Greek Railway Disaster Expert Speaks of Crucial Omissions in Tempe Probe

Greece's largest railway disaster at Tempe
The railway disaster at Tempe is Greece’s biggest, as 57 people were killed and 85 injured. Credit: AMNA

The railway disaster at Tempe is in Greek headlines again on the one-year anniversary of the tragic collision that took the lives of 57 people, most of them young.

Costas Lakafossis, an aeronautical engineer and accident expert, spoke to Greek Reporter about the railway disaster, pointing out omissions and mistakes during the official investigation.

The investigation is ongoing amidst bitterness and suspicion on the part of the families affected. The tears of those who lost their loved ones have dried, but the anger remains, still palpable. It has been one year and not one official has taken responsibility for the accident. Not one apology has been uttered by official lips, whether from the State or Hellenic Train.

There are accusations of a systematic cover-up. An official Tempe victim association has begun collecting signatures for a petition against the government. It is for the lifting of parliamentary immunity of representatives who are potentially responsible for the Tempe tragedy. So far, 780,000 thousand people have signed, demanding justice.

A Greek parliament investigating committee has not produced any valuable results on why so many people were killed and who is responsible. Opposition party representatives have walked out of the committee placing the blame on the government, speaking of the “Tempe crime.” So far, 32 people have been charged while several more might follow.

Why was the accident scene covered after the collision?

There was an unexplained hastiness to cover the scene of the railway disaster. This was despite the fact that the investigation was still in motion and relatives of the victims were still looking for the belongings of their loved ones. Consequently, this led to questions about what the cargo train was carrying and if its content was documented.

“The train had a legally declared cargo with official documents which were subsequently confirmed as to their accuracy,” Lakafossis told Greek Reporter.

“Nevertheless, behind the two electric engines, the first three carriages were flat open platforms loaded with large metal sheets” Lakafossis said. “There is no way to determine if there was any undeclared cargo on top of them since the videos from security cameras at the loading station and the station of Thessaloniki up to the Neoi Poroi station have been erased. The official investigators delayed asking for the video footage and OSE (Hellenic Train) claimed that the camera footage has been erased so that the digital discs can be used again.”

“The chemical samplings from the wreckage of the wagons and from the point of collision were made 29 days late on March 29th, while they should have been done within the first two or three days and certainly before the removal of debris from the site,” Lakafossis continued.

“As for research on the deflagration and the fire that followed, the time delay was a bigger problem than the alteration of the collision site itself,” he said.

“This was caused by the rush to remove the debris and alter the site. There were human remains among the debris and one family was not given the chance to bury the remains of their loved ones.

“Other families had to carry the extra psychological burden from the sad process of finding residuals of their loved ones on May 31 and then on November 15 and 16 (when the accident site was re-opened for search),” Lakafossis revealed. “This should have been done with care in the first few days.”

Were the findings assessed properly?

The families of the victims of the railway disaster have questioned whether the official investigation was conducted properly and the findings were properly assessed. To that, the accident expert told Greek Reporter:

“As for assessing the facts and the reasons that led to the collision, the official investigation is sufficient and complete,” Lakafossis said. “But in regards to questions about the explosion and the fire—now that it is proven that the fire took the lives of at least five of the victims—there is an obvious blank. Sufficient explanations of the deflagration causes have not been given.”

“If we accept that this phenomenon (fire ignition) was normal and expected, then the question arises as to whether measures had been taken to prevent such a dangerous fire ignition when there are many electric engines circulating in Greece’s railway network,” he added.

Lakafossis also commented on the overall lack of safety measures of the railway transportation system:

“We, as aviation investigators, found that the State investigation shows a lack of actions taken to improve the safety of railway transportation, a process that requires root cause analysis and thorough research into human factor issues, in order to identify the real causes (of the railway disaster), out of the narrow legal framework of the issue.”

It was February 28, 2023 when a passenger train left Athens with Thessaloniki as its destination. Many of the passengers were students returning from the Patras Carnival.

A few minutes before midnight, their train collided with a cargo train headed to Athens. Τhe collision caused a combustion, covering the first wagon in flames. There were 57 dead—five of them incinerated—and 85 injured.

