American School of Classical Newsletter Studies at Athens Summer 2001 Νο.46 School Board Changes Announced At their May meeting in New York, the He was Chair of the Committee on the Trustees of the School elected James R. Gennadius Library (1997-2000), on which McCredie as President of the Board. Mr. he served from 1996 to 2000, and was a McCredie is Sherman Fairchild Professor member of the Executive Committee from ofFine Arts and Director of the Institute of 1977 to 1981. Fine Arts, New York University, and, since Mr. McCredie joined the ASCSA Board 1966, Director ofExcavations at Samothrace. in 1980. He is a member of the American Mr. McCredie's affiliation with the Philosophical Society; Iife member of the School began when he was a Regular Mem­ Archaeological lnstitute of America; coπe­ ber in 1958-1959 and a Charles Eliot sponding member of the Deutsches archao­ Norton Fel\ow in 1961- 1962. Hi s many logisches Institut, Berlin; and honorary years of service to the School include an member of the Archaeologica\ Society of eight-year tenure (1969-1977) as Director. Athens. Mr. McCredie received both his Mr. McCredie has been a member of the undergraduate and graduate degrees from Schoo\'s Managing Committee since 1963, Harvard, and has authored, and contributed serving as Chair from 1980 through 1990. continued on page 4 Jarnes R. Mc Credίe, new Bσard Pres ίdent Closing the Book on the Corinth Theft The recent repαtrίαtίon of objects stolenfrom the Corίnth Museum ιnore thαn α decade ago was the finαl chαpter ίn α tαle of ίnternαtίonal ίntrίgu e, here recounted by Nancy Bookίdίs , Assίstant Dίre cto r of the Corίnth Excavatίons. January 25, 2001 will go down as one who lived near Patras and who were alleg­ of the great days in modem Corinthian his­ edly also involved in the sale of narcotics. tory, for that is the day when 275 objects, Once they smuggled the stolen objects out stolen in April 199 ό, were official\y re­ of Greece, they took them to Miarni in fish turned to the Corinth Archaeological Mu­ crates and left them in keeping with a seum. Smuggled out of Greece to the friend. Told not to open the packages, she United States soon after the robbery, the nevertheless became aware of some of the stolen pieces found their way to Miami, contents when a Florida huπicane blew the where they lay hidden in crates offish. It is wrappings off. When the Karahalios fam­ reputed that they went as far as Los Ange­ ily retumed to claim their possessions, the les and came back to Florida. An announce­ friend kept some of the pieces and began ment of their discovery was made in 1998 to try to sel\ them on the market. In the and ψey were cleared for return in January meantime, realizing that they would not be of this year. The story of their theft and re­ able to sell the antiquities, the Karahalioi covery is worthy of a movie. used an intermediary named Mavrikios to The Greek police had suspected the per­ contact the government. Pretending to be a petrators of the crime as early as 1993 but Greek-American purchaser of the stolen waited in hopes that one of them would lead material, they offered to return it in ex­ Arnσng the 275 σbjects returnίng tσ theίr them to the objects. Their patience was fully change for full compensation. rίghtful place ίn the Cσrίnth Museuιn ίs thί s rewarded. As we now know, the theft was Discussions continued for some time fσurtlι century Β . C. figurίne σf Erσs. caπied out by a farnily named Karahalios, continued on page 2 Published by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens ------- ι 1. , ι, , Ι ι ι ι ΙΤ is Key for Modern Academics Tarek Elemam, the School 's Computer Services Supervisor, shares his perspective on the evolution of information technology in the academic envίronme nt. Over the past decade, σne σf the mσ s t cal s chσσl s. Since 1995, the number σf 24 hσur s a day tσ dσ research and to aid in pervasive areas σf change in cσnnectiσn cσmputers increased from 10 tσ nearly 60. their day-tσ-day σperatiσn s. Despite the with academia has been that σf infσrmatiσn Almσ s t every staff member is using a cσm­ small number σf Ιτ staff, the Schσσl 's web technσlσgy (Ιτ). Schσlars ' reliance ση Ιτ puter in his σr her day-tσ-day functiσns . All site has been vσted the s ecσnd-best aca­ initially invσlved wσrd prσcessing sσftware , machines are netwσrked , and file shaήng demic Greek web site. The computer lab which has becσme a mainstay fσr prepar­ has facilitated the s mσσth wσrking σf staff and the Wiener Labσratσry σffer sσme σf ing research papers and theses, and has σperatiσns. The Accσunting Department η σ the mσst advanced cσmputer technσlσgy grσwn to include database management lσnger needs tσ physically