November 1, 2010
The Zominthos Team is very sorry to announce the death of Professor Yannis Sakellarakis, the excavation’s director. He was one of the world’s most influential personalities in Greek archaeology, and his work on Minoan Prehistory influenced many young archaeologists. He was an instructor at the universities of Athens, Heidelberg, and Hamburg. He gave lectures and presented papers at symposia and conferences around the world, including Oslo, Petra, Tokyo, New York, Oxford, London, Princeton, and Harvard. He received awards from the Academy of Athens, the Technological Education Institute of Crete, and the National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation. Also, he was honored with the Gold Medal of the University of Crete and the Gold Cross of the Order of Honor of the Greek Republic.
The excavation will continue uninterruptedly under the direction of his wife, Efi Sapouna-Sakellarakis, and the rest of the team. We will work toward making his dream—bringing the Minoan tranquility to Psiloritis Mountain—come true. Our thoughts and prayers are with Efi during this difficult time.