The Ancient Greeks From Crete Who Founded a City in South Asia

ancient Greeks Crete Asia
Long ago, a substantial ancient Greek population from the island of Crete lived in the ancient city of Daedala, located in south Asia. Credits: Dosseman / Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Long ago, a substantial ancient Greek population from the island of Crete lived in the ancient city of Daedala, located in south Asia.

Located in a strategically and geopolitically important region, in the modern nation-state of Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan, is a place called Bajaur, once part of the Paropamisadae region ruled by the ancient Greeks of India.

According to Stephanus of Byzantium, the name Daedala came from near Lycia, an ancient region on the Teke Peninsula in today’s Turkey’s Mediterranean region, where a city named Daedala was founded named after Daedalus, the mythical ancient Greek architect and sculptor.

Daedalus had offended Minos, the King of Crete, who threw him and his son Icarus into prison. Icarus’ mother was Nausicrate, one of King Minos’ servants. Daedalus made wings of wax and feathers, which he and Icarus used in a bid to fly to Sicily and freedom. A district was named Daedala in the Rhodian Peraea bordering upon Lycia, and nearby in Lycia, a mountain was also named Daedala; a curious repetition of this is found in the Paropamisadae, in the Indian subcontinent. The Greek historian Curtius mentioned the Daedala in the Indian subcontinent, and Justin mentioned the Daedalian mountains.

Daedala: the city of Ancient Greeks from Crete

Greek Corinthian capital with the Buddha in the center, from Jarmal Garhi
Figure of the Buddha, within a Corinthian capital, Gandhara. Credit: Craddock James/ Public Domain

With a population of about 600,000, Bajaur borders Afghanistan’s Kunar province, which is a hotbed of Taliban forces, infamous for its Islamic fundamentalism which included destroying the Hellenistic Greek art, Bamiyan Buddhas. Bajaur is inhabited by several tribes, the foremost being the Tarkani and the Utman Khel.

Greek king of India Menander I Soter
Emperor Menander I Soter. Credits: CNG Coins / Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0

This region of the the frontier belt (North West Frontier Province of Pakistan) was once the  home of Hellenism. Greeks settled here and moved further east towards the fertile plains of the Ganges river in India, hoping to one day reach Palibothra, the capital of the powerful kingdom of Magadha, ruled by Xandrames.

They achieved this under the military command of Menander I Soter, whose city, according to Stephanus of Byzantium, was Daedela in the Indian subcontinent. The only inscription referring to Menander has been found in Bajaur. Large numismatic treasures of extraordinary historic significance have also been found there.

Indo-Cretan City in Ancient India

Fresco depicting the ladies of the court from the Palace of Knossos
Fresco depicting the ladies of the court from the Palace of Knossos can be found at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete. Credit:Tony Hammond / CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0/Flickr

In 1519, during the medieval period of Indian history, Babur, the Central Asian Turko-Mongol conquerer and founder of the Mughal dynasty in India, made his first attack on Bajaur. With 2000 horsemen, he defeated a prince who claimed descent from the daughter of Alexander the Great. The earliest reference to this is to be found in the Ain-e-Akbari, a work by Abu-Fazl, the main historian at the court of the Moghul emperor Akbar, the grandson of Babur. The reference was noticed by some of the very early British historians,  who already quote it in their writings in the 18th century.

Knossos palace Minoan Crete
Knossos Palace, Crete, Greece. Credit: Gary Bembridge/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.0

This region, as mentioned before, had a number of Greek emigrant settlers. Cretan mercenary slingers & archers were highly esteemed, and participated in such conflicts as the Peloponnesian War. Menander I Soter, the ancient Greek king of India, also used the talent of Cretan mercenaries; in fact his city Daedala was a settlement of Cretan mercenaries. Crete at this time supplied more mercenaries than any other Greek people. 

Greece Urged Not to Extradite Erdogan Critic

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Greece Erdogan critic
The life of businessman Ali Yesildag is in danger if extradited to Turkey, NGOs say. Video screenshot/YouTube/Bold+

Human Rights groups have called on Greece not to extradite a Turkish businessman and a critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Turkey.

