“I raised the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures with Prime Minister Boris Johnson today and my intention is to continue working hard until their final return to the Acropolis Museum,” said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in his opening remarks at Ancient Greeks: Science. and Wisdom “at the Science Museum in London as part of his visit to the United Kingdom.
“Museums around the world are working harder to share, return, reunite or lend exhibits on an unprecedented scale,” he said, adding that the sculptures housed in the British Museum “are a particularly important part of world cultural heritage and are an important symbolic link between modern Greeks and their ancestors “.
“We want to work with the government of the United Kingdom and the British Museum to find a solution that will make it possible to see the Parthenon Sculptures in their entirety in Athens,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “There is no doubt that they can be valued in the best way in the space they belong to. “It is very important the visual connection of the sculptures with the monument itself, which gives them their world value”, he stressed.
A unique exhibition with the scent of Greece
The unique exhibition “Ancient Greeks: Science and Wisdom”, which opened today, starts its official opening tomorrow at the Museum of Science in London and will take visitors back to the time where they can explore how the Ancient Greeks processed, thought and discussed for the natural world through historical works of art and objects found for the first time in the United Kingdom.
Visitors will have the opportunity to discover a collection of rare and important objects on display for the first time in the United Kingdom, with the aim of bringing to the fore five areas of ancient Greek science: the universe, the animal world, music and mathematics. the human body and the seas.
This is an impressive exhibition part of the cultural program United Kingdom – Greece that marks the 200th anniversary of the beginning of the Greek Revolution and is hosted in an institution of global prestige and scope, with a collection that offers a timeless record of scientific, technological and medical achievements by Worldwide.
It is also noted that visitors can discover the latest research of Project Black Sea Maritime Archeology which reveals the mystery of the oldest, known ancient Greek shipwreck dating back to around 400 BC. At the same time, they have the opportunity to hear Dr. Magdalene Anastasiou talk about the Antikythera Mechanism, which dates back to 150 BC and was discovered on the island of Antikythera a century ago. New technologies have allowed scientists to uncover hidden stories behind each piece to show how the ancient Greeks built an advanced machine to prove what they claimed about the universe, and in fact in a technologically advanced way.
The exhibition includes exhibits from the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, the Benaki Museum, the Louvre Museum in Paris, the Nicolas and Alexis Kugel Collection, the Reiss Engelhorn Museum in Germany, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the University Kunstsammlungen Antike Universität Bochum in Germany and the Reading Museum in the United Kingdom – and the Science Museum Group collection.
The whole greeting of the Prime Minister
Good evening to all.
Sir Ian, thank you very much for your kind words and warm welcome,
Dame Mary, dear Anastasia, distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for inviting me to say a few words here today, in this beautiful place.
I never get tired of visiting this museum. And I remember 25 years ago, when I was living in London, my house was literally across from the Science Museum.
And I do not tire of visiting it not only because of the respect that the Museum of Science enjoys worldwide.
But because the museum and its excellent collection of exhibits offer us something that I consider to be a record of scientific, technological and medical achievements that endures over time and is unparalleled. A record that not only covers millennia but also every corner of our fragile and ever-changing world.
The exhibition for which this festive event is organized tonight, “Ancient Greeks: Science and Wisdom”, is no exception. And if you have not had the opportunity to visit it – after all, I have not yet announced its official start – do not be afraid.
Having had a little taste, a while ago, with some of you, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed.
Sir Ian, a while ago, in your statement, you referred to the words of Archbishop John Potter. If you allow me, I think it was a wise choice.
So what would you say if, after referring to Archbishop Potter, I tried to quote the words of Aristotle: “The beginning of wisdom is doubt.” »
I hope and believe that in the coming months those who visit this excellent exhibition will strengthen their appreciation for the science and innovation of our past. And they will learn how wisdom – through questioning and through curiosity and research – continues to shape science and innovation today.
