“Triumph Over Time”: Film and Discussion

“Triumph Over Time: The American School of Classical Studies at Athens in Post-War Greece” (1947, 42 minutes)
In 1947, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens commissioned a 42-minute color movie to accompany its fundraising campaign. Directed by archaeologist Oscar Broneer and produced by numismatist Margaret Thompson with the aid of staff from Fox Studios, the documentary shows Greece rebounding from the horrors of World War II and the staff of the American School hard at work preparing archaeological sites for presentation to post-war tourists. The film contains footage of excavations at the Athenian Agora and ancient Corinth, mixed with scenes of everyday Greek life, and with shots of famous people, including Greece’s King Paul and Queen Frederica (film description by Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan).

“Triumph Over Time” was one of the earliest documentary films about the archaeology and ancient history of Greece. Produced during the time of the Greek Civil War (1944-1949), the film is a fascinating artifact of the early Cold War era, as well as an invaluable visual record of traditional Greek village life and of the development of American archaeology in Greece.

Professors Erickson (UCSB Classics) and Lee (UCSB History) will introduce the film and lead a discussion afterwards. Refreshments will be available. For more information contact Phi Alpha Theta president Jason Smith.

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