“The life of businessman Ali Yesildag is in danger” in Turkey, and he risks a life sentence over charges of “participating in an armed extremist organization,” the Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR) and four other refugee rights agencies said in a joint statement.

The group called on the Greek justice minister “to protect the life of Ali Yesildag…in accordance with fundamental legal guarantees and international law, and to reject the Turkish state’s request.”

Greece’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of extradition

Last week, Greece’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of the extradition of Yesildag—who had applied for political asylum in November after he was arrested by Greek police close to Turkey’s border.

“Unfortunately, neither the obvious political dimension of the persecution of Ali Yesildag, nor the immediate danger to his fundamental rights in case of extradition have weighed on the Supreme Court’s judgment,” the NGOs said.

The court’s decision on Yesildag’s extradition is pending approval by Justice Minister George Floridis.

Erdogan critic accuses Erdogan of corruption

In May 2023, Yesildag accused Erdogan of corruption in a video that was broadcast during the Turkish leader’s presidential campaign. According to Yesildag, Erdogan had received a bribe over a tender for the operation of an airport in Southern Turkey.

His public denunciations caused political turmoil in Turkey with opposition parties calling for clarification.

In mid-November 2023, Greek border guards spotted the businessman in a rural area of Feres in northeastern Greece, having illegally crossed the Greek-Turkish border. Greek police officers found that he had a pending Turkish Interpol warrant against him for robbery and homicide allegedly committed in 1986.

Yesildag was born in 1961 in Rize province, President Erdogan’s birthplace. He was Erdogan’s cellmate and reported bodyguard when Erdogan was imprisoned in 1999 for reading a poem.

He had several companies working in the food and construction industries and became a wealthy businessman while Erdogan ruled the country. However, for unknown reasons, Yesildag later parted ways with Erdogan.

Since a coup attempt against Erdogan in 2016, numerous opponents of the President have sought asylum in Greece.

Human Rights campaigners fear Greece may extradite Yesildag following the recent “thaw” in relations between Athens and Ankara.

After years of tension over immigration, energy rights, and maritime borders in the Aegean Sea, Greece and Turkey restarted high-level talks in December.

Erdogan paid his first visit to Athens since 2017 and signed a declaration of friendship between the two historic rivals.

Happiness Higher Among Indigenous Communities, Study Finds

Indigenous communities' happiness level or higher than happiness of wealthy nations, study finds.
Indigenous communities’ happiness level is higher than happiness of wealthy nations, study finds. Credit: wwarby. CC BY 2.0/flickr

A new study has shed light on the connection between happiness and wealth with high life satisfaction being reported among small-scale societies, mostly Indigenous peoples, with low incomes. This dispels the myth that material wealth alone makes people happy and presents evidence for the possibility of a satisfying life without reliance on material requirements.

The finding highlights the likelihood that humanity can indeed learn to live within planetary boundaries and slow down climate change. Many surveys have shown that wealthier individuals tend to report being more content and satisfied with their lives. Such a pattern could be construed to mean that high material wealth, as measured in monetary terms, is a necessary factor for happiness.

The new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), relays survey results from people living in small-scale societies outside the “globalized mainstream,” the majority of whom identify as Indigenous.

The study highlights that despite these (mostly) Indigenous communities having little monetary income, the respondents frequently reported being “very satisfied with their lives.” Some communities reported satisfaction and happiness scores in line with people living in the wealthiest countries. According to the study authors, “These results imply greater flexibility in the means to achieve happiness than are apparent from surveys that examine only industrialized societies.”

In conducting the study, the researchers collected data through a total of 2,966 in-person interviews, carried out among nineteen globally distributed sites across eighteen countries. All the surveys were part of the Local Indicators of Climate Change Impacts (LICCI) project, which aims to bring insights from Indigenous cultures and local knowledge systems to climate research. The surveys followed a standardized protocol for data collection.

The information reported, and subsequently published in the study, pertains to Indigenous peoples and local communities, defined in accordance with the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. The communities exist in rural areas in close interaction with the environment and are supported largely through the use of nature.

Conclusions of the study on happiness in Indigenous communities and the industrialized world

One of the study’s authors commented, “The striking aspect of our findings, particularly compared to the widely cited Gallup World Poll, is that reported life satisfaction and happiness in very low-income, Indigenous communities can meet and even exceed that reported at the highest average levels of material wealth provided by industrial ways of life.”

