Since 1997, the Latsis Group and Eurobank EFG, under the auspices and coordination of the Latsis Foundation, publish annually a volume devoted to a single archaeological museum, aiming to create a series whose scholarly prestige and aesthetic approach would contribute to a deeper knowledge and further understanding of the various aspects of the history of Greek civilisation.
This cultural journey began in 1997 with the Benaki Museum, whose treasures constitute the cultural mosaic of Hellenism throughout the centuries. The journey continued in the following year, ascending the Holy Rock of the Acropolis, where the old Acropolis Museum stands next to the Parthenon. In 2001, the Foundation΄s compass pointed towards the less known Archaeological Museum of Piraeus, which had a happy surprise in store for all of us: the discovery, through its exhibits, of life in a city that embodied the principles and values of Athenian Democracy. In 2002 we travelled further west, visiting one of the most important and sacred sanctuaries of the ancient world, the Elefsis Archaeological Site, the place of worship dedicated to Demeter, the goddess of earth, vegetation, fertility and hope.
The return of the Olympic Games to the land of their birth directed the Foundation towards Delos, the mythical birthplace of Apollo, one of the great gods of the Greek pantheon. In 2004, our archaeological tour brought us to Macedonia a land that yielded antiquities of inestimable value. The most important amongst them are presented in the volume dedicated to the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki.
Crete constitutes one of the first chapters in the centuries-long history of Hellenic culture. At this Mediterranean crossroads, a unique cultural product was created, reflecting the social composition, religious framework and economic development of the island. Thousands of masterpieces of Minoan civilisation are housed in the Archaeological Museum of Herakleion and are reproduced in the Foundation΄s publication. In 2006, the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation visitedThe Archaeological Museum of Delphi and its archaeological site, which was linked to prophecy and was known as the omphalos (navel) of the earth.
Terminus of the Foundation's cultural journey, which began in 1997 and is still continued, is the publication, dedicated to the National Archaeological Museum. By thumbing through its pages, the reader is initiated into the "diachronia" of the ancient Hellenic art as a whole. Through the Museum's allure and the exhibits' richness, a votary of arts could synthesise and analyse the route of Hellenism with a parallel reduction to the daily life of the ancient Greek societies from the early Neolithic to the Roman ages. The unique exhibits are presented in the galleries of a monumental building of the 19th century, a representative example of the contemporary architectural heritage and an important guardian of the history, the collective consciousness and the cultural heritage of our country.
The return of the Olympic Games to the land of their birth directed the Foundation towards Delos, the mythical birthplace of Apollo, one of the great gods of the Greek pantheon. In 2004, our archaeological tour brought us to Macedonia a land that yielded antiquities of inestimable value. The most important amongst them are presented in the volume dedicated to the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki.
Crete constitutes one of the first chapters in the centuries-long history of Hellenic culture. At this Mediterranean crossroads, a unique cultural product was created, reflecting the social composition, religious framework and economic development of the island. Thousands of masterpieces of Minoan civilisation are housed in the Archaeological Museum of Herakleion and are reproduced in the Foundation΄s publication. In 2006, the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation visitedThe Archaeological Museum of Delphi and its archaeological site, which was linked to prophecy and was known as the omphalos (navel) of the earth.
Terminus of the Foundation's cultural journey, which began in 1997 and is still continued, is the publication, dedicated to the National Archaeological Museum. By thumbing through its pages, the reader is initiated into the "diachronia" of the ancient Hellenic art as a whole. Through the Museum's allure and the exhibits' richness, a votary of arts could synthesise and analyse the route of Hellenism with a parallel reduction to the daily life of the ancient Greek societies from the early Neolithic to the Roman ages. The unique exhibits are presented in the galleries of a monumental building of the 19th century, a representative example of the contemporary architectural heritage and an important guardian of the history, the collective consciousness and the cultural heritage of our country.
The sacred site of Ancient Olympia underwent a terrible trial during the catastrophic fires of 2007. With it, the whole of humanity suffered, as the site is inextricably linked with the ideals of peace, reconciliation, noble competition and Olympism. The John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation’s publication of the book dedicated to the Archaeological Museum of Olympia in December 2008 was a gesture of homage to this world-renowned sacred site.
One year later, in 2009, the Foundation pays tribute to Marathon and the Archaeological Museum, on the occasion of the 2,500 years anniversary from the historic battle that forever lightened the Marathon landscape. This edition dedicated to Marathon gives the reader the opportunity to feel the aura of that great historic moment through exhibits and monuments that reveal the grandeur of the acts and the catholicity of the Marathon Fighter’s ideals, mainly symbolizing the triumph of humanism and freedom over despotism.
The twelfth volume of “The Museum Cycle” focuses on The Archaeological Museum of Thebes and was presented on December 2nd, 2010. The publication of this book helped expose and compliment the rich variety of archaeological discoveries the museum has been displaying throughout the years. This volume presents several works from the Paleolithic to the Byzantine period, many of which include gods, heroes or even regular human beings of the period. It gives the reader the chance to explore the art of Viotia, which greatly enriched both Greek art and the history and mythology of our country as a whole.
In 2011 the mosaic of publications is complemented by the capital city of the ancient Macedonians, Pella, which was the cradle of macedonian civilization. The book does not only present the new museum, which opened in 2009. The aim is for the reader to understand the complete archaeological work in Pella, the Mansion and the broader area, as it is currently known from archaeological research, with simple texts of the excavators-scientists as well as the operation and organisation structures of this major city of the antiquity.
All of these volumes, which are not available for purchase, were distributed gratis to selected recipients including universities, libraries, museums, departments of antiquities and various cultural organisations in Greece and abroad.
The twelfth volume of “The Museum Cycle” focuses on The Archaeological Museum of Thebes and was presented on December 2nd, 2010. The publication of this book helped expose and compliment the rich variety of archaeological discoveries the museum has been displaying throughout the years. This volume presents several works from the Paleolithic to the Byzantine period, many of which include gods, heroes or even regular human beings of the period. It gives the reader the chance to explore the art of Viotia, which greatly enriched both Greek art and the history and mythology of our country as a whole.
In 2011 the mosaic of publications is complemented by the capital city of the ancient Macedonians, Pella, which was the cradle of macedonian civilization. The book does not only present the new museum, which opened in 2009. The aim is for the reader to understand the complete archaeological work in Pella, the Mansion and the broader area, as it is currently known from archaeological research, with simple texts of the excavators-scientists as well as the operation and organisation structures of this major city of the antiquity.
All of these volumes, which are not available for purchase, were distributed gratis to selected recipients including universities, libraries, museums, departments of antiquities and various cultural organisations in Greece and abroad.
"The above article has been copied by the John Latsis Foundation website" www.latsis-foundation.org
We would like to thank the Foundation for this wonderful work of offering for free these books which can guide our guests through some of Greece's most amazing museums.
Hotel Segas - Your Home in Greece
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