On 15 June 2026, the fourth and final excavation season began at the Mycenaean site of Pefkakia in Magnesia. The site is located approximately 1.5 km south of the modern city of Volos, on the Pagasetic Gulf in Thessaly.
The project is being carried out as a collaboration between the Ephorate of Antiquities of Magnesia and the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, under the auspices of the Polish Archaeological Institute at Athens. The excavations are directed by Dr Anthi Batziou and Prof. Bartłomiej Lis. The work is funded by the National Science Centre, Poland, and the Loeb Classical Library Foundation.
After the first week, during which the work was conducted by a small team of approximately ten people, the research has now entered its full fieldwork phase. More than 20 people are currently involved in the excavations and storage-room work. The work is being carried out in five trenches located in three different parts of the site.
“In addition to standard excavation work, we are also conducting osteoarchaeological analyses of human remains from graves uncovered during this year’s season. This part of the research is supervised by Prof. Nicholas Herrmann from Texas State University. At the same time, soil micromorphological analyses are also being carried out by Dr Rachel Kulick from the University of Toronto,” said Prof. Bartłomiej Lis. “Photogrammetric documentation and flotation are also conducted every day.”
The archaeologists are focusing primarily on remains from the Late Bronze Age. The aim of the research is to obtain new data that will allow for a better understanding of the role of Pefkakia as one of the most important ports of the Aegean world in the Mycenaean period.
This year’s season marks the culmination of a multi-year research programme conducted at the site. Its results will be of significant importance for further studies on contact networks, maritime economy, and the organisation of settlement in the northern part of the Aegean world during the Late Bronze Age.