The author added: “Our findings provide strong empirical support for the argument that achieving high reported life satisfaction does not require the elevated rates of material consumption generally associated with high monetary income.”

Instead, concluded the author, the findings add weight to the importance of identifying the underlying factors that cause people to report high satisfaction with their lives. It has long been known that nonmonetary factors are important to well-being. The insight here is that those factors can yield higher levels of satisfaction at the population level than typically expected.

“Further research into the factors supporting high levels of life satisfaction while maintaining low material requirements, as exemplified by the communities studied here, may provide unexplored strategies to improve the well-being of humans while navigating planetary boundaries,” the researcher concluded.

Workers in Greece Strike Demanding Answers for Tempe Rail Tragedy

Tempe rail disaster
Relatives of the 57 victims lay flowers at Tempe. File photo. Credit: AMNA

Strikes across Greece mark the first anniversary of the nation’s worst rail tragedy at Tempe as workers demand answers for the accident and punishment for those responsible.

A year after the railway disaster, that claimed the lives of 57 people on February 28, 2023, in Central Greece, many questions remain unanswered.

A definitive account of what happened and who may be at fault has not been delivered, with investigators in an official inquiry not due to finish questioning until March 8.

A memorial service for those lost was held on Sunday, and relatives plan to gather at the crash site on Wednesday.

“One year on, we are back on the streets to shout that we do not forget,” said civil servants’ union Adedy. “Those responsible for the tragedy have still not answered for their criminal acts.”

Greek civil servants are staging a 24-hour walkout with other unions, including taxi drivers, workers on ferries and public transport workers, who are also protesting at the high cost of living.

Railway workers demand those responsible for the accident to be brought to justice. “Railway workers are the only ones who are not to blame for all that happened as they have been calling for the improvement in safety for years because they saw what was coming,” a statement by the Railway Workers Union said.

The Association of Victims of the Tempe Accident claims that, in the aftermath of the disaster, the affected area was covered up by the state to conceal vital evidence.

Relatives have appointed their own experts to the case, arguing that official investigators wasted time and overlooked vital evidence, including the intense fire that broke out after the collision with the freight train.

“It is certain the freight train was carrying illegal cargo. We’ve found substances used to adulterate fuel,” Maria Karystianou, who lost her 19-year-old daughter in the crash told AFP.

In a speech at the European Parliament this month, she said the government had “tried to tamper with and cover up incriminating evidence”.

Related: Unanswered Questions Remain Over Greece’s Railway Disaster

The collision at Tempe was Greece’s worst rail tragedy

On February 28, 2023, a head-on collision occurred between two trains south of the  Tempe Valley in Greece about halfway between the Greek towns of Tempi and Evangelismos in the Thessaly region.

The collision, involving the InterCity 62 (IC62) passenger train and an intermodal freight train, killed at least 57 people, with an official number of 342 passengers, 10 onboard railway staff on the passenger train, and 2 staff on the freight train totaling 354 passengers between the two trains.

Passengers described being trapped among smashed carriages and burning debris as the train keeled over. They broke windows to try to escape. The flames left many bodies charred beyond recognition and one missing woman was never found.

It is the deadliest railway disaster in Greek history. It was discovered that the IC62 passenger train had been allowed to proceed on the wrong track and pass signals of danger despite the presence of the freight train on the same track.

Vigils, angry protests, and clashes with the police occurred throughout Greece following the accident.

When Greeks Defied the Nazis to Attend Great Poet Palamas’ Funeral

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Palamas
Poet Kostis Palamas. Credit: Public domain

On a day like this on February 28, 1943, Athens was trembling by the sentiment of grief. One of the nation’s greatest poets, Kostis Palamas, had died the day before.

Palamas’ works became the artistic beacons of Greece, and he was considered a top Greek poet of modern literature and one of the most inspiring figures of Hellenism. His funeral was meant to become the first massive anti-Nazi and anti-occupation demonstration in Europe.

A national poet in the making

Born in Patras on January 13, 1859, Palamas lived long enough to see Greece occupied by the Germans, as he died on February 27, 1943.

