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Greece Vs Persia: When the Ancient Empires Destroyed Athens and Persepolis

April 10, 2024

Persians Ancient Greeks — Battle of Salamis by artist Wilhelm von Kaulbach. The so-called Ionian Revolt was the beginning of a series of events and war reprisals between Ancient Greeks and Persians. (1868). Public Domain.

Around 540 BC, the cities of Ionia (Aegean coast of Asia Minor) had been conquered by Persia and thereafter were ruled by native tyrants nominated by the Persian satrap in Sardis. It was 499 BC when the Greek vassal-tyrant of Miletus, Aristagoras, launched a joint expedition on the side of the Persian satrap Artaphernes to conquer the Greek island of Naxos in an attempt to bolster his position.

The mission was a total failure, and sensing his imminent removal as tyrant, Aristagoras chose to incite the whole of Ionia into rebellion against the Persian king, Darius the Great.

In a desperate attempt to save himself, Aristagoras chose to incite his own subjects, the Milesians, to revolt against their Persian masters, thereby beginning the so-called revolt of Miletus.

This was the beginning of the Ionian Revolt, the associated revolts in Aeolis, Doris, Cyprus, and Caria—that is, the major uprising of several Greek regions and cities of Asia Minor against Persian rule lasting from 499 BC to 493 BC.

Persians and Ancient Greeks

The Greek cities of Ionian and Aeolia on the coast of Asia Minor had fallen into Persian hands in the aftermath of the Persian Conquest of Lydia (547 to 546 BC).

The Persians first crossed into Europe in around 513 BC when Darius launched a fairly unsuccessful campaign against the Scythian nomads north of the Danube. This was followed by the conquest of parts of Thrace in 512 BC, giving the Persians a foothold in Europe, and threatening the Greek grain trade routes into the Black Sea.

The obvious next target for Persian attack were the cities of mainland Greece, but the Ionian Revolt came first and gave the Persians a convincing reason for their invasion.

At the heart of the rebellion was the dissatisfaction of the Greek cities of Asia Minor with the tyrants appointed by Persia to rule them, along with the individual actions of two Milesian tyrants, Histiaeus and Aristagoras.

The Ionian Revolt constituted the first major conflict between Greece and the Persian Empire, and as such, represents the first phase of the Greco-Persian Wars.

In 498 BC, supported by troops from Athens and Eretria, the Ionians marched on. Declining to personally lead the force, Aristagoras appointed his brother, Charopinus, and another Milesian, Hermophantus, as generals.

This force was then guided by the Ephesians through the mountains to Sardis, Artaphernes’s satrapal capital. The Greeks caught the Persians unaware and were able to capture the lower city. However, Artaphernes still held the citadel with a significant force of men.

The lower city then caught on fire. Herodotus suggests it was accidental, but the fact of the matter is the fire quickly spread. The Persians in the citadel, being surrounded by a burning city, emerged into the market-place of Sardis, where they fought with the Greeks, forcing them back. The Greeks, demoralized, then retreated from the city, and began to make their way back to Ephesus.

Herodotus reports that when Darius heard of the burning of Sardis, he swore vengeance upon the Athenians (after asking who they indeed were), and tasked a servant with reminding him three times each day of his vow: “Master, remember the Athenians.”

With all of Asia Minor firmly returned to Persian rule after the Persian counter-offensive (497–495 BC), the revolt was finally over. For the Persians, the only unfinished business that remained by the end of 493 BC was to exact punishment on Athens and Eretria for supporting the revolt.

The Ionian Revolt had severely threatened the stability of Darius’s empire, and the states of mainland Greece would continue to threaten that stability unless dealt with. Darius thus began to contemplate the complete conquest of Greece, beginning with the destruction of Athens and Eretria.

When the Persians destroyed Athens

In 480 BC, after the victory of Xerxes I at the Battle of Thermopylae, all of Boeotia fell to the Achaemenid Army. The two cities that had resisted Xerxes, Thespiae and Plataea, were captured and razed.

Attica was also left open to invasion, and the remaining population of Athens was thus evacuated, with the aid of the Allied fleet, to Salamis. The Peloponnesian Allies began to prepare a defensive line across the Isthmus of Corinth, building a wall and demolishing the road from Megara, thereby abandoning Athens to the Persians.

Persians Ancient Athens Greeks — Credit: Abbott, Jacob, 1803-1879 , Public Domain

Athens fell a first time in September 480 BC. The small number of Athenians who had barricaded themselves on the Acropolis were eventually defeated, and Xerxes then ordered Athens to be torched. The Acropolis was razed, and the Old Temple of Athena and the Older Parthenon destroyed, as Herodotus writes:

“Those Persians who had come up first betook themselves to the gates, which they opened, and slew the suppliants; and when they had laid all the Athenians low, they plundered the temple and burnt the whole of the acropolis.”
— Herodotus VIII.53

Numerous remains of statues, vandalized by the Achaemenids, have been found, known collectively as the “Perserschutt,” or “Persian rubble.”

