorgoneion (decapitated head) apotropaic feminine beast, as recorded in various artifacts and monuments of the ancient Greek World, from early 19th century until today. Multiple works by ancient sources provide a wide-ranging and diverse picture of the...

An outline of some major contacts between societies from the Arabian Peninsula to the Aegean world during the 1st millennium BCE is presented. It considers the trade progression from the Late Bronze Age to the end of the 1st Millennium BCE and discusses the value and insight of long historical arcs and structures, the importance of large-area histo...

New technologies of DNA sequencing can provide valuable insights into the identity of archaeobotanical remains, early human-environment interactions and an understanding of social and religious activities. In the Late Bronze archaeological site of Kastrouli, Phokis (Greece), plant biomass remains in a ceramic vessel of the Mycenaean period are anal...

In the field of cultural heritage, three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of monuments is a usual activity for many professionals. The aim in this paper focuses on the new technology educational application combining science, history, and archaeology. Being involved in almost all stages of implementation steps and assessing the level of participatio...

The cyber archaeometry concerns a new virtual ontology in the environment of cultural heritage and archaeology. The present study concerns a first pivot endeavor of a virtual polarized light microscopy (VPLM) for archaeometric learning, made from digital tools, tackling the theory of mineral identification in archaeological materials, an important...

The present study deals with the characterization of a ceramic assemblage from the Late Mycenaean (Late Helladic III) settlement of Kastrouli, at Desfina near Delphi, Central Greece using various analytical techniques. Kastrouli is located in a strategic position supervising the Mesokampos plateau and the entire peninsula and is related to other ne...

Archaeometric analysis of human and environmental remains from Sarakenos cave (Kopais basin, Beotia, central Greece), include, 14 C dates of charcoal, optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of early hearth, characterization of ceramics by XRF from Neolithic to Bronze age levels, and, the first stable isotope data (18 O and 13 C) of freshwater...

The current work presents an overview of applications of archaeological sciences which include the Aegean region between the commencement of last Glacial period (27-3,0000 BP) to Bronze Age, as well as a focus on the Dodecanese islands (SE Aegean) between 800 and 200 BC. The present study is an updated of earlier work made as part of a project aimi...

The dating of obsidian stone tools from the last time were in use by prehistoric man has been approached in 1960, by Friedman and Smith who observed that a freshly exposed surface of obsidian takes on ambient water at a knowable rate that can be used to calculate the time elapsed since exposure and, therefore, the date of an obsidian artifact's pro...

The surface of six different archaeological obsidian tools are analyzed systematically with Time of Flight Sec-ondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and Quad-SIMS for both the evaluation of the surface topography, as well as, the detection of remaining organic compounds via various amino acids, that may have been trapped in the surfaces. This ini...

Despite its ubiquity in historical and mythological narratives, the ancient region of southern Phokis in central Greece has been approached primarily as a backdrop for more prominent neighbors (e.g. Delphi, Boiotia), whose roles have been codified in extant histories. Archaeological research has been likewise limited, with the result that southern...

The recovery and analysis of ancient DNA and protein from archaeological bone is time-consuming and expensive to carry out, while it involves the partial or complete destruction of valuable or rare specimens. The fields of palaeogenetic and palaeoproteomic research would benefit greatly from techniques that can assess the molecular quality prior to...

A ceramic assemblage selected from a recently excavated Late Helladic settlement at Kastrouli (Central Greece) has been chemically analyzed and statistically elaborated, to add new information and contribution to the Mycenaean culture in the wider studied area. The chemical composition of 142 ceramic sherds represented by wide range of household ty...

A ceramic assemblage selected from a recently excavated Late Helladic settlement at Kastrouli (Central Greece) has been chemically analyzed and statistically elaborated, to add new information and contribution to the Mycenaean culture in the wider studied area. The chemical composition of 142 ceramic sherds represented by wide range of household ty...

The provenance of ceramic artefacts is one of the fundamental issues in ceramic analysis and is related to the location a ceramic object was produced or manufactured. This, in turn, refers to the clay source from where the ancient potter exploited their ceramic raw material. Being aware of the local geology is crucial to the identification of poten...

