Before we begin, I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, Happy New Year with special wishes to each and every one of you individually.
The new year has unfortunately found us with the pandemic on the rise and everyone's endurance being tested once again. Our thoughts are with all those who are ill and their loved ones who are being severely tested, but also with the frontline professionals who were away from their homes and families during these festive days, struggling to save lives and give hope, courage and strength to those in need. They deserve admiration and praise for the professionalism and service they have provided and have provided tirelessly for more than two years. We thank them and express our respect and gratitude.
I wish and hope that this new ordeal will be overcome as soon as possible so that we can all soon return to normality and get our lives back.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We now proceed with reference to the death of Dr. Vassos Karagiorgis, the leading archaeologist professor and founder of the Archaeology Research Unit of the University of Cyprus, who left his indelible mark in the field of archaeology. Vassos Karagiorgis passed away on December 21, 2021, full of days. The funeral service was held, at public expense, on 27 December 2021. In 1952 he was appointed Assistant Curator of the Cyprus Museum, and from 1963 until his retirement in 1989 he was Director of the Department of Antiquities. Under his direction, the Department flourished and became very creative and he identified his name with the great excavation of Salamis, where for 22 years he excavated to bring to light one of the largest theatres in the Eastern Mediterranean, where important works of ancient Greek literature and beyond were to be brought to life. This major excavation demonstrated the Greek character of Salamis, which has since become a national symbol. Subsequently, the excavations in Salamis brought to light even more impressive antiquities, such as the royal necropolis and Homeric tombs of the 8th and 7th centuries BC, of particular importance for archaeology. The name of this great archaeologist was also associated with the excavations at ancient Kition and its magnificent temples, at Pyla and the Late Bronze Age settlements, at Pentaya, Kokkinokremmos and elsewhere.
The man with a profound knowledge of archaeology contributed to the establishment of archaeological museums in all the provinces, as well as to the organization of archaeological conferences, in the context of which eminent foreign archaeologists were given the opportunity to conduct excavations in Cyprus, promoting the country abroad and placing it at the centre of international academic discussions.
Vassos Karagiorgis also served as Director of the "Anastasios G. Leventis Foundation, an associate professor at the Cyprus Institute, and a member of the four-member Founding Committee of the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts, being one of the four transitional full members of the Academy since 2019. He was a prolific author, having published dozens of books and hundreds of articles on Cypriot archaeology, receiving numerous awards for this academic work. In May 2008 the President of the Hellenic Republic, Karolos Papoulias, awarded him the title of Brigadier of the Order of Honour for his contribution to archaeology.
A man with excellent scientific training, intellectual culture, deep knowledge of ancient sources, but also a charismatic, inventive, visionary man with great leadership skills, he bequeaths to the Cypriot, but also to the world academic community, an enormous work, a heritage for ever. At the same time, he leaves an unfulfilled void in the academic community in Cyprus and internationally.
Expressing our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones and interpreting the feelings of all, I invite you to observe a one-minute silence in his memory.
May his memory be eternal!
(MB/SX)
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