Excavating Mount Lykaion with David Gilman Romano – Mountain Stories, Mountain Futures
In this episode Jason König interviews David Gilman Romano, from the University of Arizona, about his many years of archaeological research on Mount Lykaion in Arkadia.
We start by discussing David’s first visit to Mount Lykaion, in 1978. David sketches out the mythological importance of the site, which was claimed as one of the birthplaces of Zeus, its importance for Arcadian identity, and its athletic significance, as the venue for the festival of the Lykaia which was held high up on the mountainside.
David then describes the development of the Mount Lykaion Excavation and Survey Project, which has been underway since 2004, and summarises some of the most important finds from the site, including evidence for continuous use of the space of the summit altar back to the Neolithic period.
In the second half we turn to the creation of the Parrhasian Heritage Park in the area around Mount Lykaion, which has involved decades of collaboration between archaeologists and local communities, and the creation of a series of hiking trails. David describes his favourite trail, the Trail of Pan.
Finally we talk about some of the ways in which archaeology can make a difference to mountain regions struggling with depopulation.
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Sound editor: Zofia Guertin
Video editor: Mary Woodcock Kroble