Merantzas Christos

Office: Δ1.1

Profile Details

• Area of expertise: History & Archaeology of Civilizations
• Bachelor: Archaeology, Universities of Ioannina
• Postgraduate Studies: Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium) and Paris I (France)
• PhD: Byzantine Archaeology, University of Ioannina
• Postdoctoral Research: Post-Byzantine Archaeology, University of Ioannina
• Direction: History – Archaeolgy
• Categories:Deputy Head of the Department, Faculty

Research Interests

• History of culture & cultural theory
• Stroggyli of Arta Archaeological Program (Roman Site)
• Byzantine Cultural history
• Cultural history of the body
• Post-Byzantine material culture and silversmiths in the late Ottoman period
• Ottoman culture and art
• Performing Arts of the 20th–21st Century
• Cultural management and promotion of mountain areas
• Body – integration – archaeological object and potential reality

Research Projects (Selected)

1. The Stroggyli of Arta Archaeological Program is implemented on the basis of a cooperation protocol between the Ephorate of Antiquities of Arta/Ministry of Culture and the University of Patras (Department of History – Archaeology), following the granting of a permit to the University of Patras, Department of History – Archaeology, for the commencement of a five-year program (2025–2029) of systematic archaeological research at the archaeological site of Strongyli, Arta, in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Arta [ADA: 90ΨΕ46ΝΚΟΤ-7ΦΑ /04.08.2025]. The project involves both excavation and survey work at the site, under the direction of Theodora Kontogianni, Head of the Department of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities and Museums and Deputy of the absent Ephor of Antiquities of Arta, and Professor Christos Merantzas, specializing in the history & Archaeology of civilizations at the Department of History – Archaeology.
2. Scientific coordinator of the research project entitled “The ‘Virtual Museum’: Documentation, Study, and Digitization of the Cultural Heritage of the Sculpture Collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art ‘Theodoros Papagiannis’ in Iliko, Ioannina (Municipality of North Tzoumerka)”, approved for funding in 2015 by the Latsis Public Benefit Foundation.
3. Participation as project manager in the research project In-NovaMusEUm: Museums Come Back to the Local Community through Arts and Food, within the framework of the “Culture 2014–2020” program of Creative Europe (15.09.2016–31.03.2018). This project was developed and implemented to promote and strengthen regional museums in Europe through innovative digital tools and creative strategies involving local communities. The In_NovaMusEUm project, co-financed by the European Commission under Creative Europe, belongs to the EU’s directly funded programs supporting the cultural and audiovisual sectors. It was developed by the Centro Europeo Turismo e Cultura, based in Rome, specializing in organizing art exhibitions and cultural events, in collaboration with museums, universities, and cultural organizations from Albania, Greece, Portugal, and Sweden.

During the project (October 2016–March 2018), partners experimented with new methods and approaches for audience development in European regional museums with limited resources and low visitor and tourist rates. The project implemented specific actions combining capacity building with participatory audience practices under the concept of “Art & Food.” Artistic and oenogastronomic traditions constitute strong vehicles of local identity: they create, empower, and reinforce the underlying identity—its unique significance, value, and character—of local communities. This identity is reflected in the character of the communities themselves or in the sense of locality that mirrors social values within and around the community. UNESCO recognized these values in 2003 through the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which includes all human knowledge and practices reflecting the cultural heritage of a region. In 2010, oenogastronomic traditions and practices were also included in the intangible cultural heritage, warranting protection in the same way as works of art.

In this context, the “Art & Food” synergy, as an essential part of a community’s cultural heritage, provided In_NovaMusEUm with a valuable opportunity to foster an open and constructive dialogue between traditional art, innovative digital tools, and creative approaches to engage audiences, particularly young people, in regional museums. European museums involved in the project included:

• Italy: Palazzo Chigi (Ariccia), Museo Diocesano (Albano), Museo Tuscolano / Scuderie Aldobrandini (Frascati), Museo Diffuso (Lanuvio)
• Albania: National Museum George Kastrioti Skanderberg / Muzeu Etnografik (Kruja), Muzeu Arkeologjik of Durres (Durres)
• Greece: Museum of Contemporary Art “Theodoros Papagiannis” (Iliko, Ioannina), Archaeological Museum of Kilkis (Kilkis)
• Portugal: Museu Bordalo Pinheiro (Lisbon)
• Sweden: Skoklosters Castle (Sigtuna)

