Speaker: Dr. Marriana Nikolaidou, UCLAMarianna Nikolaidou holds a Ph.D. in archaeology from the University of Thessaloniki in Greece, and is a research associate at the Cotsen Institute since 1994. Her research and fieldwork focus on the Neolithic and Bronze Ages of the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. She has published extensively on gender issues, symbolism and ritual, ceramic iconography and technology, adornment, and the history of archaeology. Projects with the  Cotsen include: the publication of  ornaments and ceramics from Sitagroi, study of ceramic technology  at Tell Mozan in Syria, and currently the analysis and study of prehistoric pottery at the excavations at Ancient Methone. The pottery from Methone is the topic of her talk. Dating to the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, the material illuminates three millennia of prehistoric occupation at this key site  on the Northern Aegean coast, and provides insights to the prehistory of the region.”