The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, in collaboration with the Friends of AMTh Association, welcomes Dr. Eleni-Eva Toubakari, Civil Engineer, Head of the Department of Archaeological Projects & Studies, Ephorate of Antiquities of West Attica (former Head of the Studies Department, Directorate for the Restoration of Ancient Monuments, 2014-2023), with the lecture "Stabilization, restoration, and enhancement of the archaeological site of Eleusis: studies and projects during the period 2018-2023".
The sanctuary of Eleusis was one of the most important religious centers of the ancient world. From the Mycenaean period until the end of the 4th century AD, Demeter, goddess of nature, agriculture, and rural life, was continuously worshipped there along with her daughter, Persephone. The practice of worship stopped with the issuance of the decree of Emperor Theodosius I in 392 AD, at which point the Sanctuary was permanently closed. Life in the area continued during the Byzantine years and gradually, on the remains of the Sanctuary, a small settlement was built.
The first excavations at the site began in 1812 by the antiquarian society of the Dilettanti. However, the systematic excavation and uncovering of the site was the work of the Archaeological Society at Athens, which started in 1882 and continued until the early 1990s. Nevertheless, the state of preservation of the archaeological site, with numerous archaeological trenches still open, combined with the density of the remains, made it difficult to interpret and did not reflect its value. In addition, many remains presented structural problems and required urgent protection and stabilization. There was, therefore, a great need to initiate systematic actions for stabilization, protection, and enhancement. To avoid disparate or unbalanced interventions, it was necessary, apart from having very good knowledge of the archaeological pre-existence, to adopt an overall approach, which was ensured with the drafting and approval in 2017 of the first Framework Plan for the archaeological site.
The presentation will focus on the studies prepared and the project implemented during the years 2018-2023. Through the presentation of specific actions, the philosophy guiding the design of the interventions will be demonstrated, which consists in preserving the harmonious coexistence of the different monumental remains, both typologically and chronologically, without any one dominating the others, that is, without imposing one historical period over the others. The preservation and enhancement of the diachrony of the ruins of the archaeological site of Eleusis will be connected to the concept of the ruin as a special category within the broader set of monuments.
The project "Stabilization, restoration, and enhancement of the archaeological site of Eleusis - Phase A" is a co-funded program implemented within the framework of the Operational Program "Attica 2014-2020" by the Directorate for the Restoration of Ancient Monuments and the Ephorate of Antiquities of West Attica of the Ministry of Culture.
