The Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies at Athens is inviting you to the 4th Theoretical seminar of the series “Cultural Heritage Management: Laws, regulations, innovative practices, participation of local communities, the impact of climate change and European initiatives”. It is mainly directed to graduate students and early career researchers. The seminar will be held online and in order to reserve a post please register via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-theoretical-seminar-on-cultural-heritage-management-tickets-818156878247. It will take place on Thursday, February 8th at 19.00 pm (Greece time), 17.00 (Ireland time), 12.00 pm (Standard Eastern time).
Cultural Heritage Management: Laws, regulations, innovative practices, participation of local communities, the impact of climate change and European initiatives.
4th Theoretical Seminar (Online)
“Corinth’s Master Plan: A Collaborative Project Towards an Inclusive, Interactive and Sustainable Heritage”
By Panagiota Kassimi, Director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Corinthia.
Ivi Nanopoulou, Head of the architectural firm of Papagiannis and Associates. Design consultant for the management plan.
Ioulia Tzonou, Associate Director of the Corinth Excavations of the American School of Classical Studies.
Abstract
People have been living in Corinth for the last nine millennia. A diverse, multi-ethnic and polyglot community has resided here since antiquity, and in the modern day this diversity persists as locals interact daily with tourists, students, and scholars from all over the world. Since 1896, archaeologists affiliated with the American School of Classical Studies have been exploring the site in a productive collaborative effort with local archaeologists, technicians, and workers under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Ephoreia of Antiquities of Corinthia. Our day-to-day work on site serves to emphasize that it is a creation of people before us and like us. Corinth’s universal value for human history and patrimony is exactly this coexistence of the archaeological landscape with a thriving living community in a most advantageous setting in terms of resources and potential for development. A master plan for this landscape was initiated in 2001 and has been building momentum in the last 8 years. Three bodies, the Ephoreia of Antiquities of the Corinthia with the Ministry of Culture, the ASCSA-Corinth Excavations, and the architectural office of Papagiannis and Associates, are the leading forces behind the process to make the site enjoyable and understandable to both locals and tourists, archaeologists, and the general public. In this seminar we discuss how this whole process of the master plan has been evolving as the interests of the various stakeholders are reconciled: for example, the architects’ interest in integrating the site with the modern community; the archaeologists’ interest in preserving the complexity of the site for future research, and at the same time inviting the public to actively participate rather than passively consume knowledge; and the ministry’s interest in prioritizing site access and clarity for the sake of tourism. In Corinth we aspire to share our knowledge of the past with the local and the global community for an inclusive, interactive and sustainable heritage. We believe our shared humanity from the past to the present can help us educate future generations for a world of empathy.
