Virtual Summit Submission

William & Mary
Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology

Biography

Maya Parfitt is a third-year at the College of William & Mary, pursuing an undergraduate degree in Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology. She is currently a research assistant to Dr. Jessica Paga and a student team member of the Naxos Quarry Project. Maya has had the opportunity to do archaeological field work in Bulgaria – her birthplace – and Greece, and hopes to continue her study of the ancient Mediterranean at a graduate level. Her research interests include ancient religion and identity, global art history, and Black Sea archaeology.

Project

Retracing the Steps of Ancient Laborers: A Look into the Lives of Naxian Quarry Workers
People often marvel at the grand marble architecture and sculpture of the ancient Greeks, but little is known about the laborers who made them possible. Well-known and exploited in antiquity for its marble quarries, the Cycladic island of Naxos is a rich environment for archaeological inquiry. In June 2025, I became a student member of the Naxos Quarry Project (NQP) – a team of international researchers who specialize in a diverse array of subjects like architecture, sculpture, LiDAR, geology, and more. Our goal for the season was to explore the remains of a colossal marble block in the island’s Melanes Quarry, mysteriously abandoned in antiquity. Using traditional and digital field methods, we aimed to discover where in the quarry the block was extracted, its intended function, and the reason for its abandonment. My personal interest was in ancient quarry workers, who remain marginal in the historical record despite their integral role in the manufacturing process. Thanks to NQP’s holistic approach, I gained several insights into these Naxian quarriers, and used what I learned to create an ArcGIS StoryMap which presents details about their lives and labor in an accessible format.