The research I conducted in Greece focused on collecting data that will provide a better understanding of abandonment within the rural landscape of Greece. Through the photos, video and audio collected from the land, people, and built environments, I explored the effects of economic, environmental, and cultural change that occurred within these villages. During World War II, many of the villages in and around Lidoriki, were bombed, burned and depopulated. With the construction of the Mornos reservoir, and nearby bauxite mines, the traditional topography of this mountainous region was severely altered, leaving some villages inaccessible. By photographing the transformation of Greek villages and conducting interviews with locals, I was able to piece together fragments of the history and culture of pre-modern sites in order to relate village abandonment to larger socio-economic forces that can be identified throughout Greece.
While in Greece, interviews with locals often occurred opportunistically. Local villagers provided insight into their history and invaluable information regarding the process of abandonment occurring in Greek villages. The project’s folklorist acted as a translator and helped conduct interviews of locals who did not speak English. His help enabled me to communicate in the native language of the villagers and acquire a variety of perspectives that otherwise would not have been possible. Most of the video and audio collection was done after the last meal of the day, which typically lasted until midnight or later. I also conducted research within the village Agition. A DSLR Camera was used to collect high-resolution photographs of structures within the village in order to examine the physical deterioration of the material culture, and help with the digital reconstruction that other members of the team are working on. The combination of our work, with that undertaken by other members of the project team, is allowing a better understanding about the areas that are and have undergone social and cultural adaptation.
My product contains a selection of high quality images, historical photos and interviews that focus on the process of Greek village abandonment, serving as a record of the adjustment to globalization that continues in Greek village life. A DLSR Camera captured photographs and video while a colleague, Brennan Loynd, captured audio recordings. It is a project that will continue to grow as the interviews are translated from Greek to English and more data is collected. The finished product will be presented at the Archaeological Institute of America’s annual meeting in January and will provide insight on the complexities of the intersection of local, national and global forces and how these forces affect Greek village life.
While conducting interviews I gathered personal testimonies of how history has affected village life. Kafritsas, one of the last homeowners in Agition, spoke of the Germans burning the village during World War II and how the villagers abandoned it to stay alive. The government gave returning survivors 1,000 sq. meters of land to relocate to Pentapolis lower in the plains. He goes on to tell of how in Pentapolis there was no money to rebuild and people collaborated to build the village but in the end the social bonds were not strong enough, and the city failed. In an interview with a modern day shepherd, Tsiftis, he said, “The village for me is life.” He has traveled to Athens and the U.S. but the village is the only place he feels at home. Just before the Nazi’s left Greece a civil war began. The Greek government forced the herdsmen out of the guerrilla-controlled mountains and into Athens. Many did not survive the journey. Tsiftis claims those who truly loved the land came back. He mentioned being “saddened to see (his) mountains destroyed by the mines.” While these stories are tragic, they have given us invaluable information about why the people left and how, over time, these villages are disappearing. Nikos, a man who lives in Lidoriki, recalled fond memories of visiting the village each summer as a child. As a young man he ventured around the Mediterranean but the village always called to him, when his wife Sophia took over her fathers shoe store in Lidoriki they moved back and took on a permanent residence. These stories, whether first hand or passed down, have given precious insight into village life as it was before abandonment, and how people today find ways to survive far from city life. Translating these interviews is an ongoing process; eventually they will join with other oral records our team has gathered. These stories and villages will not be around forever. As we go forward we intend to capture more information and understand the significance of these sites within a broader examination of Greek history and culture. We will continue to gather more of these stories and create a detailed account of Greek village life as it was, as it is, and as it will be.