The statue “Nike (Victory) of Callimachus,” was severely damaged by the Achaemenids. It was erected next to the Older Parthenon in honor of Callimachus and the victory at the Battle of Marathon.

The statue depicts Nike (Victory) in the form of a woman with wings on top of an inscribed column. Its height is 4.68 meters, and it was made of Parian marble. The head of the statue and parts of the torso and hands were never recovered.

Xerxes also removed some of the statuary, such as the bronze statue of Harmodius and Haristogiton, “the Tyrant-slayers,” which was recovered by Alexander the Great in the Achaemenid capital of Susa two centuries later.

Column drums of the Older Parthenon were reused in the North wall of the Acropolis by Themistocles so that the Athenians always remember the sufferings of the Persian atrocities over Greeks.

Retaliatory burning of Persepolis

In the year 330 BC, Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) conquered the Achaemenid Persian Empire following his victory over the Persian Emperor Darius III (r. 336-330 BC) at the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC.

After Darius III’s defeat, Alexander marched to the Persian capital city of Persepolis and, after looting its treasures, burned the great palace and surrounding city to the ground. This was after a drinking party and at the instigation of Thais, a hetaira (courtesan) from Athens (according to several much later Greek and Roman accounts from Plutarch, Arrian, Diodorus Siculus and Quintus Curtius Rufus).

It was said that: “When the king [Alexander] had caught fire at their words, all leaped up from their couches and passed the word along to form a victory procession in honor of Dionysus. Promptly many torches were gathered. Female musicians were present at the banquet, so the king led them all out for the comus to the sound of voices and flutes and pipes, Thaïs the courtesan leading the whole performance. She was the first, after the king, to hurl her blazing torch into the palace. As the others all did the same, immediately the entire palace area was consumed, so great was the conflagration. It was remarkable that the impious act of Xerxes, king of the Persians, against the acropolis at Athens should have been repaid in kind after many years by one woman, a citizen of the land which had suffered it, and in sport.”

— Diodorus of Sicily (XVII.72)

Hundreds Gather for Eid Muslim Prayers at Thessaloniki’s Yeni Mosque

Tasos Kokkinidis

April 10, 2024

Hundreds Gather for Eid Muslim Prayers at Thessaloniki’s Yeni Mosque

Thessaloniki Mosque — The Mosque in Thessaloniki was turned into a museum. Credit: Ggia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Hundreds of faithful gathered on Wednesday for the Eid Muslim prayers at Thessaloniki’s Yeni Mosque which opened for the first time in more than 100 years in Greece.

Crowds were seen arriving to pray early in the morning at the iconic Mosque led by the Egyptian Imam Taha Abd El-Galil, a Greek citizen and member of the religious committee of the Islamic mosque in Athens.

The prayer, which concluded after half an hour, was conducted in Arabic, followed by a sermon in both Arabic and Greek.

The decision by Greek authorities to open the Mosque for Muslim prayers follows a period when relations with Turkey improved following the visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Athens last December.

History of the Mosque in Thessaloniki

The Yeni Mosque was built by Italian architect Vitaliano Poselli in 1902 for the city’s Dönmeh community, crypto-Jewish converts to Islam. .

After the Greco-Turkish war of 1919-22 and the Treaty of Lausanne, the Dönmeh along with the other Muslims living in Greece were “exchanged” with Christians in Turkey (i.e., Greece and Turkey agreed to take in each other’s religious refugees resulting from the terms of the treaty).

Its minaret — like most minarets in Thessaloniki — was subsequently demolished. Christian refugees from Asia Minor lived inside the Yeni Mosque in 1924, after which time it became the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki.

In its courtyard, there is a rich collection of marble sculptures from the Roman era and the early Christian period (sarcophagi, funerary monuments, reliefs, honorary and funerary columns) from all over Thessaloniki. Today it serves as an exhibition center and hosts various cultural activities.

Thessaloniki has several Ottoman buildings that represent part of the history of the second-largest Greek city.

Several mosques have been preserved, such as the Hamza Bey Camii of 1467 – 68, the Alaca Imaret Camii of 1484, the Yeni Camii of the early 20th century, as well as other public buildings, such as the Bay Hamam, an impressive double bath of the mid 15th century, an inn and some fountains in the upper city.

Greece opens Rhode’s Suleymaniye Mosque for prayers

Given the preparations for Ramadan, Greece has also decided to open the Suleymaniye Mosque on Rhodes for Eid prayers.

It was originally built after the Ottoman conquest of Rhodes in 1522 and is named after Sultan Suleiman to commemorate his conquest. The mosque was reconstructed in 1808 and has been restored several times since. It is the most significant surviving Ottoman-era monument in Rhodes.

In Attica, apart from the Athens Mosque in Votanikos, there are 15 licensed mosques. Unofficial ones are estimated at 55 to 60. There are some 300 mosques operating in Thrace, and one each in Kos, Rhodes, Thiva and Thessaloniki.

