Archaeology Magazine - March 1948 - 42

ARCHAEOLOGY

The

State

of
Samothrace

Antiquities

[ProfessorKarl Lehmann, Directorof
the ArchaeologicalResearchFund of New
York University, visited the site of his
pre-war excavations on the island of
Samothrace,in the northern Aegean, for
eight days in July, 1947. The text of the
report he subsequentlysubmitted to the
. Fund is here printed in full.]

Beforethe war, the ArchaeologicalRe- Kyriakos Babalas; carefully inventoried Furthermore,at that time Nikolaidistook
search Fund of New York University and providedwith labels,the single items care to protect the decauville railroad
initiated systematicexcavationson Samo- were arranged on woodenshelves. Strati- from rust- as it turned out to the advanthrace under the auspicesof the American fied ceramicmaterial was stored in gaso- tage of the invaders- by paintingit.
After the invasionof Greece,we made
Schoolof ClassicalStudiesin Athens and line containers(about 80) for later inveswith the officialpermissionof the Royal tigation. To the findsfrom the excavation efforts to secure the protection of the
Greek Government. Two campaigns of were added sporadic finds made by the antiquities and our property in Samoexcavationwere carried out in 1938 and inhabitants and acquired for the future thrace. On the initiative of the Chancel1939, the major results of which were museum, as well as architectural frag- lor of NewrYork University,the Secretary
publishedin preliminaryreports (Ameri- ments, sculptures,and inscriptionsreused of State in WashingtoninstructedAmerican diplomatic representativesabroad to
can Journal of Archaeology,43 (1939) in modernbuildings.
In 1939, with the permissionof the . call the attention of the occupyingpower
133-145, 44 (1940) 328-358, 485-493;
Greek Government,we began to build a to the importanceof the antiquitiesand
Hesperia, 12 (1943) 115-134).
While in 1938sometrial excavationsin modest local museum, or rather its the American interests in Samothrace.
the ancient town and its necropoliswere nucleus; one hall, near the excavationsite. Followinginquiries in Berlin and Rome,
made, in order to explorethe prospectof The stonewalls of the structurewere built the AmericanMinister in Sofiasubmitted
future systematicwork, excavation was to a height of aboutfour metersand mate- a note to the Bulgariangovernmentin the
concentratedin 1939on the mostimportant rial, doors, window frames, glass, timber summerof 1941,inasmuchas it had besection of the mystery sanctuary of the and tiles for the roof were assembledfor come known that Bulgarian troops had
Great Gods with the intention of an ex- the projectedcompletionof the buildingin occupiedthe island after a brief German
invasion. In responseto this step a note
haustive and final investigation of this 1940.
In 1939,a localguardian, one Petzonis, verbale was receivedfrom the Bulgarian
site, among mystery sanctuaries next in
was appointedby the Greek government government stating that the antiquities
importanceto Eleusis.
B}' the end of the Campaign of 1939, to safeguard the antiquitiesand to protect were well protected and that the guard
the great archaicinitiationhall, the Anak- them from damage. When we left Samo- appointed by the Greek government
in
toron discoveredby us in 1938,had been thrace, w-ehanded the keys to the "Mu- (whosename appearedsymptomatically
completelyexcavated. A small building seum" and to the place of storagefor our Bulgarizedform) was still in charge. The
next to it, the Sacristy,had been explored. equipmentto the honoraryepimeletes,the note did not mentionour equipment,inroads on which had evidently already
The most conspicuousstructure of the teacherMakros, in Chora.
After the outbreakof the war in 1939, been made.
Sanctuary,a round building named, from
In addition to this diplomaticstep, the
its dedicator,Arsinoeion,had been fully it becameclear that for several years, at
excavatedfor the first time with the view- least, we would not be able to resume Director of the ArchaeologicalResearch
point of an exhaustive exploration and, work. As long as it was possible,we tried Fund of New York Universitypersonally
perhaps, future physical reconstruction. to protect the antiquities in Samothrace, sent a cablegramto the Prime Ministerof
Beneath these buildings, ruins of a con- and we renewed these efforts after the Bulgaria, who in his previous and more
innocent activities had been a reputed
spicuous pre- or proto-historicbuilding cessationof hostilities.
had been discoveredand began to throw
Thus in the spring of 1940, we dis- archaeologist,calling his attentionto the
light on the legendary origin of this patched our faithful and able foreman importance of the antiquities in Samofamous site. With the assistanceof Mr. Georgios Nikolaidis from Athens to thrace and to the duty of the Bulgarian
Charbonneaux of the Louvre,a renewed Samothrace. He found everythingwell in occupying forces to respect them. No
and exhaustiveexplorationof the site on order and carried out work of protection answer was received.
After the United Statesenteredthe war
which the famous Victory of Samothrace according to our directions. This included: the building of two stone but- all further effortsto protectthe antiquities
stoodhad alsobeeninitiated.
The excavators lived in a camp of tresseson the east wall of the Anaktoron in Samothracehad to be abandoned.
tents brought from America. These and which have preventedany damageto that
Immediately after the liberation of
all other equipmentand tools were stored wall otherwise possible in view of the Greece,in the summerof 1945,we again
in houses near the excavation in 1939. pressureof earth from behind it; the cov- dispatchedNikolaidis to Samothrace.He
The equipmentincludeda big tripod and ering up with earth of the burned circular submitteda report on the deplorablestate
derrick and, above all, 1000 meters of wooden initiation platform in the Anak- of affairs there to the AmericanSchoolof
track of a decauvillerailroad (of which toron, of the bothros in the southeast ClassicalStudiesin Athens,to us, and to
500metershad been laid with great diffi- corner, and of the early ruins beneaththe the Greek Government. Another report
culty in the narrow river valley), and Arsinoeion,as wrellas the buildingof pro- by two representativesof the GreekMinistective roofs over these relics, over the try of Education was also kindly forfour wagons.
The findsfrom the excavationwere kept foundationof an altar and over a deposit warded to us. The general content of
in a storeroomrented in the house of of potsherdsand bonesin the Arsinoeion. these two reports has been confirmedby

Archaeology Magazine - March 1948

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