Palamas’ enormous poetic work is imbued with history, Hellenism, and the formation of the “Great Idea” for his homeland. It is the idea that Greece could reach its former glory of the Byzantium and of the ancient world.

However, Palamas’ work wasn’t just that. It also dealt with the everyday, ordinary man and his feelings. This is why he was named Greece’s national poet. Because he knew what the Greek wanted and what it actually meant to be Greek.

The poet’s lyricism and word-making skills have been remarkable. However, aside from being an exemplary poet, Palamas was also a literary critic, writer, and philosopher.

The early life

Palamas lost both his parents at an early age. In 1864, his mother, Penelope, died during a premature birth, while less than a year later, his father Michael passed away as well.

His uncle, Dimitrios Palamas, attained custody of the six-year-old Kostis, and they lived in Mesolonghi, Greece’s renowned “Holy City.” The young boy stayed there from 1867 until  1875. He started writing poems and literature as early as high school.

As soon as he finished high school, in 1876, he moved to Athens, the newly-established capital of the modern Greek state. There, he enrolled in the Law School of the Athens University.

His studies, however, did not last long, as the heart of young Palamas belonged to poetry and literature. He started working as a journalist to make a living using different aliases, and he kept writing feverishly.

Palamas soon stood out from his colleagues. He became the founder of the “New Athenian School” in poetry, and in 1886, he published his first poetry collection, the Songs of My Fatherland.

Palamas’ Adult Life

In 1887, Palamas married Maria Valvi with whom he had three children, Nausica, Leandros, and Alkis. Tragically, his youngest son, Alkis, died at the age of five, and the poet grieved deeply.

In memory of little Alkis, he wrote the poem “Tomb,” a magnificent elegy.

In 1879, he was appointed secretary of the University of Athens and, until his resignation in 1928 as secretary-general, he won many honorary distinctions, the most important being that of the academic in 1926.

In 1924, the French Government honored Palamas with the “Legion of Honor” title, to honor his contribution to Europe’s literature. In 1929, he was appointed President of the Academy of Sciences in yet another milestone of his unbelievable achievements.

Early in 1933, the great Greek poet was also honored with the “Goethe” medal by the German ambassador to Athens. He received additional medals and honors in the following years from various European countries.

In 1936, Palamas celebrated his fifty-year contribution to Greek poetry and literature and received the title of Dean of the Royal Order for his contribution in the “Letters and Art” of the Ministry of Education of the country. In 1937, his statue was raised in Messolonghi, which was a rare honor for someone who was still alive.

The Historic Funeral

Palamas
The coffin of Kostis Palamas. Credit: Public domain

Unfortunately, on February 9, 1943, his life partner Maria passed away. A few days later, on February 27, 1943, Palamas died too.

For his funeral, an astonishing number of about one hundred thousand Greeks paid their respects to the “National Poet” before the shocked gazes of the German conquerors. The Nazi occupiers were very strict with their commands for “public order” in their conquered lands. However, this was not enough for the thousands of mourning Greeks to stop paying their respects to a real legend.

Renowned poet Aggelos Sikelianos wrote and recited the touching “Palamas” for the funeral service. Early in the morning, thousands of people began to gather at Athens‘ first cemetery.

Even the occupying forces of Germany and Italy sent their representatives to show that they respected the great Greek poet. However, the gathered crowd could not hide its anti-Nazi sentiment. The whole spirit of the day was brilliantly expressed in the words of Sikelianos: “The whole of Greece rests in this coffin,” he said.

After the coffin of Palamas was placed in the grave, a brave member of the crowd began singing the national anthem. The entire city was then flooded by the voices of the Athenians who sang the anthem of the country.

“Long live the liberty of spirit!” one man shouted. “Long live Liberty!” the crowd responded, fearless and determined to show to the Nazis that they were never welcome in Greece.

Kostis Palamas became a legend and remains so to this day.

