The Erik Østby Archaeology Stipend (2025–2026): Application Results
Announcing the Recipient of the 2025–2026 Erik Østby Archaeology Stipend

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We are pleased to announce that Mr. Magnus Knutsen has been awarded the Erik Østby Archaeology Stipend for the 2025–2026 academic year. Mr. Knutsen is a PhD candidate in Ancient History at the Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies, and Religion at the University of Bergen.
As part of the award, Mr. Knutsen will participate in our Research Affiliate Program during the academic year and will use the NIA’s facilities while conducting research in Greece.
Mr. Knutsen’s PhD project, titled Shifting Landscapes of the Hellenistic Peloponnese, investigates the marked decline in settlement numbers across the Peloponnese from the late Classical to the early Roman periods (338 BC–AD 200). Focusing initially on Arcadia as a case study, the project draws on data from Peloponnesian survey projects, supplemented by excavation reports and historical narratives, to construct detailed regional "fingerprints" within a GIS-based analytical framework. Through comparative analysis grounded in themes such as landownership, elite agency, population dynamics, connectivity, and urbanization, the project aims to explain why and how settlement contraction unfolded differently across the region. A fieldwork component, facilitated by the Erik Østby archaeological stipend, will support direct engagement with key sites and landscapes, enhancing interpretation of context-based evidence. Ultimately, the research seeks to contribute to broader discussions on Hellenistic socio-spatial transformation and to strengthen the long-standing Norwegian research tradition in Arcadia.
We look forward to welcoming Mr. Knutsen to the Institute and hope to host an open lecture as part of the Research Affiliate Program, where insights from this work will be shared.