The A. G. Leventis Foundation has awarded The Cyprus Institute a five-year renewal of the funding for the A. G. Leventis Chair in Archaeological Sciences, currently held by Professor Thilo Rehren FSA.

 

Professor Stavros Malas, President of The Cyprus Institute, announced the generous support on Monday stating: “This institutional award by the A. G. Leventis Foundation is a strong endorsement of the successful work conducted over the past seven years in archaeological sciences at the Institute. Crucially, it will support the continuation of a wide range of activities in this field.” The award stands in the tradition of earlier major investments by the A. G. Leventis Foundation in the academic development of research into Cypriot and Hellenic culture across leading European universities and institutions, reflecting CyI’s growing international standing.

 

Since its establishment in 2018, the A. G. Leventis Chair in Archaeological Sciences has been leading numerous activities across Cyprus and the wider region. One of its flagship initiatives is the organisation of the International Congress on Archaeological Sciences in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East (ICAS-EMME). This series of conferences, held every other year at the Institute’s Nicosia campus, has grown to well over 100 in-person participants from across the Eastern Mediterranean, with its proceedings published as peer-reviewed Special Issues in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

 

Professor Rehren, the incumbent Chair for Archaeological Sciences, commented: “The strong support of the A. G. Leventis Foundation for our activities, both financially and conceptually, has enabled a whole raft of research projects to be completed. This includes the scientific study of prehistoric and medieval to early modern ceramics from Cyprus, breakthrough research in Late Antique copper smelting, systematic investigation of Hellenistic to early Byzantine glass working, and much more.” Importantly, the support from the A. G. Leventis Foundation has directly led to the acquisition of more than €4.5M in highly competitive European funding for CyI, multiplying the investment made many times over.

 

The second funding period will focus on further strengthening the Cyprus Institute’s research portfolio in archaeological materials science. One key area will be archaeometallurgy, highlighting Cyprus’ historical identity as the Copper Island of antiquity. Another priority will be bridging disciplinary boundaries within the broader field of archaeological sciences, through integrated research projects and collaborative activities involving diverse colleagues and methodologies in a synergistic approach. Close cooperation with colleagues from the Department of Antiquities and the Archaeological Research Unit of the University of Cyprus, as well as international missions in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, will further strengthen the research ecosystem for archaeological science in Cyprus.