About our project

Researchers only returned to explore the site and its finds from the 1980s following Pendlebury's death in action in the Battle of Crete (1941) and a long period of decay, erosion and vegetation growth affecting the excavated remains. Leslie Day and Krzysztof Nowicki were among scholars trying to get a higher-resolution picture of this large ancient town by detailed restudies of Pendlebury's findings.

Surveys of soils and historic land use by Saro Wallace to reconstruct the potential of ancient agricultural potential in this rugged and steep environment (now grazed) were then complemented by surface survey and detailed recording of the excavated and unexcavated standing remains. Wallace and her team of specialist collaborators returned to Karphi in 2008 (opposite) to investigate the site with trial excavation over a much wider area than Pendlebury explored, and have created this website to promote exploration of and engagement with this spectacular ancient settlement and its landscape as they start new research there in 2021-27 in collaboration with the University of Manchester (Dr Ina Berg), the Greek Ministry of Culture and the British School at Athens (permits 2021-22) and the Polish Institute of Archaeology at Athens (permits 2023-27). We also collaborate in training, outreach, conservation work and grant-raising with the US/Greek NGO HERITΛGE (formerly the Heritage Management Organization). Please use this website to explore, participate in and communicate about the Karphi site and our work.