The American archaeologist who masterminded the recovery of the ancient site in Nemea, southern Greece says that because of lack of guards, the site is in effect off limits to visitors for much of the year.
In a letter to the Greek Reporter, Stephen G. Miller, who was chief of excavations at the ancient site since 1973, expresses his frustration that his discoveries were not being shared with visitors.
“The Ministry of Culture seems uninterested in the pedagogical aspects of ancient Greece,” he notes as it has ignored the offer by the Society for the Revival of the Nemean Games to fund positions for extra guards at the site.
Mr Miller shares the unfortunate incident when in late December he met eight people who came all the way from California and were looking over the fence at the Temple of Nemean Zeus.
A young boy even asked if there was any way to get into the stadium.
“He had been looking forward to standing on the ancient line like an ancient Greek athlete. I apologized that my discoveries were locked away.”
Miller stresses that he found it very difficult to explain that “for the last 50 years, the Greek state had decided that tourists only came to Greece for the island beaches in the summer months.”
Read full letter here.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Heinz Schmitz License: CC-BY-SA
Source: greekreporter.com