Muslim Greeks number about 125,000 and live primarily in Thrace. In Attica, Muslim refugees and migrants are estimated at 250,000.

Turkey Disputes Greece’s Sovereignty Over Aegean Marine Park

Tasos Kokkinidis

April 10, 2024

Turkey Disputes Greece’s Sovereignty Over Aegean Marine Park

Greece Turkey — Turkey disputes Greece’s right to establish a marine park in the Aegean. Credit: PM Press Office

On Tuesday Turkey contested the plan by Greece to establish a new marine park in the Aegean Sea saying that Athens does not have sovereignty over islands within the region.

“We recommend Greece not to involve the outstanding Aegean issues, and the issues regarding the status of some islands, islets and rocks whose sovereignty has not been ceded to Greece by the international treaties, within the frame of its own agenda,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday.

“We will not accept the fait accomplis that Greece may create on geographical features whose status is disputed,” it said.

“We would also like to advise third parties, including the EU, not to become a tool for Greece’s politically motivated attempts regarding environmental programs,” it said.

Greece responds to Turkey on Aegean marine park

Greece responded to the claims by accusing Turkey of “politicizing a purely environmental issue.”

“The Turkish Foreign Ministry’s announcement politicizes a purely environmental issue. The universal challenge of environmental protection should raise awareness among governments and not be used to create impressions,” the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes in its announcement.

It adds that “the Greek government will continue to unwaveringly support its sovereignty and sovereign rights country in the framework of foreign policy principles”.

Greece announced on Monday that it will launch two new marine parks in the Aegean and Ionian Seas to coincide with the Our Ocean Conference in Athens this week.

The first will span 11 groups of deserted islands and islets from west of the island of Milos to Nisyros, known as “the Greek Galapagos” due to their rich biodiversity. The second will encompass an area starting north of Kefalonia and ending at Kythera and Antikythera.

Environment and Energy Minister Theodoros Skylakakis told journalists that the two new national parks — one in the Ionian Sea for sea mammals and turtles, and another in the Aegean for seabirds, to be set into law by early next year.

Turkish challenge runs counter to “positive momentum” in relations

The challenge by Turkey on Greek sovereignty in the Aegean comes at a time when the two NATO allies reiterated their joint commitment to build on the existing positive momentum in their relationship.

After a long period of tensions marked by disputes over irregular migration, the Cyprus dispute, energy exploration, and territorial sovereignty in the Aegean, Turkey and Greece have been taking confidence-building steps for a fragile normalization of their relations.

This moved into a new chapter with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s landmark visit to Athens in December.

During the visit, the sides announced a friendship declaration, visa facilitation for Turkish citizens for ten Greek islands in the Northern Aegean for up to seven days, and the decreased flow of irregular migrants to Greece.

Mitsotakis and Erdogan signed a joint declaration pledging to maintain good and friendly neighborly relations.

Wreath Ceremony of the Boston Marathon Highlights Ties With Greece

Tasos Kokkinidis

April 10, 2024

Wreath Ceremony of the Boston Marathon Highlights Ties With Greece

The 128th Boston Marathon which will be run on Monday, April 15 has a special significance for Greeks in America. Begun in 1897, the event was inspired by the success of the first marathon competition in the 1896 Athens Summer Olympics. It is the world’s oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world’s best-known road racing events.

It is also a race won in 1946 by Stylianos Kyriakides, a Greek Cypriot marathon runner. He became the first non-U.S. athlete to win the Boston race and with his victory, he raised awareness and money for the plight of post-war Greece.

“I came to run for seven million hungry Greeks,” were Kyriakides’ words upon his arrival in the United States—and he was and looked very hungry and unhealthy himself—so much so that race doctors asked him to sign a statement before he ran that he would be solely responsible if something happened to him.

Kyriakides had fought against the Nazis as a member of the Greek Resistance during the German Occupation. After the war, which left Greece devastated and impoverished, he traveled to the U.S. not only to run but also to tell people about Greece’s suffering.

Kyriakides later said that while he was running in Boston on April 20, 1946, Greek expatriates and journalists there cheered him on, shouting: “For Greece, my Stelios, for your children!”

The Greek athlete finished the marathon in 2:29:27, setting a new European record, and for almost twenty-three years, a Greek record, earning an entry into the Guinness Book of Records.

Wreath ceremony for the winners of the Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon wreath — Each year, olive wreaths are cut on the plains of Marathon, fashioned into wreaths, and then gifted by the Greek people to the Boston Marathon winners. Credit: Alpha Omega Council

In 1984, in recognition of the historic ties that continue to this very day between the birthplace of democracy in ancient Athens and the City of Boston, the birthplace of the American Revolution in 1775, a team of people of the Alpha Omega Council created the tradition of presenting the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) with olive branch wreaths to crown the four ﬁrst-place winners of the Boston Marathon.

