Acropolis Museum Director Highlights Greece’s Cultural Legacy at Yale University

Professor Nikolaos Stampolidis delivers keynote lectures and joins the international panel on cultural repatriation.

New Haven, CT – April 11, 2025 — The Director General of the Acropolis Museum, Professor Nikolaos Chr. Stampolidis travelled to the United States this week to deliver the keynote address at Yale University’s annual Stavros Niarchos Foundation Lecture, hosted by the Hellenic Studies Program of the MacMillan Centre. Held on April 9 and 10, the two-day event drew students, scholars, and cultural leaders for a deep exploration of Greece’s contributions to archaeology and the ongoing debate over cultural heritage repatriation.

On Wednesday, April 9, Professor Stampolidis presented a lecture titled “Public Archaeology in Contemporary Greece ” before a full house at Henry Luce Hall. Using his four decades of excavation work at the ancient city of Eleutherna in Crete as a case study, he discussed how modern public archaeology in Greece extends far beyond excavation. His talk illustrated how the field integrates scientific research, cultural heritage management, digital innovation, public engagement, tourism, and economic planning.

“Public archaeology today is not just about unearthing the past,” he noted. “It’s about connecting communities to their cultural roots, making knowledge accessible, and ensuring heritage is part of sustainable development, where both people and the natural world are central to the cultural narrative.”

The following day, April 10, Professor Stampolidis participated in a public panel discussion titled “Repatriating Cultural Heritage: The Parthenon Marbles and Beyond.” The conversation centred on the global movement to return cultural artifacts to their countries of origin, with particular attention given to the Parthenon sculptures, many of which remain in the British Museum.

The panel featured an esteemed group of experts: Kostas Arkolakis, Professor of Economics and Director of Hellenic Studies at Yale; Antonia Bartoli, Provenance Research Curator at the Yale University Art Gallery; Marilena Christodoulou, Associate Executive Director of the Rubin Museum of Art in New York; and Milette Gaifman, Professor of Classics and History of Art. Maria Kaliambou, Senior Lecturer in Hellenic Studies and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Yale, moderated the session.

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During the discussion, Professor Stampolidis reaffirmed Greece’s longstanding position on the reunification of the Parthenon sculptures, stating:

“These masterpieces were created as a unified whole and belong not just to Greece, but to the monument they were designed for. Their return would not only restore an iconic piece of human heritage but serve as a powerful gesture of cultural justice.”

The event underscored Yale’s ongoing commitment to Greek studies and the vital role of academic institutions in advancing global conversations about cultural identity, heritage, and historical responsibility.

Source: greek city times–Bill Giannopoulos