Huge 4,000-Year-Old Fortification Discovered in Saudi Arabia

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4,000-Year-Old Fortification Discovered in Saudi Arabia
Screenshot of a 4,000-year-old fortification discovered in Saudi Arabia. Credit: Khaybar LDAP K. Guadagnini / CC BY 4.0

In the North Arabian Desert, archaeologists made a new discovery. They found an old fortification around the Khaybar Oasis. This fort is one of the two largest in Saudi Arabia.

People have been living in oases in this area for quite a long time for around four thousand to five thousand years. Oases are small green spots in the desert. They get water from underground rivers and have high water tables. This makes them cool places with lots of plants and animals, as reported by Cosmos magazine.

People have made special water systems, such as aquifers and channels, to water these places.

The fortification walls would have covered 1,100 hectares

Researchers from France’s Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the Saudi Arabian archaeological commission, the Royal Commission for Al-‘Ula, uncovered the ancient fortification.

These fortifications at Khaybar were rather long at around nine miles (14.5 km). They were thick, between about five to eight feet (1.5 to 2.4 meters), and tall with a height of up to roughly sixteen feet (5 meters). The whole area it covered was almost 1,100 hectares, according to Cosmos magazine.

The team of scientists determined that the settlement’s walls were built around 2250 to 1950 BCE. They used radiocarbon dating on samples they found during the dig. Now, after four thousand years, only less than half of the walls and seventy-four defensive structures called bastions remain.

In the Bronze Age (around 3300–1200 BCE), lots of walled oases were discovered in northwestern Arabia. Forts during this time were huge, even like the megaforts in Europe, as reported by Cosmos.

“Dating from the Late third millennium BCE, the ramparts of Khaybar were probably built by Indigenous populations as they settled down and ostentatiously demarcated their oasis territory,” the researchers wrote in their new study.

This massive construction, which stood strong for many centuries before being replaced, is a really important part of the history and culture of northern Arabia, according to Archaeology magazine.

Main reasons for the construction of these fortifications

The researchers suggest three main reasons for building these huge desert defenses. First, the walls protected against moving desert groups, which was a real danger for settled communities in older times.

Second, the fortifications helped deal with problems such as erosion, soil salinization, and sudden floods. These were things that could harm farmland. Lastly, the walls communicated the strength of the group in that they marked their territory. It was a sort of physical display of their social identity.

To verify that these fortifications remain well preserved and are understood, scientists are using modern methods such as remote sensing and 3D scanning. They are meticulously but cautiously mapping, documenting, and studying them, and this allows researchers to make detailed digital models, as reported by Archaeology.

The Aeolian Islands and Their Ancient Greek Heritage

Aeolian islands Sicily
The Aeolian Islands and Their Ancient Greek Heritage. Credit: Wolfram Schubert / Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0

The Aeolian Islands are a collection of seven islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, north of Sicily. In ancient times, the islands were colonized and inhabited by the ancient Greeks.

The islands also play an interesting role in Greek mythology. They were linked with two gods, Aeolus and Hephaestus, the latter of whom is said to have aided Odysseus during his arduous journey to return home.

Due to their strategic position between Sicily and the Italian mainland, the Aeolian Islands were hotly contested between the Romans, Carthaginians, and Greek settlers.

Greek settlement

The ancient names of the seven Aeolian Islands were Lipara (Lipari), Strongyle (Stromboli), Hiera (Vulcano), Didyme (Salina), Euonymos (Panarea), Erikussa (Alicudi), and Phoinikussa (Filicudi).

The early inhabitants of the islands appear to have been a combination of Italic tribes and Greek settlers, although piecing together the islands’ bronze age history is difficult. The earliest settlers may have come to the islands from Sicily between 4000 and 2500 BC.

The existence of Mycenean ceramics in the islands’ late bronze age archaeological record suggests a strong connection with ancient Greece. Sometime between 1600 and 1200 BC, Greeks appear to have settled on the Aeolian Islands.

The early Greek settlers took advantage of the widespread obsidian deposits, created by volcanic activity on the islands. The ancient Greeks, who were capable seafarers, traded obsidian across the Mediterranean.

