Who is the out-of-place artefact?
It’s been more than two decades since I last visited Athens. I’ve seen a tiny bit more of the world, and I don’t think I before realised how much this concrete white city resembles many a hub on the Mediterranean.
Arriving in the early afternoon, Natalia was set to touch down at the end of the day, and, very tired from my long journey and the associated jet lag, I enjoyed sunset over the Acropolis from Strefi hill, advocating its anarchist credentials in a communist-leaning suburb. “Get political or go home”.
I felt quite at home, but also tired, and was happy that the conference for which Natalia and I were in Athens, at which Natalia was one of the speakers, not only flew her down on business class, but also put her up in a rather lovely hotel, complete with rooftop swimming tool and a distant view of the Acropolis. It’s not often that a journalism conference is so well endowed with sponsorship money.
The conference, The iMedD International Journalism Forum, allowed Natalia, pleasantly, to highlight how colonialism endures, and is present in even today’s North/South collaborations. On top of that, several dealt with, or pretended to deal with, AI in journalism. I was entertained.
Also, knowing I was going to be in Athens during the World Wide Wander, I had offered to host a walkshop on the day, doubly making my visit to Athens worth my while.
However, some logistical adjustments resulted in my handing over the reigns of the Athens walkshop to someone native to the city, with me taking it easy as one of the walkshop’s participants.
The wander was now part of yet another conference, this one for digital nomads, which felt like a rather typical hallmark of the times we live in. Call me old-fashioned, but having been a ‘digital nomad’ before the moniker existed, I associate the concept with existing outside of the system. A ‘fest’ that brings together digital nomads, and has them do, amongst other things, team building exercises, is really just a networking event for freelancers.
Nevertheless, the walkshop was fun, and the group was great.
Natalia and I didn’t have much time to spare to explore the city, but we did manage to visit the National Archeological Museum, which houses the Antikythera mechanism, an analogue computer dating back to the 2nd century BC which, often, is described as a prime example of an out-of-place artefact.
Though the mechanism shows a previously unknown level of sophistication, it’s not, sadly, proof of ancient aliens, or highly advanced civilisations lost to time.
After we discovered the remains of the device, and posed with it, we were scolded by the museum staff, telling us we needed to respect Greek culture, and not point to the pieces on display.