The goal of In_NovaMusEUm was to establish new approaches to interacting with “committed” and “semi-committed” museum visitors and to pilot strategies to diversify audiences, targeting new potential visitors. The new focus was on young citizens (18–35 years) in partner countries with low participation in museum exhibitions and programs. Audience development strategies were fully integrated into targeted participatory and digital engagement actions. The project had two strategic goals: fostering collaboration and shared knowledge between visitors and artists. This innovative approach to cultural policy transcends the traditional visitor-centered museum model, emphasizing collaboration, cross-sectoral activity, and circulation of produced artistic content.

The long-term impact of the cultural strategy was aimed at social and economic sectors, as participation in a European project facilitates EU-level collaboration and provides a starting point for broader systematic European cultural strategies. Under these conditions, the project had significant impact on attracting a wider audience, enhancing citizen awareness of cultural wealth and the diversity of European cultures, and creating opportunities for cross-sectoral initiatives. It promoted the European dimension of cultural works, increased tourism, created jobs in local communities, improved protection of traditions, and strengthened understanding of culture. The project combined traditional and heritage-oriented understandings of culture with contemporary cultural interests, ensuring broad community participation and fostering generalized trust among young people in cultural products. Special emphasis was placed on engaging those not regularly participating in cultural activities, as well as attracting volunteers and linking these efforts to education. This innovative museum approach also provides a beneficial case study for other European regional museums.

1. Researcher and external collaborator in the project Rando pour la Culture (Ethnological Heritage of Rural Areas, 2007–2013).
   http://www.randoculture.eu/

Undergraduate courses

• Byzantine History (semester: 3)
• Aspects of Byzantine Culture (semester: 5)
• History of Civilizations I (semester: 6)
• History of Civilizations IΙ (semester: 7)
• Aspects of Post-Byzantine and Ottoman Culture (semester: 8)

Graduate courses

• HAC112 Visual installations and performances in urban public space (semester: 3)

Education

• Archeology studies at the Universities of Ioannina, Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium) and Paris I (France)
  
• Doctor of Byzantine Archeology of the University of Ioannina
• PhD fellow of the University of Ioannina in the field of post-Byzantine cultural heritage
• Personal website
• CV: see also Personal website

Research interests

• History of culture & cultural theory
• Byzantine Cultural history
• Cultural history of the body
• Post-Byzantine material culture and silversmiths in the late Ottoman period
• Ottoman culture and art
• Cultural management and promotion of mountain areas
• Body – integration – archaeological object and potential reality

