Download A very important exhibition for the birth and creation of the

A very important exhibition for the birth and creation of the geological treasures of
the Aegean has opened at NOESIS, the Science Center and Technology Museum of
Thessaloniki, Greece. The exhibition presents, in an impressive and attractive to the
visitors way, the creation of the Aegean Sea, the beauty of its islands and coasts. The
approach of the exhibition is such that the visitor understands the processes through
time but also has his senses filled with images of the islands and life in this ancient
archipelago.
Through important exhibits, rich photographic material, recreations and audiovisual
interactive presentations, appear the processes and results of land and sea forces that
shaped the historical archipelago through millions of years as well as life evolution in
the area. Organized by the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest,
partnered with the Museum of Geology and Paleontology of the Aristotle University
of Thessaloniki, assisted by the Geography Department of the Aegean University and
the Natural History Museum of Crete, the exhibition is designed and realized by
Tetragon Ltd.
The exhibition consists of three main sections: the first, “GAIA MEMORIES – from
Tethys to Aegean” presents the whole geological history of the area from the vast
ancient Tethys ocean, part of which was contemporary Greece, to its evolution into
the land of Aegeais, to the contemporary shape of the Greek archipelago. The islands
and seas, the geological monuments and variety of land formations, the water element
and the rise of the land, along with sensational exhibits of geological formations and a
twelve-meter long fossilized tree trunk are elements of this section.
The second section, “Islands of Hephaestus and Poseidon” presents the geodynamic
processes in the Aegean, the volcanic activity and earthquakes that created the
Archipelago. A process with huge volcanic eruptions that was repeated time and time
again through millions of years and continues to this very day. It is of course to this
process that we owe the existence of some of the most beautiful Aegean islands like
Santorini, Kos, Nissyros, Milos, Kimolos, Lesvos, Lemnos, Samothraki and more. All
this will appear on a big floor map accompanied with characteristic rocks and fossils
in strategically placed showcases.
The third section, “GAIA: from myth to science”, presents the impressive biodiversity
of the Aegean area, which is proven by the wealth of plant and animal fossils that
have been found, telling the exciting history of life’s evolution in the Aegean basin
during the last 150 million years. The wealth of the Aegean fossils is expressed
through the Petrified Forest of Lesvos, mammal fossils but also the early presence of
hominids. Shapes of contemporary trees with the corresponding fossilized ancestral
forms, and through them recreations of animals, create an exciting landscape for the
visitor.
The exhibition, apart from its scientific adequacy and its educational purpose, intends
to let the visitor reap the power of the landscapes and the beauty of the Aegean Sea
through contemporary ways of presentation, where the exhibits, the images and the
audiovisual presentations compose a strong visual concept able to attract and impress
a wider audience. After the three month run in Thessaloniki, the exhibition will travel
to Athens while there are already plans for it to travel abroad come next year.
Where: NOESIS S Science Center and Technology Museum of Thessaloniki, Greece
Opening: Saturday, 23rd of February 2013, 18:00
Info: +30 2310 483000
Websites: www.aegeon.org.gr,
http://www.facebook.com/AegeonBirthOfAnArchipelago
www.lesvosmuseum.gr
www.noesis.edu.gr