Recherche par auteur > Schwake Florian

 A societies (collective) memory and identity are intimately connected with certain sites and places, buildings or objects – Pierre Nora's Lieu de mémoire. Prior to Late Antiquity, the reuse, repurposing, and recycling of hewn stone is scarcely studied on a broader scope and often attributed to purely economic factors, questioning the existence of reuse for mnesomenic purposes. In combining written evidence - inscriptions and literary sources - with the archaeological record my ongoing PhD project aims to investigate whether reused building materials in Greek sanctuaries held such medial capacities. 

The most prominent reuse accepted in Classical Archaeology as markers of remembrance are the column drums of the Pre-Parthenon and the Doric Frieze of the Old Athena Temple in the northern wall of the Acropolis of Athens. They are seen as intended reminders of the struggles overcome in the Persian wars, thus, functioning as a reminder of the glorious past of the polis Athens as defender of freedom for all Greek people. In contrast, by looking at other sanctuaries outside and within Attica it becomes apparent, that the reuse of older blocks and architectural pieces in walls or supporting structures is a common practice, e.g. in the sanctuary of Poseidon at Sounion. Yet, the narrative of the emphasized status of the Acropolis wall can first be grasped in the 4th century, over 100 years after its construction. On the island of Paros, the preservation of (built) history (mneme) through the memorable reuse of architectural elements is attested, where an ionic capital from the 6th century was inscribed in honor of the memory of the poet Archilochos in the 4th century BCE and reused in his heroon. 

A culture could preserve its own history (mneme) through the memorable reuse of objects. In this way, architectural objects could evoke memories over the course of time and, due to their object biography, symbolize the absent and the past in contrast to the initial form of reuse (ambivalence of things). Questioning, whether this was already intended with their installation or was evoked only by their longevity and growing age. Thus, they can be testimony to the continuity or discontinuity of societies and their identities, functioning as markers and symbols of remembrance. Shaping their environment and creating new and different forms of interaction over time. 

Therefore, this contribution aims to ask if architectural pieces were (re-)used in different later phases as markers of remembrance or if they were merely used as invisible and unrecognizable elements, hiding their medial qualities. If and how might they have been perceived or experienced? Or in other words: How has the lived space changed or transformed over time because of their continued existence? Thus, transformation of the cultural and material environment within sanctuaries in Classical Antiquity as they were central places of identity formation and commemoration can be made visible.