Museums and National Identity: The Case of the Parthenon Sculptures

The controversy over ownership for the Parthenon Sculptures between Britain and Greece questions the role of museums, specifically the British Museum, in the promotion of national identity in the late twentieth century. An analysis of this controversy suggests that museums, while helping maintain a national identity, also promote a global identity, albeit inadvertently. This paper seeks to examine the interaction between nationalism and museums, with a view to assessing what significance the Parthenon Sculptures have in the British Museum. Additionally, it attempts to presents the Greek demand for the return of these sculptures in context of the opening of the new Acropolis Museum in June of 2009 in Athens

Chapter Mostrare l’invisibile: il soffitto trecentesco nascosto del convento di Santa Caterina a Palermo

The 43rd UID conference, held in Genova, takes up the theme of ‘Dialogues’ as practice and debate on many fundamental topics in our social life, especially in these complex and not yet resolved times. The city of Genova offers the opportunity to ponder on the value of comparison and on the possibilities for the community, naturally focused on the aspects that concern us, as professors, researchers, disseminators of knowledge, or on all the possibile meanings of the discipline of representation and its dialogue with ‘others’, which we have broadly catalogued in three macro areas: History, Semiotics, Science / Technology. Therefore, “dialogue” as a profitable exchange based on a common language, without which it is impossible to comprehend and understand one another; and the graphic sign that connotes the conference is the precise transcription of this concept: the title ‘translated’ into signs, derived from the visual alphabet designed for the visual identity of the UID since 2017. There are many topics which refer to three macro sessions: - Witnessing (signs and history) - Communicating (signs and semiotics) - Experimenting (signs and sciences) Thanks to the different points of view, an exceptional resource of our disciplinary area, we want to try to outline the prevailing theoretical-operational synergies, the collaborative lines of an instrumental nature, the recent updates of the repertoires of images that attest and nourish the relations among representation, history, semiotics, sciences

From the Museum to the site and backwards

Digital archaeological reconstructions usually at documenting the original position of blocks and architectural elements of the building, both the ones on site and those exhibited in museums. Digital survey and representation provide the opportunity to place the fragments into the reconstruction model of the building, thus making the understanding of their shape and function much easier. A relevant difference between past and present reconstructions is the representation of the context and the landscape. The context is a relevant feature of watercolor ‘Restorations’ of the Grand Tour; on the other hand, in digital reconstructions the landscape is often neglected or reduced to a ‘background’ neutral image. The study evaluates the use of equirectangular images as a tool to reconnect the metopes of the Temple E of Selinunte, today in the Archaeological Museum Salinas of Palermo, with the temple itself and with the landscape of Selinunte. The backwards experiment aims at displaying the metopes attached to the ruins of the temple on site. The position of metopes in the 3D model of the temple allowed to reconstruct the position that a camera should have on site, in front of the Temple, to match the point of view of the visitor inside the hall. The alignment of equirectangular images allows, in the museum, the transition between the real view of the hall and the real view of the Temple and the landscape around, combined with the virtual view of the reconstruction with the metopes; on site, symmetrically, the transition between the real image of the temple and the virtual images of the metopes will show their original position

Living heritage rights : attitudes towards cultural property in the Hellenic diaspora

Do cultural objects have rights? This thesis looks at the flagship case of the Parthenon Marbles (also known as the "Elgin Marbles"). The case for restitution is examined from both official and popular viewpoints, in particular those of the British Museum, the Greek government and of Greek individuals living in Diaspora in cosmopolitan Montreal. It was found that both the Parthenon Marbles themselves, and the case for their restitution, are only familiar to Montreal-Greek individuals who have acquired a background in a relevant academic discipline, such as art history, classical studies, anthropology, or even political science. However, by exposing uninformed Montreal-Greeks to the arguments for and against the case for restitution, strong interest and attitudes leading to informal social mobilization were generated. This may be interpreted as pointing to Greek immigrants' profound need for cultural representation and visibility within multicultural Montreal. In the final section of this thesis, the Greek Government's notion of the Marbles being "Living Hellenic Ancestors" is examined. This thesis argues that cultural objects may hold "life potential" (as defined by Sven Ouzman in his 2006 article called ''The Beauty of Letting Go: Fragmentary Museums and Archaeologies of Archives" in the book Sensible Objects: Colonialism, Museums and Material Culture ) and, as such, should be the subjects of 'Living Heritage Rights.' This definition would in turn entitle them the to have cultural representatives appointed to determine and give effect to their needs and desires. It is argued that anthropologists have a role to play mediating international cultural property disputes by means of studying opposing parties' relationships to cultural artifacts on a grassroots level. With this information in hand, and through negotiations, it is suggested that committees of cultural representatives would be able to work out cultural accommodations and compromises, which would benefit any and all cultures concerned and also educate the public at large on human diversity and achievement

