The Director General of the Acropolis Museum, Professor Nikolaos Chr. Stambolidis, was invited and participated as keynote speaker at the annual lecture of the “Stavros Niarchos Foundation”, organized by the Hellenic Studies Program of the MacMillan Center of Yale University in the USA, on 9 and 10 April 2025.

On Wednesday 9 April 2025, in the packed auditorium of Henry Luce Hall, the Professor explored the dynamic field of public archaeology in contemporary Greece, speaking on “Public Archaeology in contemporary Greece”. Using the ancient city of Eleftherna in Crete, which he has been excavating for 40 years, as a case study, he showed how public archaeology integrates scientific research, heritage management, digital technologies, public engagement, tourism and economic considerations. The lecture highlights how these elements enhance the dissemination and accessibility of archaeological knowledge and how it is part of the sustainable development of a place, taking into account nature and people as centres of creation.

On 10 April 2025, the Director General of the Acropolis Museum participated in a Public Debate entitled “Repatriating Cultural Heritage: the Parthenon Marbles and beyond”, on the repatriation of cultural heritage and in particular the Parthenon Marbles, which took place in the presence of a large number of students and professors. Participants in the discussion included Kostas Arkolakis, Professor of Economics and Director of Hellenic Studies at Yale University, Antonia Bartoli, Curator of Provenance Research at the Yale University Art Gallery, Marilena Christodoulou, Associate Professor of History and History at Yale University, and Marilena Christodoulou, Professor of History and History at Yale University. Milette Gaifman, Professor of Classics and Art History, moderated by Maria Kaliabou, Senior Lecturer in Hellenic Studies and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Hellenic Studies Program at Yale University.

The Director General of the Acropolis Museum, Professor Nikolaos Chr. Stambolidis, contributed once again, eloquently and powerfully, to the arguments for the return and reunification of the Parthenon architectural sculptures in the monument where they belong.