Brendan Burke

Interests and Areas of Graduate Supervision:

Greek archaeology; Aegean Prehistory; Anatolian archaeology; Art and Architecture of ancient Greece; Textile production and ancient economies.

I supervise graduate students in Greek and Roman Archaeology both at UVic and at the site of ancient Eleon, Greece, where I co-direct field work on the excavation site.  Graduate students often participate in all aspects of field work, from surface survey to excavation and post-processing of finds. Often theses and dissertation topics will derive from original material from active excavations. 

Recent Publications:

“Memorializing the First Mycenaeans at Eleon,” with Bryan Burns, In MNHMH: Past and Memory in the Aegean Bronze Age, edited by E. Borgna, I. Caloi, F. Carinci, and R. Laffineur Aegaeum Vol. 43 (Liège, 2019) 269-76.

“Mycenaean Eleon and Eastern Boeotia during the Bronze Age,” Co-authored with Bryan Burns and Alexandra Charami. In From Maple to Olive. Proceedings of a Colloquium to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Canadian Institute in Greece, Athens 10-11 June 2016 (Publications of the Canadian Institute in Greece 10), eds. D. W. Rupp and J. E. Tomlinson, Athens (2017) 177-91.

“Archaic and Classical Eleon in Eastern Boeotia: Excavations from 2011 to 2015,” Co-authored with Bryan Burns and Alexandra Charami. In From Maple to Olive. Proceedings of a Colloquium to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Canadian Institute in Greece, Athens 10-11 June 2016 (Publications of the Canadian Institute in Greece 10), eds. D. W. Rupp and J. E. Tomlinson, Athens (2017) 385-99.

“Social and Cultural History of Bronze Age Greece,” Themes in Greek Society and Culture, eds. A. Glazebrook and C. Vester, Oxford University Press (2017) 13-36.

“Ancient Eleon Excavations 2016-2017,” Teiresias: A Review and Bibliography of Boiotian Studies. Co-authored with B. Burns and A. Charami, vol. 47(part 2) 2017, pp. 7-13.

“Beyond Penelope: Women and the role of Textiles in the Bronze Age Aegean,” Women in Antiquity, ed. J. Turfa and S. Budin. (Routledge) 2016, 635-646. https://www.routledge.com/products/9781138808362.

“Phrygian Fibulae as Markers of Textile Dedication in Greek Sanctuaries,” Textile Trade and Distribution II: From the Ancient Near East to the Mediterranean (1000 BC-400 AD), eds. Kerstin Droß-Krüpe and M-L. Nosch, (Harrassowitz Verlag. Wiesbaden) 2016, 159-168.

“Eastern Boeotia Archaeological Project: Surface Survey of the Eleon Acropolis.” Co-authored with V. Aravantinos, B. Burns, Y. Fappas, S. Lupack, C.M. MacKay, Mouseion Vol. 13.2 (series 3) 2016, 293-358.

“Eastern Boeotia Archaeological Project 2015 Report.” Teiresias: A Review and Bibliography of Boiotian Studies. Co-authored with B. Burns and A. Charami, vol. 45 (part 2) 2015.

“Bronze Age Aegean Cloth Production: A Cottage Industry No More,”HYPHANTA. Patterned Textiles of the Aegean Bronze Age. M. C. Shaw and A. P. Chapin, with contributions by E.J.W. Barber, B. Burke, E. C. Egan, S. Peterson Murray, and A. Vlachopoulos (Oxbow) 2015, 17-42. http://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/hyphanta.html

"The Polygonal Wall at Ancient Eleon and the Eastern Boeotia Archaeological Project." Meditations on the Diversity of the Built Environment in the Aegean Basin: A Colloquium in Memory of Frederick E. Winter, June 22-23 2012. Co-authored with B. Burns and A. Charami, ed. D. Rupp, 2014, 249-264.

From Minos to Midas: Ancient Cloth Production in the Aegean and in Anatolia Ancient Textiles Series Vol. 7, (Oxford Oxbow Books) 2010.

Forthcoming Publications:

Eastern Boeotia Archaeological Project – co-editor volume of Preliminary Reports on Excavations at Ancient Eleon 2011-2015 (in preparation).

The Golden King: Myths of Wealth in the Ancient World (monograph in preparation).

Current Projects:

I am currently co-directing excavations at the site of ancient Eleon in central Greece. This site has sat in relative obscurity for the past 2400 years. Located about 75 km north of Athens on a fertile plain connecting the major center of Thebes to the important waterway of the Euboean Gulf, the site preserves material from the Prehistoric (Mycenaean), Archaic-Classical, and Medieval periods. Our Canadian team has excavated here since 2011. We began our work based on results of a systematic survey (2007-2009) and on the prominent standing feature at the site -- a large polygonal wall constructed around 500 BCE. We are currently focused on a group of rock lined tombs containing the remains of several individuals. Based on ceramics, the entire structure and burials seem confined to the early Mycenaean period, sometimes called the Shaft Grave period after the famous burials at Mycenae (ca 1700-1450 BCE). 

Administrative Experience:

• Chair, Department of Greek and Roman Studies (2012-2019)
• Interim Director, Canadian Institute in Greece (2018-19)
• Editor for Archaeology, Bryn Mawr Classical Review (2007-15), Editorial Board since 2005
• Teiresias Supplements Online, Advisory Board (2016-present)
• 2007-present     Co-Director, EBAP: Eastern Boeotia Archaeological Project – Excavation. Synergasia of the Canadian Institute in Greece and 9th Ephoreia, (with B. Burns, A. Charami)
• 2017-2022         ASCSA Managing Committee, Executive Committee (elected)
• 2011-2016         ASCSA Publications Committee (elected)
• 2017-present     Canadian Institute in Greece Vision and Mission Committee, Chair
• 2012-present     Canadian Institute in Greece Excavation Survey Committee, Chair