Vasiliki Kassianidou
Vasiliki Kassianidou | |
|---|---|
Βασιλική Κασσιανίδου | |
Kassianidou in 2025 | |
| Deputy Minister of Culture | |
| Assumed office 11 July 2023 | |
| President | Nikos Christodoulides |
| Preceded by | Michalis Hatzigiannis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 October 1967 London, England |
| Spouse | George Papasavvas |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Bryn Mawr College (BSc) Institute of Archaeology, University College London (PhD) |
Vasiliki Lina Kassianidou (Greek: Βασιλική Κασσιανίδου; born 26 October 1967) is a Cypriot archaeologist and politician. She was appointed Deputy Minister of Culture in 2023.
Early life and education
Kassianidou was born in London, England and grew up in Lefkosia, Cyprus.[1] She is the daughter of Gloria Kassianides, owner of the oldest art gallery in Cyprus.[2]
Kassianidou studied a double major of Chemistry and Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, United States, graduating with distinction in 1989.[1][3] She then studied a PhD in Archaeometallurgy at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, in London, England.[4] Her research specialises in ancient mining in Cyprus[5] and copper metallurgy.[6]
Career
From 1994, Kassianidou taught Environmental Archaeology and Archaeometry at the Department of History and Archaeology of the University of Cyprus (UCy).[1] In 2022 she was elected as a Corresponding Member of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA).[1] In May 2023 she was elected Dean of the Faculty of Letters at UCy.[7] From 2014 to 2023, Kassianidou was a member of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus National Commission for UNESCO.[1][4]
After the resignation of Michalis Hatzigiannis, Kassianidou was appointed Deputy Minister of Culture by President Nikos Christodoulides on 11 July 2023.[2][3][4][8] The Antiquities department fell under the Ministry of Culture from that month.[9]
In office, Kassianidou has visited the Hellenic Centre and the British Museum in London[10] and has discussed cultural cooperation opportunities with the Japanese ambassador.[11] Over 100,000 Cypriot cultural artifacts have been digitised as part of the Digitising the Museums of Cyprus project (CADiP).[12]
In December 2023, Kassianidou announced that Cyprus and seven other countries had "midwifery: knowledge, skills, and practices" registered on UNESCO's list of intangible culture heritage.[13] Also that month, the federation of theatre institutions called for her to resign as Deputy Minister over arts funding.[14]
In June 2025, an architecture booklet linked to Cyprus’ participation in the 19th International Architecture Biennale in Venice, Italy, was withdrawn after Kassianidou was referred to as a publisher of the book without her knowledge or consent.[15]
In February 2026, Kassianidou announced mosaic conservation and upgrades to the Tombs of the Kings at the archaeological site of Nea Paphos.[16]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Vasiliki Kassianidou". gov.cy. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ a b "Academic steps in as deputy minister of culture". Financial Mirror. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ a b "President appoints Dr. Vasiliki Kassianidou as Deputy Minister of Culture". knews.com.cy. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ a b c "Prof. Vasiliki Kassianidou named new Deputy Minister of Culture". CBN. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ Kassianidou, Vasiliki; Agapiou, Athos; Manning, Sturt W. (2021). "Reconstructing an ancient mining landscape: a multidisciplinary approach to copper mining at Skouriotissa, Cyprus". Antiquity. 95 (382): 986–1004. doi:10.15184/aqy.2021.33. hdl:20.500.14279/22932. ISSN 0003-598X.
- ^ Düring, Bleda S.; Ceuster, Sarah De; Degryse, Patrick; Kassianidou, Vasiliki (2021). "Transformative copper metallurgy in Chalcolithic Cyprus: a reappraisal". Antiquity. 95 (381): 670–685. doi:10.15184/aqy.2020.171. hdl:1887/3203753. ISSN 0003-598X.
- ^ "VASILIKI KASSIANIDOU". erc.ucy.ac.cy. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ "Δρ Βασιλική Κασσιανίδου: Το who is who της νέας υφ. Πολιτισμού". Limassol Today (in Greek). 11 July 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ Cleaver, Tom (14 July 2023). "Kassianidou sworn in as new deputy culture minister (Updated)". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ "The Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus paid a working visit to the United Kingdom - Gov.cy". gov.cy. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ Cleaver, Tom (9 January 2024). "Cultural cooperation opportunities with Japan discussed with Ambassador". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ Agapiou, Gina (15 March 2024). "Almost 100,000 artefacts now been digitised". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ Prakas, Nikolaos (12 December 2023). "Thanks in part to Cyprus, midwifery included on UNESCO list". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ Kades, Andria (29 December 2023). "Calls for deputy minister of culture to resign". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ Gregoriades, Rebekah (11 June 2025). "MPs call on deputy minister to step down amid architecture book mess". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ Husseini, Dina (19 February 2026). "New conservation projects planned for Nea Paphos". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 1 March 2026.