Given their position between Sicily and the mainland of southern Italy, which was also widely settled by Greeks, the Aeolian Islands were in a good position for maritime commerce and enabled the Greeks to trade with other civilizations like the Etruscans.

Although the earlier period of the islands’ history is quite unclear, Greek settlement was firmly established by around 600 BC. A colony was founded on Lipara by settlers from Knidos, an ancient Greek city in Asia Minor.

The settlers from Knidos were themselves thought to have originally been Lacedaemonians (Spartans). Settlement spread to the other islands with the exception of Hiera, which was too high in sulfur. However, this was also a lucrative source of trade for the Aeolians.

Aeolian Islands map
Map of the Aeolian Islands. Credit: Norman Einstein / Wikimedia Commons CC BY 3.0

The Aeolian Islands in mythology

In Greek mythology, the islands were named after the god Aeolus who was the divine keeper of the winds and ruler of the mythical isle of Aeolia.

In Homer’s Odyssey, the eponymous hero visits Aeolus on his mythical isle during his desperate voyage home to Ithaca. To help him on his journey, Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag containing all of the storm winds.

However, the companions in Odysseus open the bag in search of treasure. As a result, the ship is blown all the way back to Aeolia.

Due to the volcanic activity on the Aeolian Islands – particularly Strongyle and Hiera – the ancient Greeks and Romans thought that Hephaestus (Vulcan), the god of blacksmiths and metalworkers, kept an entrance to his forges there.

Alexa Can Now Create Songs for You Using AI

Alexa songs AI
Users select the desired genre and instruments before they hear a snippet of the resulting creation. Credit: Splash

Using artificial intelligence (AI), Alexa has unveiled a tool that creates a song based on your description.

Amazon-backed Splash, which has trained its AI model exclusively on a self-owned music library, unveiled the skill at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the most powerful tech event in the world.

Users are initially asked to select the desired genre, instruments, and style for their AI music. From there, the Splash Echo skill plays a snippet of the resulting creation before inquiring as to whether one would like to add other components—among them vocals (about seemingly any subject), different styles or instruments, lyric modifications, and much more.

Further pivots can be made in the same way all via voice commands, of course, and users can access completed works, finalized with the “full song” instruction, on mobile devices by providing a phone number.

Through the corresponding webpage, one can play the track at hand, share a link, plug the resulting product onto Twitter, or simply download an audio file.

Lance Whitney, a contributor to ZDNet tried the tool. Here is his verdict: “I asked Splash to compose a song in the style of jazz. The result certainly wouldn’t win any awards at the next Grammys, but it showed promise.”

Alexa Splash creates songs through AI to “allow people to connect through music”

Through our collaboration with Amazon, communicated Splash Chief Product Officer Richard Slatter, “we’re crafting a new way for people to express themselves and connect with others through music. Our goal is to democratize music creation, and this marks a hugely exciting step in that journey.”

Expanding upon the sentiment, Amazon’s Alexa Skills director and GM, Mark Yoshitake, expressed the belief that “Splash is fostering a new breed of musicians.”

“We’re excited that Splash is using our new tools to incorporate voice capabilities into its AI-powered music creation technology,” relayed the former Google head of product and design Yoshitake. “Splash is fostering a new breed of musicians by harnessing the power of AI, and we’re proud to collaborate with them to enable even more ways for music to be created through voice.”

As Digital Music News reports, time will reveal the precise market impact (when it comes to song volume and much else) of enabling almost anyone, regardless of their skills and know-how, to create music.

In addition to Splash, music generators including (but certainly not limited to) Boomy, Riffusion, Rightsify’s Hydra, Universal Music-backed Soundful, and Google’s MusicLM allow laypersons to generate tracks.

Iran Seizes Greek Oil Tanker in Gulf of Oman

Greek Tanker Seized Oman
A file photo of the Greek tanker that has been seized by gunmen. Credit: Jack Ronalds/Marine Traffic

Iran claims it has seized Greek-owned oil tanker St. Nikolas off the coast of Oman, sparking fears that the Islamic republic may increase attacks on ships in the Middle East’s waterways.

