Greek Archaeologists Appeal To Europeans

Greek archaeologists lodged an appeal to their European counterparts (as well as decision makers) with the aim of defending Greece's cultural heritage amid cuts in the national budget to maintain sites that include those around the 2,500 year-old Acropolis in Athens.

The austerity packages and authoritarian measures that are currently tearing apart Greece and its monuments, are going to be imposed across Europe said the Association of Greek Archaeologists said in a statement. The association said that the budget of the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s archaeological service was slashed by nearly 35 percent, to no more than 12 million euros in 2011 and is going to drop further in 2012.

The associations' 7,000 ministry employees, including 950 archaeologists and 2,000 guards, are responsible for almost 19,250 archaeological sites and monuments around the country as well as 106 museums and collections of prehistoric, classical and Byzantine antiquities. They are also monitoring some 366 projects and hundreds of excavation works.