CIG-ICG: The Thessalian Goddess on Horseback and Archaeology in t...

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Friday, February 22, 2013

The Thessalian Goddess on Horseback

and Archaeology in the News

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Our next Institute lecture is this coming Wednesday evening, the

27th, at 7:30 PM. We are very pleased to have Gino Canlas, our
Alfldi-Rosenbaum Fellow this year speak on the subject of
dissertation research. He is a doctoral student at the University of
British Columbia. In his lecture, entitled The Goddess on
Horseback: the Spread of the Cult of the Thessalian Goddess
Enodia, he will explore the archaeological and epigraphical data
for this unique regional deity who carried a torch. Originally
restricted to eastern Thessaly, Enodia became one of the most
important Thessalian deities in the 4th century BC and her cult
spread throughout Thessaly and beyond. This lecture will revisit
the previous scholarship on the cult and discuss the reasons for its
spread by examining the evidence for the nature of the cult in and
out of Thessaly.

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We will learn what Gino has uncovered concerning Enodia in the

growing stack of journals and books that have engulfed him in the
CIG library over the past five months!
Some effects of the "Greek Economic Crisis" on access to
archaeological sites and museums
Archaeology in the Mediterranean basin frequently has a
contentious relationship with construction activities and,
especially, with large scale development projects. The long history
of habitation, combined with the substantial architectural remains
of Greek, and more so Roman and later, urbanism has created a
landscape densely populated with archaeological remains. While
many are known, many more archaeological sites await discovery.
These antiquities are among the prominent drawing cards that the
national tourist organizations use to lure visitors to their
countries. The monumental public and religious architecture of an
imperial Roman city is particularly impressive and photogenic.

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About Us

CIG ICG
CIG-ICG
Cig ICG
Chris Stewart

For Greece, its long and rich past, as Prof. Dr. Yiannis Hamilakis
(University of Southhampton) and others have argued, has been
used repeatedly in its modern history to define its national
identity and to support its status in the international community.
The ruins of Classical Greece, where democracy was born and
the people ruled, are presented as timeless exemplars of the many
remarkable achievements that ancient Greek culture gave to
western civilization. The extensive network of archaeological sites
and museums that the Greek state has developed throughout the
country over the past half century provides visitors and citizens
alike with many potential opportunities to interact with this rich
and diverse cultural heritage.
As I pointed out last year the economic crisis that has engulfed
Greece since 2009 has had collateral damage to almost every
aspect of life here, in particular services. Few ministries have been
spared from reductions in their budgets and employees. The
Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, Culture and Sport
through its General Secretariat of Culture is responsible for
cultural heritage, in general, and archaeological sites and

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museums, in particular. Staff shortages have resulted in the

temporary closing of many of the regional museums and of the
smaller archaeological sites. Shorter opening hours are the norm
for those that remain open. The National Museum in Athens and
the Archaeological Museum in Thessaloniki do not have all of
their galleries open on each day. The campaigns of the Ministry of
Tourism to draw tourists here to invigorate the economy are set
against the reduction of the access to the touted cultural heritage
by another Ministry. A workable model for long-term
sustainability is needed for Greeces cultural heritage and the
sectors of the economy dependent upon it.

A major preservation conundrum in Thessaloniki

In Thessaloniki there is a dispute now over what to do with some
spectacular architectural remains that have been found
underneath the streets during the construction of the citys Metro.
This city has a long, vibrant history stretching from the Hellenistic
period to the present. Under the Roman Empire and its Byzantine
successor the city was a major center in southeastern Europe with
important political, administrative and economic functions. As a
result all of the features of Roman and Early Byzantine urbanism
were present: orthogonal grid layout, agora, forum, odeion,
imperial palace, hippodrome, theater, marble-paved portico
streets with shops behind, triumphal arch, tetrapylon, rotunda,
mosaic floors, Christian basilicas, etc. These are the type of ruins
that tourists go to Turkey, Jordan, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Syria
and Lebanon to see.

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The construction of the Metro station at Venizelos Street has

revealed extensive, well-preserved architectural remains. Here,
where the east/west running, marble-paved main thoroughfare of
the city (decumanus) intersected with the main north/south street
to the port, stood a monumental tetrapylon. Major public
buildings stood along the street. Associated with this structure are
shops dating to the 6th-9th centuries A.D. What should be done
with these impressive and important remains? This is a classic
collision of developmental needs, construction deadlines, cost and
cultural heritage preservation. The Central Archaeological Council
of Greece which makes recommendations to the Minister for
decisions relating to heritage matters proposed that the remains
from this stretch of the road be removed so the construction work
can continue as planned. Their suggestion was that they would
then be reconstructed on an ex-army camp outside of the city at
some distance. This idea has enraged many residents and officials
of Thessaloniki who believe that these important remains should
be saved in situ, can be safe-guarded from the Metro and a
cost-effective repositioning of the station can be found. With the
support of the Board of Directors of the Kentro Byzantinon
Erevnon of the Artistoleian University of Thessaloniki and Dr.
Polyzeni Adam-Veleni, Director of the Thessaloniki Archaeological
Museum , the Association of Greek Archaeologists have started a
petition campaign to reverse the recommendation to bolster the
other efforts in Thessaloniki. There is a facebook group,

that is supporting this effort as well. It appears
that almost 8,000 individuals have signed the petition so far.
Check out this preservation conundrum and follow your
conscience.
Cordially,
David Rupp
Director
Posted by CIG-ICG at 3:22 PM

Labels: events, Ministry announcements, Thessaloniki

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