Archaeology in Society and Daily Life
premacy of the state in a dispute between the Greek state and the community of Keratea (near Athens) over the creation of a landfill in the area. In the same manner, the cultural heritage of the Greek nation as an unreliable debtor – particularly after the outbreak of the economic crisis in Europe – has been used in humoristic or offensive (depending on one’s point of view) images such as the controversial front cover of the weekly German magazine Focus (Number 8, 22 February 2010). The image in question showed the famous statue of Aphrodite of Milos (Venus de Milo) with a wretched Greek flag covering her waist and sticking up the middle finger (apparently to the European Union) along with the headline “Swindlers in the Eurofamily”. The uproar that this “insult” caused, after extensive media coverage in Greece (Kathimerini, 24 February 2010; Ta Nea, 26 February 2010), already added to the existing negative attitude towards the rich European countries that are viewed, at least by some segments of the public, as perpetrators of a conspiracy to subdue the Greek nation. With regard to the role of Germany in the negotiations for tackling the Greek public deficit, the constant references to the Second World War, the Nazi occupation of Greece and the debate over the relevant war reparations sustain bitter memories and negative feelings among members of the Greek public (Smith 2010; Lowen 2012). In this war of the tabloids a Greek newspaper (Eleftheros Typos, 23 February 2010) attempted to retaliate by publishing an image of the statue of Berlin’s Victory Column holding a swastika under the headline “The economic occupation of the 4th Reich is expanding”. It is worth noting, at this point, the prolif-
eration of images of ancient Greek antiquities, particularly the Parthenon temple on the Athenian Acropolis, featuring in numerous newspapers and on-line articles that deal with the current economic crisis in the country. The use of these images in a context that is often irrelevant to Greek archaeological monuments testifies to the strong international association of the country with its antiquities.2 Nevertheless, as will be demonstrated by the data collected in the city of Elefsina, such irritating imagery coupled with the power of media and the overall negativity and feeling of resistance to foreign criticism seem to play a significant role in the formation of public views and perceptions about archaeological heritage. Finally another issue related to archaeological heritage that has made a strong presence in the media during the period of economic crisis is the looting and illegal trade of antiquities. The general concerns over the capacity of the Greek Archaeological Service to offer adequate protection to sites and museums while being understaffed were followed by reports about the rise of
The Focus magazine is widely known for its satirical comments and often controversial front covers. Despite the negative reactions to the Venus De milo depiction and a subsequent law suit for libel and insult, the same magazine published another front cover (Number 18, 03 may 2010) depicting the same statue extending the left arm (as if begging for money) along with the headline “Greece and our money!”. Yet another front page (Number 38, 19 September 2011) showed both the Acropolis of Athens and Venus De milo sinking in deep water under the title “is our money lost?”. Both images had a direct reference to the bailout money that German tax payers would have to produce for saving the Greek economy.
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