What about other museums on the island?
Other museums are interesting but only one bonafide ‘national’ style museum can exist in Kythera. To display authentic artefacts from over the last 7000+ years.
Of course other spaces might open and act more like galleries and showcase copies, material from a specific part of the island or site but there will only be one main museum to display authentic, bona fide, historically priceless objects made and used on the island over the last 7000+ years.
What if it’s too complicated to reopen the existing building?
Funding from the European Union could provide a major breakthrough in reopening a Kytherian Museum. Perhaps the Dimos (local council) can help find another building if the existing location will take too long to comply for submission under the current European Union program. There is a Dimos European Union program with a deadline of end October, 2011 for submissions. This may provide the best chance for a solution.
Are there other ideas that might help?
Yes. Another suggestion is to lobby the state government of NSW in Australia, to stage a one-off “Crossroads of the Mediterranean” exhibition in Sydney, where a collection of key artefacts are provided to the NSW state government on loan.
If approved, this could happen at no cost to the Greek government.
Even better, funds raised from such an exhibition can be donated back to Kythera, and provide a major financial contribution towards a solution in reopening a public museum.
Australia has a Greek-Australian diaspora of over 700,000 people. 65,000 people of Kytherian descent also reside in Australia, meaning that such an initiative would be a great cultural activity for Hellenes abroad to participate in.
Why call it the Kytherian Museum and not specifically an Archaeological Museum?
Because it needs to be the main focal point, exhibiting life and objects left from those who have lived on the island for the last 7000+ years. Archaeology is a tool that helps piece together history. A scientific way of collecting and interpreting evidence that tells a story.
Archaeology is great in documenting history prior to the written record, say prior to 1000 years ago, but items that didn’t need to be found archaeologically are still relevant. Signs of life from over the last 200 years for example. Hence, a continuum is required, to present a snapshot of Kythera’s entire history (not just archaeology), in one location.
Historical continuity from Prehistoric to Classical, Byzantine/Venetian and modern times?
A vision is to reopen a museum that covers the last 7000+ years as a continuum. Not just be period or Ephorate specific, but include genuine objects from all Ministry of Culture Ephorate’s – to cover all periods and civilizations living on the island, up till the last decade.