Liritzis, I.; Westra, A., and Miao, C., 2019. Disaster geoarchaeology and natural cataclysms in world cultural evolution: An overview. Journal of Coastal Research, 35(6), 1307–1330. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Human records of short-term, catastrophic, geological processes, mainly in coastal or fluvial environments, and related phenome...

This paper presents the characteristics of bone diagenesis in a secondary commingled Mycenaean burial in Kastrouli (Phocis, Greece) through the histological (light microscopy), physical (FTIR-ATR), and biochemical (collagen) analysis of seventeen human (including two petrous bones) and seven animal bones. Post-mortem modifications in bone microstru...

Paintings, mostly due to deteriorations, are sometimes repainted, concealing in underlayers important features, dates, names and other information. Conservators are facing dilemmas as to whether to preserve these interventions and retrieve valuable hidden information, but in the last decades the evolution of spectroscopic techniques has contributed...

Selected ceramics from the Late Mycenean (Helladic) settlement of Kastrouli central Greece have been analysed by an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) equipped with four wavelength-dispersive spectrometers and one energy-dispersive spectrometer. The aim to unravel the “ceramo-genetic” processes was possible by integrating optical microscopy, and E...

The interdisciplinary field of archaeometry covers a wide range of subject categories and disciplines in relation to science and humanities. It is a well-established academic field of study and accredited part of higher education. Since its inception, the nomenclature designation of archaeometry signifies the appropriate methodology applied to arch...

The direction of solar light and how it relates with the Apollo Temple in Delphi is investigated. Following up earlier investigation of defining the time to delivering an oracle and the historical reported position of a golden Apollo statue in the rear of the main structure (opisthodomos, adyton or Temple‘s sanctum) the sun lighting the statue‘s fa...

The paper presents the preliminary results of the excavations of 2017 season at the Mycenaean site of Kastrouli, Phokis. It attempts as well a preliminary interpretation of the data obtained during the 2016 season, now based on the first results of the still ongoing archaeometric research. During the second season of excavation a circular feature i...

The Bozburun Peninsula (Hellenistic Rhodian Peraia, i.e the mainland possessions of ancient Rhodes) lies immediately north of the Island of Rhodes (Figure 1). It is an unspoiled (it used to be incredibly barren) territory which has remained as an area of seclusion throughout history.

The cave of Daraki-Chattan (in Rewa river, India) bears important palaeolithic rock art (petroglyphs), while the environs is exceptionally rich in stone tools, mostly of the Acheulian. The field survey and excavations in the area found cupule panel fragments almost down to bedrock; Acheulian industry to Oldowan-like industry including several hamme...

The cave of Daraki-Chattan (in Rewa river, India) bears important palaeolithic rock art (petroglyphs), while the environs is exceptionally rich in stone tools, mostly of the Acheulian. The field survey and excavations in the area found cupule panel fragments almost down to bedrock; Acheulian industry to Oldowan-like industry including several hamme...

The Kastrouli Late Helladic (LH) III fortified inland site is located in central Greece between the gulfs of Kirrha and Antikyra, not far from Delphi, controlling the communication between these sites. Characteristic ceramic typology from a tomb and the fortified wall indicate a Late Helladic period (∼ 1300–1100 BC) with apparent elements of reuse...

Virtual polarized Light Microscope for pedagogical purpose.

This paper attempts to present and discuss the geomorphological and spatial analyses of Hygassos in the middle Mediterranean (a demos in ancient Bozburun Peninsula) through the application of GIS and photogrammetry, where necessary. The contextual data is composed of the settlement features and humanly constructed terrace relics. In search of the s...

The interconnection between cultural heritage found in terrestrial and marine environments is beginning to garner international more scholarly attention as researchers investigate the linkages between human adaptation to changing coastal environments. In terms of world cultural heritage, land and sea should be considered as an integrated system. As...

Hundred twenty archaeological ceramics (potsherds, figurines, stirrup jars) as well as experimental briquettes made from local clays fired at different temperatures were examined for their color index chromatic scale. Color was measured on clean surfaces, clearly fine decoration layers, from the Late Mycenaean settlement at Kastrouli, Central Greec...

