Janric van Rookhuijzen (Leiden), Ancient Greek Memoryscapes

In this lecture, we examine methodological issues in memory studies as applied to Ancient Greece, focusing on how commemorative meaning is assigned to archaeological remains. Using the memoryscape of the Acropolis of Athens as a case study, we explore the role of material culture in shaping collective memory. We propose three methodological considerations: clarifying the evidentiary basis for commemorative interpretations, exploring alternative explanations for an object’s form and origin, and acknowledging the possibility of multiple diachronical meanings.

Janric van Rookhuijzen is a postdoctoral researcher at Leiden University. Following his dissertation entitled Herodotus and the Topography of Xerxes’ Invasion. Place and Memory in Greece and Anatolia (2018), he published widely on the archaeology of the Athenian Acropolis. He is currently working on a project on the Ancient Wonders of the World.