On the occasion of the national anniversary of October 28^th, 1940, the National Archaeological Museum (NAM) has published online a selection of valuable archival photographs documenting the concealment of antiquities during World War II. In the shadow of war and throughout the Nazi occupation the employees of the first museum of the country were assigned the task of safeguarding the archaeological treasures against destruction and looting. (Cover photo: NAM 1940-41. The Kouros statue (inv. no. 2720), dated around 600 BC, from Sounion, ready to by hidden below the floor of its exhibition room).

“The safekeeping of antiquities during the occupation and the ensuing care for the reconstitution of the National Archaeological Museum were posts of responsibility before which we stand today with respect, admiration and gratitude”, notes Dr. Maria Lagogianni-Georgakarakos, former and honorary Director of the National Archaeological Museum, in the statement accompanying the online exhibition.

The burial of marble sculptures. The hermaic stele (inv. no 385) of Sosistratos kosmetes of ephebes, the statue of Aphrodite (inv. no 3524) of Syracuse type, the statue (inv. no 1828) of a man of the early 1^st century BC, from Delos, a statue of a seated woman (inv. no 380) from Rheneia, dated in the 2^nd century BC, and two statues of Hermes, from Aigion (inv. no 241) and Troizen (inv. no 243) both of the Roman period and copies of classical and late classical prototypes, can be seen in the pit. (Photo NAM)

While on the Greco–Italian war front Greek heroic soldiers were accomplishing the epic feat of the «No» crying out the famous battle cry «Aera» («Air»), another catchphrase sounded in the spaces of the museum. «Fire up» was one of the commands given by the sculptor Andreas Panagiotakis when the craftsmen pulled with chains and ropes the marble statues in order to place them in large pits they had opened in the north wing.

In April 1941 the museum looked deserted. Sculptures, bronze and clay artworks had been packed and transported to various raid shelters in Athens (35 crates were stored in the cave of the Enneakrounos and another 22 in the prison of Socrates near the Acropolis) the gold objects had been hidden away in the basements of the Bank of Greece, the large statues had been deposited in large trenches that were dug in the floor of the museum halls.

Drawing of a pit in the National Archaeological Museum for the burial of marble sculptures (Photo NAM)

Pulley transportation of the marble statue of Themis (inv. no 231), dated around 300 BC, from Rhamnous, Attica (left), The burial of the marble statue of Poseidon (inv. no 235), dated around 125-100 BC, from Melos (right) (Photos NAM)

Packing of the Geometric amphora (inv. no 803), of the years around 760-750 BC, from Dipylon, Athens, and other vases before hiding (Photo NAM)

Christos Karouzos and Semni Papaspyridi-Karouzou were the leading archaeologists that together with other archaeologists, museum guards, and their families, and many other people undertook the hiding of antiquities in 1940-1941. Testimonies and personal experiences of Semni Karouzou relating to that dramatic period were presented in March 1967 and published in 1984 in the Proceedings of the First Congress of the Greek Archaeologists Association. Referring specifically to the National Archaeological Museum, Semni Karouzou hands down to us: «It took six whole months, over the entire duration of the epic advance on the Albanian front, for our antiquities to be safely stored, the fate of which was a matter of such great concern to the people upon hearing about the war… Very early in the morning before the moonset, those who had undertaken this task were gathering to work in the Museum, it was night when they were leaving to go home». «When the occupation army entered the capital in April 1941, the task of concealing the ancient treasures of the National Museum had already been completed».

Christos Karouzos and Semni Papaspyridi-Karouzou. When Athens was occupied by the German army in 1941, the Karouzos were the only archaeologists in Greece to withdraw their membership of the German Archaeological Institute in protest (Photo: Draft of the letter sent by the Karouzos to the German Archaeological Institute of Athens, Source: Review Archaeological Issues, Sept/Dec2021). The letter was forwarded to Berlin through Walther Wrede, Director of the Athens Institute and representative of the Nazi Party in Greece. The Karouzos escaped imprisonment in a concentration camp thanks to the intervention of certain prominent German archaeologists. (Source: Wikipedia Semni Karouzou, Wikipedia Christos Carouzos).

In his interview of the 16^th June 1945, Christos Karouzos, Director of the National Archaeological Museum, states to the philological periodical Eleftera Grammata: «Since many years the Institute had stopped having any relation to Science and it was imperative to cut short their hope that they would achieve anything at all by making an attempt, which I could guess would be systematic and methodical, to stain the reputation of us all with innocent propositions for peaceful cultural collaboration».

