Locals join forces with archaeologists at Aidonia in Corinthia.
The land behind Giorgos Costopoulos's home in Aidonia in the region of Corinthia is strewn with antiquities. Decades ago, grave robbers pillaged the Mycenaean-era cemetery on the low hill east of the village, digging tunnels, boring into the beehive graves and sending their loot – seal stones and gold rings – abroad. Their identities have never been discovered, but their activities saw the locals branded as antiquities thieves.
“Antiquities need to be respected to be brought to the surface, to bring tourists who want to see our history,” says Costopoulos as he shows us around his farm. He is one of several residents at Aidonia helping a team of archaeologists that has been conducting systematic research for the past two years in the area, bringing new treasures to light.
“The presence of the archaeological service prevents any illegal excavation attempts. Antiquities thieves tend not to go to places that are getting a lot of attention and where the local population is also on alert,” says the head of the Aidonia excavation, Dr Dinos Kissas, an assistant professor of classical antiquity at the University of Graz in Austria, tells Kathimerini.
