The 21st International Aegean Conference (AEGAEUM) took place in Athens from June 8 to 11, 2026. Under the title “NESTOR: Celebrating the Work of Wise Jack Davis,” the conference honored the life’s work of one of the most influential Mycenaeologists of his generation and long-time director of excavations at the Palace of Nestor near Pylos. Jack Davis’s companions, colleagues, and former students organized the academic program.

For Eberhard Zangger, the conference also provided an opportunity to reconnect with a long-time research partner. In the 1990s, he served as co-director and head of the scientific investigations for the Pylos Regional Archaeological Project, which was initiated by Jack Davis. Zangger participated in the conference with a presentation on the topic “Celestial Symbolism and Lunisolar Timekeeping in Bronze Age Cultures.”

With 66 presentations by a total of 105 speakers, the conference offered a comprehensive overview of current research on the Aegean Bronze Age. The presentations were attended by up to 250 people on-site as well as more than 4,200 online participants. It became particularly clear how profoundly Jack Davis’s work has shaped research into the Mycenaean world.

The supporting program included a visit to the exhibition “Pylos of Nestor – A Mycenaean Kingdom Revealed,” which was conceived by the Getty Museum and will be on view at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens through October 31, 2026.

All conference presentations are available on YouTube:

Day 1, June 8
Day 2, June 9
Day 3, June 10 (EZ’s presentation starts at 8:01:00)
Day 4, June 11