Expografia da ausência: a exposição da Galeria do Parthenon no Museu da Acrópole como uma narrativa para a repatriação

Esta pesquisa busca compreender como o rapto da cultura material é problematizado na atualidade pelo campo museal, a partir da análise da exposição proposta na Galeria do Parthenon, no Museu da Acrópole, que apresenta uma das coleções mais icônicas no cenário da repatriação: os Mármores do Parthenon. O trabalho identifica as estratégias expográficas presentes nessa proposta, que trazem à tona a sensibilização para o discurso da repatriação. O Museu Britânico, instituição que tem posse da maior parte da coleção dos Mármores do Parthenon, elabora um discurso de defesa e de permanência desses objetos por relacioná-los a artefatos da cultura universalista, enquanto o Museu de Acrópole, instituição que reivindica o retorno das peças ao território grego, defende a presença da coleção como importante elemento nacional e utiliza diversos argumentos para defender visualmente essa necessidade. A investigação centrou-se na metodologia de análise documental e bibliográfica, consultando fontes como livros, artigos, catálogo físico, site da instituição, visita virtual à exposição, vídeo institucional e filme. Para o embasamento teórico, foram trabalhados conceitos como o de patrimônio cultural, musealidade, exposição, curadoria e repatriação, contribuindo para estabelecer um diálogo com a produção de autores do campo da Museologia e do Patrimônio Cultural, como Cristina Bruno, Ivo Maroevic, Waldisa Rússio Camargo Guarnieri, Ângela Garcia Blanco, Marília Xavier Cury, Luiz Carlos Borges, Marília Braz Botelho, Karine Costa e Vasiliki Kynourgiopoulou. A investigação ressaltou a importância das exposições no contexto dos discursos sobre repatriação. Conclui que a construção do novo museu integra uma estratégia utilizada para neutralizar os argumentos contra a repatriação. Além disso, a experiência da exposição confronta a presença e a ausência dos elementos do patrimônio cultural. O Museu da Acrópole apresenta, assim, a ideia de uma expografia da ausência, criando uma relação única com a paisagem, arquitetura, espacialidade e a coleção, em uma proposta expositiva que constrói e reforça a narrativa sobre a necessidade da repatriação, influenciando movimentos semelhantes em outras instituições e países.This research seeks to comprehend how the abduction of material culture is questioned nowadays in the museal field, stemming from the analysis of the exposition proposed in the Parthenon Gallery, in the Acropolis Museum, which presents one of the most iconic collections in the repatriation scenario: the Parthenon Marbles. This work identifies the expographic strategies in the draft, which brings up the repatriation discourse sensitization. The British Museum, institution that holds the major part of the Parthenon Marbles collection, devises a discourse for the defense and sojourn of those objects by relating them to artifacts of an universalist culture, while the Acropolis Museum, institution that claims the return of the pieces to greek ground, defends the presence of the collection as an important national element and uses several arguments to visually defend this needing. The investigation focused on the methodology of bibliographic and documental analysis, consulting sources as books, articles, catalogues, institutional sites, virtual visits to the exhibition, and institutional videos and films. For the theoretical base were used concepts like cultural heritage, museal value, exhibition, curatorship and repatriation, contributing for setting dialogue with the production of authors from Museology and Cultural Heritage, as Cristina Bruno, Ivo Maroevic, Waldisa Rússio Camargo Guarnieri, Ângela Garcia Blanco, Marília Xavier Cury, Luiz Carlos Borges, Marília Braz Botelho, Karine Costa and Vasiliki Kynougiopoulou. The investigation highlighted the importance of the exhibitions in the context of repatriation discourses. Furthermore, the experience of the exhibition confronts the presence and absence of the cultural heritage elements. The Acropolis Museum thus presents the idea of an absence expography, creating a singular relation with the landscape, architecture, spatiality and the collection, in a exhibition proposal that constructs and reinforce the narrative about the needing of the repatriation, influencing similar movements in other institutions and countries

