Menu

ELEFTHERIA THEODOROUDI

archaeologist, museologist Thesis title: Invisible Cities: discovering the palimpsest of Thessaloniki with the use of new technologies Purpose of this study is the presentation, documentation and acquaintance with seven “hidden,” invisible, archaeological sites from the memory of the city, and at the same time the design of a communication action and epanoikeiosis of these sites with the […]

archaeologist, museologist

Thesis title: Invisible Cities: discovering the palimpsest of Thessaloniki with the use of new technologies

Purpose of this study is the presentation, documentation and acquaintance with seven “hidden,” invisible, archaeological sites from the memory of the city, and at the same time the design of a communication action and epanoikeiosis of these sites with the audience of Thessaloniki. For this purpose seven sites have been selected that were excavated during the 20th century and kept in the basements of apartment buildings in the city center of Thessaloniki, unknown to the general public. The seven archaeological places (Neolithic settlement in the premises of International Fair of Thessaloniki, Basilica of St. Sophia, Roman bath at Mandrino Hotel, Hippodrome, early Christian church of Sergius Pragamas, the “Snake column” in Agiou Demetriou str, the cubiculum in the Law School building, AUTH) become functionally invisible either because of their conservation conditions in basements, or because of their physical absence or, finally, due to lack of promotion and documentation.

The purpose of the work, therefore, is to design and create an action that involves people in the game of the discovery of the “missing memory”. The overall goal is to engage the public through the use of new technology and through this engagement to create or restore one personal experience with these sites anyway lost.

All the above discussion is part of the broader theoretical debate internationally about the relationship archeology has with the public and is expressed by the term “public archaeology”. The issue of hidden antiquities has to do with preserving the memory but also with the attitude of the official state and hence the attitude of the whole society towards cultural heritage. It is a multifactorial issue that concerns both the legal framework governing the archaeological service and the protection and promotion system, and the general public perception of the antiquities.

The theoretical reflection and literature review of international and local practices are the first part of the methodological work path. Then the seven selected archaeological sites are being briefly presented. Finally the proposed action is presented: the rationale, the evaluation axes, the proposed poster and the mobile application as well as the indicative texts accompanying the application.