The ‘Spring School in Classical Art History and Archaeology’, organised by the Faculty of Art Studies at Adam Mickiewicz University (UAM) in collaboration with the British School at Athens and the Polish Archaeological Institute in Athens, took place in Crete from 19 to 26 April 2026. Ten students from the Institute of Art History at UAM took part, with their travel and accommodation funded by the Erasmus+ programme (Erasmus Traineeship Programme). The students were supervised by Dr Wojciech Brillowski, Dr Katarzyna Dudlik and Prof. Michał Mencfel.
A key element of the programme was a visit on 20 April to the BSA’s field centre at Knossos. Following a tour of the site, there was a presentation on the history of the research carried out there. The history of the institution itself was outlined, along with an overview of its current activities. This was followed by a discussion between the students and the site’s host, Dr Kostas S. Christiakis, on various issues he had raised. The programme concluded with an in-depth tour of the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, where the students viewed the most significant artefacts recovered during various excavation campaigns in the Knossos area. This deepened their knowledge of Minoan culture’s architecture, art, and crafts, undoubtedly impacting how they engaged with other Minoan sites and artefacts.
This took place during a several-day road trip around Crete, during which the students also learnt about other periods in the island’s history, from the Neolithic period to the present day. The group visited the most important Minoan settlements, such as Phaistos, Kato Zakros and Gournia, as well as key archaeological sites from the Greek, Hellenistic, Roman and Late Antique periods, including Falasarna, Gortyna, Itanos, Lato and Lissos. The students also familiarised themselves with the architecture and art produced in Crete during the Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman periods in the Orthodox monasteries of Arkadi, Gonia and Toplou and the three most important urban centres: Chania, Heraklion and Rethymno.
A key element of the visits at the archaeological sites were the on-site discussions of the various aspects of the spatial location of the settlements whose remains are preserved there, including questions of topography, economy, and the sacred and symbolic elements of their culture. Similar issues were also discussed in relation to the three aforementioned urban settlements, whose unbroken histories stretch back several thousand years — particularly in the case of Chania. Issues concerning the destruction, preservation and reconstruction of the architectural and artistic cultural heritage were also raised, which were recognised as particularly significant in Heraklion, given the rapid modernisation of its built environment over the last half-century. A visit to the Historical Museum of Crete in that city proved extremely useful in this context, as a significant part of the exhibition was devoted to the city’s history, changes in its urban planning and architecture.
Key issues relating to museological practice, such as the architecture of the museum buildings, the way they are administered and the strategies used to display artefacts, were analysed and discussed at length in all the museums visited during the tour. These issues were considered in the context of the broader history of European private and public collecting, while also acknowledging local cultural, social, and political contexts. Particular emphasis was placed on how the preservation and presentation of cultural heritage was intertwined with the history of the struggle for Greek independence, and with the process of building Greek national consciousness and a sense of belonging among the Cretans. There were also extensive discussions of the involvement of foreign institutions, such as the BSA (mentioned at the outset), and eminent scholars – foremost among them, Arthur J. Evans – in the history of the discovery and preservation of relics from Crete’s past.
In summary, the feedback from participating students suggests that the “Spring School in Classical Art History and Archaeology” was a highly rewarding experience that greatly enriched their knowledge and stimulated their desire to explore Crete’s and Greece’s cultural and artistic heritage, both ancient and modern.