Each year, olive wreaths are cut on the plains of Marathon, fashioned into wreaths, and then gifted by the Greek people to the BAA.

This tradition continues this year with the special wreath ceremony taking place on April 12. The honorable Symeon Tegos, Consulate General of Greece in Boston, with the support of The Alpha Omega Council and the 26.2 Foundation, will present the winners’ wreaths to BAA.

Alpha Omega was founded in 1976 by a group of friends and businessmen in Boston, Massachusetts, under the leadership of the late Peter Agris, the publisher of The Hellenic Chronicle, an English-language weekly newspaper targeting the Greek-American community.

The Alpha Omega Council is comprised of Americans of Hellenic ancestry in Business, Education, Academia, Medicine, Law, Politics, Science and other fields.

Its mission is to promote and encourage loyalty and patriotism to the United States of America; to cultivate the ideals of Hellenism; to constantly strive towards maintaining positive Greek-American relations; to unite Americans of Greek descent in fellowship and philanthropy; to help recognize the achievements of those who excel in their field individually or as a group; to help alleviate the wants of the poor and needy; and to establish, maintain or aid religious, charitable, scientific, literary or educational activities.

Since its inception, the Alpha Omega Council has contributed over $3,000,000 to various philanthropic causes, not including the annual Peter Agris Memorial Journalism Scholarship Awards

In the wake of the bombings at the Boston Marathon in 2013, the Alpha Omega Council and the Consulate General of Greece in Boston launched the Marathon Educational Committee, to create educational initiatives to encourage an appreciation of the traditions of civic responsibility and liberty that the ancient Greeks demonstrated at Marathon.

Germany Returns to Greece Ancient Wine Jar Looted by the Nazis

Tasos Kokkinidis

April 10, 2024

Germany Returns to Greece Ancient Wine Jar Looted by the Nazis

Ancient Wine Jar — The wine jar was looted by the Germans in 1943 during excavations at the southernmost end of the Corinth Canal. Credit: Ministry of Culture

An oenochoe, or wine jug, of the 7th century BC that was looted from Greece during the German occupation in World War II, was returned by the Municipality of Hanover and the August Kestner Museum, the Greek Ministry of Culture announced on Tuesday.

The oenochoe has a trefoil-shaped mouth and a cover and is dated to 620-600 BC. Traces of the decoration around its neck are still visible.

Intermediate between a pithos (large storage vessel) or amphora (transport vessel), and individual cups or bowls, it held fluid for several persons temporarily until it could be poured. The oinochoe could pour any fluid, not just wine. The English word, pitcher, is perhaps the closest in function.

Ancient wine jar was looted from near the Corinth Canal

The vessel had been given to the August Kestner Museum by geology professor Hannfrit Putzer in 1986. It was accompanied by a letter of provenance, which said it had been handed over to him after being discovered by Germans in 1943 during excavations at the southernmost end of the Corinth Canal.

The vessel was also accompanied by a description of the trench and its position in it.

Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni hailed the return of the ancient wine jar, saying that the German museum dared to do proper research on illicitly acquired antiquities.

“The August Kestner Museum joins the group of international museums that have in recent years made great efforts to investigate provenance issues of artifacts in their collections. These (are) museums whose officials have the courage to publicize the results of their research and return to Greece the objects they have determined are linked to illegal acts.”

The oenochoe’s provenance was researched by Dr. Johannes Schwarz, who was assigned by the Museum the research into the provenance of its objects.

The Museum also reached out to the Greek Ministry of Culture for the archaeological excavation background. The entire process took two years until the vessel was handed over by the mayor to the Greek consul general in a ceremony at the Museum in Hanover on Monday that included ministry and Museum officials and members of the local Greek community as well.

“The decision of the Municipality of Hanover and the August Kestner Museum is actual proof of their wish to contribute to the restoration of the damage Greece’s cultural heritage suffered, but also to defend the reputation of the August Kestner Museum, ” Mendoni said.

Greek antiquities looted by the Nazis

German researchers have tracked down and documented hundreds of antiquities in Berlin museums looted from the island of Samos, Greece.

A report in Deutsche Welle says that a book was published recently after years of research documenting in detail the looting of antiquities between the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The book “Constantinople—Samos—Berlin: Forfeiture, Division of Finds and Clandestine Export of Antiquities on the Eve of the First World War” consists of essays that reconstruct in detail the history of excavations of the then Royal (today: National) Museums in Berlin on Samos.

The Germans also conducted official excavations at ancient Olympia during the occupation, removing all the finds to Germany. Places like Eleusis experienced large-scale looting, with many artifacts disappearing from the area.

Due to the chaotic nature of wartime looting, many smaller items taken by soldiers remain undocumented. These objects could be anything from coins to figurines.

