Photike Archaeological Project

Photike is located in the northern part of the Kokytos valley, close to modern Paramythia in Thesprotia. It was a Roman colonial town, probably founded during the reign of Augustus, which later developed into a Medieval episcopal see. Our knowledge of Photike has until now been based on Roman inscriptions and some partly excavated churches dating to the Early Christian and Middle Byzantine periods.

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Markers of Northernness in Greek Ethnography and Geography 10-11 December 2022

An international workshop at the Finnish Institute at Athens that has gathered together a range of scholars to present on diverse themes of ancient ethnography, geography, and ‘septentriography’ –i.e. writings on the northern parts of the oikoumene – and to discuss the parameters of the Greek perceptions of ‘northernness’ from a variety of perspectives.

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XIV Johannes Sundwall lecture: Lilian Karali

The Finnish Institute at Athens is hosting the 14th Johannes Sundwall lecture on Friday 25th of November at 6 pm. Our speaker is environmental archaeologist, professor emerita Lilian Karali (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens); her presentation ‘Contribution of Archaeomalacological Research to Aegean Archaeology’ delves into the interpretation of seashells found in archaeological contexts. The lecture will be held at the premises of the Swedish Institute at Athens (Mitseon 9), followed by a reception at the Finnish Institute (Zitrou 16).

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Painting the City: Aesthetics and Politics of a Public Wall

With Olga Migliaressi-Phoca and Inga Meldere, moderated by Denis Maksimov-Gupta, September 27, 19.00 – 21.30.

From ancient Mycenaeans to contemporary Athenians, decoration and writing on the walls have been ubiquitous. Murals, inscriptions, paintings, mosaics, graffiti – as well as interpersonal messaging – the medium of inscribing in the public space is vast. By exploring the practices of two visual artists from distant geographies, we will look into engagement with the city’s public space in contemporaneity. In the conversation, we will focus on artists’ engagement with historical and cultural values through ideographs, symbols and signs from the ancient Mediterranean cultural heritage.

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