34th Annual Lecture in Memory of Constantine Leventis / The Archaeology of the Olive: From Antiquity to Industrialisation
19.11.25
19.30-20.30
The Anastasios G. Leventis Foundation and the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia organise the 34th Annual Lecture in Memory of Constantine Leventis*
entitled The Archaeology of the Olive: From Antiquity to Industrialisation.
The speaker for the evening is Dr Sophocles Hadjisavvas, an archaeologist and former Director of the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus, who characteristically notes:
‘When, in the mid-1st century AD, Pliny the Elder praised Cypriot wine and the island’s olive oil, he surely did not realise that his words so clearly captured the timeless role of the olive tree in the identity and economy of Cyprus. The olive tree, a gift from the gods to humankind, has been a constant and silent ally of Cypriot civilisation and the everyday life of its people from prehistoric times to modern history. It wasn’t until the late 20th century that modern science, through systematic research, confirmed what folk wisdom had recognised and utilised for centuries.’
In his lecture Dr Hadjisavvas will not aspire to cover the entirety of the so-called ‘culture of the olive’, as this term touches on almost every aspect of daily life. Instead,
he will focus on its most characteristic and tangible dimension: the production of olive oil. Particular emphasis will be given to the complex procedure of transforming olives into oil, as this process has left behind rich and impressive archaeological remains. At the heart of the presentation are the earliest technological applications in production and the economic and social impacts of these practices on prehistoric societies, as well as their gradual technological evolution up to the industrial era. Even if only briefly, the lecture will also touch on the olive tree’s imprint on artistic creation, thus highlighting its multifaceted and timeless significance.
The speaker
Dr Sophocles Hadjisavvas has extensive field experience, having conducted archaeological excavations and surveys throughout Cyprus. Notably, he led the excavations at the ‘Tombs of the Kings’ in Paphos, the Phoenician period necropolis of Kition and the significant Late Bronze Age settlement at Alassa.
He received his education at Sofia University, the University of Cambridge and the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, where he earned his PhD in 1992. He has lectured internationally and published numerous works that reflect his expertise in Late Bronze Age Cyprus, particularly in ancient technology, as well as wine and olive oil production.
After retiring from the Cyprus Department of Antiquities, he co-founded and directed the THETIS Foundation for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage of Cyprus in Limassol for a period of two years. In 2003 he curated and authored the exhibition catalogue for From Ishtar to Aphrodite at the Onassis Cultural Center in New York. Additionally, in 2010, as a guest curator at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, he organised the exhibition Cyprus: Crossroads of Civilizations, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Republic of Cyprus.
As an Onassis Scholar in 2004 and 2010, he lectured at several leading universities across the United States. He is also a corresponding member of the German Archaeological Institute, an Honorary Member of the Archaeological Society at Athens and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. Since 2007 he has been working as an independent scholar, dedicating his time to preparing final reports for the excavations he led during his 30 years with the Cyprus Department of Antiquities.
Lecture details
The 34th Annual Lecture in Memory of Constantine Leventis is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 19 November 2025, at 19.30,
at the Constantine Leventis Auditorium of the A. G. Leventis Gallery, Nicosia. The lecture will be delivered in Greek.
Reservations required
Those interested are kindly requested to make their reservations by Thursday, 13 November 2025:
T.: +357 22668838 / Email: rsvp@leventisgallery.org. The doors will close at 19.40. We kindly ask the audience to arrive on time.
* Since 2002, the annual lectures and events have been dedicated to the memory of Constantine Leventis.
