9-10.06.2018 | Two-day conference “The work of magic art”: History, uses and meanings of the Incantadas monument in Thessaloniki
Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki: 9 June 2018
Museum of the Ancient Agora of Thessaloniki: 10 June2018
The Incantadas or the Enchanted Ones, the sculptures of a Roman colonnade of Thessaloniki, taken away by the paleographer Emmanuel Miller in 1864 and ending up in the Louvre, constitute a charming story through which we can reconstruct the past and the present of the city. An ancient past, Roman and Byzantine; an Ottoman past, connected with the different ethnic and religious groups that lived there from the 15th century until the beginning of the 20th century; and a recent past, interwoven with the history of Thessaloniki as the second largest city of the modern Greek state.
Nowadays, the Incantadas, "the work of magic art" as they have been presented by the travellers Stuart and Revett reflecting the beliefs of the Salonikans of the 18th century, seem to be coming back to the city, both literally and symbolically. Although for decades the sculptures had been forgotten, their history is currently being rewritten, influencing debates on cultural memory and local identity, the organization of public space as well as the management of the city's material remains and their representation. Such debates are also fueled by the "return" of some accurate copies of the Incantadas in 2015, and, from September 2017, their exhibition at the portico of the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki.
The two-day workshop, organized in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Thessaloniki City and the University of Ioannina (Department of Fine Arts and Art Sciences - Laboratory of History of Art), aims to provide an overview of the research concerning the history, interpretation, uses and social significance of the monument. It aspires to approach the monument through a variety of perspectives (archaeological, anthropological, museological, historical and other), making the history of the Incantadas a key point concerning the perception and use of local archaeological heritage from the Roman times until nowadays
Information:
Styliana Galiniki, Archaeologist, Head of the Department of Lithics, Wall-paintings and Mosaics Collections, Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, sgkaliniki@culture.gr, t.: +30 2313310254
Esther Solomon, Assistant Professor in Museum Studies, University of Ioannina, estersol@hotmail.com, t.: +30 26510059932