According to The Financial Times, Tasnim News Agency, which is associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, said Iranian naval forces captured an “American oil tanker” in the Gulf of Oman, in line with court orders. The news agency was quoting the navy.

Independent online service TankerTrackers identified the vessel as the St Nikolas, owned by Athens-based shipping company Empire Navigation, and detailed that it was carrying Iraqi oil.

Sky News reported that the United Kingdom Maritime trade Operations (UKTMO), which issues alerts and warnings to sailors in the Middle East, said the incident began early in the morning 50 miles off the coast of Oman.

The Sky News article said: “UKTMO described receiving a report from the ship’s security manager of hearing ‘unknown voices over the phone’ alongside the ship’s captain.”

The Associated Press (AP) reported that the tanker was boarded by “unauthorized” people in military uniforms early on Thursday morning, an advisory group run by the British military and a private security firm warned.

St. Nikolas was earlier named the Suez Rajan, and was associated with the Greek shipping company Empire Navigation.

In a statement to the AP, Athens-based Empire Navigation acknowledged losing contact with the vessel, which has a crew of 18 Filipinos and one Greek national. The company did not elaborate.

The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, which patrols the Mideast, did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the incident. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, citing foreign reports, mentioned the boarding but did not say anything more.

Details remained unclear in what was apparently the latest seizure of a vessel in the tense Middle East waterways.

Greek tanker Seized by Iran or Houthis in Gulf of Oman

The apparent seizure also comes after weeks of attacks by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea, including their largest barrage ever of drones and missiles launched late Tuesday.

That has raised the risk of possible retaliatory strikes by U.S.-led forces now patrolling the vital waterway, especially after a United Nations Security Council vote on Wednesday condemning the Houthis and as American and British officials warned of potential consequences over the attacks.

Last month Greece announced it is sending a frigate to the Red Sea to participate in the multinational force led by the United States to protect shipping following recent attacks by militias from Yemen.

Ten countries have already expressed an interest in participating in “Operation Guardian of Prosperity” to protect shipping from Iranian-backed Houthi militias who have launched drone and missile attacks against ships in one of the world’s most important waterways for global trade.

The Houthis, who control much of Yemen, say the shipping attacks are a response to Israel’s military campaign in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and have said they will continue until Israel stops the offensive. Fears are growing that the broader world economy could be disrupted as commercial vessels are forced to reroute.

This is a developing story

Millionaire for Humanity: Heiress Gives Away $27 Million Fortune

heiress fortune
“I have inherited a fortune, and therefore power, without having done anything for it.” Credit: Facebook/Marlene Engelhorn

An Austrian heiress has decided to give up most of her fortune, and she has set up a citizens group to decide where the money would go.

Thirty-one-year-old Marlene Engelhorn wants fifty Austrians to determine how €25 million ($27.5m) of her inheritance from her grandmother should be redistributed.

“I have inherited a fortune, and therefore power, without having done anything for it,” she said. “And the state doesn’t even want taxes on it.”

Austria abolished inheritance tax in 2008, one of a handful of European countries that do not impose inheritance tax or death duties. Engelhorn believes that is unfair.

“If politicians don’t do their job and redistribute, then I have to redistribute my wealth myself,” the heiress explained in her statement.

“Many people struggle to make ends meet with a full-time job, and pay taxes on every euro they earn from work,” said Engelhorn. “I see this as a failure of politics, and if politics fails, then the citizens have to deal with it themselves.”

Engelhorn is a highly vocal advocate for a global wealth tax and a founding member of the German-speaking initiative “Tax Me Now,” asking for higher taxes on the wealthy.

Heiress wants to hand out at least 90 percent of her fortune

The heiress is a descendant of Friedrich Engelhorn, the founder of German chemical and pharmaceutical company, BASF, and inherited millions when her grandmother died in September 2022.

Traudl Engelhorn-Vechatto’s wealth was estimated by US magazine Forbes at $4.2 billion, and even before she died, her grand-daughter had declared that she wanted to hand out about 90 percent of her inheritance.

On Wednesday, ten thousand invitations targeting randomly selected Austrian citizens began arriving in letterboxes in Austria.

