Archive of Yannis Sakellarakis (1936-2010) and Efi Sapouna-Sakellaraki

Yannis Sakellarakis

Yannis Sakellarakis was born in Athens in 1936 and died on 28 October 2010. He studied Archaeology at the Department of History and Archaeology of the University of Athens under great professors, including Marinatos, Orlandos, Zakythinos, Kontoleon, Tomadakis, etc. He initially began his post-graduate studies on a DAD scholarship at Heidelberg University under renowned professors Roland Hambe, Vladimir Milojčić and Porphyrios Dikaios. He obtained his PhD from Heidelberg University in 1969.

In 1970 he went to London on a scholarship from the British Council and attended post-graduate courses with Professor John Evans. Immediately afterwards, at the invitation of the Archaeological Institute of America, he travelled to New York where, at a very young age, he gave lectures at the Metropolitan Museum, the Institute of Fine Arts in Boston, and at Princeton, and studied in museums.

During his studies, he did not confine himself to the study of Archaeology, but, whenever time permitted, he travelled around Europe to enjoy works of art at the great museums or take in performances in France, the Netherlands, Germany, and even the renowned Berliner Ensemble of Brecht in East Berlin, before the Berlin Wall fell, as well as certain performances and concerts in Munich, Basel and Lausanne. In England he enjoyed performances by Margot Fonteyn and Nureyev, the rebellious Melina Mercouri and Mikis Theodorakis performing in London, as well as Shakespeare’s plays at his birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon; this was, of course, the era of the Beatles and ‘Hair’, and London was at its most thrilling. New York, the theatre, opera, museums, the streets during the era of the “flower children” had its own special magic. During this period he met with major intellectuals from around the world.

Upon returning to Greece, he faced various difficulties. Instead of returning to the Heraklion Museum and his beloved Crete, he was placed in various locations. Although it was not pleasant for him, he always tried to adopt a positive attitude, acquiring knowledge of Greece from every region.

Before joining the Archaeological Service, he had already worked on the excavations of Messene with his professor Anastasios Orlandos, at the Museum of Nafplio and Tiryns with N. Verdelis and especially in Brauron with I. Papadimitriou. Upon joining the Archaeological Service in 1963, he was initially appointed in Thessaloniki.

He was appointed in Crete in late 1963 and immediately took part in the excavations of Zakros with N. Platon for three years and, of course, the successful excavations in Archanes began along with many others.

He remained at the Ephorate of Heraklion until 1968, which he was forced to leave against his wishes. Olympia and the excavations in Elis was his last stop before requesting and receiving a scholarship abroad.

On his return to Greece, he served successively at the Ephorate of Attica, the Ephorate of Ioannina and the Archaeological Museum of Athens. During the first phase of his service at the Archaeological Museum in the 1970s, he organised the first temporary exhibition of Cyprus after the turbulent events on the island.

In 1980, he was appointed on Crete as Ephor of Eastern Crete and Director of the Heraklion Museum, where he carried out numerous activities both at the Museum, fighting for its radical refurbishment, as well as for the consolidation and protection of Knossos. This was the era of major excavations at the Idaean Cave, while excavations continued in Archanes.

In 1994 he returned to the National Archaeological Museum as Ephor of Prehistoric Collections, where he carried out multiple activities.

His excavation work was important. In addition to ‘lesser’ Cretan excavations, he also participated in major excavations, of which he considered the following important: 1) in Archanes, unearthing part of the “summer palace of Knossos”, which Evans had been searching for, in Tourkogeitonia. The most important cemetery in the Aegean, on the hill of Phourni in Archanes, featured numerous funerary monuments and mobile finds. The temple of “human sacrifice” in Anemospilia in the Archanes region also became famous. 2) one hundred years after Halbherr's excavation, he carried out a major excavation at the Idaean Cave that yielded a number of finds covering 3,500 years. 3) Zominthos, the great Minoan mountain centre that was his last great hope for new data, which were confirmed through the excavation continued by Efi Sapouna-Sakellaraki.

In terms of non-Cretan Minoan sanctuaries, the peak sanctuary on Kythera was his opportunity for a final ‘voyage to Kythera’.