The bronze statue of Poseidon, or Zeus according to another view (inv. no 15161), dated around 460 BC, from the sea at Artemision, Euboea, covered with tar paper, before its hiding (Photo NAM)

Pit in a room of the museum filled with sculptures, before their hiding (Photo NAM)

National Archaeological Museum, 1940-1941. Hiding of funerary vases and reliefs in the basement (upper left), Rectangular pit for the hiding of the sculptures in the Room of Classical Funerary Sculptures (upper right), Placement of antiquities in boxes for hiding (lower), (Photos: NAM)

National Archaeological Museum, 1940-1941. Burial of entrance to a room for the hiding of antiquities (left), Museum Room with empty cases after the removal of antiquities for hiding (right) (Photos: NAM)

National Archaeological Museum, 1941. Sacks with sand protected the windows of the new extension of the Museum building. Antiquities were stored for hiding inside this part of the building (left), National Archaeological Museum, after 1949. Works in progress for the improvement of the Museum building (right) (Photos: NAM)

To uncover the buried antiquities was the main priority after the end of the war. Along with the anxiety about their fate: «What had happened under the thick layer of sand, which was the state of preservation of the buried sculptures…». Semni Karouzou later recalled that "It was with pride for our people that I was assured, in the end of the war when the boxes were opened and the antiquities received, despite [the] fatally insufficient supervision [of the packing process] not a single gold object, no precious gem was missing". After the end of World War II, Christos Karouzos and Semni Karouzou were responsible for reinstalling the museum collections, using the catalogues Karouzou had made; this reinstallation was completed in 1947.

List of hidden objects (Photo: NAM)

As Semni Karouzou narrates, unique was the emotion when in 1947 the first three halls of the museum were opened, in the new wing with its entrance on Tositsa street: «It was the first presentation of antiquities after the war. At that time the 100 years since the founding of the French Archaeological School were also celebrated and it was the first gathering of archaeologists from all over the world. They had the opportunity among the other known and beloved artworks of the Museum to admire a new acquisition since the end of the occupation. A splendid Kouros with his name engraved on the statue base: Aristodikos».

Moments from the recovery of the ancient statues describes for us in his own way George Seferis, the Greek Nobel prized poet,  in the Days:

«Tuesday, 4th of June 1946

Noon in the Archaeological Museum. They now unbury – some in crates and some placed totally nude in the soil – the statues. In one of the old large halls, familiar to us since our school days with its rigid appearance that recalled somewhat the austere public library, the workers were digging with pickaxes and shovels. The floor, if one did not look at the ceiling, the windows and the walls with the golden inscriptions, could have been any other location of excavations. The statues sunken still in the earth, were visible from the waist up naked, planted in fate. …It was a resurrection dance of rising figures, a Day of Reckoning of bodies that filled you with mad joy».

(Source: National Archaeological Museum, Athens/Photographic Archive, © Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports /Archaeological Receipts Fund, Editor of the Photographic Exhibitions and e-book: Dr. Maria Chidiroglou)

I.A.

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Skarkos, on the Aegean island of Ios, is the largest, most important and best preserved Early Bronze Cycladic settlement known to date. A temporary exhibition titled “Cycladic Nexus – A Journey of Connections Across Time: Skarkos”, hosted at the Archaeological Museum of Ios (28.6-31.10.2025), aims to create a dialogue between contemporary art and the dynamic of the ancient Cycladic community of Skarkos, and by extension, the Cycladic civilization.

The hill of Skarkos, featuring the Early Cycladic II settlement, overlooks the Lower Plain and the port of Ios from the east. Discoveries at Skarkos of raw materials and finished products imported to Ios from other Cycladic islands, mainland Greece, and other parts of the Aegean indicate that the settlement played an active role in the maritime trade of the period. (cyclades.culture.gov.gr )

 Skarkos hill occupies a privileged geographic position in the middle of the western side of Ios, where one of the most spacious and safe natural harbors of the Cyclades coexists with one of the island’s largest arable lands, the Lower Plain (cover photo: www.presidency.gr). Human presence at Skarkos was continuous from at least the Early Cycladic I period (3200 to 2800 BCE) through to late antiquity. However, the architectural remains dominating the hill belong to a large, flourishing settlement dating from the period of significant development and outward expansion of the Early Cycladic world, known as the Early Cycladic II period or the cultural unity of Keros-Syros (2700 to 2400/2300 BCE). This major settlement has been preserved in an exceptional state of conservation, providing a comprehensive picture of Cycladic societies of the mid-3^rd millennium BCE, which were previously known mainly from cemetery finds, often looted. (Dr. Mariza Marthari, director of the Skarkos excavation, cyclades.culture.gov.gr, odysseus.culture.gr)

The site of Skarkos has been systematically excavated between 2002 and 2007. The project was honored with the 2008 EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Top Prize for Conservation, recognized for the outstanding quality of conservation work and, above all, for the minimal and extremely sensitive nature of the interventions, which caused no detrimental impact on this unique landscape.

