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Post by sofiagreek on Oct 30, 2007 4:50:28 GMT -5
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Post by sofiagreek on Nov 10, 2007 4:06:52 GMT -5
More damage for Diolkos as one more block has fallen during the last weeks of October... Although the Archeological Service knew that this particular block - a big one, too - was standing half on air, the stone was not secured. One more stone, next to it, had fallen at the end of February (2007) This part of the monument, which one can see at their right before crossing the moving bridge on the Corinth-Loutraki road, is the smaller part of Diolkos found on the Peloponnese side of the Canal. At the time of the excavation (around 1960) a span of about 15 meters with no vestiges of Diolkos was between this part and the Canal (actually Verdelis, who directed the excavation, reported that the ancient vestiges once more could be seen AFTER 15 meters by the (then) side of the Canal... The erosion reached this part of the monument around 1992; there is a report by an antiquities guard about this - BUT no action was undertaken although rescue operations - at least temporary ones - would have been childish... As the long sufferings of the excavated Diolkos come to light, various internet portals have presented the problem. In one of these, there is also an image of the 2006 report by the General Secretary of the Ministry "informing" the Prime Minister (!!!) that the waves "have by now begun to erode the monument's substrate"... HIDING the real condition of the monument, that is! www.hotstation.gr/article-1480--0-0.html
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Post by sofiagreek on Nov 29, 2007 8:45:56 GMT -5
By the way hows that signing thing going on? Have you reached your number of votes? Sorry I hadn't realized you had asked a question... The petition is going quite well, considering the issue is not one to catch the attention of the general public. The goal of 7,000 signatures is totally arbitrary, set there mostly because the site asked for it. I am not waiting for the signatures to reach any particular number and THEN present them; if I recall right, I sent the Prime Minister's office a first notification about the outcome of the petition when the signatures were about 800. Now the signatures are almost 5,600 and they originate from 81 countries... Actually this petition accomplished something even before it was started. I had sent an e-mail to the Prime Minister's Office some weeks before I started it, just to state my intention to do so. The Prime Minister's Office contacted the Ministry of Culture asking about the monument. When the reply of the General Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Zahopoulos, finally came into my hands, too, I saw that the information contained in it was distorted. THIS gave me the opportunity to comment the whole answer in detail and present reports to both Justice Authorities and the Prime Minister's Office. Recently, the italian archaeology magazine SALTERNUM presented an article (written by me) in which there is mention of the distorted information about the state of the monunent, given to the Prime Minister's Office by the General Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Mr. Zahopoulos in october 2006. Between other untrue statements, Mr. Zahopoulos mentioned that the waves "have by now begun to erode the monument's substrate", hiding the tragic state of the monunent. The information was clearly coming from the Corinth Ephorate, headed at the time by Mr. Alexandros Mantis, today head of the first ephorate (Acropolis...). Although Mr Mantis was responsible for Diolkos from the summer of 2001 to November 2006, the Diolkos remained totally unprotected during all this time; Mr. Mantis was also vehemently denying rescue actions... Articles about the dramatic decay of Diolkos have been also presented in the british edition of the TIMES. You can see the first article (scanned by me) at: www.greece.org:8080/opencms/opencms/HEC_Projects/DIOLKOS/media/New_Papers/Times_-_July_10x_2006.html... and the second at: www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/court_and_social/article1409377.ece Although the TIMES archaeology correspondent, Norman Hammond, (Prof. of archaeology at the Boston University) mentions that rescue operations would be forthcoming (an information included in MY reports, too), the only thing done was to support some stones, letting the erosion go on beneath them! The situation at the monument is worse now, of course. As you know, two more ancient blocks have fallen since the last article hit the press; the deterioration of the already fallen parts of Diolkos is also constant... Although relevant authorities continue to say that good things are in store for Diolkos, words or papers are not enough to save it; actions are needed!! I am giving again the site for those who would like to sign the Diolkos petition: www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/870477005
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viktor1
Membrum
DARDANIAN
Posts: 247
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Post by viktor1 on Nov 29, 2007 11:00:51 GMT -5
where i can find an diplomatic way to sign an petitions? Example how to destroy whole srpska & grska
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Post by sofiagreek on Nov 29, 2007 14:26:54 GMT -5
Sorry, Viktor1, but I don't understand your question... A diplomatic way to sign the petition is to sign with your name but use the option (set by the petition site) to hide your name from the PUBLIC list... I don't know what you mean by "destroy" but the Ministry of Culture is doing fine in THIS matter, destroying things, I mean...
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Kanaris
Amicus
This just in>>>> Nobody gives a crap!
Posts: 9,587
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Post by Kanaris on Nov 29, 2007 17:47:46 GMT -5
Don't waste your time trying to answer this lowlife....
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Post by sofiagreek on Dec 12, 2007 8:55:17 GMT -5
Athough relevant services advertise their presumed interest in Diolkos, the erosion still continues to expand under the supposedly "sane" part of the monument. As it does, both ancient blocks AND their immediate substrate are hanging over a void!!! I still don't know what was decided in a meeting that took place 2-3 weeks ago at the Ministry. I have the impression that MAYBE the permanent wall to protect Diolkos was discussed, but I still don't know for sure and - more importantly - ANY such decision would be of VERY doubtful value if it meant that more deterioration will be allowed untill actual protection work is undertaken. Respect and attention for Diolkos are still lacking... In November, the Directorate for the Restoration of Ancient Monuments (DAAM) sent a team to retrieve two ancient blocks that have fallen in 2007 from the part designated with the letter G in Werner's plan (you can see this in the link I am giving below). Nevertheless, they recovered only one of the two stones. The second stone they brought up was NOT the one fallen last February (as instead they thought and aso wrote in their official report!), although I had personally shown images of the two stones (in two occasions) to the present Head of the Ephorate. Apparently, DAAM and the local ephorate did not coordinate... During the recent DAAM team's visit, additional supports were place under the stones of the sector E which are now eaten by erosion. To do so, the team entered the sane part of Diolkos WITH THEIR VAN although there is a very convenient access from another point. The official report states that this operation was done in collaboration with the local ephorate; a lady archaeologist was also present, from what I hear (although I don't know who or from what body of the Ministry she was); so THIS leads us to be sure that neither the local ephorate people nor DAAM Knew or cared to look for the other access that wouldn't have a vehicle go over the ancient monument!!! ==-=== One more thing that shows how deplorable the role of the local ephorate has been under the former Head, Mr. Mantis (today at the Acropolis!!!), is this: I had written to ask about a damage I had noticed on the part of Diolkos that is on the Attica side of the Canal (and is free from erosion). Although I had mentioned where this damage was, Mr. Mantis wrote to his superiors stating that they had performed an autopsy and nothing was wrong!!!!! You can see the damage between the images at www.greece.org:8080/opencms/opencms/HEC_Projects/DIOLKOS/Gallery.htmlIt is on the double row of stones, a very interesting feature of Diolkos. Their western end has been removed (by a bulldozer I think - sometime between 1978 and 1984) and then replaced haphazardly. My recent photo shows only one of the two series (the one at left in the 1960 images which you can also see) but the other end is also damaged. I DO hope Mr. Mantis does better as Head of the ACROPOLIS ephorate!
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