ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES: Shortcomings and Gaps in Security or Just “a Bad Moment”? – The Account of an Eyewitness at the Sacred Temple of Apollo
The recent incident at the sacred temple of Apollo Hylates in Limassol, where visitors climbed on monuments to take photographs, is neither isolated nor merely “unfortunate.” It is the result of a long-standing, systematic undervaluation of our cultural heritage by the State and the responsible authorities themselves.
The Deputy Minister of Culture, Vasiliki Kassiannidou, commenting on the incident involving students from the Erasmus program at the archaeological site in Paphos, accurately described a scene of shame – a behavior that, as she said, does not honor either the children or the schools hosting them, nor their schools of origin. Yet, mere seconds later, she sought to… soften the responsibility, attributing the event to “a bad moment,” indirectly downplaying the issue of security by essentially stating that this is not where the problem lies.
BY CHRISTINA PELEKANOU
No, it is not “a bad moment” when the very structures leave monuments exposed. In archaeological sites there is no permanent, adequate, and visible security. The presence of guards, where it exists, is mainly limited to public operating hours and is often more formal than substantive. Thus, an environment is created where anyone can approach, climb, touch, or even step on monuments thousands of years old, without feeling that there is oversight, limit, or consequence for their actions. This is not called “a bad moment.” It is called a gap in responsibility, a gap in security, and a gap in respect for our very own heritage.
What meaning do upgrades, works, and facilities have if at critical moments there is no necessary oversight, if there is no guard present, if no one intervenes before stones thousands of years old become a pedestal for photographs?
The Department of Antiquities hastened to clarify that “significant interventions have been made for the upgrading of the sites” and that students from the Erasmus program entered for free, as provided for school visits. Nice papers, provisions, and free entries. However, when we get to the crux of the matter – namely the actual protection of the monuments themselves – the question remains unanswered: are they adequately guarded?
Why should a person like eyewitness Sotiris Giannakou feel indignation, sadness, and helplessness in front of such a scene instead of feeling that the state has already fortified these spaces? He notes “Today I found myself at the sacred temple of Apollo Hylates in Limassol, a place that carries thousands of years of history, memory, and culture. Yet within this serene and sacred atmosphere, I felt a deep sorrow.
The responsibility to protect archaeological sites is not “a bad moment” – it is a continuous obligation, first of the State and then all of us.
I saw people climbing on the monument as if it were just a backdrop for photos, with no awareness of the place they were in. It was as if something much larger than stone was being wounded before my eyes – it was our very relationship with our past. How easily we forget that these monuments have stood here for centuries yet are so fragile in the face of indifference. I felt sadness, anger, but also a sense of helplessness seeing a space that deserves only respect being trampled upon. It is not just an ancient monument; it is part of our identity, our heritage, and it hurts to see it treated with such thoughtlessness.”
It is unacceptable for archaeological sites to remain essentially unguarded outside operating hours or to rely on the “goodwill” of visitors. It is unacceptable to invest in campaigns, brochures, programs, and European collaborations while at the same time allowing the monuments themselves to become back
