With a cynical statement Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni commented on the situation of the archaeological site of Mycenae that suffered damage from a wildfire on Sunday.
“In the next few days, visitors will see a little black on the ground. The dry grass has been burnt, and it was completely shaved,” Mendoni said while inspecting the archaeological site on Monday morning, some 12 hours after the fire.
While Agamemnon and Clytemnestra were turning in their graves, the culture minister also noted that there was a fire protection plan for the archeological site and everyone knew what they had to do.
Cewnturies after Agamemnon’s murder, Minister Lina Medoni and the Culture Ministry stabbed the dead king one more time in the back. The posted on social media that the Lions Gate and the Atreu’s Tomb were not affected by the fire.
The Ministry uploaded pictures from the over site taken before the fire.
Η Πύλη των Λεόντων και ο Θησαυρός του Ατρέα σήμερα, 31 Αυγούστου. Τα μνημεία που δεσπόζουν στον αργολικό κάμπο από τη 2η χιλιετία π.Χ. δεν επηρεάστηκαν από τη χθεσινή πυρκαγιά. Το Μουσείο Μυκηνών λειτουργεί σήμερα κανονικά και από αύριο θα λειτουργήσει και ο αρχαιολογικός χώρος. pic.twitter.com/sDMLwulerE
— Ministry of Culture (@cultureGR) August 31, 2020
An outcry broke out on social media as there was a picture showing burning land around the ancient Tomb.
Then the Ministry uploaded an … explanation tweet.
#ministryofculturegr #greekculture #ΥΠΠΟΑ #YPPOA pic.twitter.com/fJnYyLF0Rg
— Ministry of Culture (@cultureGR) August 31, 2020
With overwhelming arrogance, the Ministry explained to archaeology “ignorants” that the picture above was the Tomb of Atreus or Agamemnon, while the picture below with the burned grass was the Tomb of Aegisthos.
Who exactly is Aegisthus and how important was he to dare complaining about the damage in his tomb? He was just Clytemnestra’s lover, killed Agamemnon and became a king. But we, in modern Greece, we do not honor murderer’s of our heroes, so away with him and his tomb. And anyway, his tomb is outside the Mycenae citadel walls…
In this sense, dear readers, if you are walking through the Mycenae site, better stick with Agamemnon Tomb, because the smell of burned grass will infiltrate your nostrils and you will see some “blackened soil” if you walk up to Aegisthus Tomb.
All in all, the Culture Ministry found nothing wrong and no harm done by the wildfire that threatened to destroy 3.500-year-old monuments.
In the end, there may be this penetrating smell of burned but thorough “shave grass” in the area and the rocks of the Lions Gate maybe have turned black from the smoke, but we can say they’re black because of age….
No wonder the whole opposition sharply criticized the government’s failure to protect an UNESCO heritage. But the government remains cool and so does the Greek Culture Minister.
More pictures from the fire damages in Mycenae here.