Uncover Heroes of the Trojan War

This summer, help archaeologists uncover the reality behind the legendary king Nestor, one of the great warrior kings of the Homeric Trojan War. From both legend and archaeology, we know that Nestor likely ruled over Pylos, an ancient kingdom in the southwest Peloponnese of Greece that reached its pinnacle during the Mycenaean era (ca. 1600-1100 B.C.).

Although Nestor’s coastal capital at Pylos has been known and studied for quite some time, archaeologists from the University of Missouri are now working at the site of Iklaina just 3 miles away to discover how the larger kingdom of Pylos was organized and administered. Iklaina strategically overlooks the Ionian Sea and throughout its Bronze Age history appears to have been an important administrative and commercial center and likely housed a separate royal compound. The site is even mentioned in the Linear B tablets that were found in early excavations at Pylos.

By uncovering more of the Mycenaean settlement at Iklania this season, director Michael Cosmopoulos hopes to learn much more about how the legendary kingdom of Pylos developed during the Greek Bronze Age and how its kings managed to maintain control over their territory.

Participants will be housed in a hotel in nearby Pylos. Rooms in the hotel are equipped with air-conditioning and private bathrooms.