The settlement of Skarkos is organized around the hilltop and features a drainage system for the removal of rainwater. The dense urban fabric develops along two main central roads, each up to 2 meters wide, which encircle the summit of the hill and periodically widen to form small or larger open spaces. Short roads, perpendicular to these main arteries, connect the foothills to the hilltop and vice versa. The road network incorporates building blocks, each comprising between two and eight structures. (Source: cyclades.culture.gov.gr , photo www.presidency.gr)

Skarkos, Early Cycladic II settlement: the entrance of Building B (left) and the external staircase of Building D (right). To date, 55 buildings have been uncovered, most of which are impressive two-story structures featuring spacious entrances, stone-built staircases, paved upper floors, built-in wall cupboards, and chests made from schist slabs. These buildings are primarily private residences and exhibit remarkable similarities in their internal layout and use of space. However, one building, known as the Building of the Figurines, has been excavated with a different primary function: it served as a workshop. This building housed a marble carving workshop where figurines and vessels were crafted from local white and blue marble (cyclades.culture.gov.gr )

Skarkos, Early Cycladic II settlement: Figurine made of blue marble, Archaeological Museum of Ios (cyclades.culture.gov.gr)

The movable finds, like the buildings, reflect a relatively advanced lifestyle for the southern Aegean in the 3^rd millennium BCE. There is an abundance of clay tableware, storage containers, and cooking vessels. Stone vessels and tools also appear in great variety. Additionally, mainly schematic marble figurines have been identified, along with objects made of metal, bone, and clay. Movable finds from Skarkos are on display at the Archaeological Museum of Ios.

Skarkos, Early Cycladic II settlement: Local amphora (upper), Bowls of the Urfirnis ceramic category, imported to Ios (lower), Archaeological Museum of Ios (cyclades.culture.gov.gr)

Skarkos, Early Cycladic II settlement: Local tableware (lower), Archaeological Museum of Ios (cyclades.culture.gov.gr)

Skarkos, Early Cycladic II settlement: Local pithos (left), Presentation of the findings at the Archaeological Museum of Ios

Skarkos , Early Cycladic II settlement: Stamped, clay, cube-shaped objects. The seals, the stamped vessels, and the many clay, cube-shaped, stamped objects—which were tied like tags to bags and containers and found inside the buildings—leave no doubt that sealing was a common practice at Skarkos. It seems that in certain cases, declaring ownership or personal identity was useful or necessary. (cyclades.culture.gov.gr)

The Cyclades Ephorate of Antiquities, in collaboration with the Non-Profit Civil Company FIGMENT, presents contemporary artworks at the Archaeological Museum of Ios, fostering a creative dialogue with the museum’s exhibits. The temporary exhibition titled “Cycladic Nexus – A Journey of Connections Across Time: Skarkos” (June 28–October 31, 2025) bridges past and present through contemporary artistic expressions.

The exhibition draws inspiration from the prehistoric settlement of Skarkos and, by extension, the Cycladic civilization. Artists from diverse disciplines explore themes such as movement, communication, and connection through painting, sculpture, installations, embroidery, and digital prints. The human trace—whether presence or absence, journey or trauma—runs through the works, prompting reflections on collectivity and historical consciousness.

Stavros Kassis, Ephemera, objet trouvé papers, postcards, photos, cardboard, clips, glass, 31 x 42 cm (upper left), Thanos Makris, Ephemeral Exercises of Melancholia – After Skarkos VII, 2025, Digital print on acryluxe, 29.7 x 42 cm (upper right), Antigoni Kavvatha, Journey IV, 2018, arylics on mylar, 61 x 440 cm (lower)

Constantin Massos, The Passage, 2016, mixed media on canvas, 100 x 140 cm (upper left), Ifigeneia Sdoukou, Sailing, 2023, hand-dyed and embroidered fabric, 100 x 65 cm (upper riglht), Miltos Skouras, Untitled, 2022, oil on canvas, 70 x 160 cm (lower)

The exhibition’s curators, Evgenia Iskou and Natalia Mitsioni, explain: “The exhibition is not merely a reference to cultural continuity. It is an artistic proposition that views history not as a static archive, but as a dynamic topography — a field of meaning that directly concerns us. In the encounter between the ancient and the contemporary, viewers are invited to reflect on movement, transition, exchange, and collectivity — not as abstract concepts, but as fundamental lived experiences shared by both the Early Cycladic inhabitants and the modern individual”.

Giorgos Alexandridis, Accommodations, 2020, installation, stoneware clay, 21 x 12 x 11 cm (each)

Nikos Tranos, Nausea (from the series terrain), 2017, 50 ceramic heads glazed in lifebuoy orange and double-fired at 1020°C, 2 Viennese chairs — domestic furniture salvaged from the streets of Athens, 150 corks from champagne and wine bottles, iron rods, 113 x 55 x 115 cm (Courtesy of Zoumboulakis Galleries)

Participating artists: Giorgos Alexandridis, Odysseas Glykas, Antigoni Kavvatha, Stavros Kassis, Thanos Makris, Konstantinos Massos, Varvara Mavrakaki, Antonios Panagopoulos, Periklis Pravitas, Ifigeneia Sdoukou, Miltos Skouras, Nikos Tranos.

The island of Ios is a charming Cycladic destination, famous among young visitors for its vibrant nightlife. According to ancient tradition, Ios was the burial place of Homer and also the homeland of his mother. The island’s name, Ios, derives from the ancient word “ion,” meaning flower, a reference to the abundant blossoms that once covered the island in antiquity. Ios is home to several sites of significant archaeological and historical value.

