His parents were refugees from Asia Minor, who emigrated to Greece during the forced population exchange of 1923.

He then pursued graduate studies at the University of Bonn (1975-1978) and completed his doctorate at Thessaloniki (1979),[1] where he was a student of Manolis Andronikos.

In 1984, he was elected a Lecturer at the University of Crete, where he was a full Professor of Classical Archaeology,[2] until his retirement.

Stampolidis has excavated sites in Vergina, Chalkidiki, Rhodes and Crete.

[3] Stampolidis is also the Director of the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens and a member of the Central Archaeological Council of Greece.