Greek eminent historians against statue of Alexander the Great
Monday, 16 February 2009
Image Debate in Greece, one that was kept secret for several weeks by Greek media, perhaps not to embarass the Government.
Thanks to Athens based British journalist from The Guardian, the secret is out. Several prominent (older) Greek historians have been disobeying Athens and had voted against erecting a monument of Alexander the Great.
Greek politicians led by nationalist euforia have pushed for the sculpture to be placed in the center of Athens for greater exposure. However, a handful of historians and archeologists in Athens, who together form a powerful lobby, were against putting a sculpture of the ancient hero in the capital.
According to the group, "Alexander came to Athens as a conqueror, an enemy". The parallel would be if the Polish decided to erect a statue of Hitler in Warsaw.
More Greek historians are raising their voices and displeasure with the Greek Government who via numerous policies spanning 80 years have replaced their history with scenes from a disney movie, the facts with myths.
While trying to usurp the history of a whole region, Athens historians and archeologists are worried Greece may lose the history that rightfully belongs to them
Greeks argue over status and statue of Alexander
The Guardian, Monday 16 February 2009
For a warrior king who had conquered most of the known world by the age of 33, Alexander the Great never flinched when it came to a fight.
But even he might have been left powerless by a row in Greece over the location of a statue, carved in his likeness in 1972.
Seventeen years after its acquisition by the Greek culture ministry, the rendition of the military commander has been gathering dust in a basement storeroom because of fierce controversy over where to put the sculpture. Nationalist-minded politicians, on both sides of the spectrum, believe the statue "rightfully" belongs to a prominent square in the heart of ancient Athens. There, they say, the Macedonian king would not only receive maximum viewing but the reverence he deserves from a people who see themselves as his rightful descendants.
Had it not been for archaeologists, that might have happened. But the purveyors of Greece's past - a powerful lobby in this antiquities-rich country - have strongly resisted the move, saying
Alexander came to the capital "as a conqueror". The row might have gone unnoticed had it not been for the recently reinvigorated intensity of the name dispute between Athens and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
PS: Von welchen Jugoslawen sprichst du eigentlich??? Die gibt es seit 1991 nicht mehr