Chora lies very close to the harbor in Ormos and warmly welcomes travelers arriving on the island. Built on a hillside, its summit is crowned by the ruins of a medieval castle. Chora is one of the finest examples of a traditional village designed according to Cycladic architecture. Its snow-white houses, picturesque arcade-covered alleys (stiyadia), twelve windmills, and churches with arched belfries and light blue domes create a uniquely charming residential area. (visitgreece.gr)

The landscape of Ios is determined by the numerous churches and chapels that are scattered everywhere and are, as one would say, an integral part of the beauty of the island. The local tradition wants the churches of the island to be 365, one for each day of the year.(visitiosgreece.com/en/churches-and-monasteries/)

The Hiking Network of the Municipality of Ios is a network of short paths, which is addressed to visitors to the island who wish to get to know the natural and cultural environment of Ios.

Ios offers a plethora of lovely bays and beaches with golden sand and blue-green waters.

Gialos is the large beach with fine sand, next to the port. A part of it is organized but it also has many tamarisk trees that can offer their shade.

Mylopotas is the most organized and busy beach of the island. A beach with golden sand and clear blue waters south of Chora (3 km). Along the beach there are umbrellas, sunbeds and beach bars for all ages. (Source: aegeanislands.gr)

Tris Klissies, three wonderful windless beaches in the southern part of the island. Due to their protection from the winds, the port of the island was old. At the bottom of the sea, the visitor can see the remains of the old port.

Manganari is a series of sandy coves that form at least three large beaches and numerous smaller, with easy access to the southern part of Ios. Its natural beauty is renowned not only on Ios but throughout the Cyclades. Manganari caters both to visitors seeking organized beaches with umbrellas, sunbeds, restaurants, and beach bars, and to those who prefer a quieter, more secluded beach experience.

(Source : https://visitiosgreece.com/en/)

Read also:

The Gaitis-Simossi Museum on Ios Island

I.A.

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Eirini Karamouzi is Professor of Contemporary History at The American College of Greece and Associate Dean of Research and Innovation at the School of Liberal Arts and Science. She is also a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield. She is the author of Greece, the EEC and the Cold War: The Second Enlargement (2014), co-editor of The Balkans in the Cold War (2017) and Beyond the Euromissile Crisis: The Global histories of anti-nuclear activism (2024). Professor Karamouzi is also the principal investigator of the curating team for "Imagining Greece," an evolving research-based exhibition that explores how social, political, and cultural forces have shaped Greece's image as a tourist destination. Along with lead researchers and scientific and artistic Curators for Imagining Greece, Dr Stavros Alifragkis and Dr Emilia Athanasiou, professor Karamouzi spoke to Greek News Agenda* on the aspects of the Greek experience that "Imagining Greece" highlights for potential or past travelers, on the forces have shaped the global perception and image of Greece as an ideal place to visit, the major turning points in the modern history of Greek tourism and finally, on what the present and future holds for Greek tourism and on what constitutes a Southern European identity.

What is the central focus of the "Imagining Greece" project?  Why is the period between the end of World War II and the end of the Cold War significant for tourism?

‘Imagining Greece' is an evolving research-based exhibition that explores how social, political, and cultural forces have shaped Greece's image as a tourist destination. The exhibition brings together a rich diversity of archival materials on Greek tourism alongside first-hand accounts, presenting them on a single platform for the first time. It reveals the complex interplay of vision, ambitions, and expectations of those who established Greece as one of the world's most beloved destinations and shaped the image of the idyllic Greek summer. Over the course of these five decades, the conditions for the development of the Greek tourism industry were shaped through state policies and private initiatives, which at times functioned complementarily and at others antagonistically. In the early postwar decades, the state assumed a dominant role through the newly established Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO, 1951), which implemented a remarkably broad and multidimensional programme of tourism reconstruction. This included the formation of the institutional framework for regulating the market, the promotion of the country’s image abroad, the renovation of existing and the construction of new leisure infrastructure and facilities, the upgrading of archaeological sites, the modernisation and densification of transport networks, the establishment of festivals, cultural events, and local celebrations, and the broader cultivation of tourism awareness as a tool for revitalising the Greek periphery.

Spearheaded by the ‘XENIA’ programme, the GNTO embarked on an unprecedented, large-scale, and innovative —considering the capacities of the time— production of mostly in-house and self-managed projects, such as hotels, motels, tourist pavilions, roadside stations, car camps, border posts, organized beaches, marinas, and more, alongside the regulation of excursion frameworks and the cruise market. The objective was to establish modern standards for tourism infrastructure and services, which private actors —who entered the field relatively early— would adopt, though without necessarily being bound by the guidelines set forth by the state.

By the end of the period under examination, the GNTO had effectively concluded this phase of its activity with an equally ambitious programme aimed at showcasing Greece’s vernacular architecture through the retrofitting of traditional mansions to guesthouses, thereby transitioning into a more strategic and managerial role. Our exhibition celebrates the cherished legacy of these formative decades, during which the founding mythology of the Greek summer first began to take shape through early efforts at strategic planning.

