Romanian cartography at the Paris Peace Conference has so far received very little attention. Nevertheless, Romanian scholars produced tens of maps to support Romanian claims, most of them ethnographic ones. Seen as unscientific in 1919, they were quietly brushed aside. The present article argues that Romanian maps of 1919 displayed the same ideas found among Romanian elites. Ethnographic space was for them not just a matter of graphic representation of census results, but also the historical development of ancient and modern Dacia. Romanian cartography was congruous with Romanian culture in a wider sense. The article will review these ideas and then discuss their impact in Paris in 1919 and for Romanian culture since then.
It has long been recognized that the members of the Neoplatonic Academy of Athens remained active practitioners of pagan cults well into Late Antiquity. Sometimes, however, it is argued that the rest of the city of Athens shared, at least in part, the practices of the Neoplatonic professors and their students. Yet the Academy consisted of a few members only. How representative were the practices of the members of the Academy for the sacred landscape of the city of Athens in Late Antiquity? The present article argues that the sources, namely the literary passages emanating from the members of the Academy themselves, as well as archaeological data point to a general lack of interest of the city in the practice of cultic paganism and even in the preservation of statues in Athens. The first case study is the episode of Nestorius (Zosimus New History 4.18). A new interpretation of the passage is proposed: Nestorius aims to restore public pagan cults by introducing on the Acropolis the worship of Achilles. The city however does not react positively and shows a profound lack of interest. The second case study is that of Proclus introducing a cult of Athena in his own house (Marinus Life of Proclus 30). It is argued that this passage is a reflection of the collections of statuary found in two large houses in Athens (House Omega on the northern slope of the Areopagus and the so-called "House of Proclus" on the south side of the Acropolis). The statue collections were gathered from abandoned sites around Athens, again testifying that the city was not interested either in pagan worship or the upkeep of the statues. The final case study is that of Hegias restoring private shrines in the hinterland of Athens and using them for pagan worship (Damascius Philosophical Life 145). The philosopher's initiative was criticized by his relatives. In all cases pagan cultic practices were met with lack of interest by the city, although in no case with violence. In all cases the efforts of the active pagan practitioners were to preserve sacred images, signifying that they had not lost their importance even in circles well familiar with Neoplatonic philosophy.Zusammenfassung: Die Mitglieder der neuplatonischen Akademie von Athen übten bis in die Spätantike hinein die paganen Kulte aktiv aus. Mitunter gehen Gelehrte davon aus, dass auch die übrige Stadt Athen, zumindest partiell, die Praktiken der neuplatonischen Lehrer und ihrer Schüler teilte. Doch die Akademie bestand nur aus wenigen Mitgliedern. In welchem Maße waren die Praktiken der Akademiemitglieder für das religiöse Leben Athens in der Spätantike repräsentativ? Der vorliegende Aufsatz behauptet, dass die Quellen, nämlich die literari-
The paper investigates ways to make archaeological heritage accessible to a wide public. Although archaeological sites, museums and historical monuments are amongst the most appealing cultural establishments, their visitation is occasional. Therefore, the potential of growth is significant. The diversity of sites and a wide array of valorisation strategies could support a much more intense visitation. The paper is methodologically based on a literature review of the management of archaeological sites in order to observe the solutions adopted around the world and to identify a typology of strategies in correlation with the form of archaeological sites considered. The second part of the research investigates both the reasons which facilitate and which prevent the public from visiting archaeological sites amongst Romanians and other Europeans. The final part offers some insights into strategic approaches of archaeological sites` management that could cope with the present cultural environment and help visitors to better understand the past.
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