He highlighted the archaeological site of ancient Messina as a model for excavation, restoration and maintenance
Petros Themelis, one of the most important Greek archaeologists, died at the age of 87, the man who highlighted the archaeological site of ancient Messina as a model of excavation work, restoration and maintenance.
Petros Themelis, son of the writer Giorgos Themelis, was born in Thessaloniki in 1936. He completed his basic studies at the Experimental School of the University of Thessaloniki. He received a degree in History and Archeology from the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Thessaloniki and a PhD from the Archaeological Institute of the University of Munich. He was a scientific assistant at the Archaeological Service of the prefecture of Thessaloniki and participated in excavations (Barracks of Halkidiki, Pella, Bergina).
From 1963 to 1980 he served as curator and rector of the Antiquities of Hlea-Messinia, Attica-Evia, Phocis-Lokris and Aitoloakarnania. During the three years 1977-1980 he was the director of the Archaeological Museum of Delphi. From 1980 to 1984 he was head of the Paleoanthropology and Speleology ephorate. From 1984 to 2003 he taught as a professor of Classical Archeology at the University of Crete and was vice-chancellor of Academic Affairs and president of the Research Committee of the same university. From 1985 to 2003 he directed the university excavation in Sector I of ancient Eleftherna. From 1986 to the present, he directed the excavation-restoration project in ancient Messina, for which he was honored with the European Europa Nostra award in 2006 in Madrid and in 2011 in Amsterdam.
He had published ten monographs, two hundred and fifty scientific studies, book reviews, archaeological guides, excavation reports, prefaces to publications, articles in encyclopedias, translations, while his leaflets were regularly published in the daily Athenian and Messinian press. He was an honorary citizen of Messina, Androusa and Kalamata, a lifelong partner of the Athens Archaeological Society, a corresponding member of the American Archaeological Institute, a member of the Euboean Studies Society, the German Archaeological Institute, the Austrian Archaeological Institute, a member of the Acropolis Monument Conservation Committee, president of Company of Messinian Archaeological Studies and vice-president of the Center for the Study of Modern Ceramics-Foundation Oik. G. Psaropoulos.
In 2005, he was honored with the Commander of the Order of the Phoenix by the President of the Hellenic Republic, Konstantinos Stefanopoulos, for his teaching, scientific and excavation work. In 2016 he was honored for the same reasons with the Senior Brigadier General of the Order of the Phoenix by the President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos. Also in 2016 he was named honorary professor of the University of Peloponnese.
