The interpretation of ancient Greek inscriptions in the museum The motive for this survey was the observation that the ancient Greek inscriptions, when exhibited in museums, are always also accompanied and interpreted by museum texts.... more
The interpretation of ancient Greek inscriptions in the museum
The motive for this survey was the observation that the ancient Greek inscriptions, when exhibited in museums, are always also accompanied and interpreted by museum texts. The museal interpretation of an inscription, an object and text at the same time, among other means and by a written museum text, seems to constitute a recycling and self-referential relationship of these two elements. The investigation of this relationship between exhibited object and museum text, also involves the examination of other interpretative methods used by museums for the interpretation of inscribed artefacts, and also the survey for new or alternative ways of their presentation.
Initially are analyzed all the versatile cultural attributes, references and links of an inscribed stone column, the “Diocletian’s price edict”, an inscription of the later Roman times, which is exhibited in the Epigraphic Museum of Athens,. The purpose of this analysis, according to a specific pattern of degradation and reconstruction of attributes, functions and concepts of individual samples (and collections) of material culture, is to present as much as possible holistically, the above characteristics, so that the breadth of issues that an inscription can touch, can be seen, along with the richness and variety of information that similar objects communicate to us. The aim of this extensive cultural analysis, which starts with an overview of the history of ancient Greek language, writing, and epigraphy, is to be a yardstick for interpretative approaches of certain museums, which are dealt with in detail below.
The exhibition techniques, indicating the museological concept and imprinted in different museographical forms, the visual material mainly in the form of museum texts, activities involving the public, such as guided tours and educational programs, publications and a variety of extroverted actions, are the means, more or less (successfully) used by most of the museums that have got and display inscriptions. As the Museum texts seem to play an important role in the interpretive process of inscriptions, the axes and principles which move the debate on museum texts, within the contemporary context of museum studies, are given beforehand. These tools are examined in a series of museums, which also exhibit inscribed documents. These museums are the Epigraphic Museum in Athens, the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, Chios’ Archaeological Museum and the Archaeological Museum of Delphi. However not only the inscriptions written in Greek, or the ones incised in a hard raw material are considered as epigraphic material. Precisely for this reason, the investigation extends to three more museums, the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art, the exhibit on the Egyptian Hieroglyphic Writing in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens and the Museum of E. Venizelos of Athens.
The data provided by the study of the above museums juxtaposed and combined with the results of limited visitor research, lead to observations (conclusions) on the applied (or not) interpretative practices of museums. These can be summarized in four areas
• In the necessity of treatment, visual material of textual nature, for the interpretation of the inscriptions.
• In the role that new technology can play in the presentation and interpretation of inscribed monuments.
• In the importance of creating thematic exhibits in museums, in which the inscriptions will be incorporated into conceptual frameworks
• In the mediating service of the human factor for the communication of messages through the implementation of Museum activities.
Finally, fragmentarily and experimentally, a Web page, an interactive digital application is proposed, as a potential alternative presentation form of an inscription, “the Diocletian’s price edict”. This specific proposal in the form of a sketch, seeks to demonstrate the benefits of similar applications for the interpretive – educational role of the Museum and to present a different form of provision of information, and finally argue that, although perhaps not the proposed, there certainly are ways, so that such applications do not distract and attract entirely the visitor's interest, but rather are able to promote the conversation with the real object and the variety of cultural features which it integrates.
The motive for this survey was the observation that the ancient Greek inscriptions, when exhibited in museums, are always also accompanied and interpreted by museum texts. The museal interpretation of an inscription, an object and text at the same time, among other means and by a written museum text, seems to constitute a recycling and self-referential relationship of these two elements. The investigation of this relationship between exhibited object and museum text, also involves the examination of other interpretative methods used by museums for the interpretation of inscribed artefacts, and also the survey for new or alternative ways of their presentation.
Initially are analyzed all the versatile cultural attributes, references and links of an inscribed stone column, the “Diocletian’s price edict”, an inscription of the later Roman times, which is exhibited in the Epigraphic Museum of Athens,. The purpose of this analysis, according to a specific pattern of degradation and reconstruction of attributes, functions and concepts of individual samples (and collections) of material culture, is to present as much as possible holistically, the above characteristics, so that the breadth of issues that an inscription can touch, can be seen, along with the richness and variety of information that similar objects communicate to us. The aim of this extensive cultural analysis, which starts with an overview of the history of ancient Greek language, writing, and epigraphy, is to be a yardstick for interpretative approaches of certain museums, which are dealt with in detail below.
The exhibition techniques, indicating the museological concept and imprinted in different museographical forms, the visual material mainly in the form of museum texts, activities involving the public, such as guided tours and educational programs, publications and a variety of extroverted actions, are the means, more or less (successfully) used by most of the museums that have got and display inscriptions. As the Museum texts seem to play an important role in the interpretive process of inscriptions, the axes and principles which move the debate on museum texts, within the contemporary context of museum studies, are given beforehand. These tools are examined in a series of museums, which also exhibit inscribed documents. These museums are the Epigraphic Museum in Athens, the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, Chios’ Archaeological Museum and the Archaeological Museum of Delphi. However not only the inscriptions written in Greek, or the ones incised in a hard raw material are considered as epigraphic material. Precisely for this reason, the investigation extends to three more museums, the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art, the exhibit on the Egyptian Hieroglyphic Writing in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens and the Museum of E. Venizelos of Athens.