The results of his excavations were always published in scientific journals, while his excavations also had an international impact, as demonstrated by the press, e.g., National Geographic, Reader’s Digest, New Yorker, New York Times, London Illustrated News, Die Zeit, Le Monde. He participated in countless cultural broadcasts on television, e.g., on ZDF, on Italian, French and other channels, to discuss his work.

In Archanes, he and Efi created a museum, while the House of Excavation features an extensive library for students to study.

The various public posts he held, from which he irreconcilably resigned, were on the Central Archaeological Council, the Archaeological Receipts Fund, President of the Knossos Committee, etc. He was one of the youngest Board members of the Archaeological Society, which he represented during the centennial celebrations of the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin. Until the end of his life he served as the President of the Psycha Foundation, which financially supports archaeologists.

He carried out important teaching work: in 1976 he was appointed lecturer in the course of Prehistoric Archaeology at the University of Athens, while in 1982 he was Assistant Professor at the University he had left early on. As a visiting Professor he taught at Heidelberg University (1978), where he was called upon to replace his own professor, Milojčić, after his death, and from 1976 to 1978 at the University of Hamburg. He also taught at College Year in Athens.

He gave numerous lectures both in Greece and abroad (New York, Boston, New Orleans, Oxford, Cambridge, London, Berlin, Munich, Mainz, Kiel, Innsbruck‎‎, Salzburg, Rome, Naples, Florence, Hellenic Institute of Venice, Bern, Zurich, Lausanne, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, Tokyo, Moscow (Academy of Sciences), Yerevan in Armenia, Amman in Jordan, etc.

He took part in many conferences and symposia.

His scientific contribution has been internationally recognised.

He was a member of: the European Academy of Sciences, the International Centre for the Study of Ancient Religion, the Society of Antiquaries of London, the Archaeological Institute in Berlin, the Archaeological Institute of America, the Society of Cretan Studies, the Humanitarian Society, an Associate of the Academy of Sciences in Mainz, the Institute of Prehistory in Frankfurt, etc.

For his contributions he was honoured with: the ‘Georgios Stavrou’ silver medal by the National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation, a gold medal from the University of Crete, as well as the Technological Educational Institute of Heraklion. He and Efi Sapouna were honoured by the Academy of Athens for their excavations in Archanes, he was awarded a silver medal by the Municipality of Kythera, and was proclaimed Honorary Citizen of Archanes and Anogia, receiving the golden key to the city. In January 2004 he was decorated by the President of the Republic with the Gold Cross of the Order of Honour.

Efi Sapouna - Sakellaraki

She was born in Piraeus and grew up in Athens. She earned her degree and PhD from the School of Philosophy of the University of Athens. She also graduated from the Industrial School (Department of Tourism Professions). She attended post-graduate courses in London and Heidelberg. As a scholar of the German Archaeological Institute, she wrote two books on bronze sculpting in the Aegean.

She worked at the Museums of the Acropolis, Olympia, Nafplio, Heraklion, Crete, Corfu and in excavations in the same areas. She was a long-standing Secretary of the excavations of the American School at the Ancient Agora of Athens. She served in the Archives department of the Ministry of Culture and the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities. Particularly noteworthy is her participation in the excavation at Zakros, as well as the Cretan excavations at Archanes, the Idaean Cave and Zominthos, which she co-directed with her archaeologist husband, Yannis Sakellarakis. After the death of Yannis Sakellarakis, she has been directing the excavation at Zominthos.

The couple were honoured by the Academy of Athens for their excavation at Archanes, while the Municipalities of Archanes and Anogia declared them honorary citizens. Starting in 1984 and for 15 years, as Ephor of Antiquities of Evia, she conducted numerous excavations throughout the island, as well as on Skyros and along the coasts of Boeotia, with the results published in scientific journals. She has been honoured by UNESCO for her work on Evia. She considers the identification and excavation of Kymi on Evia, unearthing the earliest writing in the West, one her most important excavations due to its historical significance, together with the identification and excavation of part (deposit) of the long-sought temple of Artemis Amarysia in Amarynthos.