Google Parent Company, Alphabet, Loses $90B Amid AI Controversy

Google's parent company Alphabet lost 90 billion dollars in the stock market after controversy surrounding its AI software Gemini reached Wall Street.
Google’s parent company, Alphabet, lost ninety billion dollars in the stock market after controversy surrounding its AI software Gemini reached Wall Street. Credit: Maurizio Pesce. CC BY 2.0/Maurizio Pesce

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, lost around ninety billion dollars in market value this week as the controversy surrounding the Silicon Valley company’s generative artificial intelligence (AI) product reached Wall Street.

Shares of Alphabet fell 4.5 percent to 138.75 dollars yesterday on Monday, February 26th, finishing the trading day at its lowest price since January 5th. This marked its second-steepest daily loss of the last year.

The selloff came after rising controversy surrounding Google’s Gemini AI service, with factors including the platform’s image-generating service which produces racially inaccurate depictions of historical figures. Its chatbot also failed to determine who has had the worst impact on the world—Elon Musk or Adolf Hitler?

What did Google’s AI Chabot, Gemini, get wrong?

According to the Daily Mail, the “politically correct” tech referred to pedophilia as “minor-attracted person status,” declaring “it’s important to understand that attractions are not actions.” The search giant’s AI software was being asked a series of questions by X personality Frank McCormick, a.k.a Chalkboard Heresy, when it came out with its responses.

The question “is multifaceted and requires a nuanced answer that goes beyond a simple yes or no,” Gemini explained.

In a follow-up question, McCormick asked if minor-attracted people are evil. The bot replied that they are not. It posits that not all individuals with pedophilia instincts have committed or will commit abuse.

These issues and more have resulted in the company admitting it “missed the mark” with Gemini’s early prototype rollout. The company took the AI image service offline for the next few weeks.

“This is a meaningful blunder in the PR battle surrounding [generative AI] and further suggests that Google is trailing and mis-executing in a fast-moving and high-stakes space,” Loop Capital analyst Rob Sanderson wrote in a note to clients Sunday, as reported by Forbes.

Alphabet’s losses occurred during a relatively standard day of trading, and the company was the highest percentage faller among S&P 500 constituents with a market capitalization over fifty billion dollars.

“The issue for the stock is not the debate [over Gemini] itself, [but] it is the perception of truth behind the brand,” Melius Research analysts Ben Reitzes and Nick Monroe wrote in a Monday note to clients.

“Regardless of your view, if Google is seen as an unreliable source for AI to a portion of the population, that isn’t good for business,” the analysts added, according to Forbes.

The Melius group has suggested that Alphabet’s movements into the “crosshairs” of the culture war debate could affect its leading position in the online search market. This is especially so considering AI’s increasingly central role in online search and the possibility of a “meaningful portion of users growing concerned about Google’s hallucinations and bias.”

Three-Room Ancient Etruscan Tomb Discovered in Italy

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Three-room Etruscan tomb discovered in Barbarano Roman, Italy.
Three-room Etruscan tomb discovered in Barbarano Roman, Italy. Credit: Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti Paesaggio Etruria Meridionale. Public domain.

A new three-room Etruscan tomb has been unearthed in the municipality of Barbarano Romano, which would have been right in the heart of southern Etruria, Italy, amid ongoing excavations in and around the municipality which have already revealed another significant tomb, and Etruscan artefacts.

Excavation work being carried out on the three-room Etruscan tomb in Barbarano Romano, Italy.
Excavation work being carried out on the three-room Etruscan tomb in Barbarano Romano, Italy. Credit: Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti Paesaggio Etruria Meridionale. Public domain.

The Etruscan necropolis of San Giuliano is carved into the rocks on the Marturanum Park, a protected conservation area in the municipality of Barbarano Romano, on the road connecting Rome and Viterbo. It has recently offered up yet another archaeological surprise, in the form of a partially-hidden, three-room tomb attached to the already-excavated Queen’s Tomb.

Excavation work being carried out on the three-room Etruscan tomb in Barbarano Romano, Italy.
Excavation work being carried out on the three-room Etruscan tomb in Barbarano Romano, Italy. Credit: Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti Paesaggio Etruria Meridionale. Public domain.

The ‘Tomb of the Queen’ (Tomba della Regina), a three-sided structure carved into the rock, dating from the 5th century BC and thought to be one of the most significant tombs in the necropolis, was selected to undergo restoration work this season.

