Constantin Carapanos
Constantin Carapanos (1840-1914) belongs to one of the big families of Arta, on the Golfe ambracic in Épire. After having followed studies to Ioannina, Corfou and at the university of Athens, where it obtains a doctorate of right, it leaves to Paris as embassy attach3e Turkey. In 1862, it settles with Istanbul and works in the bank. He quickly becomes an important member of the Greek community of the Othoman capital: member then president of the Greek Philological Company of Constantinople and member of the Common National council of the Patriarchate, it appears among the large Greek benefactors of the city, by financing many schools. Large partisan of the fastening of Épire in Greece, it advances his cause thanks to his many diplomatic contacts.
In 1882, it is elected for the first time member of the Greek Parliament for his birthplace, Arta. Between 1890 and 1894 its political career is with its apogee, and he is successively Minister for Finance, Maritime businesses and the Justice of Greece.
Its archaeological activities go up with 1872 and 1873, when he traverses Épire with an aim of buying grounds where he thinks of being able to discover the oracle of Dodone. It directs the first excavations on the site supposed of the sanctuary in 1875: he discovers many offerings, oracular plates lead, and decrees registered on bronze sheets, voted by the league épirote, which make it possible to confirm the identification of the site. The excavations are the subject of a publication in two volumes, in Paris, in 1878.
The collection which it constituted, in particular at the time of these excavations, is offered to the archaeological National museum of Athens on June 22nd 1902. It includes objects of great quality, mainly of bronzes coming from the excavations of Dodone, but also from the objects of terra cotta and marble, acquired by Carapanos in Athens and abroad, but also at the time of other excavations, in Corfou, and the sanctuary of Apollon Hyperteleatas in Phoinikè in Laconie. Part of this Carapanos collection is exposed to the national archaeological Museum in a room which bears its name.
See too
Related article
| Random links: | Morphological topic | Blood in the saddles | Fischerspooner | 1667 with the theater | Nykirken | La_fuite_de_MOR_chantent |