Seeing Samothrace

About the lecture The aura of Samothrace has captivated travelers, scholars and artists, some of whose visions are presented in the exhibition Imag/in/ing Samothrace: From Homer to the Hololens. Being one of its lifelong captives since early 1980s as an archaeologist of the Greek Archaeological Service on the island, I will share my vision of its past and present, as it was crystallized after so many years of life among the Samothracians. My career is connected with Samothracian archaeology: excavating the island’s prehistory and protohistory; surveying the islandscape; working on the Sanctuary of the Great Gods site management; and studying the material remains of the traditional water-powered installations. During this period, I became an “outside” member of the Samothracian society that very often appeared in my photos alongside archaeological documentation, nature and architecture. I am very proud that I have followed so distinguished photographers, such as Wilhelm Burger, Spyros Meletzis, whom I’ve met in 1986, and Stuart Shaw, and that I have contributed in providing glimpses of the living cultural heritage of Samothrace. About the Speaker Dimitris Matsas took his PhD from the Department of History–Archaeology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He was an archaeologist of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture (1979–2014), serving since 1980 at the 19th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities (Komotini). Currently, he directs the Samothrace Lidar Project (SaLiP). Apart from his fieldwork, he contributed to the new exhibition of the Archaeological Museum of Samothrace (2024). Outside Samothrace, he is taking part in the excavation of the Neolithic tell of Paradimi and the survey of the Neolithic settlements in the Regional Unit of Rhodope. In the same regional unit, he directed the project, Restoration – reuse of the traditional Mansion Tavaniotis in Maroneia.