Fotini Kondyli

I study how cities are made and remade through the everyday lives of ordinary people.

Research

Grounded in Byzantine archaeology, my work examines the material, spatial, and social histories of cities, combining archaeological fieldwork, archival research, architectural analysis, digital humanities, and computational approaches to understand how communities shaped, inhabited, and transformed urban environments across time.

By studying houses, neighborhoods, monuments, and public spaces, I investigate how cities evolve through processes of adaptation, reuse, and memory, and how long histories of human activity continue to shape the places we inhabit today. A central aspect of my research is the use of digital technologies, including 3D modeling and spatial analysis, to reconstruct past landscapes and explore how people experienced and interacted with their built environments. While the Byzantine world provides the primary context for my research, the questions that emerge from this work speak to broader conversations about historic cities, cultural heritage, and the relationship between past and present.

Current Projects

Inhabiting Byzantine Athens

My current research centers on Inhabiting Byzantine Athens, an interdisciplinary project that reconstructs the urban life of Athens and its inhabitants between the ninth and fifteenth centuries through the rich archival legacy of the Athenian Agora Excavations. Bringing together archaeological evidence, architectural analysis, archival research, 3D modeling, and virtual reconstruction, the project examines how ordinary Athenians organized their homes, neighborhoods, and shared spaces, revealing how everyday practices shaped the development of one of Europe’s longest continuously inhabited cities. By placing domestic life and lived experience at the center of urban history, Inhabiting Byzantine Athens offers new perspectives on medieval Athens while contributing to broader discussions about historic urban landscapes, continuity, reuse, and cultural heritage.

The project includes a research lab at the University of Virginia focused on the archaeology of Byzantine Athens and Digital Humanities, where undergraduate and graduate students participate in collaborative research through paid internships, working on archival investigation, archaeological analysis, and digital reconstruction. Through this lab-based approach, students gain hands-on experience in archaeological interpretation and new methods for visualizing and communicating the past.

The BRIA Project

I also co-direct the BRIA Project (https://briaproject.com/), an international archaeological collaboration investigating rural communities, landscapes, identities and heritage in the Byzantine Balkans. Through fieldwork, landscape studies, material culture analysis, and digital documentation, BRIA explores how communities adapted to changing political, environmental, and social conditions.

The project combines archaeological research with innovative forms of storytelling, including documentary filmmaking and visual media, to explore new ways of sharing the past with broader audiences while training the next generation of researchers.

Education & Engagement

As Director of the Engagements Program at the University of Virginia, I contribute to the intellectual development of first-year students in the College of Arts & Sciences through a program centered on curiosity, interdisciplinary inquiry, and the exploration of complex questions across fields. I work with students and faculty to create spaces for intellectual exploration where students learn to connect different forms of knowledge, engage diverse perspectives, and develop thoughtful approaches to understanding the world.

Teaching & Mentorship

My teaching and mentorship focus on archaeology, art, and the histories of lived environments. I teach courses on Byzantine archaeology and art, urbanism, memory and material culture, household archaeology, and sacred landscapes, and I mentor students through classroom-based research, archaeological fieldwork, and independent projects.

Through my research lab on the archaeology of Byzantine Athens, I train undergraduate and graduate students in archaeological research, archival analysis, spatial methods, and digital reconstruction. Through paid internships and hands-on experience, students contribute to ongoing research while developing the skills to investigate, interpret, and communicate the past.

Main Research Interests

• Archaeology of everyday life 
• Historic cities and urban landscapes 
• Byzantine Athens and medieval urbanism 
• Household archaeology 
• Adaptive reuse and urban continuity 
• Archaeological archives and legacy data 
• Digital archaeology, 3D modeling, and virtual reconstruction 
• Cultural heritage and urban memory 
• Past and present relationships in historic cities
• Public archaeology and new forms of scholarly storytelling 
• Collaborative research and student training