When Time Spoke
The story of two people who dedicated their lives to their science and left their own mark on archaeology.
A description of the academic journey of Yannis and Efi Sakellaraki, encompassing excavations, writing and publications, trips to international conferences, successes and disappointments, brings to life an entire era, the events in the cultural and social life of Greece in the second half of the 20th century.
Through a fictional narrative, the author describes their shared journey and how they felt, acted and reacted, guided by a specific logic, aesthetic and ethos, both within and outside the archaeological world.
The publication was made possible through the generous sponsorship of Alpha Bank.
- Pages: 640
- ISBN: 978-960-572-187-9
- Publication: 2017
- Dimensions: 13 X 20 εκ.
- Categories: Books, Biographies & Personal Narratives, Essays & Thought, Biographies, Δοκίμιο
“The account of the academic journey of Yannis and Efi Sapounas-Sakellaraki brings an entire era to life.”
– elculture.gr"...From Piraeus to Archanes and Zominthos. The chronicle of her life with the archaeologist Yannis Sakellaraki is recounted by his partner, Efi Sapouna-Sakellaraki, in her forthcoming autobiography."
– Lambrini Kouzelis, To Vima"...A book exceptionally rich in detail that vividly presents the testimony of the scientific passion that permeated the lives and work of two leading archaeologists."
– Tessy Baila, culturenow.gr"...What Efi Sapouna-Sakellaraki achieves is a kind of excavation; as she charts paths towards a general affirmation of life, she painstakingly draws out fragments and fragments of memory and reassembles them into an uninterrupted narrative. It is an exuberant landing of memory on the waterfront of history."
– Nikos Vatopoulos, Kathimerini"...Ms Efi Sapouna has succeeded, just as our unforgettable friend once did, in bringing old stories to life, in revealing unknown aspects of their persistent work, in tracing and describing the unknown (to the general public) pathologies of intellectual… struggles."
– Vasilis Zevlakis, Patris newspaper"...Amidst the dense ‘crowd’ of prominent figures from the scientific, cultural, social, political and economic spheres in Greece and internationally—who, with fleeting or more permanent appearances, serve in many ways as signposts for our free exploration of the world of books— we encounter, along our inner journeys, figures of particular semantic and aesthetic significance."
– Alkistis Soulogianni, Bookpress.gr"...In her book *When Time Spoke*, she describes in a captivating manner their shared journey, their research, their great successes, the joys, the ups and downs that accompany every life, but also the bitterness of backstabbing amongst colleagues."
– Antonis Karatzaferis, Eleftheros Typos
"...The result of her work is a truly elegant book, brimming with information and accounts of the work and findings of her various expeditions across the length and breadth of Greece, where she has been fortunate enough to explore forgotten and deserted corners, which never cease to bring to the surface dazzling treasures, buried for thousands of years in the earth."
– Apostolos Spyrakis, Diastixo.gr"...The book chronicles significant moments in Greek archaeology, but also its darker side, with the quarrels, rivalries and the bitter conflict between archaeologists. Yet the Sakellaraki couple managed, with meagre resources and great enthusiasm, to keep the excavation team’s spirits high and to organise impromptu celebrations in the villages where they were based. Work by day, entertainment by night, and then very often work again. The only thing that suffered was their sleep! The narrative reveals not only an era of archaeology in our country but also the author’s personality, which emerges as that of a philosophical, determined, resolute person, with a deep love for her husband and her work, cheerful and positive."
– Estia
"...In 1982, Melina Mercouri said something significant that presupposes – and to a large extent explains – this fascinating book. She declared herself enchanted by what she saw during a visit to Archanes, the Sakellaraki family’s stronghold in Crete: ‘Archaeologists are the last aristocrats’! Of course, she did not mean just any archaeologists, but the utterly exceptional, the unique Yannis Sakellaraki and Efi Sapouna-Sakellaraki, those who, as a foreign professor put it, gave “a new look to archaeology” and whose life’s adventure unfolds through the pages of this densely written ‘chronicle of a life’.”
– Dimitris Filippidis, Efsyn"...A heartfelt tribute, full of emotion and love, to her shared journey through life and academia with the archaeologist Yannis Sakellaraki, who passed away seven years ago. It is worth noting that she continues undeterred..."
– Katerina Lyberopoulou, Thetoc.grEfi Sapouna-Sakellaraki
Efi Sapouna-Sakellaraki was born in Piraeus and grew up in Athens. A graduate of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Athens and the Department of Tourism Professions at the School of Industrial Technology, she undertook postgraduate studies in London and Heidelberg and was awarded a PhD by the Faculty of Philosophy in Athens.
He worked at the museums of the Acropolis, Olympia, Nafplio, Heraklion and Corfu, as well as on excavations in those respective areas. She served as secretary on the excavations of the American School of Classical Studies at the Ancient Agora of Athens, in the Archives Department of the Ministry of Culture, and at the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities.
Her participation in the excavations at Zakros, Archanes and Zominthos was significant, which she co-directed with her archaeologist husband, Yannis Sakellarakis. For the Archanes excavation, they were awarded a prize by the Academy of Athens. As Curator of Antiquities for Euboea, she conducted significant excavations across the island, on Skyros and along the Boeotian coast.
The creation of museums, the re-exhibition of ancient artefacts, and the provision of information through guides and educational programmes were among her main concerns.
She has participated in numerous conferences and has travelled with her husband to many countries to give academic lectures.
Her published works include over 150 books and academic articles.
She is a member of the Archaeological Society of Athens, the Hellenic Numismatic Society, the Institute for Marine Archaeological Research, and the Archaeological Institutes of Berlin and America. Since 2010, he has been president of the Psyche Foundation, which funds Greek excavations.
