NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Archaeological Museum of Pella
Voyage to the land of the Macedonians, in the new publication of the
John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation and Eurobank EFG
Pella, cradle of the Macedonian culture, is this year’s destination in “The Museums Cycle” programme of books that are published regularly and financed by the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation and Eurobank EFG, contributing to the constant promotion of our country’s cultural heritage.
Combining high scholarly standards with aesthetic quality, this 396-page book dedicated to Pella highlights the multitude of excavation finds from the ancient Macedonian capital, which are now housed in the new Archaeological Musem of Pella, a modern museum with an area of 6000 sq.m., in complete harmony with the surrounding archaeological site that has been open to the public since 2009.
In his foreword to the book, the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr Pavlos Yeroulanos, points out the special significance of this publishing venture, declaring that “today, more than ever before, we need initiatives and actions that put forward the new face of Greece, the modern ways in which we honour, protect and enhance the work of the generations who came before us.”
The contribution of the “Museums Cycle” to the reader’s contact with the present and past of Hellenic cultural creation is noted by Mrs Marianna Latsis in her introductory note: “In the present circumstances, both social and economic, looking into the past through these visits to the archaeological museums of our homeland, whether in person or through books, is not merely a form of nostalgia. On the contrary, it is a compelling examination of the roots and course of the Hellenic civilisation over the millennia of its existence that will help us understand and demarcate the nature and magnitude of our current problems.”
The authors of the book, archaeologists Maria Lilibaki-Akamati, Ioannis M. Akamatis, Anastasia Chrysostomou and Pavlos Chrysostomou, state in their preface that: “This book, which absolutely reflects the significance of the site, presents as a whole the archaeological work done in Pella, Archontiko and the broader region, as it has become known today through archaeological research, with concise texts by the excavator-scholars that are accessible to readers without specialised knowledge of the subject, and richly illustrated with photographs … Pella is now becoming a model archaeological site, on which the visitor – through its two integrally-linked core areas, the Museum and archaeological site – can understand the urban plan of a large ancient city, with all its organisational structures affecting both the public and private lives of its residents.”
Like all previous books, this publication is not available commercially. It is however, accessible in digital form in Greek and English from the electronic library of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation at www.latsis-foundation.org. On the same website can also be found the twelve previous volumes of the “Museums Cycle”. Hundreds of copies of this publication will be distributed free of charge by the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, as it does every year, to departments of archaeology in Greek and foreign universities, to the relevant services of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, to archaeological schools and institutes abroad, as well as to selected libraries in Greece and abroad.
This book dedicated to “The Archaeological Museum of Pella” was published under the supervision of Eirini Louvrou, with photography by Socratis Mavrommatis; its design and artistic supervision were by Dimitris Kalokyris. It was printed by Fotolio & Typicon SA; Indigo Graphics SA was responsible for the colour separations, and Stamou Ltd for the binding. The translation into English was by Judy Giannakopoulou.
The e-book can be viewed here.