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Thursday, November 4, 2004
The Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation (USA) and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Department of Greek and Roman Art
Cordially invite you to a lecture by Dr. Alexandra Karetsou Director, Archaeological Institute of Crete Chairman, Committee for the Restoration, Conservation, and Promotion of the Palace of Knossos and Environs In the framework of the Alexander Papamarkou Lecture Program of the Cycladic Art Foundation, New York
The palace of Knossos is generally considered to be a borderline case between restorative and exploitative management of an archaeological site.
The first impression of the Minoan Palace at Knossos may well be that of a labyrinthine confusion of walls and low foundations interspersed with Evans's reconstructions of various residential and civic buildings. It has been described as encompassing "the breadth and depth of its culture more eloquently than any other simple building in the history of European architecture." Today, the palace is not only a monument of Minoan civilization but also a monument to one man's-namely Arthur Evans's- conception of that civilization. The palace is a mixture of different periods of Minoan architecture and different phases of "reconstruction" and consolidation by Evans, followed by straightforward conservation by Nikolaos Platon and Stylianos Alexiou.
The lecture will acknowledge Evans's enormous contribution to both the prehistory of Crete and to the presentation of the Palace of Minos to the general public. It will cover the problems caused by his early conservation efforts and by modern mass tourism as well as the measures currently being taken to protect the monument and to present it and the surrounding area in an agreeable and understandable form. Dr. Karetsou will focus on the steps being taken by the Greek Archaeological Service to protect the site. Matters involving the local population-their tolerance or lack thereof-will be discussed along with the implications of the rapid development of an archaeological site situated in the confines of a closed farming community that was transformed economically by tourism in the last thirty or so years.
Monday, November 1, 2004
The Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation (USA) and The Archaeological Institute of America Cordially invite you to a lecture by Dr. William M. Murray Mary and Gus Stathis Professor of Greek History Executive Director, Interdisciplinary Center for Hellenic Studies, University of South Florida
Ancient Greek and Roman navies and the battles they fought are notoriously difficult to understand. By the third century, the ancients had forgotten most of the details of ancient warship construction. Archaeological evidence accumulated over the past twenty years has placed us in an excellent position to appreciate the many variables involved in ancient naval warfare. This is particularly true of the famous Battle of Actium fought between Mark Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian (the future Augustus) on September 2, 31 b.c. Drawing upon artefacts recovered in underwater excavations, the results of sonar surveys conducted in the battle zone, and new archaeological discoveries at Octavian's campsite overlooking the battlefield, this lecture will attempt to re-create the important features of the final major naval battle of antiquity.
By Hermann J. Kienast April 26, 2004 In collaboration with the department of Greek and Roman Art of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
By Professor James Wright,, Bryn Mawr College March 16, 2004 In collaboration with the Archaeological Institute of America