The Greek Archaeological Committee UK takes great pleasure in inviting you to its third “Annual Matti Egon lecture” (GACUK’S 67th lecture), titled “From Heroon to Church: the eventful life of the Episkopi of Sikinos” by Dr Demetrios Athanasoulis, Director of the Ephorates of Antiquities of the Cyclades and the Dodecanese, Hellenic Ministry of Culture, on Tuesday 3rd December 2024, at 7pm (UK time), in the Great Hall of the Hellenic Centre, 16-18, Paddington Street, Marylebone, London W1U 5AS.
To participate, it is necessary to register in advance, so please click on the following link:
https://buytickets.at/gacuk/145556
You will then have the choice to reserve a place at the Hellenic Centre or watch the lecture on LiveMedia TV. A link to view online will be published before the event.
You will also have the choice to support us by giving us a donation.
Dr Demetrios Athanasoulis graduated in Archaeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He was awarded a D.E.A. from the Université Paris I – Panthéon-Sorbonne and a Ph.D. in Byzantine Archaeology from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He is currently the Director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades and the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Dodecanese (Hellenic Ministry of Culture).
He has served as Curator of the Byzantine monuments of Elis (Peloponnese) and Director of Byzantine Antiquities of Arcadia, Argolid and Corinthia, expert archaeologist of the Council of Europe, member of the Board of the European Center of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments as well as at the Central Archaeological Council. He has been a lecturer at the University of Peloponnese, the National Centre for Public Administration and Local Government and a scholar of the British School of Archaeology in Oxford as well as the German School of Archaeology in Berlin.
Dr Athanasoulis has conducted numerous archaeological field research projects in the Peloponnese and the Cyclades. He has planned and implemented large-scale European programmes for the enhancement of monuments, digital applications and research as well as dozens of restoration projects of Byzantine churches, such as Hagia Moni (Nafplio) and Panagia Steiri (Corinthia), in various castles of the Peloponnese (Chloumoutzi, Acrocorinth, Acronauplia, Larisa of Argos, Hagionori, Karytaina), and in important monuments of the Cyclades (Episkopi of Sikinos, church of Hagios Ioannis Theologos st’Aphikli and Hagios Isidoros Atsipapi in Naxos, Portico of Philip V, Temple of Apollo and Granite Palestra in Delos, etc.).
He has conceived, planned and established new archaeological museums (Byzantine Museum in Argos, Thematic Museum of Crusaders in Kyllene Castle, Archaeological Museum of Kythnos, Museum cluster in Chora Castle of Naxos). He conducted the renovations of the archaeological museums of Mykonos and Delos and has organised iconic archaeological exhibitions in Greece: “Vanity”, “Thera Wall paintings: the Treasure of the Prehistoric Aegean”, and abroad: ‘Pompei e Santorini’.
As a member of scientific committees of international conferences and National Coordinator for the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, he has participated and has published numerous papers and articles in the fields of Byzantine architecture and archaeology, as well as of management of cultural heritage. He has also been editor of catalogues of archaeological exhibitions. His meticulous restoration work on the iconoclastic Byzantine frescoes in the 8th century church of Hagia Kyriaki of Naxos (2018) and the restoration of the Episkopi of Sikinos, a roman mausoleum converted into a Byzantine church (2022) resulted in two Europa Nostra Awards.
The monument of Episkopi on Sikinos, one of the smallest Cycladic islands, is a heroon, dating from the 3rd century. Because of its conversion to a Byzantine church, it was continuously used and has therefore survived nearly intact. Its ancient structure, combined with interventions from several historical periods, offers an incomparable palimpsest of archaeological periods that is rarely preserved in ancient monuments. Severely affected by destructive earthquakes and human interventions throughout the centuries, the monument was abandoned in the 20th century.
The impressive heroon that was created on the verge of Late Antiquity, has been an important landmark for the island of Sikinos throughout the centuries. The archaeological research that took place during its restoration significantly increased knowledge of funerary monuments of the Roman period in the Eastern Mediterranean region as well as of Cycladic Byzantine churches. During the restoration work on Episkopi, important features such as inscriptions and remnants of Roman and Byzantine wall paintings were found. The most important find was the hermetically sealed deviant burial of a woman of high rank, named ‘Neiko’, which was dated to the 2nd century.
This promises to be a fascinating, illustrated presentation by a diligent archaeologist and I very much hope that you will join us on Tuesday, 3rd December 2024.