During the summer of 2022, I participated in fieldwork at the Pylos archaeological site near Iklaina, Greece. My research focused on a cross-cultural comparison between Greek kandylakia—small roadside shrines often dedicated to saints or lost loved ones—and American roadside memorials that mark the sites of accidents or sudden death.

Both practices reflect deeply personal responses to public tragedy, yet they are shaped by distinct cultural and religious traditions. By examining their placement, construction, and symbolic elements, I explored how these shrines function as expressions of grief, memory, and sacred space within everyday landscapes.

This research combined archaeological observation with ethnographic curiosity, and it continues to inform how I approach ritual, space, and public memory in my broader work on burial practices.