[MGSA-L] Greek treasures take a hit

June Samaras june.samaras at gmail.com
Fri Sep 14 22:42:38 PDT 2012


http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012/09/13/greek-treasures-take-a-hit/57779798/1

Greek treasures take a hit
by Nikolia Apostolou, Special for USA TODAY Updated 1d 1h ago

ATHENS -- They survived wars, plunderers, earthquakes, millions of
tourists and nearly 2,000 years of time. But they may not survive
Greece's debt crisis.
The great ruins of ancient Greek civilization are being imperiled by
massive budget cuts Greece is imposing to qualify for European bailout
funds after years of overspending, say preservation experts.
"Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus are in danger of
falling down," said Despina Koutsoumba, head of the Association of
Greek Archaeologists.
The carved stone statues and structures that are out in the open and
important to the country's tourism industry usually receive
restoration work after every winter.
However, Hadrian's Arch, a Roman triumphal gateway, and the Temple of
Zeus, named for the greatest of the Greek gods, received no care this
year because of budget cuts. They are among many examples of Greek
culture that face possible erosion, Koutsoumba says.
The Ministry of Culture's budget has been cut by 50% over the past two
years, and deputy minister of culture Kostas Tzavaras says another 50%
cut looms. But many here say that even if the cuts are a long time
coming, they do not have to result in a reduction in care for Greece's
architectural treasures.
The Ministry of Culture has been renowned more for its spending sprees
and ineptitude than its protection of monuments, analysts say.

Former Culture minister Pavlos Geroulanos said he would resign after
robbers stole dozens of priceless artifacts in February from a museum.
Some of the bronze and pottery pieces dated from the ninth century
B.C. and were protected by a single guard at the Archaeological Museum
of the history of the Ancient Olympic Games.

Still, the Culture Ministry says it has no choice but to pare back on
things like paid security guards.
"I didn't come like Santa Claus," Tzavaras said. "I don't have money
to give away, like other ministers did."
Greece's growth has been negative for six consecutive years. Its debt
levels total 165% of overall economic output, compared with 108% for
Ireland.
The fourth round of austerity measures will be implemented this month
by the Greek government under the auspices of the International
Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and the European Commission.
Tourism accounted for 15% of Greece's economy in 2010 and employs
about one-fifth of the country's 4 million workers, well above the
2010 average for Europe. Many come here to relax on the Greek isles of
the Aegean Sea, but most come to see the wonders of one of the
greatest of all civilizations.

Greece has 210 museums, 250 active archaeological digs and 19,000
designated archaeological sites and historical monuments.
Thodoris Pelagidis, economics professor at the University of Piraeus,
could not say if the spending on the Culture Ministry budget was too
high.
"There are people that devote themselves to the antiquities and work
day and night," he says. "But, there are also the well-known
inefficiencies."
One reason the budget is being cut is because there are fewer things
to protect, the government says. According to the Looting Department,
antiquity and art theft has increased by 25% the past two years.

"War as well as financial crisis give individuals and organized groups
the opportunity to [grab] cultural artifacts with higher chances of
success," said Christos Tsirogiannis, forensic archaeologist. "The
financial crisis [in Greece] is forcing more people every day into
illegal acts for easy money."
But a rise in illegal excavations shows that the budget cuts are
costing Greece money and treasure, say preservationists.

"You see people that have nothing to do with archaeology wanting to
start digging up the earth," Koutsoumba says. "We used to have guards
on the lookout for possible illegal excavations that we don't have any
more â?? only 500 seasonal guards were hired this year, while last
year the number was 2,500."
Analysts say that more than 80% of looted antiquities are smuggled
abroad, where they command high prices, and the budget cuts are making
it difficult to recover the pieces.
"It is impossible to trace the criminals who operate daily throughout
Greece with only 38 policemen in Athens and Thessaloniki (devoted to
this)," said Tsirogiannis, who has worked with the Greek police art
squad.
"Greece needs more people to guard, protect and examine the phenomenon
of looting, more experts, specifically educated and experienced
archaeologists, policemen and scientists, to fight this kind of
crime," Tsirogiannis said. "This type of crime robs us of our past and
therefore of our future."

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June Samaras
2020 Old Station Rd
Streetsville,Ontario
Canada L5M 2V1
Tel : 905-542-1877
E-mail : june.samaras at gmail.com



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