Field Trips Archives - The Heritage Management Organization

From Memory to Momentum: AHEAD Study Visit in Crete

HERITΛGE Team — Thu, 29 May 2025 10:16:35 +0000

From May 21st to 23rd, 2025, HERITΛGE and the Archaeological Museum of Mesara welcomed partners from across Europe for the second international AHEAD project Study Visit, a key milestone in the project’s mission to foster innovative, audience-centred cultural experiences. The three-day gathering hosted by the Museum (the project’s Greek Hub), proved a dynamic space for reflection, testing, and exchange of ideas across borders and communities.

The AHEAD team along with local heritage professionals and Elektra Angelopoulou – the artist selected to co-create work for the Greek hub- worked to validate and give feedback on the prototypes developed through the AHEAD methodology — a process designed to help cultural institutions understand their audiences, co-create with them, and embed those practices into their operations.

Two Prototypes, Two Publics

The Greek Hub focused on two distinct but equally vital local audiences: children and adults, engaging each group in a meaningful journey through AHEAD’s empathise–define–ideate–prototype–test framework.

HERITΛGE’s Xanthippi Kontogianni

Prototype I: Children’s Voices in the Museum

HERITΛGE and the Museum partnered with two local primary schools to involve young learners in the creative process. With the participation of artist/performer Elektra Angelopoulou, and through structured activities aligned with the AHEAD methodology, the children explored the museum’s collection and selected their favourite objects.From these choices, the children developed their own narratives — imaginative stories, reflections, and personal interpretations inspired by the artefacts.

In centering children’s voices, the museum embraces storytelling not just as education, but as connection — bridging past and present through creativity, wonder, and the eyes of a new generation.

Prototype II: Community, Connection, and Co-governance

In parallel, HERITΛGE invited local adults to participate in a series of reflective workshops, beginning with the sharing of memories, lived experiences, and deep-rooted connections to the Messara landscape — a place where archaeology, history, and daily life are inextricably linked.

These sessions revealed a strong sense of local pride, but also a disconnect: many felt the museum, though geographically close, was distant in spirit — shaped by state institutions without enough input from those who live nearby. In response, the prototype developed with this audience is the creation of a “Friends of the Museum of Mesara” Association.

This initiative aims to:
– Strengthen community engagement with the museum
– Amplify local voices in decision-making processes
– Support the museum’s role in driving tourism and sustainable local growth
– Provide a formal channel for co-creating future experiences and exhibitions

From Testing to Transformation

Both prototypes were presented to AHEAD consortium members during the Study Visit. Feedback sessions, held at the Archaeological Museum and visits to the area and its archaeological sites Gortyna and Phaistos, allowed partners to gain and exchange insights, and consider how these approaches might be adapted across other contexts.

The feedback underscored the importance of:

Deep listening and long-term community involvement
Rethinking traditional exchanges between museums and local communities
Fostering sustainable links between heritage, education, and local development
Working with the AHEAD methodology and returning to it as often as necessary throughout the lifetime of a project.

The prototypes — still in development — will be officially launched in September 2025, during a dedicated event that will also feature a site-specific performance by Elektra Angelopoulou, created in collaboration with the Mesara community.

Looking Ahead

This second Study Visit demonstrated the power of co-creation, memory, and local agency in shaping meaningful cultural heritage experiences. By validating the Greek Hub’s work and drawing lessons from the field, partners left Messara not only inspired, but equipped with ideas they could bring back to their own communities.

Next up for AHEAD: Study Visit 3 in Altamira, Spain — where a new chapter of audience-centred innovation is already unfolding.

AHEAD is co-funded by the European Union. To learn more about the AHEAD methodology or how to join the AHEAD network visit the project website and explore the learning resources, manifesto, and upcoming events.

