Beyond Chalkida: A recap of the HMC project
The Venetian Negroponte / D. Gofas, D. Triantafylopoulos, Engravings of Euboea, Collection of Yannis K. Karakosta. Society of Euboean Studies, Athens 1999.
By Milena Blokzijl, 2024.The HMC project analyses the transformations and continuations within the socio-economic and cultural landscape of central Euboeia. We are currently in our third field season of the project. and soon moving to a new region. Before continuing with stories from the new field season, we should first restate why the research in the hinterland of Medieval Chalkida is so important to our understanding of Post-Hellenic Greece, and what role the project takes in training the next generation of (medieval) archaeologists.
Chalkida was a central hub in a transregional system of maritime travel and trade routes. Studies in the region have emphasised the high degrees of intercultural and international contacts and their importance in both the creation and (re-) distribution of goods. The fieldwork in Euboeia aids us in understanding the local, regional, interregional and international ties Chalkida and its hinterland had.
The HMC project is an important Field School opportunity for archaeology students. They can participate in nearly every aspect of an archaeological fieldwork project. They partake in extensive and intensive surveys, excavations and depot work to gain a greater understanding of the entire process involved in archaeological research: from scouting new sites to unearthing finds and processing, analysing and recording the results. Students are encouraged to actively work in all aspects of the project. The project includes many different methodologies, from field surveys and excavation to photogrammetry and 3D modelling. So far, the project has already led to several academic publications and conference proceedings. It also holds the potential for furthering research opportunities regarding thematic exhibitions, lectures and general public outreach events.
The project is a continuation of the research done on materials from a rescue excavation at Orionos Street in Chalkida, which was conducted by Leiden University’s Faculty of Archaeology in 2013. Since 2021, the HMC fieldwork project has been conducted in a collaboration between Leiden University’s Faculty of Archaeology, the Netherlands Institute at Athens (NIA), the Euboean Ephorate of Antiquities, and the Hellenic Society for Near Eastern Studies (HSNES). The ongoing support from these authorities allows us to continue researching this exceptional region, and to train the archaeologists of tomorrow.
