28/08/2026
During the summer, a group of St Andrews colleagues and students headed on an archaeological research project to Knossos, Crete. The trip was part of the new Knossos Roman Archaeology and Legacy Data Project, launched in May 2026 by Professor Rebecca Sweetman from the School of Classics and Dr Daniel Stewart from the University of Leicester.
While Knossos, the second most visited archaeological site in Greece after the Acropolis, is renowned for its Minoan Palace, it was also an important Roman colony. Despite its significance during the Roman period, relatively little is known about the city’s later history. The information we do know comes from the Knossos Urban Landscape Project, a small number of rescue and research excavations, scattered remnants of architecture and burials throughout the valley, and sites such as the Villa Dionysus and a Roman bath house.
The aim of the Knossos Roman Archaeology and Legacy Data project is to deepen understanding of the occupation of the city during the Roman period. Following an intensive geophysical survey of the Knossos Valley, the team focused on an area to the west of the Villa Dionysus to try and uncover evidence about the living and working city.
In the first few weeks of the excavation trip, it became clear to the team that they were uncovering the remains of a house that had been significantly modified, and the remains of an industrial area that may have been used for metal and/or glass working.
This year, five University of St Andrews students accompanied Professor Sweetman to participate in the project. They were Deanna Cunningham (PhD candidate and Site Supervisor), Avery Konwiser, Isabella Febbo, Zoe Kosmowski, and Sarah Prince (recently completed PhD). The team worked on the excavation and archival material in May and June 2026 and made a huge contribution to the project with their good humour, hard work, and collaboration.
**Images**
👉L to R: Isabella Febbo, Avery Konwiser, Zoe Kosmowski, Rebecca Sweetman, Sarah Prince, Deanna Cunningham.
👉Some of the team washing pots in the evening.
👉L to R: Avery Konwiser, Gord MacDonald & Isabella Febbo carrying out soil floatation.