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The Refugee Identity Crisis: How Athens Builds National Identity through Heritage

administrator — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 16:47:25 +0000

As soon as you visit Athens it hits you square in the face, the strong nationalistic Greek identity is everywhere, sold in shops, on the shirts of the tourists and physically overlooking the city in the shape of the Acropolis. The visitor may not feel overpowered as they hop back on a plane home, but that is not the same for every resident of Athens.
Since the refugee crisis, tens of thousands have entered Greece and found themselves stuck and lost. Their homes destroyed, separated from family, and their national identity a distant past. Since their arrival, Athens has worked on satisfying necessities like health and shelter, and is now working on higher needs such as psycho-socio support. With this comes the chance to reform lost identity, forming a sense of belonging in Athens. To achieve this Athens is using their best product: heritage.
Refugees have been the focus of several temporary exhibits at the Benaki and Cycladic museum which focus on the travel and everyday aspect of their experience. This includes children’s drawings and sculptures by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who manifested the act of Europe letting go of its responsibilities to the refugees into an anthropomorphic statue.

Ai Weiwei exhibit photo credits: Kimberley Bulgin

Tours of the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum and the National Archaeological Museum were started by the Greek cultural minister. Rather than focusing on the loss of the refugees, or the greatness of Athens’ past, he spoke of the Greek hospitality, of the similarities between their cultures and of the Parthenon and the lost Palmyra. He sent the strong message that their heritage may be lost but now the heritage of Athens is partly theirs.

shoes donated to refugees displaying an act of kindness via: [http://www.museumwithoutahome.gr]

Working on the theme of Greek hospitality Oxfam and Amnesty used heritage to thank Athens for their role in the refugee crisis. By creating an open-air museum exhibiting the items Athenians donated to the refugee camps Oxfam and Amnesty aimed to showcase the importance of goodwill to the new communities and hopes this will act as an incentive to others. This acts as a tool of community building between Athenians and the refugees which in time can create a new transcultural identity between the two shared experiences of the crisis.

Touberleki traditional drum used to bring communities closer via: [http://www.museumwithoutahome.gr]

Athens does have a strong migration history from the early 20^th century, although not a part of curriculum there are talks of a new museum dedicated to this subject. With education from this new heritage site we can expect a level of education on the subject which can only lead to further acceptance and understanding of the new plight. If immigration becomes a part of the strong Greek identity it is easier for the refugee to see themselves within the landscape and create an identity. Representation in heritage spaces is imperative for the refugee for them to be fully engaged with the programmes Athens is offering.
In time, hopefully a transcultural identity can be created by both Athens and the refugee communities. This will need to be based on a sharing of heritage spaces and representation for both communities, working on similarities rather than differences. Athenians can feel pride for their role in the refugee crisis and in the future, this can become part of their joined identity, an experience shared and represented in heritage spaces.

Kimberley Bulgin previously studied Classical and Archaeological studies at the University of Kent and her interests in Heritage Management are on visitor engagement in educational settings.
(This was an excerpt from her paper ‘The Refugee Identity Crisis: How Athens is bridging the gap between a person and their homeland through heritage and meaning making’ presented at the University of Kent MA conference on Boundaries in Paris in May 2017.)

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A Day at the First Cemetery in Athens

administrator — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 14:00:00 +0000

It was a dark and gloomy day.
The clouds were hovering over Athens.
What a perfect day to go to the Cemetery.
Wouldn’t you say?

As part of our Education & Archaeology field trip led by Dr. Corbishley, we had the option to visit the First Cemetery of Athens.
Along with the University of Kent Archaeological Society (UKAS) students, who were visiting Athens, we created a tour around the city and made our way to the Cemetery. Here we saw Schliemann’s tomb which was rather grand amongst other grand tombs.

Front and back view of Schliemann’s tomb

The Cemetery seemed like a city in its own right with an imposing entrance, pathways between the tombs and graves that could be considered small roads, the tombs and gravestones which could be considered as monuments of the dead with some modern, some old, some abandoned, and some worshipped.

