Elpida Hadjidaki
Born
Chania, Crete, Greece
NationalityGreek
Other namesElpida Hadjidaki-Marder
Occupation(s)Marine archaeologist, director of the Greek Department of Maritime Antiquities[1]
Known forFirst archaeologist to excavate the Alonnisos shipwreck; the first Minoan shipwreck;[2] excavating Phalasarna
Notable work
  • The Classical and Hellenistic Harbor at Phalasarna: A Pirate's Port? (1988)
  • The Minoan Shipwreck at Pseira, Crete (2021)
SpouseMichael Marder[3]
ChildrenNike Marder

Elpida Hadjidaki (Greek: Ελπίδα Χατζηδάκη[4]) is a Greek marine archaeologist specializing in ancient shipwrecks and harbor towns. She grew up in coastal Chania and was interested in maritime history from an early age. Hadjidaki learned to dive shortly after finishing high school.[3] She has investigated multiple archaeological sites, including the Alonnisos shipwreck, a Minoan shipwreck near Pseira, and the ancient harbor town of Phalasarna.

She was friends with Honor Frost, a now deceased diver and underwater archaeologist.[5]

Archaeological work

Short brick structure by the sea
Round tower found in Phalasarna, photographed by Hadjidaki

Beginning in 1986, Elpida Hadjidaki and her crew began exploring Phalasarna, an ancient harbor town. Phalasarna may have participated in piracy in the Hellenistic period. Hadjidaki excavated multiple towers, fortification walls, commercial buildings, quays, a slipway and a cistern in the town, finding shards of amphorae, weapons, and pottery.[6] [7] Phalasarna was a heavily fortified, independent town which minted its own coins.[8]

In 1992, Hadjidaki led a team of archaeologists to explore the Alonnisos shipwreck. As the name suggests, the wreck was found just south of the Greek island Alonnisos. While she didn't discover the wreck—a local fisherman did—her team was the first to fully examine it.[1]

Four divers explore a shipwreck
Excavation of the Alonnissos shipwreck, photographed by Hadjidaki

Hadjidaki and her coworkers found over a thousand amphorae lying unburied on the seafloor at the site of the wreck, with many fine ceramics beneath them. The ship had been carrying wine to sell. The wreck has been dated to between 420 and 400 BCE during Greece's Classical period.[9]

The Alonnisos shipwreck is now an underwater museum. Hadjidaki is happy that the archaeological site is open to the public, and claims to have suggested this very idea shortly after the shipwreck was discovered.[10]

Hadjidaki searched for and explored a Minoan wreck off Pseira starting in 2003. A trading ship sank near the shore between 1725 and 1700 BCE.[11] While the wooden ship itself hasn't been preserved, Hadjidaki and her team found a number of other artifacts: amphorae for transport of liquids, jugs, cooking equipment, cups, and fishing weights.[2]

Writing

Elpida Hadjidaki has written two books:

  • The Classical and Hellenistic Harbor at Phalasarna: A Pirate's Port? (1988)
  • The Minoan Shipwreck at Pseira, Crete (2021)

She has contributed chapters or sections to further books:

  • Crete beyond the Palaces (2004) - Chapter 4: "A Possible Minoan Harbor on South Crete"
  • Digital Cultural Heritage (2019) - "Quasi–Mixed Reality in Digital Cultural Heritage. Combining 3D Reconstructions with Real Structures on Location—The Case of Ancient Phalasarna" with Gunnar Liestøl
  • In the Footsteps of Honor Frost. The life and legacy of a pioneer in maritime archaeology (2019) - "Three Decades of Adventures with Honor Frost in Crete"

She's also contributed to multiple journals, including:

  • The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology and Underwater Exploration (1985)[12]
  • American Journal of Archaeology (1988)[8]
  • Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (1990)[6]
  • Bulletin de correspondance hellénique (1996)[9]

References

  1. 1 2 Wilford, John Noble (April 13, 1993). "Ancient Greek Shipwreck Found; Cargo Was Fine Wine". New York Times.
  2. 1 2 Bonn-Muller, Eti (2010). "First Minoan Shipwreck" (PDF). Archaeology. Archaeological Institute of America: 44–47.
  3. 1 2 "Elpida Hadjidaki". Mathematics Department and the Institute for Mathematical Sciences. Stony Brook University. Archived from the original on January 29, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Η Εφορεια Εναλιων Αρχαιοτητων και τα Προγραμματα Υποβρυχιον Ανασκαφων" (PDF). Αρχαιολογία (in Greek). Archived from the original on October 11, 2010.
  5. ↑ Hadjidaki, Elpida (2019). "Three Decades of Adventures with Honor Frost in Crete". In Blue, Lucy (ed.). In the Footsteps of Honor Frost. The life and legacy of a pioneer in maritime archaeology (PDF). Sidestone Press. pp. 165–182. ISBN 9789088908309.
  6. 1 2 Frost, Frank J.; Hadjidaki, Elpida (1990). "Excavations at the Harbor of Phalasarna in Crete: The 1988 Season". Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. 59 (3): 513–527. doi:10.2307/148300. JSTOR 148300.
  7. ↑ Hadjidaki, Elpida (2020). "Κατά θάλασσαν οι Φαλασάρνιοι (in Greek)". In Stampolidis, Nicholas Chr.; Giannopoulou, Mimika (eds.). Eleutherna, Crete and the Outside World (PDF). University of Crete. p. 384-394. ISBN 978-618-00-1858-5.
  8. 1 2 Hadjidaki, Elpida (October 1988). "Preliminary Report of Excavations at the Harbor of Phalasarna in West Crete". American Journal of Archaeology. Archaeological Institute of America. 92 (4): 463–479. doi:10.2307/505244. JSTOR 505244. S2CID 193076496.
  9. 1 2 Hadjidaki, Elpida (1996). "Underwater Excavations of a Late Fifth Century Merchant Ship at Alonnesos, Greece : the 1991-1993 Seasons". Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique. 120 (2): 561–593. doi:10.3406/bch.1996.4619.
  10. ↑ Becatoros, Elena (April 9, 2019). "Uncovering the mysteries of the Alonnisos wreck". Navy Times. Associated Press.
  11. ↑ Hadjidaki-Marder, Elpida (2021). The Minoan Shipwreck at Pseira, Crete. INSTAP Academic Press. ISBN 9781931534291.
  12. ↑ Hadjidaki, Elpida; Lianos, Nikos; Edwards, Mark (1985). "A preliminary report on an underwater survey at Plitra, South Laconia, Greece: 1980". The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology and Underwater Exploration. 14 (3): 227–236. doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.1985.tb01224.x.
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