Those who wish to take part in Engelhorn’s initiative, known as the Good Council for Redistribution, can register online or by phone. From that initial sample of ten thousand Austrians who are all aged over sixteen, fifty people will be chosen, with fifteen substitute members also selected in case of dropouts.

Christoph Hofinger, Managing Director of the Foresight Institute who is supporting the initiative, said the council to redistribute the heiress’s money would be made up of fifty people “from all age groups, federal states, social classes and backgrounds”.

The group will be asked to “contribute their ideas in order to jointly develop solutions in the interests of society as a whole,” he said.

They will take part in a series of meetings to be held in Salzburg with academics and civil society organizations from March to June this year.

Engelhorn believes their discussions will be a “service to democracy,” and so they should be properly compensated for it.

“I have no veto rights,” she said: “I am putting my assets at the disposal of these 50 people and placing my trust in them.”

If they cannot come up with a “widely supported” decision on what to do with the money, then the money goes back to Engelhorn.

It is not clear exactly what proportion of her inheritance is being given away, although back in 2021, she said she wanted to hand out at least ninety percent of it because she had done nothing to earn it and had merely struck lucky in a “birth lottery.”

Her team has not confirmed how much she is holding back although it was said she was retaining some kind of financial buffer.

Netflix Trailer on Alexander the Great Series Just Released

Alexander the Great Netflix Series
Buck Braithwaite will play Alexander the Great in the dramatized parts of the docudrama. Credit: Netflix

The trailer of Alexander: The Making of a God was released ahead of the six-part docudrama debut on Netflix on January 31st.

It promises to reveal the “extraordinary life of Alexander the Great,” per the official synopsis. In particular, it will track his rise from an exiled young man to his growing obsession with defeating the Persian Emperor Darius. This led him to “conquer the known world in just under six years.”

The story will be told through dramatic scenes and expert academic insights in addition to ground-breaking archaeology and ongoing excavations at the archaeological site in Alexandria, Egypt. The excavations are led by Calliope Limneos-Papakosta.

The Greek archaeologist has been searching for the Golden Fleece of Greece’s ancient history, namely, the priceless tomb of Alexander the Great.

Alexander the Great, the king of Macedonia, was one of history’s most successful military commanders. His achievements are numerous and profound, the most significant of which was his conquest of the Persian Empire. It was the largest empire of the time.

He defeated Persian King Darius III and seized control of vast territories extending from the Balkans to modern-day Pakistan.

Alexander’s conquests resulted in the spread of Greek culture and language across his empire, leading to the Hellenistic Era. This period saw a blend of Greek, Persian, Egyptian, and Indian cultures, massively influencing art, architecture, and literature, and he founded over twenty cities, most famously Alexandria in Egypt, which became a major hub for both education and culture in the ancient world.

Alexander died at the young age of 32, leaving behind an empire that stretched over three continents and a legacy that profoundly influenced the course of Western civilization.

His life was the subject of a film in 2004 entitled Alexander, directed by Oliver Stone and starring Colin Farrell as the titular character alongside Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, and Jared Leto.

Buck Braithwaite will play Alexander in the Netflix series

Buck Braithwaite will play Alexander in the dramatized parts of the docudrama. Braithwaite recently had a role in the acclaimed thriller Fair Play, and he’ll next appear in the Apple TV+ limited series Masters of the Air.

Meanwhile, Mido Hamada will play King Darius. The actor is known for his roles in the series Emerald City and the film American Sniper.

It’s executive produced by Lucy van Beek for Tailfeather Productions (China Megatomb Revealed and Britain From Above) and Nick Catliff (Rebuilding The World Trade Center and America Revealed). Tony Mitchell (The Bible, A.D., and Primeval) is the showrunner.

Last week, Greece opened the restored palace of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, at Aigai, Macedonia. This is the same palace where 2,300 years ago Alexander the Great became king.

Greece Plans Athens International Airport IPO in February

athens airport
The Athens International Airport which began operation on 28 March 2001 is heading to the Stock Exchange. Credit: Greek Reporter

Greece plans an initial public offering (IPO) of Athens International Airport, the country’s biggest, on the Athens Stock Exchange in February, Reuters reports, citing two unnamed sources.