As you will see, the exhibition “Ancient Greeks: Science and Wisdom” highlights how modern scientific innovation helps to reveal more than ever about ancient Greece – allowing us to travel back in time, to an ancient civilization, where some of the Technologies developed in Classical Greece seem to have been clearly more advanced than previously thought.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I suspect that the fact that the United Kingdom is no longer a member of the European Union has not escaped your attention.
Do not worry. This is not the time to worry and think “Oh no, where is it going …”.
Nor is it the time for our friends from the press to start taking notes intensively and we are on tomorrow’s headlines. No.
However, this is the time when I want to draw your attention – inside and outside the EU – to the impressive and truly international cooperation that made this exhibition possible.
The exhibition is not only part of the cultural program United Kingdom – Greece that marks the 200th anniversary of the beginning of the Greek Revolution. At the same time it hosts many exhibits that are here, in the form of borrowing, from the lengths and breadths of Europe.
We would not be here today to celebrate this important exhibition without the generous support and cooperation of not only Greek museums, academics and charities, but also many European museums from France, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom and a number of others. by other generous benefactors. I would like to thank them all personally.
I also hope that the exhibition “Ancient Greeks: Science and Wisdom” and the related program of events will further strengthen to the British public the already strong and timeless ties between the United Kingdom and Greece.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Keeping in mind exactly this common story, this spirit of cooperation, I approached this week’s discussions about the future of the works that you know as “Elgin Marbles” and to us in Greece are known as Parthenon Sculptures.
I think it is time to take a bold step towards opening a new dialogue between London and Athens on this issue. After all, these sculptures constitute a particularly important part of the world cultural heritage and are an important symbolic link between modern Greeks and their ancestors.
Most of the Parthenon Sculptures are on display at the modern Acropolis Museum in Athens. I’m sure you know that the so-called “Elginio” section of the collection is housed in another great cultural institution, the British Museum.
There is no doubt that they can be valued in the best way in the space they belong to. Of great importance is the visual connection of the sculptures with the monument itself, which gives them their universal value. That is why we want to work with the Government of the United Kingdom and the British Museum to find a solution that will make it possible to see the Parthenon Sculptures in their entirety in Athens.
I raised the issue with Prime Minister Johnson today and my intention is to continue working hard until the final return of the Parthenon Sculptures to the Acropolis Museum.
After all, museums around the world are working harder to share, return, reunite, or lend exhibits on an unprecedented scale.
In the case of this exhibition, rare and important objects have been collected for the first time to highlight five areas of ancient Greek science concerning the universe, the animal world, music and mathematics, the human body and the seas. If an exhibition like this can prove anything it is that collaboration can lead to the formation of exceptional collections.
I hope that by creating these collections collaboratively, if we share them and make use of the new technologies – as I see with admiration that you have done here – we will be able to expand citizens’ access and increase our understanding of the scientific, historical and cultural treasures we have they mean so much to us.
Just last week, in Ancient Olympia, I saw how another unique collaboration, between the Greek Ministry of Culture and Microsoft, harnesses the power of artificial intelligence and augmented reality. The project “Ancient Olympia: Common Place” uses the latest technologies to open a completely new way in which we can experience the essence of our cultural heritage.
This exhibition does exactly the same thing, emphasizing innovation in order to open new horizons in the preservation of our cultural heritage.
Let me close with the following thought.
We referred to the importance of the Parthenon Sculptures for the Greek people. But what could we say about the monument? Would the Athenians of the 5th century BC stand with the same admiration before the sculptures without the deep scientific knowledge that made possible the architectural perfection of the Parthenon? I think not.
Science and wisdom matter. And everything we admire in this report confirms what Einstein meant when he said: “Nowadays, old machines are being reinvented and ancient experiments are being re-performed.”
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for listening to me. Thanks to all the donors, the institutions that made this great exhibition possible. It is my great pleasure to officially announce the opening of the exhibition “Ancient Greeks: Science and Wisdom” to the public.
Thank you very much.
.
