Lecture | Byvanck Lecture
Greeks, Persians, and Cilicians: Empire and Identity in the Iron Age
- Prof. Naoíse Mac Sweeney (University of Vienna)
- Date
- Wednesday 22 April 2026
- Time
- Address
- National Museum of Antiquities
The Greek cities of Cilicia have traditionally been understood as ‘colonies’ – settlements founded by migrants who brought their culture and identity with them. Yet changes in settlement patterns identified in archaeological survey suggest otherwise, indicating to a mismatch between three distinct chronological horizons. The first is the foundation of new coastal settlements; the second comprises the immigration of Greek speakers from the Aegean; while the third consists of the emergence of Greek civic identities. The speaker will argue that the last of these phenomena has very little to do with the second, and still less to do with the first, and should instead be understood as a reaction to Persian imperial rule.
See for more information and registration the website of BABESCH.