The publication concerns the exhibition of the same name organized at the Museum of Casts of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and is dedicated to the workshop of the artists Gilliéron, which operated in Athens. In a dialogue between the university’s Museum of Casts and the research program of the “Gilliéron Archives” research program of the French School of Athens, previously unknown or obscure evidence of the development of archaeology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries is presented for the first time in Greece. The book accompanying the exhibition pays tribute to the fruitful research collaboration between the French School and Aristotle University. It highlights the potential for exploitation and reinterpretation of archival evidence when contrasted with established archaeological collections and the “biographies of objects.”

The Gilliéron archives, together with the Gilliéron family archive and other archives belonging to the “Gilliéron network,” which extends to museums and research centers internationally, offer the opportunity to enrich the stories of the founding, acquisition, and development of each collection. The exhibition focuses on milestones in the life and multifaceted work of the Gilliérons, with an emphasis on their travels and work in northern Greece, alongside the archaeological and historical context of that period (1875-1939). It covers topics from the fields of archaeology, art history, modern history, and digital applications, highlighting unknown aspects of archaeology in modern Greece.

In contrast to the Museum’s copies and casts, selected unpublished items from the Gilliéron Collection and Archives are on display, highlighting the special significance of the exhibits for the educational process and interdisciplinary research.

• Eleni Manakidou is Professor of Classical Archaeology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
• Christina Mitsopoulou holds a PhD in Classical Archaeology, is a lecturer at the University of Thessaly, and is head of the GSA’s “Gilliéron Archives” research project.