An example of one of the abandoned tombs

Despite not delving into deep research about some of the infamous people buried at the Cemetery, we did have some amusing and intriguing conversations about what we saw.
There were many cats in the Cemetery surrounding the graves, which anyone slightly superstitious would find quite creepy. We jokingly talked about the cats as guardians of the dead and the oranges growing on the trees as the fruit of the dead.
We also discussed whether it was disrespectful to take photos in a cemetery as well as discussing issues surrounding the ‘business’ of cemeteries; if people are buried and their loved ones are gone, is it right to leave these graves abandoned or unearth them for new burial?
This also led to further discussion about modern burial and cremation methods and how we would personally like to ‘leave’ this earth. For example, there is an interesting method of burial and cremation where the body or ashes are placed in a pod with a seed and buried in the ground to grow into a tree.

Searching the cemetery

As well as our discussions, we ended up going on a search with a group of students to find family members of one of our fellow students. Our search came to a disappointing end as we got lost in the maze and could not find the gravestones. It led us deeper into the maze of graves and to the realisation that the First Cemetery of Athens is quite large. This is definitely not a place you want to get lost in in Athens, especially on a dark and gloomy day! Much to our relief, we did (eventually) find our way out.
If you live in Athens or find yourself in Athens, you may want to visit the First Cemetery of Athens as an alternative way of seeing the history of the city (and this actually goes for any city). From an artistic point of view it may also be interesting to see the development of the tomb and gravestone styles over the years. From this trip I learned that there are unlimited amount of ways to experience a cemetery, which was quite unexpected. I would not hesitate on my next city trip to visit the city’s cemetery.
All photos taken by Emma Greenwood.

Emma Greenwood is the current Social Officer for the HERMA programme of 2015-2016. She has a BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences, majoring in Humanities: European History and Society. She has experience in human resourcing, administration, and volunteer management. Emma is passionate about sports, travelling, photography, volunteer work, environmentalism, history, and food.

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Celebrating International Women's Day as a HERMA student

administrator — Sat, 12 Mar 2016 10:30:00 +0000

Today is the 8th of March. It is the day that societies celebrate their women; it was basically made for the working women, ignoring that the women whom be called “housewives” are doing great unpaid jobs. Women in numbers are half of the population in most societies, and are responsible to take care of the other half in most communities. Women have great power and are present in economy, politics and social life. In my country, there were many role models of women who were leaders in their fields, and I wish to join that list one day.

Unfortunately, living in a patriarchal society connects the achievement of a woman to her MALE kinship, they call her “the sister of MEN”.
Our professor Lena Stefanou chose this day to be a good memory for us as students, so we went to the Industrial Gas Museum as part of our field trips in our studies. A great photo to all of female students was taken at the highest point of the museum.

Dr. Lena Stefanou and female students on top of the world

Then we had a great lunch in her cozy apartment. Miss Lena gave us in this day another lesson of how energetic and educated a woman should be; how she prepared food in the morning, cleaned her flat, prepared for the tour, heated the food again, had us in her home with a smile, danced a little bit, and after all that, was present in social and academic events in the evening! How strong a woman could be!

Dr. Lena Stefanou and all students at the Industrial Gas Museum in Athens, one of a long string of activities during her day