April 10th: Greece Honors Heroic Exodus of Missolonghi

Philip Chrysopoulos

April 10, 2024

April 10th: Greece Honors Heroic Exodus of Missolonghi

On April 10, 1826 and after a year of siege, the 10,500 Missolonghi inhabitants made the heroic “Exodus of Missolonghi,” adding another brilliant page to the Greek War of Independence history.

It was April 15, 1825, three years after the failed attempt to occupy Missolonghi, that the Ottoman armies returned to besiege the city that had become the seat of the Senate of Western Continental Greece.

The army of Resid Mehmed Pasha, or Kioutachis, as Greeks called him, numbering 20,000 men, began the second siege of the city, later to be joined by another 10,000 men under Ibrahim Pasha, who arrived from the Peloponnese campaign.

The siege of the city can be divided into two periods: the first period is from April 15th to December 12, 1825, while the second period spans from December 25, 1825 to April 10, 1826. Without significant help from the rest of Greece, due to the civil war and having to cope with superior enemy forces, the Missolonghi residents were able to resist for a whole year.

A three-man committee composed of Ioannis Papadiamantopoulos, Dimitrios Themelis, and Georgios Kanavos organized the city’s defense.

The fortress of the city after the first siege had been restored and fortified following the efforts of Alexandros Mavrokordatos, the great philhellene Lord Byron, and engineer Michail Kokkinis.

Its trench was now deeper and the courtyard was reinforced with towers on which several cannons had been placed. The islet of Vassiladi between the lagoon and the sea became a kind of advanced fortress. There were six guns and 2,000 women and children who were gathered so as not to burden the city guard.

10,000 Greeks inside Missolonghi

Within Missolonghi there were 10,000 residents, including 4,000 men, excellent warriors from Epirus and Aitoloakarnania, and another 1,000 men capable of managing weapons.

During the first phase of the siege (April 15 to December 12, 1825) Missolonghi was besieged only by the forces of Kioutachis, and their attacks were easily repelled. The siege from the sea was not strong enough and was repeatedly disrupted by Andreas Miaoulis’ fleet which supplied the besieged citizens with munitions and food.

On July 24th, 1,000 Russian soldiers under Georgios Karaiskakis forced the Ottomans to withdraw their forces to the foot of Mount Zygos, relieving the siege of Missolonghi. The Turkish fleet, being harassed by the Greek boats, was forced to seek shelter in English-ruled Kefalonia.

On August 5th, Kitsos Tzavellas, head of a group of fighters from Souli, entered the city, raising the morale of the besieged. However, at the beginning of November, a fleet of Ottomans and Egyptians brought 8,000 Egyptian soldiers to the siege, and a month later, the army of Ibrahim Pasha came to the region.

At the time, Ibrahim’s army numbered 25,000 troops, comprised of Ottomans, Egyptians, and Albanians. They were commanded by French officers and had modern artillery at their disposal.

Second phase of siege of Missolonghi

It was December 25, 1825 when the second phase of the siege began. The two generals of the Ottoman forces were in disagreement, and Ibrahim attacked the city first. On January 16, 1826; Ibrahim admitted his failure in conquering the city and was forced to cooperate with Kioutachis.

The two armies had stunned the besieged Greeks with a ruthless bombardment. They managed to dominate the strategically important islets of Vassiladi (February 25th) and Kleisovas (March 25th). After the fall of the two islets, the situation for the besieged became desperate, as Miaoulis and his ships could no longer bring supplies to the city.

Missolonghi was now without food. Soon, they were forced to eat seaweed, mice, and cats. Under the circumstances, it was impossible for the city to defend itself. On April 6th, the board of chieftains decided to make the exodus at midnight on the Saturday of Lazarus through the dawn of Palm Sunday (April 9th to April 10th).

At midnight, according to plan, they were divided into three groups under Dimitrios Makris, Notis Botsaris, and Kitsos Tzavelas in the hope of breaking enemy lines and taking the enemy by surprise. Earlier, they had killed all Ottoman prisoners while only the wounded and the very old would remain in the city.

Heroic exodus of Missolonghi

However, the plan was not properly executed or there was a traitor who betrayed the scheme to the Ottomans. Ibrahim’s forces slaughtered the Greek freedom fighters who fought against all odds. Meanwhile, the enemy forces had invaded the city and killed everyone who was left behind.

It is estimated that 3,000 Greek men were killed during the Exodus of Missolonghi. The 6,000 women and children of the city were taken as slaves and sold to the slave markets of Constantinople and Alexandria. The Ottoman-Egyptian casualties amounted to 5,000 men.

The Ottoman victory proved to be Pyrrhic, as the barbarity of Ibrahim’s troops and the heroism of the Greeks generated a new wave of philhellenism throughout Europe.
Missolonghi was liberated on May 11, 1829. In 1937, it was recognized as “Holy City” due to the mass slaughter of its citizens, and Palm Sunday was designated as the anniversary of the Exodus.

