Annual Balzan Lecture: Colin Renfrew

Cognitive Archaeology from Theory to Practice. The Early Cycladic Sanctuary at Keros: the third volume of the Series published by Olschki

Leo S. Olschki, Florence, has just published the 2011 Annual Balzan Lecture Cognitive Archaeology from Theory to Practice. The Early Cycladic Sanctuary at Keros, given by Colin Renfrew, 2004 Balzan Prizewinner for Prehistoric Archaeology, at the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei in Rome, on 30 November 2011.
Printed in English, it is available from the Olschki retail network (http://www.olschki.it/page.htm).

Colin Renfrew has been involved in pioneering archeological excavations for almost fifty years, from the first archaeological discoveries on Keros through the most recent digs at Kavos and Dhaskalio. This work has permitted him to create a ritual map of the Cyclades, delineating a network of pilgrimage and ceremonial sites in the period 2500-2000 BC. These discoveries have permitted Professor Renfrew to postulate a revolutionary cognitive interpretation of prehistoric archaeology, which is explained in the proceedings. The analysis of the discoveries in a project involving numerous young researchers continues to contribute significantly to the study of the origins of ritual practices in the Aegean Sea.

Simplified version for www.balzan.org: thanks to the publisher Leo S. Olschki