The Athens State Orchestra's "Musical Walks" welcomes spring with music at the Acropolis Museum.

On Monday 31, March 2025 join the "Musical Walks" performed by the Athens State Orchestra in the Parthenon Gallery.

This year's event is marked by a programme that presents the wide spectrum of Modernism in Music. With the ambiguous title "Dist(r)opia", the selection of music spans the breadth of the greatest 20th century artists. 

The acclaimed musicians of the Athens State Orchestra will present the following works: PAUL HIDEMIT (1895-1963) Introduction to Richard Wagner's The Flying Dutchman plus Quartet for clarinet, violin, cello and piano BOHUSLAV MARTINOU (1890-1959), String Quartet No. 3 ALFRED SNITTKE (1934-1998), String Quartet No. 3.

Participants in the event included : Vassilis Soukas (violin), Iordanis Santos-Mastralexis (violin), Enkela Kokolani (viola), Angelos Liakakis (cello), Kostas Tzekos (clarinet), Thodoris Iosifidis (piano)

Due to limited availability, book tickets online @ events.theacropolismuseum.gr

The event includes a tour of the exhibition grounds with an Archaeologist at 5:30 p.m. and the musical event starts at 7 p.m. in the Parthenon Gallery.

THE ACROPOLIS MUSEUM'S SUMMER  TIMETABLE

From Tuesday, 01 April 2025, the Museum's summer opening hours begin.

01 April to 31 October

Monday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.,

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. 

Friday 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

The Museum's restaurant is open during the Museum's opening hours, except on Fridays and Saturdays, when it remains open until 12 midnight. 

To celebrate World Poetry Day, this Friday 21 March 2025, selected rhapsodies from Homer’s Iliad will be read in modern Greek in the courtyard of the Acropolis Museum. The event is hosted by ERT’s Third Programme and will be broadcast from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Homer’s Iliad, an epic recounting the siege of Troy, is considered the oldest epic of European literature, dating to around 750 BC. It preserves the myths, values and ideals of pre-classical antiquity and was originally part of the oral poetry tradition, intended for recitation at major festivals in Athens and throughout the Hellenic world.

A total of 12 out of the 24 rhapsodies will be presented in a modern Greek translation by students from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens’ Classical Philology Department. The language editing has been supervised by Vassilis Vertoudakis, an alternate professor of ancient Greek, and speech coaching students.

Live stream link : https://www.ertecho.gr/radio/trito/

On 10 March 2025, Victoria was admitted into the Εθνική Εταιρία των Ελλήνων Λογοτεχνών (The National Society of Greek Writers).  Past members have included many notable Greek writers such as Stratis Myrivilis and M Karagatsis. 

In a celebratory evening held at the Association of Athenians in Plaka, Victoria received her diploma from the President of the Society, Professor Gerasimos Zoras, and became the first female Honorary Member in its history.  

Professor Ioannis Pyrgiotakis ended his review of Hislop’s literary works with the words: “Victoria knows and understands Greece.  She is our Victoria.”

The Prime Minister has appointed Lord Daniel Finkelstein OBE, Tom Holland, Dr. Tiffany Jenkins, Martha Kearney and Claudia Winkleman as trustees of the British Museum; their four year terms started on 19 March 2025.

Lord Daniel Finkelstein OBE

Daniel is a columnist on The Times newspaper and a member of the House of Lords. He is also the author of a family memoir and history of the Second World War, ‘Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad’.

He joined the Times in 2001 having previously worked as an adviser to John Major when Sir John was serving as Prime Minister and William Hague when he was leader of the Opposition.

He is a patron of the Wiener Holocaust Library, a director of Chelsea FC, and the Chair of the Chelsea FC Foundation. In 1997 he was awarded an OBE as Director of Research for the Conservative Central Office.

Tom Holland

Tom is an award-winning historian, translator and broadcaster. He has written books about the Graeco-Persian wars; Roman history from the fall of the Republic to the age of Hadrian; empire and religion in late antiquity; Anglo-Saxon England; 11th century Latin Christendom; and the evolution and impact on the world of Christianity. He has translated Herodotus and Suetonius for Penguin Classics. 

He is co-presenter of the history podcast, The Rest is History. He has written and presented numerous TV documentaries, on subjects ranging from the Islamic State to dinosaurs. He is a Board Member of the British Library and an honorary fellow of Queens’ College, Cambridge.

