Από τον 19ο αιώνα και τις ανακαλύψεις των Ε. Σλήμαν, X. Τσούντα, Ά. Έβανς και των άλλων πρωτεργατών, οι πολιτισμοί που αναπτύχθηκαν την Εποχή του Χαλκού στις Κυκλάδες, την Κρήτη και τον ηπειρωτικό ελλαδικό χώρο τροφοδοτούν σταθερά ένα διεθνές επιστημονικό ενδιαφέρον. To πέρασμα στον 21ο αιώνα μπορεί να γίνει η αφορμή για έναν ποιοτικό απολογισμό της κατάστασης της αιγαιακής προϊστορικής έρευνας;
The book tells the story of how the British consular service in the Aegean, in the years of the British protectorate of the Ionian Islands (1815-1864) became an agency for the retrieval, excavation and collection of antiquities eventually destined for the British Museum. Exploring the historical, political and diplomatic circumstances that allowed the consular service to develop from a chartered company into a state run institution under the direction of the Foreign Office, it provides a unique perspective on the intersection of state policy, private ambition, and the collecting of antiquities.
This volume originates in the Thesprotian colloquium that was organised in June 2006 in Athens by the Finnish Institute at Athens and the 8th Ephorate for Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities. As several of the papers given at the colloquium already have been published elsewhere, this volume includes less than half of the original papers. Instead new chapters written by members of the Thesprotia Expedition or by other colleagues working in the region have been added.