When I arrived home I started researching for my next assignment, Mar Saba Monastery which belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, built in 484 A.D and locates few kilometers from Bethlehem. I planned last year to visit and couldn’t make it. I remembered when I asked my landlord how to reach the site, he told me (but you can’t enter the site). During that time, I didn’t analyze why as I was in complicated period. While reviewing the history of the site I discovered: it is not allowed (for women) to enter it as the monks keep an ancient tradition.
Being forbidden to enter ancient sites because of my gender is not new for me; two years ago when I was doing Umra in Madinah/Saudi Arabia I saw some men climbing stairs that lead to tower where you can see the whole mosque (built in 622 A.D and it is the second holy place for Muslims) but some guards stopped me claiming that it is not allowed to women. And it is not the only archaeological sites that has restrictions for women to visit, several places in Saudi Arabia that belong to pre-Islamic and post-Islamic era aren’t open to women, while some of them are open for two hours /three days a week.
Whilst there are no texts in both religions justifying that women can’t enter those historical sites, I wonder why this is still happening in the 21 century!
You might find it weird why a woman should care about that! As a future heritage manager I can’t hide my feminist side; for the last four years during my voluntary works with a cultural center I faced huge challenges to work in this field because of my gender.
On International Women’s day, I remind myself of my mission: work harder to change all traditions, the patriarchal system, and norms that undermine women or prevent them from visiting/working in historical sites.
Women are not second-class citizens or half-humans. A woman is: a sister who helped Moses(PBUH) to survive; a single mother who raised Jesus(PBUH); a wife who supported Mohammad (PBUH).
My mission is to be a future Manager who will assist her community to be better.

Ms. Jawida Mansour is a student in the Kent/AUEB MA in Heritage Management programme. She holds degrees in architectural engineering and business administration and has eight years of experience in economic development, concentrating on entrepreneurship among Palestinian youth. She is an outspoken social critic, having published numerous articles in local journals on issues related to women and youth in society. She is driven by her passion to empower women and youth both politically and economically using cultural heritage and national traditions.

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Eleusinian Mysteries

administrator — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 10:57:38 +0000

In this post, I would like to share a part of our class experience since my friends and I are doing our postgraduate degree near such important and interesting heritage sites which still have a cultural and historical value for the local people, not only archaeologists and heritage managers.

Elefsina (Eleusis), where the current MA’s lectures are taking place, is famous to historians and archaeologists for its sanctuary to Demeter and its associated cult which is one of the most famous religious observances in Ancient Greece. The details of the cult are still unknown due to its high secrecy. It had been practiced for over 2100 years from 1700 BC and the 20 kilometer pilgrimage route starting from the center of Athens to Elefsina was trekked by foot. This practice continued through generation to generation, but was abandoned after a prohibition order of pagan activities by the Christian Roman Emperor Theodosius I in the fourth century A.D.

However the road taken by those palmers, called this the Sacred Way (Iera Odos), can still be observed today in its tangible form and intangible values. Figure 1 shows an estimation of the way by archaeologists and historians.

Fig 1: Map of the Sacred way

The whole journey starts from, the Eleusinian at the Acropolis (pink point), and pass a gate of Athenian walls at Kerameikos (yellow point). Then it follows along the modern day highway still called “Iera Odos” which passes by the Sanctuary to Aphrodite (blue point). Finally it arrives in Elefsina (green point), where the religious cult activity was talking place.

The students participated in a field trip that traced the ruins of the Sacred Way, visiting Aphrodite’s Sanctuary as well as stretches of the stone path that created the Way which have been uncovered.

Eleusinian near the Acropolis

The Eleusinian was used as storage for all the sacred objects of the Eleusinian Mysteries during its ceremonies, which is located near the Acropolis in Athens. The participants started their pilgrimage journey from here.

Fig2: A part of the Acropolis. Photo Credit: Yoshitaka Sasaki

Kerameikos

The name, Kerameikos, came from the word “pottery”, in Greek since potters and their painters used to settle around this area (Ministry of Culture and Sports in Greece, 2012). As Figure 3 shows, it is currently an archaeological site, and a gate of the Athenian wall was located here as a Figure 4 shows due to the protection of the city in ancient times. It was also place to bury the soldiers killed by battles (Ancient Athens 3D).

Fig3. Kerameikos. Photo Credit: Yoshitaka Sasaki

Fig4: 3D images of ancient Kerameikos. Photo Credit: Ancient Athens 3D

The road is divided into two ways; the Iera Odos being to the right. The road is still actively used and is one of the main roads to go Elefsina from Athens today.

