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- Ελληνικά
As we approach the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, to use archaeological terminology, digitisation is emerging as an essential tool, which is playing an increasingly crucial role in the management and promotion of cultural heritage and cultural assets. New technologies enable us to protect our monuments and cultural relics while enhancing study and research. Moreover, they enhance the role of museums, which through a digital environment become accessible to a much larger number of people both in our country and worldwide.
It is for this reason that it is with great pleasure that I introduce today the event of the Department of Antiquities, which marks the completion of the 36-month project "Digitising the Museums of Cyprus". This initiative, the digitisation of 96,000 ancient artefacts on display and stored in the repositories of the state museums, is not only an important digital repository. It is a success for the Department of Antiquities, the state body charged with the management and protection of our cultural heritage.
This project received funding from the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism (EEA), Norway Grants (Programming Period 2014-2021) and the Republic of Cyprus, and was a continuation of the efforts made since 2009 by the Department of Antiquities for the complete digitisation of movable finds, declared ancient monuments, archaeological surveys, controlled areas and areas under temporary requisition. At this point I would therefore like to express my sincere thanks to Norway for supporting this very important project for us.
Digitisation has emerged in today's world as an indispensable tool for every museum, but also for every organisation dealing with archaeology or the management of cultural goods. It offers prospects for efforts to conserve, preserve, study and promote cultural heritage, ensuring the protection and preservation of both the artefacts themselves and the archives that accompany them from physical deterioration, destruction or loss.
The contribution of new technology is also one of the main pillars in efforts to document, protect and recover stolen cultural goods, both through the creation of specialised applications to combat illicit trade and through the emphatic The conflicts in the Middle East region in recent years, as well as the experience of Cyprus itself after the 1974 Turkish invasion, have highlighted the scourge of the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage as a means of eradicating the identity of a people, and the illicit trafficking and trade in antiquities as a profitable sector that can finance terrorist or other armed conflicts.
The memories of the devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019 and the restoration of the monument in 2023, as well as the recent discovery of the loss of thousands of objects from the British Museum that were not fully documented in terms of storage space, have reminded us of the challenges we face. They have highlighted in the most obvious way the fragile nature of cultural heritage, emphasising the need for scientific documentation and digital recording, practices which serve the principle of preservation and conservation for future generations.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
'One of the articles of the founding law of the Ministry of State for Culture states the following: "The recording and indexing, by conventional and/or digital means, of cultural heritage, including cultural heritage in the areas of the Republic occupied by the Turkish army." This is one of the reasons why I consider this project to be extremely important. Therefore, on the occasion of today's event, I would like to take this opportunity to warmly congratulate the Department of Antiquities, and in particular all the archaeologists who have worked on this project and for the efforts they have made to successfully achieve all its objectives.
In conclusion, I would like to say that I hope this effort will continue and assure you that as the Deputy Ministry of Culture we will support every initiative for the digital recording of the material culture of our country.
(Ephys/GS/NZ)
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