During some clearing and cleaning work being carried out around the Queen’s Tomb, archaeologists in Italy noticed what appeared to be a second, partially-buried monumental Etruscan tomb, and after clearing the vegetation around it, found the structure in full.

Excavation work being carried out on the three-room structure
Excavation work being carried out on the three-room Etruscan tomb in Barbarano Romano, Italy. Credit: Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti Paesaggio Etruria Meridionale. Public domain..

Subsequent excavations uncovered the perfectly-preserved, three-chambered tomb, adjacent to three semi-flint doors, underneath the Queen’s Tomb. Experts suggest it was constructed in the 5th or 4th century BC, not long after the nearby Queen’s Tomb.

The burial chamber is also a testament to the advanced building techniques of the Etruscan culture, who were evidently able to excavate funerary structures in cliffs and rock faces.
Conservation and adaptation work on the newly-discovered tomb is set to be completed in the following months.

The Etruscan necropolis of San Giuliano, Italy, presents the greatest variety and richness of burial processes of any known Etruscan tomb, according to archaeologists. It presents a variety of artefacts and burial chambers thought to date right through from the 7th century BC to the 3rd century BC.

An Earlier Etruscan Tomb Discovered in Italy

In April last year another Etruscan tomb was discovered and excavated in the Necropolis of the Osteria, in Vulci, within the municipality of Montalto di Castro, Italy. The tomb was sealed, and inside there were numerous ceramics found, including a collection of pottery, amphorae, utensils, cups, and a bronze cauldron. The artefacts were all found in good condition, including a table cloth that was used in the Etruscan religious ritual of the ‘last meal’, a food offering burned inside the tomb before it was sealed.

This excavation was carried out by the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the province of Viterbo and southern Etruria.

The Roman Emperor Who Broke the Nose of Alexander the Great’s Corpse

Roman emperor Augustus at the tomb of Alexander the Great
Roman Emperor Augustus at the tomb of Alexander the Great. Painting by Lionel Noel Royer. Public Domain

Just like in modern times, many people in antiquity enjoyed visiting the tombs of famous historical figures. One of the most famous historical figures in the Greco-Roman world was Alexander the Great. According to ancient records, one of the Roman emperors visited his tomb. However, while doing so, this Roman emperor ended up breaking off Alexander the Great’s nose. Did this really happen, though?

The tomb of Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great died in the fourth century BCE in the year 323. He was buried in a magnificent tomb, which was just as famous in antiquity as it is today. It was a sarcophagus that fit his body like a glove, and it was made out of solid gold. There was an expensive, purple robe covering the torso and possibly the legs with gold embroidered on it.

Later on, Alexander’s tomb changed significantly. According to Strabo, a Greek writer of the first century CE, King Ptolemy X took the gold from Alexander’s magnificent tomb and melted it down for his own purposes.

After this, the gold tomb was replaced with one made of glass, as per Strabo. Many scholars consider it likely that this is a reference to alabaster, a type of material occasionally used for small windows due to its slight translucence. It was this “glass” tomb that one of the Roman emperors visited when he allegedly broke off Alexander’s nose. But how did this happen?

Alexander the Great’s tomb visited by a Roman emperor

The emperor in question was Augustus Caesar, the first true Roman emperor. One of the main accounts about his visit to Alexander the Great’s tomb comes from Suetonius. This visit occurred in 30 BCE, a few years before Augustus actually became emperor. At that point, he was known as Octavian.

According to Suetonius’ account, Octavian placed a gold crown on the head of the fallen king, as well as flowers on the tomb. However, there is a later account which adds another peculiar detail.

This later account comes from Cassius Dio. He lived in the late-second to early-third century CE. For reference, this is about one century after Suetonius. His version of events obviously does not hold as much weight as Suetonius’ version for this reason. But what exactly did Cassius Dio say about Octavian’s visit?

Breaking the nose of Alexander the Great

Cassius Dio’s account, which comes from Book V of his Roman History, reads:

“After this he viewed the body of Alexander and actually touched it, whereupon, it is said, a piece of the nose was broken off.”

This is all that Cassius has to say about Octavian’s visit. He does not even mention the future emperor placing the crown and flowers on the tomb. Some modern sources say that Octavian broke the nose while leaning down to kiss Alexander. Others say it occurred while Octavian was placing the crown on Alexander’s head.

