The Acropolis Museum, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Ioannina, the Archaeological Museum of Ioannina and the National Archaeological Museum have joined together to present the temporary exhibition "Dodona. The Oracle of Sounds” at the Acropolis Museum (20/06/2016 – 10/01/2017). As part of this exhibition, the Acropolis Museum and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Ioannina are also joining with the Region of Epirus and the Municipalities of Ioannina and Dodona to organize a scientific conference, entitled “Dodona. The Omen’s Questions. New Approaches in the Oracular Tablets”, to be held at the Acropolis Museum on 16 September, 2016.
The essential goal of the conference is to promote the research and study of Dodona’s lead plaques and, in so doing, offer a significant contribution to archaeological and historical science. The recent publication by the Archaeological Society at Athens of the two-volume work The Oracular Tablets of Dodona from the Excavations of D. Evangelides (2013, eds. S. Dakaris, I. Vokotopoulou, A. F. Christides and S. Tselikas), has greatly enriched the study of this material, comprising 4,216 inscribed lead tablets discovered to date, and has attempted to reconcile previous views, based on the few then-known tablets, with the abundance of new data now available.
The uniqueness of this original body of material from the Oracle of Zeus at Dodona has generated a lively interest among researchers for further studies of the site’s oracular lead tablets, which have led to significant new results and fresh conclusions.
Presenting their findings at the conference will be an international roster of respected scholars from Greek and foreign universities and other research institutions, many of whom have previously published seminal studies on the oracular tablets of Dodona.
A concert of chamber music will be presented by the TRIO UNISONO ensemble, at 7:30 p.m., on the second floor balcony that overlooks the Archaic Acropolis Gallery.
