of Victoria
Roman StudiesNavigation
PhD (UCLA)
Greek art and archaeology, household archaeology, ceramics and society, socio-economic inequality in ancient economies, collapse and resilience, and the archaeology of religion
Greek art and archaeology, household archaeology, ceramics and society, socio-economic inequality in ancient economies, collapse and resilience, and the archaeology of religion.
My research situates study of ceramic production, exchange, and consumption within larger discussion of social, religious, and economic exchange and transformation. My dissertation project examined the collapse of Mycenaean palatial society from the vantage of the households and argued against current models of dramatic economic collapse. I have excavated in both Italy and Greece and I am currently involved in the study and publication of ceramics from the ancient Greek sites of Eleon and Methone.
Since 2017, I have also been preparing the ceramics from the Mycenaean Fountain on the Athenian Acropolis for final publication. A preliminary account of my findings is forthcoming in the journal Hesperia and I am currently preparing a monograph that incorporates these findings into a broader re-examination of post-palatial Athens and Attica, tentatively titled Post-Palatial Athens: Technological Innovations and Social Transformations. This project has been supported by the Michael Ventris Memorial Award for Mycenaean Studies, a Loeb Library Foundation Fellowship, and, from 2019–2021, the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada.
As a departmental member, I have supervised undergraduate and graduate research on a wide range of topics including the iconography of Gorgons in archaic Greek art, an investigation of early Mycenaean mortuary traditions at ancient Eleon, a contextual analysis of the Late Bronze Age chipped stone assemblage from Eleon, and the petrographic analysis and sourcing of archaic Boeotian pottery.
I am happy to supervise undergraduate and graduate research projects on any aspect of Greek art and archaeology, but I am especially keen on supervising students interested in incorporating material from the excavations at ancient Eleon in their research. If you are interested in pursuing an honours or MA thesis, please do not hesitate to get in touch!
Beginning in summer 2022, I hope to offer training in archaeological field methods and collaborative research experiences at the site of ancient Eleon in Greece. More information about the Eastern Boeotia Archaeological Project and the Eleon Excavations can be found here (https://ebapexcavations.org/). We encourage students from diverse backgrounds to apply to the field school, including those from outside the Faculty of Humanities. If you wish to participate in the field school, but are concerned about financial obstacles, please get in touch as soon as possible—I am happy to help advise on potential funding sources and support students through my own research funds whenever possible.
Van Damme, T. Forthcoming. “The Mycenaean Fountain and the Transformation of Space on the Athenian Acropolis from 1200 to 675 B.C.” Hesperia.
Van Damme, T. Forthcoming. “The Middle and Late Bronze Age Pottery.” In Excavations at Ancient Methone, 2003–2011 (Conducted by Matthaios Bessios, Athena Athanassiadou, and Konstantinos Noulas), edited by S.P. Morris and J.K. Papadopoulos. Cotsen Institute of Archaeology.
Van Damme, T. Forthcoming. “Athens, Prehistoric and Early Iron Age.” Encyclopedia of Ancient History (Wiley Blackwell).
Van Damme, T. and S. Lupack. Forthcoming. “Key Deposits of Archaic and Classical Ceramics.” In Preliminary Reports on the Canadian Excavations at Ancient Eleon (2011–2015), ed. B. Burke and B. Burns. Mouseion Supplement 18.2.
Lis, B. and T. Van Damme. Forthcoming. “A Preliminary Report on the Prehistoric Pottery from Ancient Eleon Preliminary Reports on the Canadian Excavations at Ancient Eleon (2011–2015), ed. B. Burke and B. Burns. Mouseion Supplement 18.2.
Van Damme, T. 2021. “What Ancient Greek Handwashing Can Tell Us About Socio-Economic Inequality.” The Conversation Canada [https://theconversation.com/what-ancient-greek-handwashing-can-teach-us-about-socio-economic-inequality-158405].
Lis, B. and T. Van Damme. 2021. “From Text and Iconography to Use-Wear Analysis of Ceramic Containers: Investigating a Mycenaean Hand Washing Custom and its Changing Social Significance.” Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology 32.2 [2020], pp. 185–210.
Van Damme, T. 2020. “J. Rutter, House X at Kommos. A Minoan Mansion near the Sea. Part 2. The Pottery.” Mouseion 17.1, pp. 75–78.
Burke, B., B. Burns, A. Charami, B. Lis, N. Herrman, and T. Van Damme. 2020. “Ancient Eleon in Boeotia: A Preliminary Report on Fieldwork 2011–2018.” American Journal of Archaeology 124.3, pp. 441–476.
Van Damme, T. 2019. “Stoppers, Transport Stirrup Jars and the Wine Trade, 1450–1100 BC.” Annual of the British School at Athens 114, pp. 93–117.
Van Damme, T. 2017. “Euboean Connections with Eastern Boeotia: Ceramics and Synchronisms between Lefkandi and Ancient Eleon.” In An Island between Two Worlds: The Archaeology of Euboea from Prehistoric to Byzantine Times, ed. by Z. Tankosic, M. Kosma, and F. Mavridis, pp. 171–182. Athens: Norwegian Institute of Archaeology in Athens.
Van Damme, T. In preparation. “A Red Figure Skyphos by the Millin Painter from Ancient Methone, Pieria.”
Van Damme, T. In preparation. “Seeking Abundance in the Post-Palatial Aegean: Domestic Storerooms and Dependent Craft Specialists.”
Post-Palatial Athens: Technological Innovations and Social Transformations. A monograph on post-palatial Athens from the vantage of the ceramic assemblage recovered from the Mycenaean Fountain on the North Slope of the Acropolis.