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Open research questions in Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History

36 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 1,961 Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Köroğlu proposed that these ampullae could have been brought from Ephesus, a pilgrimage site near Smyrna, though this remains uncertain (Köroğlu, 2015, p.

    A GROUP OF PILGRIM FLASKS FROM THE BURSA ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM · 2026 · DOI

  • The purpose of the research paper is to re-examine a votive altar unearthed in 2021 at Gramaçel (Deçan, Kosovo), bearing a fragmentary inscription for which the initial identification of the honoured deity could not be established with certainty.

    A New Interpretation of the Altar from Jagozë (Kosovo): Evidence for the Cult of Ceres in Dardania · 2026 · DOI

  • Considered alongside crescent-shaped weights, bull figurine attachments, and specific ceramic types unearthe in Inner Western Anatolia, the Aşağıseyit seal can be viewed as tangible evidence of interaction and communication between the two regions—an exchange whose precise contours remain to be fully defined.

    Western Anatolia–Hittite Relations in the Light of an Early Hittite Seal from the Excavations at Aşağıseyit Höyük · 2026 · DOI

  • In order to fill this gap in the literature, this article aims to recontextualize the newly established land regime in Crete subsequent to its final conquest by the Ottoman Empire in 1669, taking into consideration the fatwas issued by Minkārîzâde Yahyâ.

    Unveiling the Cretan Land Regime: Insights from Minkārîzâde Yahyâ’s Fatwas · 2025 · DOI

  • The second variety of kantharoi maintains a classical appearance but features plain handles, and their existence is limited to the period from the second quarter to the end of the 3rd century BC.

    Gray-clay Kantharoi of the Maeotians: Imitations of Greek Forms and their Modifications · 2024 · DOI

  • In the case of the specimens from the Romanian territory, these are small, thin in cross-section, exhibiting a slightly marked border on the rim, while the central disc convexity is lacking with most, these being features characteristic to the decorated mirrors of the second half of the 2nd century – first half of the 3rd century AD.

    THE SARMATIAN MIRROR WITH TAMGAS FROM THE SETTLEMENT OF SEBEȘ - “PODUL PRIPOCULUI” (ALBA COUNTY, ROMANIA): 50 YEARS LATER · 2021 · DOI

  • Its popularity is best indicated by the fact that this elegant ornamental technique began to be applied on silverware which clearly imitated the glass bowls, as shown by the adoption of the Isings 96 hemispherical bowl form that was lacking from among silver vessels.

    The tradition of facet-cut bowls from Pannonia – New fragments from Brigetio · 2021 · DOI

  • The chronicle of the Great Silk Road, connecting ancient peoples and regions, is rich not only in secrets and unresolved riddles, but also in many legends and tales, partly contrived, part based on other people’s assumptions, partly limited by the time, but undoubtedly played out the history he had planned role.

    Stereotypes, myths and Archetypes of merchant`s image · 2020 · DOI

  • Its author discusses the little known but vital role played by the ASCSA’s administration in emergency relief efforts in northern Greece in 1918–1919, through its assistance to the operations of the American Red Cross.

    Philhellenism, Philanthropy, or Political Convenience? American Archaeology in Greece. Special Issue of Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens editor by Jack L. Davis and Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan (review) · 2014 · DOI

  • Their significance was first recognized a century ago by Führer and Schulze,2 and the remains were studied in great detail by Mercurelli in a classic paper now 60 years old;3 but in more recent years the torch has passed to Professor Rosa Maria Bonacasa Carra of the University of Palermo, who has conducted further research into Agrigento's paleochristian cemeteries with great distinction.

    Agrigento dal Tardo Antico al Medioevo. Campagne di scavo nell'area della necropoli paleocristiana. Anni 1986-1999 (review) · 2010 · DOI

  • The scheme of this section, as originally unfolded by Professor Lanciani at a meeting of the British School of Rome in the spring of this year, was limited to the life of the Roman provinces, whose chief monuments, whether in situ or in museums, were to be represented by casts and models, drawings and photographs.

