The Intervention On the Acropolis In the Modern Era Essay Example for Free

The Intervention On the Acropolis In the Modern Era Essay The Acropolis has stood as witness to the making of history in the West, from the flourishing of Athenian culture in the times of Socrates, to the contemporary metropolis that hosted the recent Olympics games. It is a great monument because it is a symbol of Greek culture that belongs not only to the Greeks, but to all who share in a common world history in the West.   The Acropolis is at the same time a universal cultural symbol, and a national symbol of Greek national identity. As such, the Acropolis bears the marks of centuries of history – political interventions, economic and social forces, that have shaped it throughout history and time. Hellenism is not what it used to be back in classical times.   For one, it is not as well respected.   Like the Acropolis, Hellenic culture seems to lie in ruins, and is most in need of preservation.   The transformation of Hellenic culture from the most dominant cultural force felt throughout the world (since perhaps the American entertainment industry) to a historically past, however well spent, is the result of the influence of foreign countries exercised upon the Greek psyche. The Acropolis is considered to be the embodiment of a Greek heritage and identity; this is why the Greeks consider the integrity of the Acropolis so crucial and urge the restitution of the antiquities.   But the Acropolis is present only as a ghost of it’s former glory, and in pieces with much of its original physique now gone missing.   Whatever it is to be Greek today, if the Acropolis is the symbol we take it to be, it cannot be to be complete and whole, but to be lost (at least in some part) to the memory of a lost past. The attempt to make a claim on the past, to take back the idea of Hellenism for the future is a constant struggle of repatriation, and leads to the following paradox: on the one hand Hellenism is praised for its global/ecumenical character, transcending national borders, while on the other its (local) contenders claim it back, trying to draw borders and to retrench their territory. (The Acropolis, 85) Hellas is universal and global, and it belongs to all of us in the West, but because of this is it lost 9at least a little bit) to the Greeks themselves.   To take it back for themselves would also be to destroy its prominence on the stage of world history.   So the Greeks, in an attempt to gather an identity into and for themselves must go out into the world that is not so foreign to them and claim all of it as Greek.   We in the west, we are all Greeks in some way, and the Greeks are the epitome of Western culture. The continuation of the Greek political and cultural line is important to the modern Greek people. An example of this can be found in The Acropolis, where modern Greeks are questioned about whether they are the descendants of the ancient Greeks. (The Acropolis, 37) In one sense, calling themselves inheritors of the ancient Greeks is degrading in that it reduces them to the past, and levels down their future.   In another sense, it is powerful claim to make.   Some Greeks express their desire for changing their national name from Greece and Greeks to their ancient Greek names Hellas and Hellenes. They emphasize the importance that names play in systems in kinship: Hellas is conceived as surname while Greece is conceived as nickname. (The Acropolis, 93)   The name change would represent their connection to Hellenism, as Hellas represents the classic global character of Hellenism, whereas Greece is seen as contemporary name that looses much of this universal import. Thus, in order to restore the classical Hellenism, some Greeks argue that the more Ancient Hellas is now appropriate. Another example in this same vein, some Greeks have argued that the sculpture named ‘Elgin’ displayed in the British Museum should be re-named ‘Parthenon marbles’ (The Acropolis, 99), as the marbles are considered as sacred rocks and the heritage of Greece which strongly represent the Greek identity. It seems like the Greeks are always making a point of remarking when Britain has taken their antiquities, identifying Lord Elgin as the staue’s ‘thief’. It is in this sense that naming the marbles ‘Elgin’ is the same as stealing and degrading Hellenism, and alonmg with this aslo Greek dignity. No doubt, these antiquities are considered to be national treasures, and are irreplaceable and inalienable; even making use of the logo of the antiquities for advertisements is disfavored. For example, Coca-Cola had to replace the shape of the Doric columns of the Parthenon on its soda bottles and advertisements, in order to undo harm it had done to the Greek image in using this image for commercial purposes. By using the image in this way, Coca-Cola denigrated the Acropolis as a national symbol to be used by the Greeks, and this act was perceived as disrespectful to the Greeks and their nationhood. This advertisement is but one example of how widely Americanization and globalization has gone in spreading Hellenism – as well as the worth and value of the Parthenon as a symbol for the perfect marriage of grace and power. But it also illustrates the contradiction at the heart of the contemporary Greeks culture – on the one hand, happy about the power and universality of the Parthenon to convey its symbol (used by such a well-established company for advertisement because of its powerful attraction); but on the other hand, the fact that its use as such degrades the meanings and cultural values that the Acropolis represents for the Greek peoples in particular. In brief, the message is that culture is not derived from the spirit of Hellenism, but from its commodification, now as a symbol for American global culture, and to new power of America on today’s world stage. Another example is that of the American fashion designer Calvin Klein who proposed to present its new jeans series at the Herodeion. Because the Herodeion is a scared place suitable for ‘classic’ arts such as opera, drama, and since the fashion show is considered lower as a ‘commercial’ venture, some deamed it improper for the site. In the end, the critique of both Coca-Cola and Calin Klein can be seen to be shortsighted because those who make it tend to see the use of Greek cultural symbols for commercial interest and economic profit as only degrading, instead of realizing that these companies are also publicizing the spirit of Hellenism through their products (albeit unintentianally).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To sum up, the necessity of bringing back the Acropolis and the other antiquities are important for the Greeks, but how they do it becomes problematic – a careful balancing act beteween bringing back a grand national identity to Greece, while also reviving the spirit of Hellenism for future generations. The past of the Acropolis lay behind us, but the future of what this symbol will become still lays ahead. Bibliography Yalouri, E. (2001), The Acropolis: Global Fame, Local Claim, Oxford: Berg, 37-99.