The creation of museums and re-exhibition of antiquities was one of her main concerns (museums in Chalkis, Eretria, Skyros, Karystos, small collection in Potamia, Kymi, Aidipsos, Archanes and, lastly, Anogia. The information with guides and educational programmes launched on Evia complemented the island's museum policy. She has collaborated with publications such as the History of the Greek Nation, the international edition of the Mythological Encyclopaedia (LIMC), Enc.Britannica, Enc.Italiana, and wrote almost all articles on prehistory in the Greek version of the Soviet Encyclopaedia. She was a scientific collaborator of Roussos Koundouros on preparing a film entitled ‘Alexander the Great’ and of French television (Pate cinema), and served as costume designer on a film concerning Troy.

She is a member of the Archaeological Society, the Numismatic Society, the Institute of Marine Archaeology, the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin, and the Archaeological Institute of America.

Since 2010 she has served as President of the Psycha Foundation, which funds Greek excavations. She has participated in countless conferences and travelled with her husband to many countries to give lectures at the invitation of the Soviet Academy of Sciences in Moscow, the same Academy's counterpart in Armenia, the Metropolitan Museum of New York, as well as many universities in Europe and America. Furthermore, delegates from the Council of Europe travelled to Japan and countries of the Near East, etc.

She has written more than 180 books and scientific articles on Minoan Crete, Mycenaean and Cycladic civilisation, Kythera, topics concerning Evia, from the Paleolithic period, the Early Helladic (Manika in Chalkis etc.), Mycenaean Aulis, Lefkandi), Geometric and Archaic Northern Evia (Lichas, Oreoi) to Classical and Hellenistic Amarynthos.

After the death of Yannis Sakellarakis, she edited the Archaeological Society's publication of the results of excavations on Kythera (5 volumes, 2011-2014), at the Idaean Cave (3 volumes), the publication "Ideon Andron" by the ‘Militos’ publishing house (2011), and edited the honorary volume ‘I should like to relate this memory’, a tribute by the associates and students of Y. Sakellarakis in his memory (published by the Vikelaia Library of Heraklion, 2012).

(Source: provided by Mrs Efi Sapouna-Sakellaraki)

Volume: 561 files.

Typology: 409 volumes with hard cover, paper or plastic (dossier), notes-indexing sheets, articles, studies, publications, reprints, copies and original excavation journals, official documents, colour and black-and-white photographs, negatives, contacts, slides, aerial photographs, Polaroid photographs, maps, imprints of antiquities, survey diagrams, sketches, newspaper clippings, correspondence, brochures, invitations, posters, audiovisual material.

Content: The archival material covers 53 years (1960-2013). It contains excavation journals from sites on Crete, Kythera, Evia and Skyros, records of antiquities, drafts of publications, studies and reprints of published scientific articles, personal and official correspondence. The archival artifacts include more than 9,000 photographs. The material was indexed per excavation site/location and chronological classification was then followed.

The archiving, indexing and digital documentation was carried out by Sofia Fragoulopoulou.

Index

Crete
[1965-1988] Archanes. Phourni location. Cemetery.
[1964-2001] Archanes. Tourkogeitonia. Minoan palace.
[1979] Mount Juktas. Anemospilia location.
 

Kythera
[1991-1994] Kythera
 

Evia
[1985-1994] Amarynthos
[1987-1988] Magoula, Eretria
[1988-1990] Gerani Hill 
[1991-1994] Cerinthus - Levachi
[1994-2002] Viglatouri Oxylithou Hill (Kymi)

Skyros

[1984] Magazia location. Tomb B.
[1986] Agia Anna. Kampos location. Tombs A-B. Protogeometric period.
[1986-1987] Magazia location. Plot owned by XENIA/EOT. Tombs 1-2-3. Protogeometric period.
[1989] Alonia location. Trekklisia/Syrivli. Tomb B. Protogeometric period.
[1990] Magazia location. Tombs 1-2. Geometric period.
[1990] Steno Kambou - Chorafa location. Tombs 1-11. Geometric - Archaic period. 
[1991] Chorafa location. Plot owned by the Monastery of Megisti Lavra. Tombs 1-2-3. Geometric - Archaic period.
[1992] Magazia location. Plot owned by Mr. Var. Tombs 1-6. 
[1992] Steno Kambou location. Tombs 1-2-3.
[1993] Basales location. Mycenaean-era tomb. 
[1994] Themis. Glebe of the Monastery of Saint George. Tombs I-II-III. 
[1995] Peramata location. Tombs 1-2-3.
[1996] Stavrodromi location (Chorafa). Municipal sewerage works. Tombs 1-2-3.