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No.61, October 2004 | Contex HOME FROM THE CHAIR ROSE BAILLIE Pride and Prejudice Some months ago I had the pleasure of attending a British Museum conference called ‘After Actium: New Archaeological Finds from Roman Greece’. This turned out to be a slightly misleading title. Although Greece figured strongly, notably with striking new finds from Augustus’ victory city Nicopolis, there were also lectures on Butrint in Albania and sites in Libya. This gave some insight into how other counties confront the common problems of archaeology. There were large excavations in the heart of ancient cities like Athens and Thessaloniki undertaking as part of major infrastructure projects, such as building the sub-way for the Olympic games. Other unplanned rescue excavations had to be undertaken where new building or the accidents of nature exposed ancient remains. I suspect there was a time when Roman sites and finds from Greece might have been held in less regard by the Greeks themselves than those from periods of Greek independence and cultural awakening. There are similar tensions in Albania and Libya between the desire to promote the indigenous culture and acknowledging the striking impact of the Latin interlopers. Now there is a more balanced realisation that the first four centuries AD in the eastern Mediterranean were generally a period of growth and prosperity that left some very significant traces. Proper study and display of these remains can by dividends, both for the knowledge gained and for their potential as tourist attractions. It is difficult to establish a hierarchy of archaeological priorities. Harder still when national pride also comes into play. |
