Ruins and monuments in the face of modernity
Abstract
Following on from the events dedicated to cities organised over the past two years — the symposium on Thessaloniki and the series of lectures on major Mediterranean cities through the ages — this round-table discussion, organised as part of the CREE research group, under the patronage and with the support of the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and in partnership with Phonie-Graphie, brings together specialists in Modern Greek studies, comparative literature and Byzantine studies to discuss contemporary societies’ perception of ruins and, through them, of monuments in general. How does modernity measure itself against the remains that preceded it? In what ways do today’s communities engage with, utilise or reinvent the monumental traces of the past?
The Greek world, like the Roman world, through its monuments found across much of south-eastern Europe and the Middle East, is fully part of this debate.
The round table will examine the contemporary uses of this monumental heritage, ranging from heritage promotion to identity-based appropriation and tourism development. Particular attention will be paid to the various ways in which ruins today fuel the collective imagination and contribute to the construction of historical and cultural narratives. It will also provide an opportunity to reflect on the tensions that may exist between the preservation, presentation and reinterpretation of the remains of the past.
Programme
- 2.00 pm–2.20 pm: Opening addresses
- 2.20 pm–2.50 pm: Nicolas Mavrelos (Democritus University of Thrace): “From the monuments of the ancient world to those of the modern world: from the obelisk to At Meydan: Panagiotakis Nicusios and Nicolaos Mavrocordatos”.
- 2.50 pm–3.20 pm: Dimitrios Kargiotis (University of Strasbourg): “Leo von Klenze in Athens: the politics of ruins, between the poetic and the picturesque”.
- 3.20 pm–3.50 pm: Martha Vassiliadi (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki): “Pompeii: from the romantic ruin to the digital heterotopia”.
- 3.50 pm–4.20 pm: Discussion
- 4.20 pm–4.50 pm: Coffee break
- 4.50 pm–5.20 pm: Emmanuella Kantzia (University of Thessaly): "Kosmas Politis’s ‘lost neighbourhood’: On the literary geography of Patras".
- 5.20 pm–5.50 pm: Bart Soethaert (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki): “‘Castrology’ in the interwar period: from foreign ruins in the Morea to their re-inscription as places of memory and the imagination in travel literature”.
- 5.50 pm–6.20 pm: Marie-Hélène Congourdeau (CNRS) and Georges Kostakiotis (Inalco): "Narrative and monuments: presentation of the novel by Marie-Hélène Congourdeau, CNRS, *Le Juge de Thessalonique*, published by Salvator, 2026. In the presence of the author".
- 6.20 pm–7.00 pm: Discussion and debate with the audience
- 7.00 pm: Closing remarks
Organised by
- Georges Kostakiotis (CREE, Inalco)
- Martha Vassiliadi (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)