Pregnancy May Speed Up Biological Aging, Study Finds

Greek News

Matthew Norman

April 10, 2024

Pregnancy May Speed Up Biological Aging, Study Finds

Pregnancy may accelerate biological ageing, new study finds. — Pregnancy may accelerate biological aging, new study finds. Credit: Pexels. CC BY 2.0/Pixabay

A new study has found that pregnancy accelerates biological aging with each baby causing women to grow older by up to 2.8 months.

It is well understood that pregnancy can have long-term health impacts. However, previous research has shown these to be largely beneficial, such as lowering the risk of cancer or dementia. Now, new research conducted by Columbia University in New York has shown carrying a baby exerts such a toll on the body that it causes a woman to age internally.

The study, which was carried out on 1,735 young people in the Philippines, examined alterations to DNA to calculate the biological age of mothers compared with their actual age.

At the start of the study, in 2005, all the participants were of the 20 to 25 age group. They all provided their blood samples and answered a few questions on their reproductive and sexual history. Each woman also responded to questions like how many times she had been pregnant and whether or not pregnancies had resulted in live births.

Throughout the lifespan, as a person ages, small molecules are accreted to their DNA, providing updated instructions about how to function. These “tags,” so to say, accumulate at a steady rate and can be used as a kind of clock that reveals age.

Each additional pregnancy was associated with between 2.4 and 2.8 months of accelerated biological aging.

The research team found men were not impacted in the same way with their DNA unaffected by fatherhood, implying it is something about pregnancy or breastfeeding specifically which speeds up biological aging, the researchers said.

What the pregnancy-aging study tells us

“Our findings suggest that pregnancy speeds up biological [aging] and that these effects are apparent in young, high-fertility women,” Dr. Calen Ryan, lead author of the study and associate research scientist in the Columbia Aging Center told The Telegraph.

‌“Our results are also the first to follow the same women through time, linking changes in each woman’s pregnancy number to changes in her biological age.

“Ultimately I think our findings highlight the potential long-term impacts of pregnancy on women’s health, and the importance of taking care of new parents, especially young mothers,” Ryan said.

The bodies of women who stated they had been pregnant appeared biologically older than women who had never carried a baby. Women who had been pregnant more often were biologically older than those who reported fewer pregnancies.

Even taking into account other factors linked with biological aging, such as socioeconomic status, smoking and genetic variation, the relationship between pregnancy history and biological age remained.

Ryan added, “We still have a lot to learn about the role of pregnancy and other aspects of reproduction in the [aging] process. We also do not know the extent to which accelerated epigenetic [aging] in these particular individuals will manifest as poor health or mortality decades later in life.”

In 2023, a study which employed the UK Biobank found genes which encourage people to have more children also push them towards an early death.

Cyprus-Greece Ferry to Restart Service in May

Matthew Norman

April 9, 2024

Cyprus-Greece Ferry to Restart Service in May

The renovated M/V Daleela had been conducting the Cyprus-Greece ferry route last summer. — The renovated M/V Daleel conducted the Cyprus-Greece ferry route last summer. Credit: Scandro Holding Ltd

A popular ferry link between Greece and Cyprus is set to pick up service again on May 29th after a long hiatus with funding coming from Cyprus to keep the transport project alive.

The Cyprus-Greece ferry link was eminently popular when it started up in 2022, and in 2023, it carried 7,407 passengers and 2,518 vehicles despite its 30-hour journey. A first-class single cabin ticket is priced at 73 euros ($79) per person one-way with return tickets coming in at 146 euros ($158). Double cabins are priced at 68 euros ($74) for a single journey and 136 euros ($148) roundtrip.

First-class four-berth cabin tickets are 63 euros ($68) one way and 126 euros ($137) for a roundtrip. Second-class prices are 50 euros ($54) one way and 96 euros ($104) for a return. Airline-style seats are 38 euros ($41) and 76 euros ($82) for those who don’t want a cabin for the overnight voyage.

Officials have said the voyage was particularly popular with students who wanted to transport a greater amount of belongings, as well as with those who aren’t keen on flying or simply want the luxury of a longer trip.

Success of the Cyprus-Greece ferry last year

Last year, the Cyprus-Greece ferry began its second season in May, lifting anchor at Limassol port and sailing to Piraeus with 156 passengers. Cyprus Deputy Minister of Shipping Marina Hatzimanoli and Mayor of Limassol Nikos Nicolaides were on board the passenger ferry Daleela to celebrate the occasion, along with contracting company Scandro Holdings executives and other partners.

Hatzimanoli told attendees that the ferry was high on the ministry’s priorities and expressed confidence in the success of the second season, which had already hit the seven thousand reservations mark by this point. For his part, Nikolaides had hoped the operation’s success would surpass that of 2022 and recalled his experience as a passenger on the ferry’s maiden voyage two years ago.

The ferry includes a restaurant, cafeteria, and clinic in addition to 38 first-class cabins (110 passengers), 68 second-class cabins, and 110 outdoor seats. It can also accommodate up to a hundred vehicles.