The data provided by the study of the above museums juxtaposed and combined with the results of limited visitor research, lead to observations (conclusions) on the applied (or not) interpretative practices of museums. These can be summarized in four areas
• In the necessity of treatment, visual material of textual nature, for the interpretation of the inscriptions.
• In the role that new technology can play in the presentation and interpretation of inscribed monuments.
• In the importance of creating thematic exhibits in museums, in which the inscriptions will be incorporated into conceptual frameworks
• In the mediating service of the human factor for the communication of messages through the implementation of Museum activities.
Finally, fragmentarily and experimentally, a Web page, an interactive digital application is proposed, as a potential alternative presentation form of an inscription, “the Diocletian’s price edict”. This specific proposal in the form of a sketch, seeks to demonstrate the benefits of similar applications for the interpretive – educational role of the Museum and to present a different form of provision of information, and finally argue that, although perhaps not the proposed, there certainly are ways, so that such applications do not distract and attract entirely the visitor's interest, but rather are able to promote the conversation with the real object and the variety of cultural features which it integrates.
An overview of both the theoretical approach and the set of actions taken during the last decade by Greece – a country with a profound historical background and rich cultural heritage – to face the problem of the illicit trade of cultural... more
An overview of both the theoretical approach and the set of actions taken during the last decade by Greece – a country with a profound historical background and rich cultural heritage – to face the problem of the illicit trade of cultural goods. The article contains not only statistical data on recent cases of thefts, clandestine excavations, confiscations, and repatriations of cultural goods but also information on law enforcement and the effort to establish a network to fight the phenomenon on an international level. Aspects such as conforming to the international law, monitoring auctions of antiquities, raising people's awareness, and reinforcing the current security status of museums and archeological sites are taken into consideration as successful methods for protecting the cultural heritage.
An overview of both the theoretical approach and the set of actions taken during the last decade by Greece – a country with a profound historical background and rich cultural heritage – to face the problem of the illicit trade of cultural... more
An overview of both the theoretical approach and the set of actions taken during the last decade by Greece – a country with a profound historical background and rich cultural heritage – to face the problem of the illicit trade of cultural goods. The article contains not only statistical data on recent cases of thefts, clandestine excavations, confiscations, and repatriations of cultural goods but also information on law enforcement and the effort to establish a network to fight the phenomenon on an international level. Aspects such as conforming to the international law, monitoring auctions of antiquities, raising people's awareness, and reinforcing the current security status of museums and archeological sites are taken into consideration as successful methods for protecting the cultural heritage.
An overview of both the theoretical approach and the set of actions taken during the last decade by Greece – a country with a profound historical background and rich cultural heritage – to face the problem of the illicit trade of cultural... more
An overview of both the theoretical approach and the set of actions taken during the last decade by Greece – a country with a profound historical background and rich cultural heritage – to face the problem of the illicit trade of cultural goods. The article contains not only statistical data on recent cases of thefts, clandestine excavations, confiscations, and repatriations of cultural goods but also information on law enforcement and the effort to establish a network to fight the phenomenon on an international level. Aspects such as conforming to the international law, monitoring auctions of antiquities, raising people's awareness, and reinforcing the current security status of museums and archeological sites are taken into consideration as successful methods for protecting the cultural heritage.
- by christos koutsothanasis and +1
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An overview of both the theoretical approach and the set of actions taken during the last decade by Greece – a country with a profound historical background and rich cultural heritage – to face the problem of the illicit trade of cultural... more
An overview of both the theoretical approach and the set of actions taken during the last decade by Greece – a country with a profound historical background and rich cultural heritage – to face the problem of the illicit trade of cultural goods. The article contains not only statistical data on recent cases of thefts, clandestine excavations, confiscations, and repatriations of cultural goods but also information on law enforcement and the effort to establish a network to fight the phenomenon on an international level. Aspects such as conforming to the international law, monitoring auctions of antiquities, raising people's awareness, and reinforcing the current security status of museums and archeological sites are taken into consideration as successful methods for protecting the cultural heritage.
An overview of both the theoretical approach and the set of actions taken during the last decade by Greece-a country with a profound historical background and rich cultural heritage-to face the problem of the illicit trade of cultural... more
An overview of both the theoretical approach and the set of actions taken during the last decade by Greece-a country with a profound historical background and rich cultural heritage-to face the problem of the illicit trade of cultural goods. The article contains not only statistical data on recent cases of thefts, clandestine excavations, confiscations, and repatriations of cultural goods but also information on law enforcement and the effort to establish a network to fight the phenomenon on an international level. Aspects such as conforming to the international law, monitoring auctions of antiquities, raising people's awareness, and reinforcing the current security status of museums and archeological sites are taken into consideration as successful methods for protecting the cultural heritage.