However, as we can see from the original account in which this story is found, neither of those claims actually hold up. Cassius merely says that Octavian broke the nose when he touched the body. He offers no additional details.

Did Roman emperor Augustus really break off Alexander the Great’s nose?

This brief account has lead to speculation regarding its historicity. Some scholars believe that this may well have actually happened, whereas others believe it is just a bit of ancient fiction. What does the evidence really indicate?

The first thing is that Suetonius mentions nothing about this. He lived a full century closer to the event in question than did Cassius Dio. For this reason, his account is logically more reliable than that of Cassius Dio.

Of course, Suetonius does not specifically say that Octavian did not break off Alexander’s nose (although, if that story had not already circulated, why would he have?). He also does not include any information which absolutely precludes the idea. Nonetheless, this is such a remarkable incident that we would surely have expected him to have mentioned it if it had in fact happened.

Another consideration is the fact that Cassius adds the phrase “it is said” when recounting the story. This suggests that not even Cassius was fully convinced it had occurred. For these reasons, many scholars believe that the account of this Roman emperor breaking off the nose of Alexander the Great is merely fiction.

Dubai’s Upcoming Ziggurat Pyramid Will House One Million People

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An artist's impression of the Ziggurat Pyramid in Dubai, which, when finished, will be 1,200 meters tall and house one million people.
An artist’s impression of the Ziggurat Pyramid in Dubai, which, when finished, will be 1,200 meters tall and house one million people. Credit: Samuel Schmitt. CC BY 3.0/Wikimedia Commons/Samuel Schmitt

Dubai is set to add another mega-structure to its already-famous skyline—the Ziggurat Pyramid, which, when completed, will stand at 1,200 meters tall, cover an area of approximately 0.88 square miles (circa 2.3 square kilometers), and house one million people.

The Ziggurat Pyramid was announced in 2008 and is expected to dwarf the Great Pyramid of Giza in both size and splendor with a design inspired by the timeless aesthetics of ancient Egypt and Mayan pyramids.

Allegedly, the mega-structure will adhere to the highest sustainability standards, following in the footsteps of other supposedly carbon-neutral construction projects like Saudi Arabia’s The Line.

Behind the Ziggurat Pyramid’s design is Timelinks, a Dubai-based consortium of urban planners, scientists, and architectural designers, all of whom have worked to design a building of unprecedented scale, which allegedly blends into its surroundings and holds sustainability at its core.

What will Dubai’s Ziggurat Pyramid entail?

It is claimed that the project will be carbon neutral, and everything within the pyramid, from the lighting to the appliances, will be powered by renewable energy sources, such as solar panels and wind turbines.

The pyramid will also feature its own internal public transport system, which will travel not only horizontally but vertically around the building, aiming to eliminate the need for cars within the structure, and consequently reduce traffic congestion and pollution.

Spanning three hundred floors, the Ziggurat Pyramid will comprise of residential, commercial, and recreational spaces—from lush green parks to bustling marketplaces and comfortable areas to relax.

Managing director of Timelinks, Ridas Matonis, told Flashy Dubai, “Ziggurat Pyramid communities can be almost totally self-sufficient energy-wise, [and] apart from using steam power in the building we will also employ wind turbine technology to harness natural energy resources.

“Whole cities can be accommodated in complexes which take up less than 10 percent of the original land surface, and public and private landscaping will be used for leisure pursuits or irrigated as agricultural land,” Matonis said. The building may also include facial recognition technology as a form of security.

Saudi Arabia’s Line Project

The Ziggurat Pyramid is not the only giga-project being worked on currently. Saudi Arabia is also constructing an enormous urban center in the middle of the desert. Known as The Line project, it is designed to house nine million people and is due to be completed in 2030. The end result will be a roughly 105-mile-long (170 km) structure. It will be a mirrored skyscraper lying on its side and be around 656 feet (200 meters) wide.

Saudi Arabia claims the high-speed rail will take citizens from one end of the city to the other. There are plans to have no roads, traffic, or pollution on-site. The hope is to gather much more data about residents and services than other so-called smart cities do.