The link was reintroduced last year after obtaining special permission from the European Union, allowing the state to subsidize the otherwise non-viable route. The government offered a €5.5 million annual subsidy to secure interest by shipowners to operate the regular ferry link between Limassol and Piraeus.

In addition to the port of Limassol, Scandro Holding Ltd included the Larnaca port in last year’s itinerary in response to travelers’ requests. In comments to the Cyprus News Agency, Larnaca Mayor Andreas Vyras said port operators Kition Ocean agreed with the ferry operators, Scandro Holding, to include Larnaca.

The ultimate purpose of Scandro Holding Ltd is to connect Greece and Cyprus by sea.

The Mystery of Aristotle’s Countless Lost Works

Nick Kampouris

April 9, 2024

The Mystery of Aristotle’s Countless Lost Works

The School of Athens with Aristotle and Plato. Credit: Slices of Light, Flickr, CC BY 2.0

Few names of ancient Greece shine as much as those of Aristotle. This ancient Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and tutor of Alexander the Great, left a timeless, profound, and indelible mark on virtually every field of knowledge he touched.

Yet, as vast as his contributions have been to this world, a shroud of mystery remains over the works of Aristotle that have been lost during the course of time. What secrets might they hold? How could they further help our understanding of his profound insights and more generally, of the world we live in?

Bridging Aristotle’s ancient wisdom with modern science

Aristotle was a true polymath in the purest sense of this word. With his intellectual curiosity spanning from the ethics of happiness to the bonds that tie the natural world, he wanted to know everything and did everything in his power to understand as much as he could.

His contributions laid the foundational stones in fields such as metaphysics, ethics, politics, and natural sciences, among many others. His works have had an everlasting influence for countless generations. Unfortunately, the majority of his intellectual contributions recorded in his works have not survived the relentless effects of time.

The loss of such a significant portion of Aristotle’s ideas poses a crucial question to everyone who has been inspired by his legacy: What wisdom and knowledge have we been deprived of?

The mystery behind Aristotle’s lost philosophical works

The lost works of Aristotle are not just missing pages in human history. They show us the gaps in our collective understanding of humanity. The pieces that are missing from this lifetime of work strip us of philosophical thought and ancient methodologies that would have very well changed the world we live in today.

Imagine the dialogues that might have dealt with the deeper philosophical issues on the nature of reality. Think about the questions that Aristotle might have asked aiming to further explore the ethical dimensions of human existence, for example.

These works could offer us all fresh perspectives on Aristotle’s thinking. They could have provided us with missing links in the evolution of ancient scholarship and expertise. The absence of these texts leaves scholars piecing together a puzzle without all the pieces, something that they have been doing with every other ancient philosopher. This will leave us forever speculating on the full scope of the mind and the ideas of Aristotle.

This true enigma surrounding the lost works of Aristotle is not thus simply a matter of historical curiosity, confined within the boundaries of some nerds or scholars who spend most of their lives buried in ancient texts and books. It represents a real, tangible void in our collective understanding of classical philosophy and makes it clear that what we know is only a fraction of what our ancestors knew.

Imagine the wealth of knowledge that could have been encapsulated in those works that we have not yet found. Think about the tools they could have offered us to get untold insights into the ancient world. These tools could have helped us follow the nuanced thought processes of one of history’s greatest minds. However, as time remains relentless and takes with it everything we lose, they are all now shrouded in mystery.

These lost works could potentially redefine our interpretation of Aristotle’s philosophy. Probably, we would now be offering new perspectives on ethics, logic, and the natural sciences, based on these mysterious ideas that we will never come to learn of. Their absence is a crucial reminder of how much of our intellectual heritage remains just beyond our grasp. It is a puzzle with just too many missing pieces that scholars around the globe would love to further uncover and explore.

The School of Aristotle in Mieza — The School of Aristotle in ancient Mieza in Naoussa, Central Macedonia, Greece. This was the place where the great philosopher taught Alexander the Great. Credit: Jean Housen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Aristotle’s impact on Western philosophy and science

The influence of Aristotle on Western thought cannot be overstated. His works established entire fields and laid the ground for many others. They shaped the contours of metaphysics, ethics, and natural sciences for centuries to come. It’s fascinating to consider how his lost works might have further enriched modern philosophy and science. Could they have accelerated the advancement of certain scientific principles? Or offered solutions to philosophical dilemmas that continue to perplex us to this very day? The impact of Aristotle’s surviving works is monumental. This is the only thing we need to know about the importance of his lost writings. There must have been works with unimaginable potential to further shed light on the dark corners of our understanding of the world and its reality.

As we collectively continue to seek out and understand the fragments of his lost works, we keep alive the spirit of inquiry and knowledge that Aristotle championed throughout his life.

The hunt for Aristotle’s lost works

The pursuit of Aristotle’s lost works is like a modern-day intellectual treasure hunt. Historians and scholars are the explorers who try their best to get a hint from the surviving works about what might hide in those we lost.

