Modern Greece occupies a peculiar position in the Western imagination, situated at its center as a direct heir to the classical past, while simultaneously existing on its periphery as a modern state with little influence on the current global stage.
Yiannis Hamilakis explores a neglected aspect of this phenomenon: the mutual and uninterrupted formation of the material manifestations of antiquity, archaeological practice, and the national imagination. More relevant than ever in today's context, The Nation and Its Ruins focuses on the power and impact of materiality, addressing issues such as the role of antiquities and archaeology in shaping the Greek nation and the establishment of the Greek national state; the connections between colonial and national imaginaries; the archaeological construction of monumental landscapes such as the Acropolis; the crucial role of significant national archaeologists, such as the excavator of the so-called tomb of Philip II of Macedonia, Manolis Andronikos; the role archaeology played during the dictatorship of Ioannis Metaxas; the utilization of classical antiquity in the reformative effort of Makronisos; and the controversy over the Parthenon marbles.
There is no doubt that The Nation and Its Ruins will become essential reading for anyone interested in the deeper socio-political dimensions of the history of archaeology. Hamilakis provides us with the most acute and penetrating analysis of the modern social framework of Greek archaeology ever written, while also offering a valuable model for those who intend to pursue similar research elsewhere in the world.
Hamilakis attempts to get us to see the nation, its ruins, and their relationship through a new lens, and he achieves this in an impressive manner. The Nation and Its Ruins was awarded the Edmund Prize (2009) and was included in the shortlist (8 titles) for the Runciman Prize 2008.
[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]
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