What aspects of the Greek experience does "Imagining Greece" highlight for potential or past travelers? Can you tell us more on the underlying concept of the "voyage immobile par excellence”?

The exhibition emulates a visitor’s journey from fantasizing about Greece, then travelling and discovering the country to remembering what is left of the Greek holiday. How do these visitors perceive Greece? What pictures and expectations inspire their journey? How does their presence influence Greek society? In what ways do they transition from mere tourists to catalysts of modernity, shaping the local economy and culture? As they travel across the islands and mainland, what do they discover? How does the country’s ancient heritage resonate with the spirit of the times? And what do they remember of their adventures? Is it the keepsakes they collect, the breathtaking landscapes etched in their memories, or the people they meet along the way? ‘Imagining Greece’ explores these questions and more, bringing the traveler’s experience to life through a captivating photographic and audiovisual collection spanning five decades.

The expansion of tourism has long been intertwined with the proliferation of travel literature and, from the 1960s onward, the rise of the travel documentary. These narrative forms extend beyond guiding prospective travelers in planning or navigating their journeys. Instead, they also contribute to the enduring and increasingly popular tradition of armchair travel — a form of imaginative escape from the routines of everyday life, mediated through text, photography, and moving images.

In recent years, technological advancements and the growth of the digital humanities have transformed armchair tourism into a distinct and dynamic field, both as an entrepreneurial venture and a mode of artistic expression. Freed from the constraints of physical mobility — whether economic, logistical, or temporal — this type of tourism offers the pleasures of discovery and immersion without the necessity of travel.

Our exhibition draws upon this idea of the quasi-journey to Greece — not only as a tangible geographical space but also as a site of memory, imagination, and cultural projection. Through a curated selection of digital exhibits spanning approximately five decades, we chart the evolution of tourism and its visual and experiential narratives.

What political, social, and cultural forces have shaped the global perception and image of Greece as an ideal place to visit? What would you say were the major turning points in the modern history of Greek tourism?

Since the end of the Second World war, it's possible to observe the establishment of an integral part of Greece’s distinctive tourism ‘brand’- cultural tourism grounded in a widely shared appreciation of Greece’s ancient past and its myriad cultural legacies. The strength of these associations would play a major role in sustaining the remarkable growth of the Greek tourism industry for the remainder of the twentieth century and beyond. Innovations in air travel, package holidays and the popular use of the car however  revolutionised the market ushering in a period of mass tourism, with Greece marketing itself as a land of ‘sun, sea and sand’ to foreign audiences. All of these were happening as the country was modernizing its infrastructure, upgrading the road network and, more broadly, creating new opportunities to experience Greece’s unspoiled landscapes and historical sites through newly established leisure facilities that adhered to international standards while highlighting local architectural features. 

Aside from the GNTO, international tour operators were instrumental in introducing Greece to the wider world and attracting more visitors. Their contribution remains largely undocumented in recent scholarship. We hope that, as our exhibition evolves, further information on this subject will become available to the general public. Equally important, though less well known, was the critical role played by various clubs and organizations, such as the Hellenic Touring Club and the Automobile and Touring Club of Greece, which supported the GNTO in the micro-management of various aspects of tourism development. These ranged from the organization of festivals and local feasts, to the promotion of water sports, the operation of campsites, the publication of travel guidebooks and updated maps, and the maintenance of road and directional signage. Their micro-histories are closely interwoven with the evolution of tourism in Greece, particularly the rise of domestic tourism during the 1960s and 1970s. Another milestone, albeit not in a strictly chronological sense, was the involvement of the private sector —particularly banks— in the tourism industry. This led to a significant increase in serious stakeholders within the sector, marked by the arrival of international hotel chains in Greece and the emergence of domestic hotel groups, some of which remain active to this day.

How did the growth of tourism influence Greek society and its economy during the post-war and Cold War eras? It is often said that tourism is Greece’s ‘heavy industry’. Do you agree with that take and what are its implications?

Tourism has constantly been upward trending in the last decades. It started in 1950 with 33,000 visitors, skyrocketed to 5.271.000 in 1980 to reach 36 million tourists in 2024. Until 1990, Greece’s development in the tourism sector was the fastest in Europe. Tourism has become the country’s heavy industry with a contribution of almost 25 percent to GDP and employing more than 400.000 Greeks.Even in 1948 in the midst of the Greek civil war, the American Mission had identified tourism as a major source of foreign currency and an avenue for the country’s economic reconstruction. The implications of an over reliance on the Greek tourism product, is Greece’s vulnerability to the massive influx of tourists and how that affects the quality of life of the local population, and threatens the country’s landscape and traditions.

Greece’s destination branding has been based on “Sun, Sea & Sand” triptych as well on ancient sites and the country as the “Cradle of Western Civilization”. Do you see any other branding options opening up in the future? 