Fig5: A crossroad. Photo Credit: Yoshitaka Sasaki

Aphrodite’s Sanctuary

According to one of our professor’s, the sanctuary, located at the middle point between Athens and Elefsina, is dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty and fertility. Those rock cut niches in Figure 7, were created by pilgrims and initiates to the cult to house votive offerings to help solve problems in their personal lives in relation to characteristics of Aphrodite. It is currently surrounded by fences, but is still religiously popular among the locals as a Figure 8 suggests. This offering was there when our class arrived at the site, making it highly possible that this offering was made within few days of our visit. In this sense, the Sanctuary has both tangible and intangible value for the locals.

Fig6: The cave and its fence. Photo Credit: Yoshitaka Sasaki

Fig7: Rock cut niches for votives to Aphrodite. Photo Credit: Yoshitaka Sasaki

Fig8: An offering. Photo Credit: Yoshitaka Sasaki

Remains of the Way

Near the Sanctuary, there are remains of the Sacred Way in Figures 9 and 10. The stones of the passage are originals, so the passage has enormous level of authenticity. However, there are no informational signs or explanations to show this important site, and unfortunately a water park for children was built in front of this passage ruining the site’s authenticity. It is almost impossible to distinguish those stones in front of the amusement park which have existed there from ancient times. This type of controversial problem is also a case of concern by the field of Heritage Management.

Fig 9: The Sacred Way runs along a modern water park. Photo Credit: Yoshitaka Sasaki

Fig10: Remains of the Sacred Way. Photo Credit: Yoshitaka Sasaki

Elefsina (Eleusis)

Fig11: Elefsina Archaeological site. Photo Credit: Trip Advisor

Then the 20km journey ends at another acropolis, currently known as the Archaeological Site of Elefsina. It is a site that is mythologically known as the city where Hades had taken Demeter’s daughter Persephone down to the underworld. The myth has it that when her daughter was taken, Demeter was so upset that she allowed all the crops in the world to die. A deal was made with Hades that Persephone would be allowed to come up to Earth to be with her mother for 6 months out of the year and spend the rest of the year with him in the underworld, and this is why we have the seasons. The essence of the cult was to ensure that the harvest would happen year after year. Initiates of the cult would make their way through the site and up the hillside to the largest covered temple known as the Telesterion where the secret rituals of the cult were performed.

This Sacred Way is a great case study for heritage managers as the values of these sites do not enhance or provide their importance to the present population due to its poor or lack of management. We need to establish ways to overcome the issue effectively and efficiently, which is what my classmates and I are training to do.

References

Ancient Athens 3D, (n.d.). Kerameikos, [Online]. Available from: http://www.ancientathens3d.com/kerameikosEn.htm [29 March 2014].
GREECE.com, (n.d.). RHEITOI (LAKE KOUMOUNDOUROU) [Online]. Available from: http://www.greece.com/photos/destinations/Attica/Athens/Lake/Koumoundourou_Lake/Rheitoi_(Lake_Koumoundourou)/41562505 [29 March 2014].
Official web-site of the city of Eleusina, History of Elefsina. Available from: <http://www.eleusina.gr/history/syntomo_istoriko.aspx?sflang=en>.[18 March 2014].
Ministry of Culture and Sports in Greece. (2012), Kerameikos. [Online]. Available from: http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/eh351.jsp?obj_id=2392 [29 March 2014].
Elefsina Archaeological site (n.d) Tripadvisor [Online] At http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/56/71/a6/archaeological-site-elefsina.jpg

Yoshitaka Sasaki is a postgraduate student in the MA in Heritage Management 2013-2014. He mainly took business administration studies with philosophy and social science courses within a liberal art degree during his undergraduate. Yoshitaka’s main interest is to find ways of managing heritage sites by enhancing the values of sites in understandable forms to visitors and related stakeholders in the context of the tourism industry, aided by his study abroad experiences in Switzerland, Thailand and Greece.

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