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Protection, promotion and management of the antiquities of Olympia by the Hellenic Archaeological Service, based on its historical archives (From the 19th century until 1950)

Giannouli Stavroula

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Summary

The current study focuses on Olympia, one of the greatest sanctuaries of antiquity, one of today’s most significant excavations in Greece and one of the most important archaeological sites of the world. It concentrates on the efforts of the Hellenic Archaeological Service, based on its historical archives, to protect, promote and manage the antiquities of the site.The study is structured both on a chronological and thematic axis. Chronologically it extends from the 19th century until the middle of the 20th, while thematically it includes valuable information on various topics such as the first excavations held by Greek and German archaeologists, the founding of Syngreion, the first archaeological museum of Olympia, the protection of the archaeological site and its surrounding natural environment, the confrontation of illicit trade of antiquities. Moreover, it emphasizes the contribution of the antiquities to the touristic development of the area. Finally, it presents important evidence on how the Archaeological Service protected the antiquities, during the German Occupation and Civil War.The contribution of the Hellenic Archaeological Service proved to be essential and successful, despite the problems, mistakes, omissions, the lack of a composed policy, the harsh historic circumstances, the pathogenesis of the Greek State and the Archaeological Service’s as well. The management of Olympia’s antiquities is subjected to many heterogeneous factors that make it a complex and complicated matter, while the antiquities themselves have been ideologically enriched so that they reach a deeper political, national and social meaning. To deal with these parameters that lay outside of the scientific frame, leads to our modern era and contributes to a more effective approach of managing antiquities in the future and a fuller understanding of the connection between modern man and his cultural property. Especially today, the era of postmodernism and globalization, this matter becomes more intriguing, since modern societies and nations transform all around the world, and issues such as ethnic culture and nationalism raise new questions and concerns, under new circumstances.

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