Kasvikis, K., Theodoroudi, E., Kotsakis, K. (2012), “The past and the public: History and monuments in the Aristotelous Axis, Thessaloniki” (original) (raw)
Public Archaeology in Greece: A Review of the Current State of the Field
Ex Novo Journal of Archaeology`, 2021
As far as archaeology deals with the past in the present, it is already a public endeavour; especially so in southern Europe, where contemporary identities are drawn from ancient cultures, such as the Greek and Roman. In Greece, the political role of the discipline marked antiquities as goods of the people and archaeology as a highly popular discourse. This led to the creation of a state mechanism to manage antiquities for the benefit, but ironically at the exclusion, of the people, in an authoritative top-down approach. In defiance, various actors participate in the public discourse about the past, cultural heritage and its roles today. This paper will review the state of the field by bringing together research in public archaeology in Greece but also non-academic initiatives, such as NGOs and citizen movements. It is argued that public engagement, primarily through museum exhibitionsthe most formal and controlled interface between archaeology and non-archaeologistsand cultural events in archaeological sites, is the primary aspect of public archaeology. While public archaeological discourse is overabundant and expansive though, critical research and analysis are lagging and conventional narratives remain broadly unchallenged.
The Hellenic Ministry of Culture took part in the Annual Meeting of the Αrchaeological Ιnstitute of Αmerica for 2024 (Chicago, 3-7 January 2024), by organizing a colloquium titled “Restoration, Conservation, and Enhancement of Archaeological Sites and Monuments in Greece in the Framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals”. The present volume is a publication of the Proceedings, with six important papers which shed light on important aspects of the theme, which is a high priority of the Greek State. The Αrchaeological Ιnstitute of Αmerica (ΑΙΑ) is America’s largest and oldest institution dedicated to the discipline of Archaeology. The ΑΙΑ promotes education, preservation, publication and research in general of archaeological sites and finds, and discusses issues of management and protection of the global cultural heritage, as one of the most powerful fora for Archaeology worldwide. One year on from the corresponding AIA Meeting of 2023 (New Orleans), at which the Hellenic Ministry of Culture successfully organized the first colloquium of this series, under the title “The Ancient Greek City I: Domestic and public architecture in its social and political context”, the publication of the Proceedings, of the same title and edited by the undersigned, was presented in Chicago. Thus, an internationally ground- breaking innovation of the Greek Archaeological Service was inaugurated: the publication of the proceedings of the previous year and the offering of the handsome volume to the international community interested in Greek antiquity. This achievement is due first and foremost to the excellent knowledge and experience of the publications section of the Hellenic Organization of Cultural Resources Development (H.O.C.RE.D.), to the personnel of which we address our warmest thanks. The volume confirms the dynamism and success of this important institution, with an annual colloquium we have the honour of co-organizing jointly and the corresponding volume of the Proceedings, which with particular enthusiasm we edit jointly.
Thessaloniki: The Modern Museum of an Ancient City
studies in History and Theory of Architecture, 2023
Started as an investigation on the common elements of the ancient and the contemporary city of Thessaloniki (Greece), this study is also an argument for the essential role of historical plans as complementary sources for urban archaeology – especially when the non-regenerable resource they represent, i.e., the historical urban fabric, has been predominantly lost. Based largely on two directions of analysis – the configuration of the street network, and the general layout of the palatial complex of Galerius, along with a brief assessment of the recent built stock evolution in the background –, the main conclusion is that what used to be, no more than a century ago, an authentic historical city that developed organically over two millennia, is now a wide historical center with a compromised urban fabric, a limited (if not already exceeded) potential for development, and serious problems in the interpretation of the historical city. These outcomes all stem from the urban planning approach and implementation over the course of the last century. The limited set of data employed in this study, consisting of one historical city plan, and a couple of archaeological plans focused on one relevant area of the ancient city, might be perceived as a basis for a narrow and distorted view. However, I view it as a representative sample for what could be only the tip of the iceberg in deciphering what was actually lost in the process. Rather than a gain for urban archeology, the process of urban development and renewal (particularly in the post-war period) is, in my view, a negative and irreversible interference with a historical site, transforming a living ancient-modern city into a modern museum of an ancient city.
Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies, 2020
Ancient Monuments and Modern Identities is a valuable work for academics and students of classical archaeology, providing a nuanced and multifaceted investigation of the use and impact of Greek archaeology on modern and contemporary European identity. The volume manages to be at once pleasant to read, historically informative, and critically elucidating, without overbearing or heavy-handed authorial perspectives on the processes investigated.
Journal of Open Archaeology Data 4:e1, 2015
The interview transcripts and survey data in this dataset originate from an investigation of the role of archaeology in local communities in Greece today. The communities of Krenides (Kavala), Dispilio (Kastoria) and Delphi (Phokida) were used as case studies. Members of these communities, local archaeologists and archaeologists of the central services of the Ministry of Culture were interviewed while the local populations were surveyed using structured questionnaires. The data is stored in textual and tabular formats and it is likely to be of use to anyone who is interested in public archaeology, heritage management or socio-anthropological and sociological research regarding perceptions about the past, archaeology and heritage.