Canadian Movie Night and Kick Off to the Holiday Season

The now famous “Canadian Movie Night” of the Athens Friends’ Association of CIG will take place on Wednesday, December 9^th at 19:30 in the Library of the Institute. As in the past the Canadian Embassy has assisted us in obtaining the 2013 Canadian film “The Grand Seduction” directed by Don McKellar. This film was shown last September at the Athens International Film Festival.

The film is about a dying Newfoundland fishing outpost community of Tickle Head mounting a wild scheme to draw a petroleum byproducts factory to save the unemployed inhabitants from dispersal. For this to happen it needs 250 residents and a full time doctor. It's a remake of "Seducing Doctor Lewis", a French Canadian movie. The Grand Seduction stars Brendan Gleeson as Murray, Taylor Kitsch as Dr. Paul Lewis, Liane Balaban as Kathleen and Gordon Pinsent as Simon. The Grand Seduction is in the same genre as “Billy Elliott”, “The Full Monty”, “Waking Ned Devine” and “Brassed Off”. As Roger Ebert observes, “for a supposedly feather-light comedy, "The Grand Seduction" is unusually interested in the fate of traditional labor in a cruel global economy. The town's deception of Paul has a metaphorical dimension—all over the world, communities are rejecting their proud pasts and adopting new identities to survive—but it's one that's never emphasized at the expense of laughs and sentiment.” I saw the film last year and it brought many smiles and some sniffles as the convoluted plot unfolds with some brilliant acting. This will be an excellent portion of “Canadian Content” to slake your hunger temporarily for things so far away in True North!

Our December Friends’ Association event is also the time of our annual holiday season reception afterwards. Jonathan will prepare his special mulled wine, Sarah and Vicki will fix even tastier nibbles and Xristougenniatika glyka will complete the celebration. We will also say fond farewells to Vicki Newson as her three-month internship comes to an end the following week, alas.

Cordially,
David Rupp
Director

The Fred Winter Collection

Didyma, three sofa capitals from wall-piers of great walled court, or adyton (Professor Fred Winter, 1966)

The Fred Winter Collection

Miletos, Harbour Ave., reassembled Ionic top drum, capital and entablature (scroll-frieze) (Professor Fred Winter, 1966)

When West met East and Archaeology at the University of Athens

In the 7^th and 6^th centuries BC ancient Laconia was a vital part of the Greek world in terms of cultural activities and of artisan production. The region had trade connections with the islands of the eastern Aegean, the Asia Minor coast and as far east as Lydian Sardis.

This coming Wednesday, November 18^th, Professor Gerald P. Schaus (Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University) will give an illustrated lecture entitled “Laconia and East Greece: Cultural Exchange in the Archaic Period”. He will explore some of the cultural connections between the not so far west and the not so far east. Focusing on similarities in pottery decoration in the context of other archaeological materials and contemporary literary sources Schaus will highlight the Laconian influences on East Greece, especially Samos, in the Archaic period. This was not a one way path as there is evidence for itinerant East Greek craftsmen visiting and working in Laconia.

This Institute lecture will be held in the Library at 19:30. On this occasion we will thank Gerry warmly for his years of devoted service and exemplar generosity to the Institute as Treasurer and most recently as the President of the Board of Directors, a position that he retires from at the end of the month.

The first 100 years of archaeology at the University of Athens

The study of archaeology was a core subject in the School of Philosophy from the founding of the University of Athens in 1837. Combined with classical philology, ancient history and philosophy these disciplines formed the foundation on which the concept of the national past of modern Greece was constructed.

On Monday, November 16^th at 18:30 Professor Vangelis Karamanolakis (University of Athens) will give a lecture entitled «Αρχαιολογία και εθνικό παρελθόν στο Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών (1837-1937)». In his lecture Karamanolakis will examine the strategies, the methods and the equipment used by the professors in the first 100 years at the University to teach why and how archaeological research should be done. These were utilized to construct an artificial ideology for the Greek nation to describe its past and to project this vision into the present and into the future.

This provocative and enlightening lecture will be held at the Historical Archive of the Hellenic Archaeological Service at Psaromylingou 22 on the cusp between the Kerameikos and the Psyrri Districts. The Theseio Station is the closest station.

The Syllogos Filon tou Istorikou Archaeiou tis Archaiologikis Yperesias is sponsoring this lecture as part of their 2015/2016 Lecture Program. The public is welcome.

Cordially,
David Rupp
Director

The Fred Winter Collection

Priene, temple of Athena, flank cornice-and-sima block with palmette and scroll pattern (Professor Fred Winter, 1966)

Farewell Ambassador Robert W. Peck

On Friday, October 16^th Robert W. Peck concluded his four year posting in Athens as the Canadian Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic. While serving as our ambassador he was also appointed as the non-resident High Commissioner of Canada to the Republic of Cyprus. How fast the four years seem to have gone! Bob was an active, enthusiastic and strong supporter of our mission in Greece and our activities. He attended our lectures and events as well as visiting our archaeological fieldwork projects. Bob made sure that visiting dignitaries from Ottawa would visit the Institute as part of their familiarization program about Greece. Often when I meet someone here in Athens who is not connected with the Institute he or she has said that Ambassador Peck has already told them all about the excellent work that we are doing!

Much of what we have accomplished in public outreach over the past four years – both here in Greece and in Canada – has been facilitated by his active lobbying, skillful diplomacy and financial support. The CIG Portal to the Past (www.portal.cig-icg.gr) came about as an initiative from him to raise our profile in Canada and beyond. My two lecture tours to Canada were again with his encouragement and financial assistance. Certainly in the past four years under his leadership here we have had a strong and warm synergasia with the Embassy staff.

Shortly after his departure from Athens last month he wrote an OP ED piece for the online English edition of the Kathimerini newspaper. It is worth reading as he highlights his four years here promoting Hellenic/Canadian relations and Canadian interests in Greece: (http://www.ekathimerini.com/202678/opinion/ekathimerini/comment/an-ode-to-hellas).

Bob and his wife Maria have returned to the “home office” in Ottawa for the next year at least. We look forward to their frequent visits to Athens and to the Institute in the future. Sas efharistoume therma yia ola!!!

Cordially,
David Rupp
Director

The Fred Winter Collection

Sardis, temple of Artemis, view through original cella area E to opisthodomos & E columns (Professor Fred Winter, 1966)