In an efforts to grow their country’s tourism sector, Greek stakeholders have grappled with the same conceptual schism between an imagined Hellas (a ‘romanticized spectre of a lost civilization’ built on ‘the desired relics of material culture’) that had become deeply embedded in the foreign imagination during the 19^th century, and a modern Greece, at once a ‘geographical space that hosted the material remnants of Hellas’ while being ‘inferior to it’ and a desirable destination for sun-worshipping travelers seeking respite from modernity. The demand for the ‘Greek summer’ remains unabated. Extending the tourist season has been a long-standing goal for the Greek tourist industry and since the 1970s Greece had branded itself as the land of all seasons but only recently has managed to achieve that. In a pursuit for a more sustainable tourism, there are calls for diversification of the tourist product, with alternative activities beyond the usual ‘sun and sea that will make Greece an all-year round European destination. 

Your current research project deals with the role of tourism and mobility in the construction of a Southern European identity. What are the components of a Southern European Identity, and how do tourism and mobility interplay with other factors that shape it?

The countries of Southern Europe are, for the most part, also Mediterranean countries, and this characteristic has significantly shaped their identities for centuries. Around the life-giving waters of this enclosed sea —Mare Nostrum, as the Romans called it— national identities gradually took shape, united by a common thread: the sea as an open route for trade, a bridge for cultural exchange, and, at times, a means of conquest through brute force. Southern European identity, as an intellectual construct, is by its very nature inextricably linked to the rich and densely layered cultural geography of the Mediterranean sunbelt, whose origins are lost in the depths of historical time. Enduring elements of the mythology of the Mediterranean have consistently included antiquities, the sun, and the coastlines —sometimes gentle, at other times dramatic— that have been immortalized in every form of art.

For the modern Greek state, the formation of its national identity is likewise inextricably linked to the emergence of modernity in the 19th and 20th centuries, as expressed through touring (e.g., the Grand Tour) and, later, tourism respectively. The geographical and cultural mobility of cosmopolitan Europeans and Americans  —bourgeois merchants, scientists, and artists from the elites of the 19th century and the interwar period, who, through their travels, paid homage to the ancestral civilization of ancient Greece— played a significant role in shaping the conditions and terms under which Greeks were reconstituted as a nation, a people, a country, and an idea(l). This same phenomenon also influenced the image of the West itself, whose model the Greeks continuously measured themselves against — while always casting a sidelong glance towards the alluring East.

In the postwar period, the Greek version of Southern European identity was significantly reshaped by tourism, a dynamic phenomenon that fueled social, economic, and cultural transformations in both urban centres and the periphery. The vast mobility generated by the massification of tourism established holidays as a democratic right to leisure time — not only for Northern Europeans, whose ‘exodus’ to the sun-drenched South and the Greek archipelago was experienced as restorative, but also for Greeks themselves, for whom contact with the traveler's ‘otherness’ became a form of education. In the case of Greece, as in other southern countries, the redefinition of national identity through tourism was filtered via the process of modernization. More specifically, the Greek state was restructured institutionally, politically, economically, socially, and culturally, with the aim of aligning the Greek standard ever more closely with that of Europe. Greece reinvents itself in order to promote its image both abroad and at home — a process broadly analogous to that of the 19th century, when the Western gaze largely shaped the way in which modern Greeks wished to view themselves and their future.

*Interview to: Ioulia Livaditi

The post Eirini Karamouzi on ‘Imagining Greece’, the digital exhibition on Greece as a tourist destination: “Greece is always reinventing itself” appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

The exhibition “In the Footsteps of St Paul” (30.1-30.4.2025), presented at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, traces the Apostle Paul’s second missionary journey from Macedonia to Corinth (50-51 AD), which influenced world history by marking the beginning of the end of the ancient world. It was designed by the Directorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities of the Ministry of Culture and implemented within the framework of the project “Cultural Route: "In the footsteps of Saint Paul, the Apostle of the nations".

The exhibition was structured within a revised framework of documentation, based on the text of the Acts of the Apostles, St Paul’s letters to the newly founded Christian Churches and his associates, historical and archaeological research, as well as the oral tradition that preserved the memory of the Apostle unaltered. It aims to connect the apostolic journey with archaeological sites and monuments from the Greco-Roman era, the Jewish Diaspora, and the Christian world at the stations of the Apostle's journey, as well as current cities of modern Greece.

The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki is the first stop of the exhibition, which will also travel to other cities in Greece located near the sites of the Apostolic Journey. The exhibition is enriched with objects from the museum's collections that shed light on aspects of Thessaloniki's society before and after St Paul’s visit, reflecting the impact of his teachings.

