International forum on Venizelos Station antiquities
The uncovering of unique Late Roman and Byzantine remains during excavations for a metro system in Thessaloniki in northern Greece has called into question how a country comes to terms with the treatment and display of its material past.
An international forum hosted on Sunday at 7 p.m. (Greek time) by the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) and the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA will present factual information about the significance of the finds, review decisions made by the Culture Ministry and the Central Archaeological Council (KAS) concerning the Venizelou Station remains, summarize past and ongoing litigation in Greek courts, and discuss the practical solutions offered by engineers.
After brief presentations by four speakers (see list below), the audience will get a chance to ask questions about the remains, the solutions to the technical challenges that their preservation on site presents, and their significance for the city’s future.
Angelos Chaniotis is Professor of Ancient History and Classics in the School of Historical Studies at the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton.
Costa Carras is the President of Hellenic Society for the Protection of Cultural Heritage and Environment. He is a council member of Europa Nostra.
Vlasis Koumousis is Professor Emeritus of Structural Engineering at the School of Civil Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA).
Maria Mavroudi is Professor of History and Classics at the University of California, Berkeley.
The discussion will be moderated by Sharon Gerstel, Professor of Byzantine Art and Archaeology at UCLA.
There will be simultaneous translation into Greek.
You can register here.
