One hundred years of archaeological research in Thassos, in a scrapbook full of archival material, compiled by many generations of scientists and artists


Four hats and a revolver. The young French archaeologist coming of age 1920 in Thassos, bringing the customs of the time to the island that was liberated only a few years ago, except for his hats (the cork, the straw, the canvas and the trajaska) he had thought fit to have a gun with him. In his notebook the member of the French Archaeological School does not explain the reasons for this need, but the conditions that prevailed on the poor island might even have frightened him.
A few years ago, April of 1911, excavations had begun in Thassos thanks to the Turkish firman secured by the French Archaeological School at a time when masterful "diplomatic" actions were required. Because it had to be negotiated simultaneously with the Egyptian Khedive for the Egyptian properties, to request permission from the monasteries of Athos that had estates on the island and to make contracts with the owners, something the excavators seem to have initially ignored.
Today, a century after those difficult but fruitful days, the revelation of the great ancient city of the North is complete. The route, however, is a valuable archaeological site, cultural and historical record, which is now included in the album "100 years of French excavations in Thassos, 1911-2011», a joint publication of the French School of Athens and Olkos publications.
A puzzle whose pieces – letters, designs, rare and often anecdotal photographs of the excavations and the amazing finds, 230 in total – composed by authors Arthur and Dominic Miller through this anniversary album, which coincides with the 100 years since the integration of Thassos into the Greek territory. In the same spirit was the exhibition that preceded it at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki 2011 with the same title.

The findings
In fact the investigations of the French Archaeological School had begun the 1856 – ten years after its establishment -, but not systematically. At that time only by chance were the finds of sculptures and inscriptions that enriched the collections of the Egyptian governor Toussoun Bey or M. Bulgaridis, consul of France in Kavala, or even adorned the salons of the port governor, when they weren't being cut up to be used in construction or when they weren't feeding the lime kilns.
A’ World War had tragic consequences for archeology as well, after the excavations in Thassos were abruptly stopped, while three of the four first excavators of the island (Adolphe Joseph Reinach, Gustave Blum and Charles Avezou) they died. Once it 1916 a new mission was attempted, the archaeologists, however, "had to leave, after a short excavation period, due to practical difficulties, of the dangers of aerial bombardment and of General Sarrail's official warning".

The colossus
But the most important event immediately after the war was, the 1920, the de-walling of an archaic colossal statue that had been found in fragments in the city's fortifications. They were painstakingly brought down from the slopes of the Acropolis in oxcarts and the whole was finally restored in 1923. With his decade 1920 after all, a new era for the excavations in Thassos is beginning. And par’ that conditions continued to be difficult – or even strange ones, if one calculates that in the diet of the archaeologists, tuna alternated as the only food, the pate(!), the sardines, mackerel and herrings -, excavations and discoveries continued.
Today archaeologists know that Thassos, a Parian colony of 670 e.g., it had one of the most important mints in the Greek world, rich trade, mainly wine, and enjoyed the goods of her prosperity for centuries. For’ this and the book is not an art publication, but of presenting archival material collected by generations of archaeologists, photographers, architects and designers.

A city full of sanctuaries
There are few aspects of the life of the ancient city of Thassos that have not been studied in 100 years of research by the French Archaeological School, whether it is about its urban context and periphery or about its political and religious institutions or its economic and artistic life. Excavations have revealed the theater and market, with a set of sanctuaries in its central square. At the top of the Acropolis dominate the sanctuaries of Pythian Apollo and Athena, while the sanctuary of Dionysus is still located in the city, the sanctuary of Hercules, Institutionalization, but also the sanctuary of Artemis, the excavation of which brought to light numerous votive offerings, like figurines, ceramics, objects of gold, ivory, copper or orea crystal.
Built entirely of marble in the early 5th century BC. was the wall of this city, with a network of towers that ensured surveillance of the territory. It is no wonder then that Thassos became a city so powerful that it clashed with the interests of even Athens in the region.

When & where
The edition "100 years of French excavations in Thassos, 1911-2011» is released within the week by Olkos publications and the French School of Athens.

Source : tovima.gr

The event will take place on 31 May

The Athens Concert Hall honors the memory of Thodoros Angelopoulos as part of the Megaron Plus events. The dedication, will take place on 31 May, at 19.00 and entry is free with priority tickets.
The event will start symbolically with a love letter from the director himself to his city, "an old city of four thousand years", as he said himself, the TV movie "Athens, return to the Acropolis", which created the 1983 with Greek public television as producer. The script was signed by Angelopoulos himself, texts by Kostas Tachtsis are heard in the film, poems by Giorgos Seferis and Tasos Livaditis and musical themes by Manos Hadjidakis, Miki Theodorakis, Loukianou Kilaidoni and Dionysis Savvopoulos.
They will talk about the films and the great journey of Theodoros Angelopoulos in Greek history, including, the historian and professor of the University of Athens Antonis Liakos, Doctor of Philology at the University of Athens and author Emilia Karalis and Associate Professor at the University of the Aegean Irini Stathis, who with her doctoral thesis researched "Space and time in the cinema of Th. Angelopoulou". The speakers will be moderated by film critic Yiannis Bakoyannopoulos.