Draft legislation tabled in Parliament at the beginning of January paves the way for the listing of the airport on the Greek stock market, the finance ministry announced.

The airport employs more than 16,000 people in over 370 companies making it one of the country’s largest employers.

The Greek government wants to divest a 30 percent stake owned by the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF), the country’s privatization agency. The Greek sovereign wealth fund HCAP (Hellenic Corporation of Assets & Participations) holds another 25 percent.

An IPO for a 19 percent stake in the airport and the listing is seen happening “in the first half of February,” a senior HRADF official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A previous effort to sell the stake to private investors in 2018 to 2020 ended after COVID-19 brought world travel to a halt.

In late November, Greece passed the final hurdle when the European Commission approved the plan for the listing of Athens International Airport on the Stock Exchange.

Another official told Reuters last year that the agency aimed to list the airport in the first quarter of 2024 and sell to Germany-based airport manager AviAlliance, which currently holds a 40 percent stake, a further 10 percent at a premium to the IPO price.

An additional stake of one percent will be sold to the Copelouzos family, which owns five percent of the airport, the HRADF official said.

Passenger traffic at the Athens Airport set a new all-time record in 2023

Passenger traffic at the Athens International Airport set a new all-time record in 2023, totaling 28,174,150 passengers, breaking the 28 million passengers barrier for the first time and surpassing the previous 2019 record of 25.57 million.

Passenger traffic in December was 1.86 million. It was up 17.1 percent from 2022 and greater than the 13.6 percent of 2019. Both domestic and international traffic exceeded 2022 levels by 11.9 percent and 19.4 percent, respectively, while, in comparison with 2019, domestic and international traffic were 20.8 percent and 10.7 percent up.

Passenger traffic in 2023 was up 24 percent from 2022 and 10.2 percent from 2019. Domestic traffic was up 18.9 percent from 2022, and international traffic was up 26.4 percent over the same period, while, in comparison with 2019, domestic and international traffic were up 13.3 percent and 8.8 percent, respectively.

The number of flights totaled 241,604 in 2023. This was an increase of 13.2 percent from 2022 and 7.1 percent from 2019. Both domestic and international flights rose 7.4 percent and 18.1 percent respectively compared with 2022 and rose by 10.5 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively, compared with 2019.

In the summer of 2022, the Athens airport was crowned the ultimate best in Europe according to rankings from user review ratings on Google compiled by Holidu, a British search engine for holiday rentals.

Being Greece’s main and largest airport, the Eleftherios Venizelos scored a whopping 4.4 stars out of 5 from 24,467 reviews.

In October 2022, Greece opened three new metro stations, which include Piraeus. It will link the busy port with the Athens airport.

Ten Stunning Masterpieces of Ancient Greek Art

masterpieces ancient greek art
The Winged Victory of Samothrace. Credit: Xin Sy /Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.0

There are countless masterpieces of ancient Greek art scattered in museums around the world, serving as a reminder that Greece is the cradle of Western Civilization.

These are works of unparalleled beauty, precious monuments of the world’s rich heritage that still mesmerize viewers and will continue to do so in the generations to come.

The Pergamon Altar: an ancient Greek masterpiece in Asia Minor

ancient greek art masterpieces
Gigantomachy Frieze on the Pergamon Altar. Credit: Miguel Hermoso Cuesta /Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0

Created about 150 BC on the Acropolis — the highest point — of the ancient Greek city of Pergamon in Asia Minor, the Altar of Zeus at Pergamon, near modern-day Izmir, Turkey, is a masterpiece of ancient Greek art from the Hellenistic period.

The monumental structure, which is over 35 meters (115 feet) wide and 33 meters deep, was created during the reign of Greek King Eumenes II.

Ancient greek art masterpieces
The Pergamon Altar in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin. Credit: Raimond Spekking/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0

The altar is adorned with a stunning relief featuring the battle between the Olympian Gods and the Giants, or the Gigantomachy.

Today, the great work of Hellenistic art is kept at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.