    The Exhibition, illustrative of the Provinces of the Roman Empire, at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome · 1911 · DOI

  • The literature review indicates that, despite their economic and ideological significance during the Republican period, tea factories remain insufficiently represented in academic studies.

    Morphological Analysis of Tea Factories as Industrial Structures · 2025 · DOI

  • Ligorio’s work contributes significantly to the understanding of the Jewish diaspora in the Early Modern Mediterranean, opening avenues for further research into the socioeconomic dynamics of the vibrant Ragusan community and beyond.

    Networks of Common Interests · 2025 · DOI

  • Although various historians have analyzed this seemingly exceptional situation on the island, this issue has not been addressed in the light of the fatwas of Minkārîzâde Yahyâ (d.

    Unveiling the Cretan Land Regime: Insights from Minkārîzâde Yahyâ’s Fatwas · 2025 · DOI

  • The general chronology of the types, based on the joint finds of fibulae and mirror-pendants, is limited to the first — second centuries AD.

    Grey-Clay Jugs and Mug-Jugs with Looped Handle from Mаeotian Sites of the Krasnodar Group · 2024 · DOI

  • The limited information about the findspots and the fact that no analyzes were carried out regarding the material and the clay pits, and absence of a general analysis data did not make it possible to obtain information about the production center or the workshop.

    Unguentaria in the Edirne Arhaeology and Etnography Museum · 2022 · DOI

  • Investigation was conducted on another of the vertical shafts, extraordinarily hacked through the thickness of parts of the mud-brick walls of this kiln in the sixth century, in order to create rudimentary furnaces, but their function remains unknown.

    UBC Excavations of the Roman Villa at Gerace, Sicily: Results of the 2018 Season · 2021 · DOI

  • The lamps represent part of the local lamp-making tradition, which is underinvestigated although equally important as the amphora production industry in this eastern Paphlagonian city.

    Some Hellenistic and late Roman terracotta lamps in the Sinop Archaeological Museum in northern Turkey · 2019 · DOI

  • Although insufficiently investigated and reported on, the portable archaeological finds point to a whole host of activities that were not connected with the bath’s essential function – hygiene and health.

    BATHING IN THE ROMAN PROVINCE: LOCAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BATHS IN MOESIA SUPERIOR · 2019 · DOI

  • The archaeological evidence is insufficient to support a periodization of this collection; the suggested dating follows from a stylistic analysis of the decoration compared with dated parallels from excavations on the citadel in Tunis and the bacini (bowls) preserved in Italian cathedrals.

    Glazed Ifriqiyyan ceramics from the Hafsid period from the site of Kom el-Dikka in Alexandria · 2017 · DOI

  • The rituals of this cult are not completely known, but it is thought that the cult might have been influential around the Aegean coastal strip of Thrace, Troas, Aeolis and Ionia.

    MİLETOS’TAN DÖRT PİŞMİŞ TOPRAK ADAK LEVHASI · 2016 · DOI

  • Unfortunately, there is a lack of data for the architectural decoration, which, to judge from such elements as the ‘Hieronian cyma’ — a local creation looking back to earlier models — displayed considerable originality.

    Remarks on Hellenistic Temple Architecture in Sicily: New Data · 2015

  • As such it warrants special attention and the author compares it to similar ornaments found on chancel screen posts and panels, but also ciboria, along the east Adriatic coast from the Venetian lagoons to southern Dalmatia.

    Chancel Screen Post-cum-Colonette from the Episcopal Complex at Zadar · 2015 · DOI

  • The information presented in the paper provides an opportunity to deepen our knowledge about maiolica dishes in Vilnius’ Old Town, which have not been investigated much, and to identify the prospects for further research.

    The Earliest Maiolica Ceramic Dishes in the Old Town in Vilnius · 2015 · DOI

  • A survey is proposed on two insufficiently researched aspects of late fifth-century clothing in southern Gaul and Hispania: multiculturalism and regionalism.

    A Crossroads of Cultures in a Mosaic of Regions? The Early Visigothic Regnum from the Perspective of Small Finds · 2012 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History

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36 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 1,961 Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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