The Pylos Regional Archaeological Project (or PRAP) is a diachronic and multi-disciplinary archaeological expedition established in 1990. Its purpose is to study the history of prehistoric and historic settlement in southwestern Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 (modern Messenia

Messenia

Messenia is a regional unit in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, one of 13 regions into which Greece has been divided by the Kallikratis plan, implemented 1 January 2011...

). The focus of the expedition entails surveying the Bronze Age

Bronze Age

The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...

 administrative center known as the Palace of Nestor

Nestor (mythology)

In Greek mythology, Nestor of Gerenia was the son of Neleus and Chloris and the King of Pylos. He became king after Heracles killed Neleus and all of Nestor's siblings...

. Its directors were Professors Jack Davis, John Bennet, Susan E. Alcock

Susan E. Alcock

Susan Alcock is a American archaeologist specializing in survey archaeology and the archaeology of memory in the provinces of the Roman empire. Alcock grew up in Massachusetts and was educated at Yale and the University of Cambridge....

, Cynthia Shelmerdine, and Yannis Lolos.