Alexander, Frankenstein and regular days in the life of a Balkan archaeologist. The experience of the Greek - Albanian Archaeological Expedition at Prespa (Albania), in the years 2009 - 2014

Abstract

This is a short account of how archaeology and archaeologists could become protagonists of a political psychodrama, very common in an ancient land like the Balkans. Old and rich heritages often are responsible for the bad relations occurred among people who in reality have nothing to divide except from the ghosts of presumed ancient ancestors. Alexander described here is not the King of Macedonia and Asia but his Frankensteinish version, which was created, fed and grown like a Prague‟s Golem in order to be used as a puppet in the hands of able manipulators. The case of the Greek – Albanian Archaeological Expedition on the island of Maligrad, in the Tri – National zone of Prespa, is given as an example of how things work some times in our days, in places which have never been something else than “grey zones” on the map. The case of the “recent” discovery of the Macedonian tomb at Amphipolis, Greece, is given here as a counter balance to the case of Maligrad. The polemic of the article is not focusing on cultural or demographic minorities of any place in the Balkans but on the ill use of our common historical heritage by political authorities.