Abstract:

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.

Contents

Editorial Preface
Pernille Bangsgaard, John Lund, Peter Pentz & 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 & 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