Irene Lemos

Professor Irene Lemos is a Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Merton College, affiliated with the Ioannou Centre for Classical and Byzantine Studies. She holds an MA and DPhil from Oxford. Her research focuses on the archaeology of Early Greece, particularly the transition from the Mycenaean period to the Persian Wars, with a strong emphasis on the site of Lefkandi in Euboea. She explores material culture, Mediterranean exchange networks, alphabetic writing, and iron technology. Lemos has directed excavations at Lefkandi since 2003 and collaborates on projects like the Wiener-Anspach Foundation grant on collective rituals. She teaches courses on Greek and Mediterranean archaeology at Oxford and supervises graduate students. Her publications span excavations, methodologies, and interdisciplinary studies in Aegean archaeology.

Her research highlights include the role of Lefkandi as a hub for Bronze Age to Early Iron Age interactions, geoarchaeological studies of coastal landscapes, and the analysis of ritual practices. Recent work examines early Greek social identities and the material culture of the Archaic period. Lemos has contributed to major excavations such as Oropos and has been involved in radiocarbon dating projects to establish chronologies for the Aegean Iron Age.

• Teaching: Undergraduate courses on the Greeks and Mediterranean World, Archaic and Classical periods, and core classes in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History.
• Grants/Projects: Collaborative work on collective rituals with Brussels scholars, excavations at Lefkandi and Oropos, and radiocarbon dating initiatives.
• Labs/Teams: Directs the Lefkandi-Xeropolis excavation project and coordinates fieldwork at Oropos, involving interdisciplinary teams in archaeology and geoarchaeology.