Source : tovima.gr

Despite the bad weather, the Hadjikyriakou Gallery – Gika opens its gates on Thursday 24 May

In one of the countless showcases of the Hadjikyriakos Gallery – Gika on the second floor the visitor is confronted with the famous photo of the representatives of his generation 1930 at the house of George Theotokas on March 9 1963. Petsalis Diomidis is photographed standing and sitting in the black and white image, Βενέζης, Seferis, Καραντώνης, Θεοτοκάς, Terzakis, K. Θ. Dimaras, Katsimbalis, Citizen, Empirical and others.

All of them and even more from’ those who connected their life and work with an era of great intellectual production will be met not only through’ this image but in separate tributes for each in a brand new Museum.

In the Gallery N.. Hatzikyriakou – Gika that opened its gates to the public at a particularly difficult time for the place. The building on Kriezotou Street 3 who lived and worked for forty years Nikos Hatzikyriakos – Gikas opens its doors renovated on Thursday 24 May dedicated to the artist but also to the artistic creation of Greece at a particularly critical time: from the end of World War II and the Asia Minor catastrophe to the eve of its Dictatorship 1967.

On the ground floor, the first, The second and the first half of the third floor can be found at the Oscar of Vassilis Fotopoulos for the artistic direction of "Zorba" by Michalis Kakogiannis, to the Nobel Prize of Odysseus Elytis, and from the Byzantine manuscript of Giannis Ritsos to, sculpted by Giannis Pappas, hands of Nikos Hadjikyriakos Gikas.

Prose writers, poets, philologists and critics, writers, musicians, theater people, painters, sculptors, engravers, photographers, architects, even people of history, philosophical reflection but of science are honored p’ this Museum that makes us familiar with an incredible production in many different areas by people that many remained unaware of. The presentation of their work is done in the form of "dialogue". The form, in their majority, showcase material "converses" with the wall art.

From the third floor onwards, the "baton" belongs to Hatzikyriakos – Gika. Paintings, designs, sculptures, scenery, manuscripts, illustrated versions, photos, furniture from the house of Hydra that burned it 1961 but also the spaces of the Athenian house and the personal world of Gikas unfold their charm to the visitor who completes his journey in the studio of Gikas: where his easels coexist with objects with his travels.

"In the exhibits there is the stigma of history while the role of politics is completely absent", reported on Monday 21 May at the presentation of the Gallery the director of the Benaki Museum, Angelos Delivorrias who thanked in his speech Foundations, companies and individuals, those, that is, contributed to make this personal vision a reality. The president of the Benaki Museum also participated in the presentation, Emilia Geroulanou, the art historian and author of the book, "Kriezotou 3", Evita Arapoglou and the curator of the Gika collection, Ioanna Providi. This was followed by a tour of the public and journalists.

Benaki Museum – Gallery N.. Hatzikyriakou – Gika
Kriezotou 3
Tel: 210-3615702
Shop: 210-3630204
www.benaki.gr

Source : tovima.gr

Appeal of columnist H. Porter on the occasion of the touching of the Olympic flame

"The Greeks gave us the Olympic Games. Let's give them back the Parthenon Sculptures". With this title the "Observer" columnist Henry Porter, on the occasion of the Olympic flame lighting ceremony for the London Olympic Games, supports the return of the famous Sculptors, demolishing all the arguments that have been used to the contrary.

“Don't get me wrong, I don't want to attack the British Museum, which is a fact that it represents high levels of culture and has an amazing manager, Neil McGregor. But we should be honest with ourselves about the presence of so many Parthenon Sculptures in Britain.

»There are other sections of them in other European museums, but the greater part of this unique work has been here since it was forcibly removed by the Scottish lord Elgin two centuries ago.", the columnist clarifies.

Henry Porter then mentions that other works of art have not been acquired in the most "pure" way, however, the Parthenon Sculptures differ as they represent the highest level reached by man in the 5th century. B.C. and for approx 2.000 years since then.

"They represent the core of Greek culture and the heart of modern Greek identity. also, equally important, represent half of the edifice built between 447 and 432 e.g., marking the defeat of the Persians in Athens", Porter points out.

The columnist of the "Observer" also says that it is impressive that in the last five years fewer and fewer visitors support the stay of the works in Britain, mainly for reasons of patriotic occupation and less for love of art.

“And speaking of possession, they usually forget that the Sculptures ”they stood up” from the Parthenon when the Turks ruled the Greeks, who could not defend the emblems of their glorious past", states the columnist, paralleling them – in terms of misappropriation – to the looted works of art by the Nazis, but which were returned to their rightful owners.

Henry Porter also mentions journalist Christopher Hitchens, who died last December and had campaigned hard for the return of the Sculptures – and in an article in Vanity Fair three years ago he stressed that all arguments about their destruction by pollution and weathering no longer hold, due to the existence of the new Acropolis Museum.

Porter also dismisses the argument that their return would set a bad precedent. "Few works in the world come under the category of the Parthenon Sculptures, which inspire deep feelings of national loss and longing", completes.

And he suggests that everyone should ask themselves whether this behavior of Elgin would be acceptable today.

"Of course not", he answers, “nor shall we expect this effect of plunder to be maintained. So why do we keep these ill-gotten sculptures today;».

He states that with the economic impasse the country is facing today, maybe the time is not right for their return. But it supports the following: "In light of what Western civilization owes to Greece - democratic ideas, olympic games, science, art and architecture –, we have to face a simple truth: The Parthenon Sculptures are not ours to keep".

Source :tovima.gr