The Mask of Agamemnon, Legendary King of Mycenae

Agamemnon
The Mask of Agamemnon. Credit: Xuan Che /Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.0

The golden Mask of Agamemnon was discovered in 1876 by Heinrich Schliemann during his excavations at Mycenae in Greece.

It was found covering the face of a body in a burial shaft, and due to the splendor of the glittering gold mask, it is thought to have belonged to the legendary king Agamemnon.

Many believed that mask provides a glimpse at the face of the Greek leader, who fought during the Trojan War, as mentioned in Homer’s Iliad, and who tradition says was buried at Mycenae.

However, analysis of the mask has shown that it actually dates to about 1550–1500 BC — some 300 years before Agamemnon. The mask is displayed in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

Some scholars believe that the mask had been extensively altered during the 19th century, as it differs greatly in style from other masks of the period.

Most telling is the thick beard and styled mustache, which is not found in ancient Greek art and suspiciously resembles fashionable facial hair in the 19th century.

The Venus de Milo embodied beauty itself in ancient Greek art

Greek art
The Venus de Milo. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/ Public domain

Exhibited at the Louvre Museum, the Venus de Milo, or Aphrodite of Milos, is known around the world for her beauty.

The marble sculpture, likely created by Alexandros of Antioch during the late 2nd century BC, is admired for its artistry and delicate details, especially in the hair, fabric, and gorgeous facial features.

The masterpiece of ancient Greek art features a nearly nude, larger-than-life female figure standing an impressive 6 feet, 8 inches tall.

She is traditionally believed to represent Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and many scholars argue that the statue embodies ancient Greek ideals of beauty.

The work was unearthed on the island of Milos in the 19th century by a farmer when he was plowing his field.

Winged Victory of Samothrace still stuns viewers today

nike
The Winged Victory of Samothrace. Credit: Lyokoï88/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0

Also displayed at the Louvre Museum, the Winged Victory, or the Nike of Samothrace, stands at the top of the great museum’s large set of stairs, amazing visitors who find themselves in her imposing presence.

In antiquity, the Winged Victory was placed in the Sanctuary of the Great Gods on the island of Samothrace.

According to historians, the sculpture was an offer by the people of Rhodes to the island in commemoration of a naval victory in the early second century BC.

The active, kinetic aspect of the ancient Greek masterpiece, along with its perfectly sculpted wings, make it an impressive work of art that still mesmerizes the public to this day.

The monument was unearthed in 1863 on the island of Samothrace in the northwest Aegean. It was discovered by Charles Champoiseau, French Vice-Consul to Adrianople (Edirne), Turkey.

The Parthenon Marbles, the most controversial masterpiece of Ancient Greek Art

Parthenon Marbles
The Parthenon Marbles at the British Museum. Credit: Public Domain

Generally known as either the Parthenon Marbles, Parthenon Sculptures, or the Elgin Marbles, the statues that comprise the rich metope, or frieze, of the Parthenon.

Of the 97 surviving stones of the Parthenon Frieze, 56 are at the British Museum in London, taken there in the beginning of the 19th century by Lord Elgin.

Their presence there and the refusal of the museum to return then to their place of origin so they may “rejoin” the rest of the still-standing Parthenon is the cause of an ongoing row between Greece and the British Museum.

The South Metopes in the British Museum show the battle between Centaurs and Lapiths at the marriage feast of Peirithoos.

The remaining sculptures are displayed at the new Acropolis Museum in Athens.

The Siren Vase

Siren vase
Odysseus and the Sirens, eponymous vase of the Siren Painter, c. 480–470 BC (British Museum). Credit: Jastrow / Public Domain

The Siren Vase is one of the more well-known Ancient Greek masterpieces in the world.

The vase, which is attributed to the anonymous “Siren Painter,” depicts the sirens who try to seduce Odysseus on his long return journey to Ithaca.

In a unique image, the legendary hero is shown tied to the mast of his ship so that he cannot react to the irresistible song of the mythical female creatures.

The Siren Vase, which is thought to have been created sometime between 480 BC and 470 BC, is part of the British Museum’s permanent collection.