Roman portraiture and biometric identification

This project utilised three-dimensional scanning technology in the study of ancient Roman art and archaeology: Roman representations of faces executed in marble. In the cultural heritage sector, three-dimensional (3D) scanning finds its primary application in documenting and reconstructing objects and structures mostly of simple geometry: bones, pottery, architecture or the imprint of whole archaeological sites (Adolf 2011). In forensic science, the face is interesting from investigative and probative perspectives, including both recognition and identification. Biometric methods of facial recognition have been part of a plethora of computer science-based applications used in the verification of identity (Davy et al. 2005, Goodwin, Evison and Schofield 2010). The aim of this initial project is to provide objective relevant measurements of key facial features from the two ancient Roman portrait statue three-dimensional scans, which will allow the delineation of relationships between individual portraits including formal and stylistics aspects. The work described in this paper proposal is truly multidisciplinary, it touches on many fields including : Classical archaeologies (specifically ancient art history in the period of the Roman Empire 31BC - AD400), Forensic Anthropology (specifically physical anthropology and human osteology, Facial Biometrics (specifically uniquely recognising humans based upon their intrinsic physical traits and features) and Computer Science and Statistics (specifically the analysis of large complex multi-dimensional data sets)

Roman portraiture and biometric identification

This project utilised three-dimensional scanning technology in the study of ancient Roman art and archaeology: Roman representations of faces executed in marble. In the cultural heritage sector, three-dimensional (3D) scanning finds its primary application in documenting and reconstructing objects and structures mostly of simple geometry: bones, pottery, architecture or the imprint of whole archaeological sites (Adolf 2011). In forensic science, the face is interesting from investigative and probative perspectives, including both recognition and identification. Biometric methods of facial recognition have been part of a plethora of computer science-based applications used in the verification of identity (Davy et al. 2005, Goodwin, Evison and Schofield 2010). The aim of this initial project is to provide objective relevant measurements of key facial features from the two ancient Roman portrait statue three-dimensional scans, which will allow the delineation of relationships between individual portraits including formal and stylistics aspects. The work described in this paper proposal is truly multidisciplinary, it touches on many fields including : Classical archaeologies (specifically ancient art history in the period of the Roman Empire 31BC - AD400), Forensic Anthropology (specifically physical anthropology and human osteology, Facial Biometrics (specifically uniquely recognising humans based upon their intrinsic physical traits and features) and Computer Science and Statistics (specifically the analysis of large complex multi-dimensional data sets)

Discourses of cultural heritage in times of crisis:The case of the Parthenon Marbles

The paper focuses on the commodification and politicisation of cultural heritage using as a case study the ongoing debate on the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the U.K. to Greece, recently reignited by the press release for the movie The Monuments Men in 2014. Greece has been in the throes of a severe financial crisis for over six years with the ever imminent threat of Grexit constantly disputed. In parallel with this ongoing turmoil, discourses of Greek antiquity have been persistently prominent in the media. In this context, we problematise the complex nexus of relationships between the financial crisis, national identity and cultural heritage. We combine the Discourse-Historical Approach and Interactional Sociolinguistics drawing data from an online forum, and investigate how the users negotiate pro-/anti-return positions and make the financial crisis relevant in the argumentation process. The analysis shows that history, identity, value, and debt are recontextualised in relation to the Parthenon sculptures. The analysis identifies an underlying process of value trade off and brings the current political and economic environment to the fore. We close the paper by foregrounding the implications of our study and provide directions for further research