(Source: Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki)

The project “Cultural Route: "In the Footsteps of Saint Paul, the Apostle of the Nations" is a candidate for certification as a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. The Route is managed by a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation, with its headquarters located in Thessaloniki. This initiative is a collaboration of four partners from Member States of the Council of Europe: Belgium, Cyprus, Greece and Italy. The partners include the Pafos Regional Board of Tourism, the Central Macedonia Region, and Lazio Region – Regional Tourism Agency. (Source: Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe)

The exhibition at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki is based on the Apostle’s second missionary journey in the Greek peninsula, connecting religious tradition with historical evidence and archaeological remains. Starting from the island of Samothrace, which St Paul visited coming from Minor Asia in the spring of AD 50, one can visit the early Christian basilica of Palaiopolis, built at the site from which he departed.

Samtothrace, the early Christian basilica of Palaiopolis (left), Cobblestone Roman road (via Egnatia) near Kavala (right)

 Mosaic at the “Apostle Paul's Stasidi”, located on the north side of Samothrace, built in 2007 near the location where the ship carrying St Paul docked (Holy Metropolis of Alexandroupolis)

From Samothrace, one sails to the city of Kavala (ancient Neapolis), where St Paul disembarked on his way to the Macedonian interior. He was accompanied by Silas, Timothy, and St Luke the Evangelist.

View of the port of the city of Kavala (Source: www.visitgreece.gr)

After following the Via Egnatia roman road, St Paul reached Philippi, at 12 km from Neapoli. At the archaeological site of Philippi, one can visit the Roman Forum where he walked, the so-called “prison” (St Paul and Silas were accused of provoking abnormalities in the city), as well as the Zygaktis river where the first Christian, Lydia, a noble woman from Thyateira of Asia Minor, was baptized.

Archaeological site of Philippi, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site – Basilica B (Hellenic Ministry of Culture)

In Amphipolis, at the northwestern edge of Mt Pangaion, visitors can stand next to the gates of the ancient walls which the Apostle crossed during his brief sojourn.

The lion of Amphipolis, 4th century BC, located next to the old bridge of the Strymonas river, at a short distance from the archaeological site of Amphipolis (Source: visit-centralmacedonia.gr)

Following the Apostolic route one can visit the mutatio (changing station) of the via Egnatia at Asprovalta, the modern bema of St Paul at Apollonia, next to lake Volvi, and Thessaloniki. In the city of Thessaloniki one can admire the Letaean gate of the city walls, through which Paul likely entered the city, the Roman Forum, the Vlatadon monastery, erected on a site where the Apostle preached, according to the local tradition and some of the oldest basilicas in the city centre.

The upper town of Thessaloniki (Source: visit-centralmacedonia.gr)

The Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegian Monastery of Vlatadon, built in the 14th century on the site of a pre-existing church, is the only Byzantine monastery in operation in Thessaloniki. It is one of the 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites located in Thessaloniki (Source: visit-centralmacedonia.gr)

After Thessaloniki St Paul visited Berea (modern Veria). The urban route starts from the Royal gate of the city walls, reaching the modern Jewish synagogue built likely on the top of the ancient edifice, ending at the Opsician gate from where pilgrims and travelers can either walk, cycle or drive to the port of Pydna at the Pieria seashore, following his route.

The pilgrimage monument known as "Step of the Apostle Paul" in the center of Veria (Source: visit-centralmacedonia.gr)

The Jewish synagogue in Veria, the most ancient synagogue in Northern Greece (Source: visit-centralmacedonia.gr)

The ancient city of Pydna, on the shores of Thermaikos golf, has been known for great prosperity during the Byzantine years, as a port, an intermediate station between the North and the South of Greece (Source: visit-centralmacedonia.gr)

The next stop is Athens, where St Paul arrived by boat. On the site of the Ancient Agora, he spoke with philosophers, and on the Areopagus, the hill west of the Athenian Acropolis, he delivered his famous speech referring to the “unknown God”. It is said that he spoke in front of the High Court's Body, as one of its members, Dionysius the Areopagite, adopted the ideas of his preaching and became Athens’ Patron Saint.

Athens, the Ancient Agora (Source: Ministry of Culture)

From the ancient port of Cenchreae and the early Christian basilica starts a third route heading towards the Bema at the archaeological site of Ancient Corinth, the Erastus’ inscription at the theatre and the Jewish exhibits of the museum. Apostle Paul is the patron saint of the city of Corinthos and an impressive church was built in his honor.

Τhe ancient port of Cenchreae: the Roman buildings are visible at sea level, and the ancient and classical buildings are underneath them (Source: visitpeloponnese.com)

The Bema at the archaeological site of Ancient Corinth, the site of Paul’s trial, is a large elevated rostrum standing prominently in the centre of the Roman Forum (Source: Ministry of Culture)

The cultural route ends at Nikopolis in Preveza in Western Greece, the great Roman city which St Paul intended to visit by the end of his life.

Archaeological site of Nikopolis (Source: visitpreveza.gr)

Read also: Greece, Cyprus and Italy walk in the footsteps of St. Paul

On the spiritual path in Greece

Byzantine and post-Byzantine Monasteries in Attica

I.A.