The Fallen Warrior of Aphaia

ancient greek art masterpiece
The Fallen Warrior of the Temple of Aphaia. Credit: Nefasdicere/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.5

The Fallen Warrior from the Temple of Aphaia at Aegina was sculpted in 510 BC.

It depicts a warrior who has been badly injured in battle but refuses to surrender, using his shield to prop up his wounded body.

The size of the sculpture is over life-size, contributing to the awe-inspiring effect it has on viewers.

It is currently on display at the Glyptothek of Munich, since it was discovered in the 20th century by the German Archaeological School on Aegina.

ancient greek art masterpiece
The Temple of Aphaia on the Greek island of Aegina. Credit: /Wikimedia Commons/

The figure is part of a vast sculptural program originally arranged on the impressive Aphaia temple on the Greek island of Aegina, which was built around 600 BC.

Dedicated to Aphaia, the goddess of the hunt, who was worshiped exclusively at the site, the temple has yielded incredible finds for archeologists with its rich sculptural decoration.

Hermes and the Infant Dionysus by Praxiteles

Hermes
Hermes and the infant Dionysus. Credit: Dwaisman /Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0

Hermes and the Infant Dionysus, or the Hermes of Praxiteles, was discovered in 1877 in the ruins of the Temple of Hera, in Olympia, Greece.

Today, the awe-inspiring sculpture is displayed at Olympia’s magnificent Archaeological Museum.

The statue is attributed to Praxiteles and dated to the 4th century BC, based on a remark by the 2nd century Greek traveler Pausanias, although this is hotly contested by experts.

The sculpture, renowned for is beautiful depiction of the human form, is considered one of Praxiteles’ masterpieces.

It shows the Greek god Hermes holding Dionysus, the god of wine and theater, as an infant, which is a rare image in ancient Greek art.

The Artemision Poseidon

Zeus Poseidon
The Artemision Poseidon, or is it Zeus? Credit: user:Tetraktys/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0

Poseidon of Artemision, the imposing full-figure bronze statue of a god, received its name from its place of discovery — Cape Artemision on Evia.

Despite its name, many archaeologists now believe that the sculpture actually depicts Zeus, not Poseidon.

The imposing figure stands at 2.09 meters (6.85 feet) tall, and tradition says that it depicts Poseidon holding a trident.

For others, though, the figure clearly appears to show Zeus ready to throw a thunderbolt.

Its maker, clearly a master at his art, is unknown, but archaeologists place his work around 460 BC, based on its style.

The breathtakingly beautiful bronze figure is currently on display at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.

The Riace Bronze Warriors

Ancient Greek masterpieces art
Statue A of the Riace bronzes. Credit: Luca Galli /Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.0

The Riace Warriors, or Riace Bronzes, are two life-size Greek bronze statues of nude, bearded warriors.

The statues were discovered in an amazing underwater find by Stefano Mariottini in the Mediterranean Sea just off the coast of Riace Marina, Italy, on August 16, 1972.

The statues are currently housed in the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia in the Italian city of Reggio Calabria.

masterpieces greek art
Statue B. Credit: Effems /Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0

The statues, which are commonly referred to as “Statue A” and “Statue B,” were originally cast using the lost-wax technique.

Bronze figures from ancient Greece are incredibly rare, as many works of art were melted down for their bronze over the many centuries that have intervened, so that it could be reused to make weapons or coins.

Greek Passport Among Top 5 Most Powerful in World

Greek Passport
Greece has placed in the top five of a list of the world’s most powerful passports for 2024. Credit: Greek Reporter

The Greek passport has jumped up two places and is now the fifth most powerful in the world, according to the latest Henley Passport Index.

This year saw a strong reshuffle in the list, announced annually by the London-based migration consultancy, which uses IATA data to rank the passports of all countries from the most to the least powerful.

This year’s passport index differs from last year in that Japan is not the sole occupier of the top place, but instead is joined by five other countries.

Matching Japan in the top spot are France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Singapore, whose citizens benefit from visa-free or visa-on-demand access to 194 destinations worldwide. This represents a record number, because the record last year held by Japan was 193.

