Irene S Lemos

Irene S. Lemos is Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Merton College. She directs excavations at Lefkandi-Xeropolis in Euboea, Greece, focusing on the Late Bronze to Early Iron Age transition (1200-480 BC).

Her research investigates material culture, technological innovations, and intercultural exchanges during Greece's formative periods. Major themes include: the archaeology of collapse and regeneration; development of alphabetic writing; iron technology adoption; and Euboea's Mediterranean connections. Lemos integrates ceramic analysis, architectural studies, and mortuary archaeology to reconstruct social transformations.

Recent publications document excavations at Oropos and Lefkandi-Xeropolis, while synthesizing research on Euboean archaeology. Her scholarship consistently addresses how material evidence illuminates social identity construction during Greece's 'Dark Ages.'

Lemos teaches courses on Greeks in the Mediterranean, Archaic/Classical cities/sanctuaries/cemeteries, and core Classical Archaeology classes. She supervises graduate students researching Mediterranean archaeology across the Bronze-Iron Age transition.