The Near Eastern Archaeology Foundation presents a lecture by Dr Marina Solomidou-Ieronymidou (Director of the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus).
The island of Cyprus has a rich history and an important and unique cultural legacy in the eastern Mediterranean.
The protection, study and promotion of the Republic of Cyprus’ history is supervised by a government department called the Department of Antiquities with the responsibility for archaeological research and cultural heritage management on the island, including its sites and museums. Established in 1935 by the British colonial administration, the Department’s activities were only strengthened after independence in 1960. Despite the traumas of the 1974 invasion of the north of Cyprus, the Department today is active in all aspects of the island’s past with international partnerships and collaborations, community and education programs, museum and curatorial commitments, such as digitisation programs, and overseeing excavations by Cypriot and foreign missions, including the University of Sydney’s work at Paphos.
The current Director of the Department of Antiquities will speak on the legacy of the work of the Department and will outline its current activities and its mission to protect and understand all of the periods of the island’s history. She will also outline strategic plans for the preservation of the island’s history in the future including management plans for key archaeological sites, the construction of the new Cyprus Museum and an active program of repatriation of the island’s looted cultural treasures.
As NEAF celebrates the archaeology of Cyprus in 2023, come and hear the story of the island’s remarkable history and the tradition of caring, curating and studying the island’s past from its team of dedicated custodians.
About the Speaker: Dr Marina Solomidou-Ieronymidou has been Director of the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus since 2014. She graduated from Sorbonne University (Paris IV) in 1980 in Archaeology and Art History. In 2001 she received her PhD with honors in Medieval Archaeology from Sorbonne University (Paris I). Since 1994 she directed excavations of the medieval sugar-mills of Episkopi-Serayia and Kolossi. She is a member of the Cyprus National Commission for UNESCO and the Cypriot Society of Byzantine Studies. She has participated in many scientific seminars, fora, radio and television programmes in Cyprus and abroad promoting Cypriot archaeology and she is the author of more than 40 scientific publications on Cypriot archaeology. She is an expert in the protection of cultural heritage and sits on many European and international organisations.
This is a hybrid event that will be hosted from the CCANESA Boardroom, and via Zoom.
When: 6.30pm AEST, Wednesday 17 May 2023
Where: In room: CCANESA Boardroom, Level 4, Madsen F09, University of Sydney NSW 2006 | Online: via Zoom
Cost: In room $35 (members), $45 (non-members) | Online $15 (members), $20 (non-members)
For more information: https://neaf.sydney.edu.au/upcoming-lecture-on-17-may-the-department-of-antiquities-of-cyprus-its-mission-activities-and-strategic-plans/