Selected publications

• Christos D. Merantzas, Thoughts on the Sustainable Development of Mountainous Areas in the Anthropocene Era, Region of Epirus, Ioannina 2025 (forthcoming December 2025). [In Greek with English abstract]
• Christos D. Merantzas, Silent Heroes: Fragments of National Identity in the Public Space of the City of Ioannina, Pedio, Athens (forthcoming January 2026). [In Greek with English abstract]
• Christos D. Merantzas, Four Short Narratives of Cultural History, Pedio, Athens 2025. [In Greek with English abstract]
• Christos D. Merantzas, Renaissance of Mountainous Areas through Innovation and Synergies, in D. Kaliampakos (ed.), Proceedings of the 11th Conference of ME.K.D.E. and NTUA on “Positions, Research and Actions for the Revitalization of Mountainous and Remote Areas,” National Technical University of Athens, Metsovian Interdisciplinary Research Center, Athens 2025, pp. 50-63. [In Greek]
• Christos Merantzas, Preliminary Reflections on Ary Scheffer’s Souliot Women, in Ch. Merantzas, V. Papadopoulou, I. Chouliaras (eds.), Phos Ilaron. Homage in Memory of Athanasios Paliouras, Ministry of Culture – Archaeological Resources Fund, Athens 2024, pp. 251-259. [In French]
• Christos Merantzas, Contemporary Challenges in the Formation of a New Pedagogical Practice: Towards a New Cultural Anthropology of the Feasible, in G. Panagiotopoulos (ed.), Human Resources: Special Issues and Contemporary Approaches in Education, Grigoris, Athens 2024, pp. 265-276. [In Greek]
• Merantzas, Ch., Tsiodoulos, S., & Chouliaras, I. (2023). The Dual Contrast of Paradise and Hell [Undergraduate Textbook]. Kallipos, Open Academic Publications, Athens 2023 [https://dx.doi.org/10.57713/kallipos-181] [In Greek]
• Christos D. Merantzas, The Souliot Women (1827) by Ary Scheffer: The Cultural Narrative of a Romantic Sacrificial Ideal, Smili, Athens, 2022. [In Greek with English abstract]
• Christos D. Merantzas, The Cultural Topography of a Sacrificial Practice: Reflection on Ary Scheffer’s The Souliot Women, in Anna Mandylara, Giorgos Nikolaou, Lampros Flitouris, Nikos Anastasopoulos, and Ilias Skoulidas (eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference “Freedom and Death in the Greek Revolution”: Microhistorical Approaches from the Struggle in Epirus and the Wider Balkan Area, University of Ioannina, Ioannina 2022, pp. 104-111. [In Greek]
• Christos D. Merantzas, Topio-graphies, Smili, Athens 2020. [In Greek with English summary]
• Christos D. Merantzas, Sunlit Crypticity: Interpretative Approaches to Indescriptible God, the Utopian City and Death in Byzantine Civilization, Smili, Athens 2018.  [in Greek with English summary]
• Christos D. Merantzas, Αna-chora(-i)tism: Forms of Otherness in the Byzantine Culture, Smili, Athens 2014. [in Greek with English summary]
• Christos D. Merantzas, The Cultural Components of the “Locus Sanctitatis”. The Collection of Icons of the Monastery of Vyliza, Matsouki Epirus, Smili, Athens 2012. [in Greek with an extensive English summary].  [Award for Best Research Paper (2013) in the field “Nature and Culture in Mountainous Areas in Greece and Europe” by the Development Foundation of the Metsovian Interdisciplinary Research Center (ME.K.D.E.) of the National Technical University of Athens]
• Christos D. Merantzas, The Inverted Dionysus. A Draft Body-theory of Algaesthetic Self-constraint, Smili, Athens 2011. [in Greek with English summary].
• Christos D. Merantzas, The “Locus Sanctitatis” and its Images. Examples of Reading the Local History of Epirus, Greece, in the Post-Byzantine Period, University of Ioannina, Ioannina 2007. [in Greek].
• Christos Merantzas, A Treasured Memory. Ecclesiastical Silver from Late Ottoman Istanbul in the Sevgi Gönül Collection, Vehbi Koç Foundation-Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul 2006, In collaboration with Dr. Brigitte Pitarakis (CNRS, France) [in English and Turkish].
• the Innovative European Regional Development Project In_Nova MusEUm, in L. Pyrgiotis (ed.), The Region at a Crossroads: Post-Digital Communities – New Localism and Renationalization – Developmental Implications. Proceedings of the 20th Scientific Conference of the Association of Greek Regional Scientists, Harokopio University, Athens 2018, pp. 295-301. [In Greek].[https://www.academia.edu/36922411/The_participation_of_the_Museum_of_Contemporary_Art_Theodoros_Papagiannis_in_the_innovative_European_regional_development_project_with_the_distinctive_title_In_Nova_MusEUm]
• Christos Merantzas, Stefanos Tsiodoulos (2016). From the Post-Byzantine to the Modern Greek Culture: Examples of Visual Production (16th–20th Century). Athens: Hellenic Academic Electronic Textbooks and Supplements. [ISBN: 978-960-603-046-8] https://repository.kallipos.gr/handle/11419/3926?&locale=en

Research work (indicative)

Scientist in charge for the the research project The ‘Virtual Museum’: Recording, Researching and Digitizing the Cultural Heritage of the Sculpture Collection Housed in the “Theodoros Papayiannis” Museum of Contemporary Art, Located in the Elliniko Settlement of Ioannina (The Municipality of Northern Tzoumerka)] approved for funding within 2015 by Latsis Public Benefit Foundation.