The Ancient Monuments and the Archaeological Museums During the Battle Of Athens in December ‘44
The Ancient Monuments and the Archaeological Museums During the Battle Of Athens in December ‘44

Summary/Abstract: This paper aims to focus on the impact of the battle of December 1944 primarily on the ancient monuments of Athens and secondarily on the museum infrastructure of the archaeological service at that time. Although far from a detailed description of the events, it traverses the main archaeological sites, monuments, and museums of Athens, citing specific examples of damage caused to them during those dramatic events. Emphasis is given to the archaeological sites and museums of the Acropolis and Kerameikos, as well as the archaeological site of the ancient Agora (Thiseion). This experience leaves an important historical legacy of how important ancient monuments of human cultural heritage can be at significant risk when the area in which they are located becomes a war zone. Today, at a historical moment when war zones are constantly expanding, such historical legacies are even more relevant, since they are examples both of the ways in which important works of art or antiquities were chosen to be protected and of the forms of damage they suffered during warfare, especially during the Second World War.

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