This quest involves extensive research in ancient texts, deciphering long-forgotten references, and piecing together small fragments that have survived over the centuries. Each discovery, no matter how small or big, is a cause for celebration among scholars. It offers a glimpse into Aristotle’s comprehensive vision and gives us a bigger picture than the one we have already formed of him. Thus, the ongoing efforts to compile and interpret these fragments are attempts to reclaim a piece of our shared common understanding to fill in the gaps left by time.

Aristotle’s timeless influence

The story of Aristotle’s lost works is not a done deal that we simply accept and move on. It is a narrative of loss but also of discovery. It is a tale that has no end, and it speaks volumes about the fragility of human knowledge and the importance of preservation. What we know now will not necessarily be shared by future generations.

The search to uncover these lost teachings of Aristotle is ongoing, and as we continue to search for these works, we do more than just seek to complete his record. We try to understand the lengths and breadths of human thought and experience as seen through the eyes of one of its best observers.

The Mysterious Fate of the Colossal Column of Justinian in Constantinople

Tasos Kokkinidis

April 9, 2024

The Mysterious Fate of the Colossal Column of Justinian in Constantinople

The mystery of what happened to the ancient column of Justinian in Constantinople, also known as the Colossus of Justinian, still puzzles historians and archaeologists.

The colossal bronze statue of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I was built during Justinian’s rule in the sixth century AD, most likely about 543 AD. Standing tall and clutching a globe in his palm, the monument represented Justinian’s dominance over the entire world.

Although the existence of the column is mentioned by several historical sources, its fate remains a mystery.

Several Byzantine writers mention the statue, including Procopius, who described its construction and dedication in his book “Buildings”. The column appears in various Byzantine artworks, like mosaics and miniatures, offering visual proof of its existence. Travelers who visited Constantinople after its fall by the Ottomans also documented seeing the column, further solidifying its historical presence.

Statue of Justinian Constantinople — Reconstruction of the column, after Cornelius Gurlitt, 1912. Public Domain

The column was 105 feet high

The column survived intact until late Byzantine times when it was described by Nicephorus Gregoras, as well as by several Russian pilgrims to the city.

The latter also mentioned the existence, before the column, of a group of three bronze statues of “pagan (or Saracen) emperors”, placed on shorter columns or pedestals, who kneeled in submission before it. These survived until the late 1420s but were removed sometime before 1433.

A recent book by Elena N. Boeck (Ph.D., Yale), Professor of History of Art at DePaul University, titled “The Bronze Horseman of Justinian in Constantinople“, cites an Italian traveler to Constantinople called Cristoforo Buondelmonti.

According to him the monument was 70 cubits (105 feet) in height and showed the horseman with a golden apple in the left hand, the right hand threatening “Turkey” and the east.

Boeck, who specializes in the arts of the medieval Mediterranean world, says that after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II took down the monument and it was eventually melted down.

She mentions a Frenchman called Pierre Gilles who saw pieces of the statue around 1550, the emperor’s leg taller than a man, the nose and a hoof each 9 inches long.

An impressive monument in Constantinople

According to what we know now statue of Justinian was an impressive monument, a testament to both the emperor’s ambition and the engineering prowess of the Byzantine Empire.

The main structure was built with brick, a strong and readily available material. This brick core was then covered with decorative bronze plates, giving the column a gleaming metallic appearance. The column stood on a seven-stepped marble platform, further elevating the statue and adding a touch of luxury.

The highlight was a colossal bronze equestrian statue, depicting Emperor Justinian himself, dressed in a triumphant outfit resembling the “dress of Achilles” (according to historian Procopius), Justinian likely sported an impressive cuirass and a plumed helmet.

The emperor sat astride a horse, holding a globus cruciger (a sphere representing Earth surmounted by a cross) in his left hand and extending his right hand eastward, possibly symbolizing his victories or Constantinople’s dominion.

Column Justinian Constantinople — Illustration from the Nuremberg Chronicle (the column is on the right). Public Domain

Theories on the mystery

The exact fate of the Column of Justinian in Constantinople is a bit murky, but there are some competing theories.

An article in the Byzantine Legacy journal says that it was commonly asserted that Mehmed II destroyed the column and had the statue melted down. It is more likely that it became part of his collection of antiquities.

Furthermore, the article says that the column survived until the 16th century. It is possible that the statue was removed because its talismanic power was viewed as a threat by the Ottomans. Turkish sources suggest that the column collapsed during the reign of Sultan Selim or Suleiman.

Another theory suggests that the column finally succumbed to the elements. Accounts suggest it remained standing until the early 16th century, then collapsed in a major earthquake around 1509.

It’s also possible the Ottomans respected the column as an antiquity and took the statue for their collection rather than destroying it.

While the specifics are unclear, it seems likely the column met its end sometime in the early 16th century, either through natural disaster or Ottoman intervention.

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