Workshops – NI Institute for protection of monuments of culture and museum

From Wool to Fabric – a creative story we are weaving together with the Institute and Museum of Ohrid

A day that wove the story of tradition.
A beauty filled with curiosity, joy, new discoveries, and countless children’s smiles.
The little wanderers had a fascinating opportunity to spend an unforgettable, different kind of school day – a day in which tradition was not just a children’s tale, but a living picture that we could see, touch, and feel
In cooperation with the Institute and Museum, we will travel through time and discover traditional values.
The visit to the sheepfold was a true experience – an inspiring story of the journey of wool from nature to human hands.
Then came something truly magical!
Before us opened the world of the loom and weaving.
The most beautiful moment was seeing the children’s eyes filled with wonder. They asked questions, explored, touched, and learned.
Today we learned that tradition doesn’t live only in museums.
It lives in children’s curiosity, in the stories we weave and pass on to the youngest generation.
From a sheepfold, to a loom, from a single thread to a single story – together we are weaving the thread with the past.
Thank you to the Institute and Museum of Ohrid for this wonderful experience and the opportunity to explore and create.
Impressions that children’s hearts will remember for a long time.

Second International Symposium on Theoretical Mediterranean Archaeology

Introduction

Mediterranean archaeology and imperialism are closely related. The ancient world itself was shaped by empires to a large degree, in particular from the period of around 500 BCE onwards. Our study of that Mediterranean world, moreover, was (and still is) formed by a variety of modern empires that located their beginnings in that Mediterranean past. The Roman Empire and its study probably constitute the most illustrative example hereof. As a result, often a ‘false sense of intimacy’ is created between the Mediterranean past and the imperial present. The Roman Empire, for instance, was often seen as good in the sense of being a mission civilicatrice (a colonial perspective) in the past, while it is nowadays, from a postcolonial perspective, not infrequently presented as a genocidal, imperialist slave society that annihilated local cultures.

The Aim of the THEMA Lychnida 2026

This meeting builds upon the successful inaugural event of the Symposium on Theoretical Mediterranean Archaeology – LYCHNIDA in 2025, which gathered over 60 theorists of archaeology and archaeological and museum professionals from 25 countries – from USA to Syria. The first symposium brought together fundamental analyses, engaging debates and methodological rigor in addressing contemporary Mediterranean and global challenges, reinvigorating archaeology as scientific discipline, fostering cultural understanding, and safeguarding humanity’s collective heritage.

The aim of this year’s meeting of the THEMA Lychnida is to critically analyze the notion of imperialism as a lens to understanding the Mediterranean past and heritage as well as our study of them in the present. Questions central to the debate include: Was their imperialism(s) the same as ours? Can or should we replace the concept of imperialism with notions like connectivity, network and globalization? To what extent is this ‘false sense of intimacy’ obstructing our scholarly interpretations? Should ideologically motivated views of the ancient empires (“good Romans” versus “bad Romans”) be allowed to play a role in the formulation of a research agenda for the field? How have different scholarly traditions from different countries dealt with this dilemma? How do you deal with the close relation between Mediterranean archaeology and imperialism in your own (academic and museum or heritage) work?

We look forward to welcoming scholars and students of archaeology and related fields to continue this important dialogue in Ohrid – the eternal “City of Light”.

President of the International Scientific Board

Prof. Dr. Miguel John Versluys

Vice President of the International Scientific Board

Prof. Dr. Emanuela Borgia

Vice President of the International Scientific Board and Director of THEMA Lychnida

Prof. Dr. Ljuben Tevdovski

Meet the Future Archaeologists!

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the National Institution Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments and Museum – Ohrid, we organized an educational workshop for school-age children. Through practical and theoretical activities, the students were introduced to the profession of archaeologist, methods of archaeological research, ways of life in the past, and the significance of cultural heritage.

On June 16 and 17, through play and hands-on work, the children got closer to archaeology and the importance of preserving cultural heritage for future generations.

Perhaps among them are hidden the future guardians and researchers of our cultural treasures.

Behind us is a fulfilling day filled with many smiles, new knowledge and small archaeological discoveries, which sparked curiosity and interest in the rich cultural heritage among the youngest participants.

The project is part of the annual programme supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.