Mrs Elena Korka is an archaeologist, PhD holder at the National Kapodistrian University of Athens. The title of her PhD thesis is “The Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures within the Framework of the New International Practice of Returning Cultural Goods”.
She speaks fluently four languages (English, French, German and Italian). She has participated in numerous excavation projects and she is currently the director of a) the excavation program in Rachi Koutzonghila, Kenchreai, Korinthia which is conducted in collaboration with the American School of Classical Antiquities in Athens, and b) the excavation program in Faneromeni, Chiliomodi, Korinthia.
She is presently Director General of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports and she has held the positions: Head of Department of Greek and Foreign Scientific Institutes, Organizations and International Issues (2001-2006); Director of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities (2006-2009), Director for the Documentation and Protection of Cultural Goods (2009-2010) and Director of the Office for Supervision of Antiquaries and Private Archaeological Collections (2010-2014).
She has represented the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports in many international meetings abroad, mainly related with UNESCO (General Assembly, World Heritage Committee, Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation), the Council of Europe (Committee CD-PATEP), ICOMOS, ICCROM and others. She is member of several scientific committees in Greece and abroad and has been an elected member of ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) for two terms. She is Vice President for the SE Mediterranean Region of ICAHM (the International Scientific Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management of ICOMOS). She has been also appointed as focal point for the World Heritage Monuments of UNESCO (2007-2010) and has been generally very active on issues related to the underwater cultural heritage, the digitalization of cultural goods and the preservation of world heritage in general.
Dr. E.Korka has participated in many national and international conferences and issued many articles on the return of the Parthenon Marbles, the World Heritage Monuments and the protection of cultural heritage. More specifically she has written more than 150 articles and studies and has undertaken the scientific editing of several publications related to the removal of the Parthenon Marbles by lord Elgin, the World Heritage Monuments, the management of World Heritage monuments and sites and their protection from natural disasters, the restitution of Cultural Goods to their countries of origin and the work of the Foreign Archaeological Schools in Greece.
She is also the editor of the forthcoming publication on the results of the excavation project in Rachi Koutzonghila, Kenchreai and has already published in scientific periodicals and conference proceedings the results of the ongoing excavation program in Faneromeni, Chiliomodi. Furthermore, she has been responsible of more than 35 archaeological exhibitions and conferences regarding the aforementioned subjects.
Dr. E.Korka has published a children’s book on the protection of World Heritage and illicit trafficking and has organized many educational programs or archaeological interest.
She has been awarded by international committees for her contribution to the return and reunification of the Parthenon Marbles. She is also honorary member of the German Archaeological Institut of Athens and has been repeatedly honored and awarded by various scientific organizations.