exchange dis­ equipment, including a flatbed slide scan­ systems fσr variσus catalogues, such as the kettes cσntaining changes tσ their files, as ner, digital cameras, digitizers, and plσtters. Blegen and Gennadius Library hσldings and all σf the department's machines wσrk Despite these cσnsiderable advance­ inventσήes σf σbjects and samples. In the tσgether ση the same server. The Archives ments, the Infσrmatiσn Technσlσgy Depart­ past decade, there has been aπ expσnential have been active in creating different data­ ment has a lσng way to gσ tσ prσvide the increase in the use σf advanced technσlσgy bases fσr a wide vaήety σf prσjects , includ­ latest facilities to Schσσl members and visi­ fσr graphic applicatiσns. Within academic ing the Alison Frantz Phσtσgraphic Cσllec­ tσrs . As technσlσgy evσlves, the Schσσl institutiσns , lσcal area netwσrks (LAN's) tiσn database. The Blegen Library's cσm­ cannσt affσrd tσ be cσmplacent. It dσes nσt have encσuraged cσst-effective sharing σf puter terminals prσvide numerσus appli­ benefit us tσ fall behind in basic cσmputer hardware and efficient management σf ad­ catiσns fσr users, including the ΑΒΕΚΤ facilities, given the almσst rσutine depen­ ministrative infσrmatiσn . In the last three Catalσging Database in aπ Intranet inter­ dency upσn these tσσls by cuπent and fu­ years, easier access tσ the lntemet has en­ face. Generally, the staff's Ιτ cσntact has ture generatiσns σf yσung schσlars. abled rapid cσmmunicatiσns between aca­ increased dramatically as mσre and mσre The fact that " infσrmatiσn technσlσgy is demics arσund the wσrld. functiσns are being cσmputerized . The here tσ stay" shσuld be σbviσus by nσw, and The American Schσσl's infσrmatiσn Schσσl developed its σwn nσde ση the In­ the expressiσn 'Ίnfσrmatiσn technolσgy is technolσgy prσgram has rapidly gσne frσm ternatiσnal Network, and since then Schσσl here tσ grσw" shσuld start tσ be in the minds being nσnexistent tσ prσviding one σf staff and members have reaped the benefits, σf all. Eurσpe ' s finest Ιτ facilities fσr archaeσlσgi- including the ability tσ access the Intemet Corinth Theft teπacσtta mask σf a satyr was lσst, as well continued from page 1 as sσme lσcks frσm a marble head σf AMERICAN SCHOOL OF Diσnysσs. Several pσts had cσme unglued. CLASSICAL STUDIES ΑΤ ATHENS while the Greek pσlice in charge σf antiq­ But given the travails the σbjects had un­ 54 Souidias Street, GR-106 76 Athens, Greece uity smuggling jσined fσrces with the FBI. dergσne, this damage was relatively minσr. Ultimately, they tracked the σbjects dσwn Of the ten σbjects still missing, most im­ 6-8 Charlton Street, Pήnceton,*** NJ 08540-5232 tσ a warehσuse in Miami and alsσ deter­ pσrtant are the lid σf a piήfσrm Prσtσgeσ­ NEWSLEΠER mined that the "Greek-Ameήcan" was σne metήc pyxis and aπ Archaic female figu­ Summer2001 Νο . 46 σf the gang. In the meantime, several Attic rine. Full descriptiσns and phσtographs σf and Bσeσtian black-glaze vases began tσ these will be circula1ed ση the Cσήnth web Executive Editor Catheήne deG. Vanderpool appear ση the market. One was identified by page when the Ephσreia gives its peπnis­ Ann Brσwnlee of the University σf Penn­ siσn. The 4th Ephσreia is preparing a tem­ Editorial Associate sylvania and repσrted tσ Interpσl. In the fall pσrary exhibit in the Cσήnth Museum σf all Sally Fay σf 1998 the Greek gσvemment annσunced the σbjects that were recσvered; thereafter, Editorial Assistant the recσvery σf mσst σf the stσlen antiqui­ we will reσrganize the present exhibits tσ EviSikla ties. Still missing, hσwever, were three incσrpσrate the best σf bσth . Production marble heads. One σf these, a head σf There is sσme justice in the stσry, tσσ . Mary Jane Gavenda Sarapis, was seen in a sales catalσgue σf Althσugh twσ members σf the Karahaliσs Chήstie ' s by Cσrinth Excavatiσn Directσr farnily managed tσ escape tσ Venezuela, σne The Newsletter is published semiannually Emeritus Charles Κ. Williams, Π , whσ im­ s σn was just tried fσr bσth theft and at­ by the ASCSA under the inspiration of mediately nσtified lnterpσl. All three heads tempted murder and has been sentenced tσ Doreen C. Spitzer, Trustee Emerita. Please were subsequently tumed σver tσ the FBI. life in pήsσn. Α secσnd sσn was aπested this address all correspondence and inquiήes to Τwσ hundred eighty-five σbjects were spring fσr pσssession σf narcσtics. High the Newsletter Editor, ASCSA U.S. Office, stσlen ; twσ hundred seventy-five have been praise is due tσ the Greek pσlice fσr its han­ 6-8 Charlton Street, Pήnceton, NJ 08540- retumed. Miraculσusly, relatively few σfthe dling σf this case. But until the markets fσr 5232. Tel. : (609) 683-0800; Fax: (609) 924- stσlen pieces were damaged.