The post “In the Footsteps of St. Paul”: Tracing the Legacy of the Apostle’s Journey through Greece at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Following 4 successful exhibitions, the Museum of Cycladic Art collaborates once again with the Athens International Airport by organizing the exhibition "Women of the Cyclades through time". The exhibition, located in the "Art & Culture" area on the Arrivals level of Athens International Airport, opened on October 7, 2024, and will run until May 31, 2025.

The exhibition explores the history of the Cyclades, depicted through the marble female figurines crafted by local islanders during the 3^rd millennium BC. These Cycladic figurines, part of the world-renowned collection of the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, reflect a society that revered women, representing the female form as a mother, goddess, offering, or ritual object of uncertain purpose. The white marble sculptures of the Early Cycladic period (3200–2000 BC) bring these figures to life, portraying women with prominent features, slightly rounded bellies, or incised lines indicating pregnancy or postpartum.

Since the early 20th century, artists like Brancusi, Modigliani, Archipenko, Moore, Giacometti, and Hepworth have been inspired by the simplicity of prehistoric Cycladic art. They were particularly drawn to the depiction of the female form, which became a universal archetype and a lasting influence on modern art.

Marble female statue, 2700 – 2400/2300 BC © Museum of Cycladic Art, photo: Paris Tavitian

The central exhibit of the exhibition is a copy of the large Cycladic figurine of the Museum of Cycladic Art, believed to represent a female deity embodying the essence of her era's art. The exhibition also features a video that showcases the lives of Cycladic women from ancient times to the present, offering insights into a culture both distant and remarkably familiar.

Museum of Cycladic Art – The Stathatos Mansion - photos: Paris Tavitian © Museum of Cycladic Art

"Women of the Cyclades through time" at the Athens International Airport serves as a prelude to the major archaeological exhibition titled "Kykladitisses: Untold Stories of Women in the Cyclades". This exhibition, organized by the Museum of Cycladic Art in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades, will be held at the Museum of Cycladic Art (The Stathatos Mansion) from December 12, 2024, to May 4, 2025. It will feature around 180 artworks dating from early prehistory to the 17^th century. Following this, the exhibition will be transferred to the Archaeological Museum of Thera (Santorini) in June 2025, where it will be displayed under the same form.

The exhibition is curated by Dr Dimitris Athanasoulis, Director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades, and the Scientific Directors of the Museum of Cycladic Art, Dr Panagiotis Iossif, Professor at Radboud University in the Netherlands, and Dr Ioannis Fappas, Assistant Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Left: Marble statue of Artemis Elaphebolos (killing a deer), Late Hellenistic period, Archaeological Museum of Delos © Hellenic Ministry of Culture, photo: Andreas Santrouzanos

Right: Archaic Kore of Thera, 7th century BC, photo from a temporary exhibition at the Archaeological Museum of Thera, September 2022 © Hellenic Ministry of Culture

The exhibition features exceptional pieces from the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades and the Museum of Cycladic Art, many of which have never been displayed outside the Cyclades or the Museum. It also includes select antiquities from the National Archaeological Museum, the Canellopoulos Museum, the Epigraphic Museum of Athens, and significant private collections. Among others, the Archaic Kore of Thera and an Hellenistic statue of Artemis from Delos.

The artefacts narrate the islands’ history through the perspective of its female inhabitants, focusing on the evolving roles of women throughout time. It delves into the transformations of women’s societal roles—from deities to mothers and the other way around—and highlights their participation in religious ceremonies and their presence in both public and private life. The exhibition also explores the boundaries of female roles within the community and offers glimpses into the ongoing process of female emancipation.

At a time when women continue to assert their identities, challenge gender roles, and dismantle long-standing stereotypes, this exhibition sheds light on untold stories from the Cycladic world that emphasize the historical journey of women's identity formation from prehistory to the post-Byzantine period.

The tomb of “Neiko” and Episkopi monument on Sikinos - Photos © Ministry of Culture

The famous female burial of "Neiko" from the 2^nd-3^rd century AD will also be featured in the exhibition. Discovered in 2018 at the Episkopi site on the island of Sikinos, Neiko’s tomb contained rich offerings and jewels, indicating her prominent status. Dr. Dimitris Athanasoulis, director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades, stated in the Kathimerini newspaper, that while the original plan focused on the tomb’s grave goods, the inclusion of the skeleton itself is essential for a more complete presentation, as it holds significant information. The burial, marked by intentional bone fractures and bound hands and feet, suggests the woman was believed to be demon-possessed, possibly due to epilepsy, leading to what’s called a "divergent burial." The skeleton has since been carefully preserved in a conservation lab and will be displayed in the exhibition as found, in a special showcase (Source: Kathimerini).

The Monument of Episkopi, a Roman mausoleum dating back to the 3^rd century, converted to a Byzantine church on Sikinos, was among the winners of the 2022 European Heritage Awards. The high-quality restoration project “combined meticulous research with cautious conservation”.

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The post Athens International Airport welcomes visitors with a foretaste of the major exhibition at the Cycladic Museum “Kykladitisses: Untold stories of women in the Cyclades” appeared first on Greek News Agenda.