The Ministry of Culture is organizing a three-day scientific conference on “Management of Antiquities in the context of Major Technical Projects”, at the Megaron Thessaloniki Concert Hall.

More than 45 speakers will participate, who will address the issues of archaeological data management in major infrastructure projects, such as the Thessaloniki Metro, the Piraeus Metro, the Egnatia Highway project and similar projects outside Greece, such as the Naples Metropolitan Railway.

The Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, in her speech at the opening of the scientific conference, stressed:

“As the Greek territory as a whole, almost in its entirety, is a repopulated archaeological site, with monuments covering a long historical period, scattered throughout the area, it was a given and expected that major development projects, or at least most of them, would come up against a variety of remains from all periods of antiquity. To reveal hundreds of monuments and archaeological sites, of various periods, more or less important, which give new data and contribute decisively, to the enrichment, and in some cases to the change of the archaeological map of our country. A truly multidisciplinary archaeological and historical research was developed within the construction sites, a high quality archaeological project, in which the excavation methods were adapted to modern dynamics, and which revealed a wealth of new data that changed, corrected, completed the archaeological and historical map of many areas, enriched local history with new unknown evidence and museums with new finds”.

The Minister referred specifically to three major technical projects, the Athens Metropolitan Railway, the Egnatia Odos and the Thessaloniki Metropolitan Railway. On the experience gained from the construction of the Athens Metro, he pointed out that:

“The construction of the Athens Metro proved, 22 years ago, that the high quality of the archaeological project can be combined with the speed required by the technical one, and that scientific research in the sensitive field of archaeology can thrive even in construction site conditions. With the public works within the Athenian city, which were carried out with increased efficiency by the Ministry of Culture, an enormous amount of experience was gained, while the archaeological scientific community was strengthened with a “School”, according to which the construction of a technical project in a city that is vibrant and densely populated, with its timeless history and monumental wealth covering its long historical duration, was combined not only with archaeological research and the resulting increased knowledge, but above all with the protection and promotion of the monumental heritage.”

Lina Mendoni noted that during the works for the construction of the Egnatia Highway, more than 270 previously unknown archaeological sites were identified, which highlighted the need to move from the study of individual archaeological sites to the study of the historical and archaeological landscape. “Archaeological science is acquiring a gradually increasing technocratic dimension, that of the management of resources, cultural and economic, of monuments, sites, landscapes, with strong qualitative characteristics, embedded in the context of sustainable development. Archaeological sites are part and parcel of spatial planning, while knowledge of the forms of the past is essential to understanding the present.

Regarding the major issue of the management of antiquities during the construction of the Thessaloniki Metro, Lina Mendoni pointed out: “We gave an exemplary, scientific and ethically correct solution to the painful equation, as the disclosure and highlighting of archaeological finds was combined with the acceleration and completion of the technical project. If the proposal to leave the antiquities in the Venizelos station had been chosen, it is certain that the Metro would not have been completed yet. The archaeological site, which is already visited by a large number of people, would not have been re-displayed, and there would certainly not have been a large number of archaeological and historical documents revealed by the excavation and study of the underlying archaeological strata. The choice of temporary posting and permanent repositioning of the finds was justified by the result.”

Referring specifically to the Thessaloniki Metro project, she said: “In the context of the construction of the Thessaloniki Metro, the largest excavation research of a salvage nature ever carried out in the country was conducted, contributing to the reconstruction of the history of the city from its foundation in 316 BC to the beginning of the 20th century. The historical benefit of archaeological research throughout the project, particularly at Aghia Sophia and Venizelos stations, is enormous. The findings reflect the urban development of the urban fabric over time, at the height of the main street, which has always run through the city, in almost the same layout, from the 3rd century BC to the present day. The excavations have revealed the monumental image of the early Byzantine city, with imposing colonnaded marble squares on either side of the marble-paved road, while at the same time the extensive urban redesign of the public space in the 6th century BC is documented. At Venizelos station, the oldest building phases of Thessaloniki were revealed, from the Hellenistic period, documenting the foundation of Thessaloniki by Cassander in 316 BC and its development in the lowlands and towards the sea. In the context of the construction of the Metropolitan Railway of Thessaloniki, another “School” for the management, documentation, protection and promotion of antiquities emerged. Different from that of Athens: More modern, more dynamic, assimilating modern techniques and technological methods. However, its execution was exemplary, as it was carried out in full compliance with international standards and the relevant archaeological legislation.

The Ministry of Culture can be proud of the solutions it has provided, the knowledge it has gained and can offer to the scientific communities of engineers and archaeologists for the work it has done, in full cooperation with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Hellenic Metro, the contractor. Thessaloniki can be proud of something unique. A restored archaeological site integrated into a major technical public benefit project. But also an archaeological site that is organically integrated into the everyday life of the citizens. Every passenger, entering the Metro, comes into direct contact with the long history of the city. And this is a unique privilege of Thessaloniki on an international scale.

Concluding her statement, the Minister of Culture, referring to the Metropolitan Railway of Thessaloniki, stressed: “Cultural heritage does not falter the development prospects of our country. On the contrary, it is a comparative advantage and a multiplier of our economic and social progress”.

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