Community Participation and the Enhancement of the Roman Thermae of St Thomas, Mesolongi

Abstract

This paper examines the process of enhancing an archaeological site and rendering it accessible to the wider public within a very tight time schedule, and will contemplate the role of the local community in this process. Focusing on the case study of the Roman Thermae of St Thomas (Agios Thomas) near Mesolongi, Western Greece, the various challenges and problems encountered during the excavation, partial restoration, and enhancement of the site (funded by the INTERREG II cross-border program of the 2nd Community Support Framework) will be addressed. Issues of community participation will be highlighted through the crucial involvement of the local people in the project and with a reflective outlook on the way heritage management is operating in Greece.

Keywords:

• Roman Thermae
• enhancement
• local community participation
• archaeological site shelter
• Mesolongi
• Greece

I would like to thank Dr Georgios Alexopoulos and Dr Kalliopi Fouseki for inviting me to contribute to this volume and for their detailed and constructive comments. I would also like to thank Ms E. Kolia and Ms O. Vikatou, directors of the 6th and 26th EPCA respectively, for providing access to the archives of their Ephorates. I am also most grateful to Dr M. Petropoulos, former head of the 6th EPCA and director of the project, who gave me the opportunity, a young archaeologist at the time, to work in such a project and who conceded me the publications rights of this article. I also wish to thank all the participants in the enhancement of the Roman Thermae of St Thomas. I dedicate this paper to Giannis Manthos, who has served as an archaeological site warden in the region (now ninety-three years old) and has spent his life protecting and defending the local antiquities, literally on his own. He, along with all other tireless civil servants of the region, has contributed to the protection of sites and enabled their management.

Notes

1 Until the year 2004, the archaeological heritage of Aitoloakarnania was under the jurisdiction of the 6th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities (EPCA) which is headquartered in the city of Patras and therefore situated on the opposite side of the gulf of Patras (a section of the channel separating mainland Greece from the Peloponnese). Today, the responsible agency is the 36th EPCA which is based in the city of Mesolongi.

2 Rescue excavations in 2000 revealed a large building with a private bath, 100 m south of the plot of the Roman Termae, as well as an elongated building in a neighbouring plot to the north.

3 The city of Mesolongi is known for its important role in the Greek War of Independence (1821–32). Particularly the famous Exodus (massive breakout) of its besieged population in 1826 during the siege by the Ottoman Turkish forces has been an act strongly commemorated on a national level and very proudly celebrated by local people. Indeed, the city of Mesolongi has received the unique honorary title of Hiera Polis (Sacred City) among other Greek cities.

4 The other project involving the Roman Nymphaeum in Platani, an area of Patras, was finally not integrated in the funding programme due to delays caused by the legal procedures for the compensation of the owner.

5 The owner claimed and finally received a larger reimbursement for the expropriation and allowed the project team to enter the plot before receiving his money. It is worth noting that, as an architect, the owner himself was very friendly from the beginning of the project.

6 Fortunately, an intersection is under construction at the New Highway.

7 So far one educational programme was held at the site on 6–9 October 2011 for the celebrations of the Environment and Culture 2011 held by the Ministry of Culture and entitled ‘Voices of myriad water’: <http://www.evinochori-kalidona.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=379:2011-12-02-15-56-51&catid=52:2011-04-10-10-04-5&Itemid=56>.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Evgenia G Poulimenou

Evgenia Poulimenou studied Archaeology and Art History at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and has been working as an archaeologist at the 6th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities since 2001. She is also an MSc student at the Cultural Organisations Management course of the Hellenic Open University.

Correspondence to: Evgenia Poulimenou. Email: [email protected]