Twenty-six objects from the Delphi archaeological Museum, including nearby museum premises, have been analysed by portable XRF. The aim was their characterization, provenance and archaeological interpretations. Twenty-one miniature Corinthian ceramic vases, a bronze and a ceramic pyxis bearing powder, four pigments on ceramics and six elegant glass...

During the years 800–200 BC, SE Aegean islands manifest a continuous growth and dynamic presence which is sensed both internally on each island as well as externally, within the framework of their intra-insular communication. To this day, archaeological sites bearing durable remains vestiges of inhabitance with and an uninterrupted usage have been...

The Kastrouli–Antikyra Bay Land and Sea Project near Greece’s Gulf of Corinth was inspired by a number of interwoven research goals including: (a) applying a range of cyber-archaeology and geophysical tools to address the issue of at-risk cultural heritage in the eastern Mediterranean; (b) using this study to help develop a marine archaeology metho...

Auroral reports from ancient Chinese records and from Greece and Italy, from historical sources (Bamboo Annals, Tai ping yu lan, Ch'unch'iu period and Aristotle, Anaxagoras, Seneca, Pliny, Livy, respectively) in the 1st millennium B.C., are discussed in relation to the geomagnetic pole (GP) coordinates through archaeomagnetic inclination and declin...

This work was developed to train graduate students as part of the Delphi4Delphi project dealing with the digital reconstruction of the archaeological site of Delphi. In this part of the project, various technologies were used for 3-d digital mapping cultural heritage structures for maintenance and restoration purposes. The use of various surveying...

Although the epigraphic records do not attest an exact toponomy to confirm where exactly Hygassos is but rather announce an ethnic, this paper aims to suggest further by chasing the inter-relatability of some selected inscriptions. The supplementary data is also presented to find out and assess the question of settlement and chronology in a variety...

The direct dating investigation of rock art remains a deficit issue yet the surface luminescence dating of rock surfaces initiated in the 90's has made some considerable progress. The luminescence dating of lithic surfaces inheres a dual mechanism regarding bleaching / growth of luminescent signal by depth and exposure time. The present overview re...

Liritzis, I.; Preka-Papadema, P.; Antonopoulos, P.; Kalachanis, K.

Cultural heritage constitutes humanity’s identity, marking the civilization and progress of peoples in time all over our world. Protection of cultural heritage and its diversity has been parallelized to the protection of biodiversity. Yet, cultural heritage is constantly at risk, either by natural causes or by human intervention. The Centre for Cyb...

For Digital Cultural Heritage, 3D modeling is an essential practice for the identification, monitoring, conservation, restoration, and enhancement of archaeological objects from artifacts to monuments. In this context 3D computer graphics can support archaeology and heritage policy, offering scholars a “sixth sense” for the understanding of the pas...

Surface luminescence dating applied to a variety of Egyptian monuments. Following the initiative in 1994 (Liritzis (1994) A new dating method by thermoluminescence of carved megalithic stone building. Comptes Rendus (Academie des Sciences), Paris, t. 319, serie II, 603-610) the novel version of TL/OSl has been successfully employed to Giza plateau...

Apollonian temples with oracular function related to the cult of Apollo's son Asclepius, as well as, Asclepius temples, (both) appear to align with the heliacal rising of the constellation of the Crow (raven) by the sunrise of the Autumn Equinox. Some show to align with Ophiuchus, too. Both constellations are related with the mythological circle of...

The documentation and interpretation of our archaeoastronomical research is strongly supported by literature, archaeological witness and skyscape representations. Thus, here, such supplementary data are properly added. Heliacal rising and setting of Corvus, Ophiuchus in studied Temples is given in Figs 3-11, where the top white circle of the vertic...

Apollonian temples with oracular function related to the cult of Apollo's son Asclepius, as well as, Ascle-pius temples, (both) appear to align with the heliacal rising of the constellation of the Crow (raven) by the sunrise of the Autumn Equinox. Some show to align with Ophiuchus, too. Both constellations are related with the mythological circle o...