Dr. Tiffany Jenkins

Tiffany is a writer and academic. Her latest book, ‘Strangers and Intimates: The Rise and Fall of Private Life’, is set to be published in May 2025. Previous publications include ‘Keeping Their Marbles: How the Treasures of the Past Ended up in Museums and Why They Should Keep Them’ (2016) and ‘Contesting Human Remains in Museum Collections: The Crisis of Cultural Authority’ (2010).

She has served as an honorary fellow in the History of Art at the University of Edinburgh and as a visiting fellow in the Department of Law at the London School of Economics. Her broadcasting contributions include presenting the series ‘A History of Secrecy, Contracts of Silence’, and ‘Beauty and the Brain: What Science Can and Cannot Tell Us About Art’ for BBC Radio 4. Additionally, she frequently appears as a critic on Radio 4’s Front Row, and her opinion pieces have been published in The Observer, Financial Times, The Spectator, and The Scotsman, where she previously served as a weekly opinion columnist.

Martha Kearney

Martha Kearney is a BBC presenter. She has presented the Today programme, The World at One, Woman’s Hour and Newsnight Review. As well as being Political Editor of Newsnight, she reported from Northern Ireland for many years and has had many overseas assignments including several trips to Afghanistan. 

Martha was educated in Edinburgh and at Oxford University where she studied classics. Archaeology remains a lifelong passion. After leaving Today in 2024 Martha has launched a new interview series for BBC Radio Four called This Natural Life.

Claudia Winkleman

As a child, Claudia went to the National Gallery and British Museum almost every Saturday morning with her father, igniting a passion which eventually led her to study History of Art at Cambridge University in 1993. 

After graduation, Claudia went on to work in television and radio and has done so for the past 30 years. She has hosted shows such as Strictly Come Dancing, The Traitors, The Piano and The Great British Sewing Bee. Claudia hosted the Radio 2 Arts Show for six years before hosting her eponymous show every Saturday morning at 10. In 2023 she won the BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance.

Claudia has written weekly columns for The Independent and The Sunday Times and continues to write for The Times. She is a Trustee for Comic Relief, a patron for Child Bereavement UK, and an Ambassador for The King’s Trust. 

The Greek Red List was presented by ICOM’s Greek office in collaboration with the Greek Culture Ministry, with support from the ICOM Secretariat. A roundtable discussion was held to mark the 25th anniversary of the Red List initiative, attended by representatives from UNESCO, INTERPOL, UNIDROIT, and legal advisors, with Greece represented by Dr. Artemis Papathanassiou, Head of the Special Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece.

From left to right: Sophie Delepierre (Head of Heritage Protection Department ICOM Secretariat), Sunna Altnoder (Chair of Unit, Illicit trafficking and return and restitution, Cultural Sector, UNESCO), Artemis Papathanassiou (Head of the Special Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Marina Schneider, Tiziano Coiro (Coordinator Works of Art Unit, INTERPOL)

Greece has been included in the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Red Lists of countries, an initiative aimed at preventing the illicit trafficking of cultural artefacts.

“Greece’s commitment to cultural heritage protection is anything but new. For decades Greek authorities and dedicated professionals, such as ICOM Greece, have joined forces to develop a strong legal framework and operational tools to protect their immense cultural heritage. With the new ICOM Red List for Greek Cultural Objects at Risk, another stone is added to this edifice of cultural heritage protection.” Sophie Delepierre, Head of ICOM Heritage Protection Department.

ICOM (International Council of Museums) and ICOM Greece, in cooperation with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, launched of the ICOM Red List of Greek Cultural Objects at Risk, a significant tool designed to help fight the illicit trafficking of Greek cultural heritage.

The Red Lists categorize cultural objects most at risk of theft and illegal trade, providing a valuable tool for law enforcement and customs officials to identify and protect vulnerable items.

“The illicit trafficking of antiquities and cultural goods remains a significant threat, both in times of peace and war,” said Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni at an event that took place at the Acropolis Museum. “This is not just illegal activity but a highly organized international crime network linked to terrorism.”

Minister Mendoni highlighted the need for international cooperation, sharing information, and using both human and material resources to combat this crime.

The newly established Greek Red List is designed to help identify cultural objects most vulnerable to trafficking. Unlike lists of stolen items, it features artefacts commonly targeted by traffickers, many of which are now in Greek museum collections or recognized institutions. Some of these objects were repatriated or voluntarily returned by foreign institutions.

ICOM has been publishing Red Lists since 2000, collaborating with national and international experts to cover regions most at risk of cultural trafficking - areas with rich ancient civilizations.