Journey to the land of the Macedonians through the new dedicated publication of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation and Eurobank EFG

The cradle of Macedonian civilisation, Pella, is this year’s destination of the publication programme ''The Museums Cycle'', which is consistently overseen and funded by the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation and Eurobank EFG, thus contributing to the continuous promotion of our country’s cultural heritage.

By combining scientific thoroughness and aesthetic quality, the 396-page dedicated publication attempts to showcase the multitude of findings of the excavations in the capital of the ancient Macedonians, which are now hosted at the new Archaeological Museum of Pella, a state-of-the-art museum with a surface area of 6,000 m2, which is in full harmony with the surrounding archaeological site and has been operating since 2009.

In the publication’s foreword, Mr Pavlos Geroulanos, Minister of Culture and Tourism, points out the great importance of this publication project, stressing that

“Τoday more than ever, we need initiatives and actions, which promote the new face of Greece, the modern ways in which we honour, protect and showcase the work of previous generations.”

Ms Marianna Latsis highlighted how "The Cycle of Museums" helps bring the reader into contact with the past and the present of Greek cultural creation; indeed, in her foreword, she states that:

“Under the current social and economic circumstances, looking at the past by visiting, physically or through books, our country’s archaeological museums is not a nostalgic behaviour. On the contrary, it is a necessary reflection on our roots and the evolution of Greek civilisation throughout the millennia, which helps us to grasp and define the type and size of our modern problems.”

In the preface, the authors of the book, archaeologists Ms Maria Lilimbaki-Akamati, Mr Ioannis M. Akamatis, Ms Anastasia Chrysostomou and Mr Pavlos Chrysostomou stress that:

“This publication, which perfectly reflects the greatness of the area, presents the archaeological work carried out in Pella, Archontiko, as well as the wider region as a whole, as it is known today from archaeological research, with simple texts written by the excavators-researchers –which are also addressed to those who do not have specialised knowledge– and many photographs.” “One could say that Pella is now a model archaeological area, where visitors have the opportunity to understand –by visiting the two core parts, which are closely associated with one another, i.e. the archaeological site and the museum– the urban planning of an ancient megalopolis and all its organisational structures, as well as the public and everyday life of its residents.”

This publication, like all the previous ones, is not available on the market. However, it can be accessed in digital format, in Greek and in English, through the e-Library of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation. The previous twelve publications of ''The Museums Cycle'' are also available in electronic format on the same website. Like every year, hundreds of copies of the publication will be sent free of charge by the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation to the departments of archaeology of Greek and foreign universities, competent services of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, foreign schools and institutes of archaeology and selected libraries in Greece and abroad.

Ms Irene Louvrou was the general supervisor of the book dedicated to the ‘Archaeological Museum of Pella’, which is illustrated with photographs by Mr Socrates Mavromatis. Mr Dimitris Kalokyris carried out the design and preparation of the artwork. The printing was undertaken by the company Fotolio & Typicon SA, Indigo Graphics SA implemented the colour separation, and Stamou Ltd carried out the binding. The translation into English was undertaken by Ms Judy Giannakopoulou.

The e-book is available here.