There is also a tie for second place between Sweden, Finland, and South Korea. Citizens carrying these passports having easy access to 193 countries, while Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Denmark have easy access to 192 countries.

Greek Passport is Fifth Most Powerful in the World

Greece has come in fifth place, rising two positions since last year, when it was ranked number seven. The country is joined in fifth place by Malta and Switzerland, and fourth place is occupied by Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, and Portugal. Greece placed eighth in 2022.

In sixth place are Australia and New Zealand, joined by the Czech Republic and Poland, while the number seven spot is filled by the US, Canada, and Hungary, which have easy access to 188 countries.

The most notable increase for this year is the United Arab Emirates, having added 106 countries to its list over the last ten years, now putting it at number eleven.

Coming in at number eight are Estonia and Lithuania, and number nine are Latvia, Slovakia, and Slovenia, while Iceland is tenth.

In last year’s list, of the countries that sat in the top ten, the US saw the smallest increase in its score on the Henley Passport Index over the past decade, securing visa-free access to just twelve additional destinations between 2013 and 2023.

By comparison, Singapore increased its score by 25, pushing it five places up the ranking over the 2013 to 2023 decade.

Henley & Partners has also published a new index called the Henley Openness Index, which looks into the relationship between a country’s openness to foreigners and its own citizens’ travel freedom.

The top twenty “most open” countries on this Index are all small island nations or African states, with the exception of Cambodia.

There are twelve completely open countries that offer visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry to all 198 other passports in the world. These are: Burundi, Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Maldives, Micronesia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Samoa, Seychelles, Timor-Leste, and Tuvalu.

‘Saint Stalin’ Religious Icon in Georgia’s Church Sparks Outrage

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Christian religious icon depicting Josef Stalin.
Georgian authorities are investigating an incident at Georgia’s Tbilisi’s Sameba Holy Trinity church after an icon resembling Stalin was defaced. Credit: Unknown author

Georgian authorities are investigating a vandalism incident at Sameba Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi, Georgia, after an icon of Saint Matrona of Moscow alongside Joseph Stalin, was covered in paint.

The religious icon first started to draw attention late last week when footage of it was shared on Facebook by Ilia Chigladze, a Georgian archpriest. Not long after this, Giorgi Kandelaki, a member of the country’s main political opposition group, European Georgia Party, and a researcher at the Soviet Past Research Laboratory, shared further footage on his social media channels.

Joseph Stalin Depicted in Icon

In addition to the twentieth-century Russian Orthodox Church saint, both Chigladze and Kandelaki claim one of the smaller icons flanking the central piece depicts the Georgian-born leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin.

According to reports from the Georgian news agency Interpress, an unknown person splashed blue paint on the icon.

Orthodox Times says Georgia’s interior minister has begun an investigation into the incident, bringing with it a heightened security presence around the holy building. The defaced icon has reportedly been cleaned, and police officers are patrolling outside the cathedral to keep the building, and its icons, safe.

The questionable icon has led to debates as to whether it really does depict Stalin, according to Orthodox Times.

Speaking with Georgian media outlet Tabula on Saturday, the head of the Patriarchate’s public relations department Andria Jagmaidze reportedly did not deny that Josef Stalin was pictured in the icon but said that the icon’s main focus was on Saint Matrona and not the Soviet leader.

“If somewhere on the fresco of St. George [the Roman Emperor] Diocletian is depicted, this does not make it an icon of Diocletian,” he told the Georgian outlet, adding that the controversy over the icon was a ploy to overshadow the Orthodox Christmas celebration on January 7th.

OC Media reported that the following day, leader of Georgia’s conservative Alliance of Patriots party Davit Tarkhan-Mouravi announced he had donated the icon to the cathedral, stating that Stalin had met Matrona for counsel during World War II.

According to OC Media, Tarkhan-Mouravi cited Matrona’s official biographer in his statement, but the Georgia-based St. Paul’s Orthodox Christian Theology center claimed that no other historical sources confirm that Stalin had met Matrona.

Archimandrite Ioane Mchedlishvili of the Holy Trinity Cathedral said on Sunday that the icon had only been in the cathedral “for several months,” according to OC Media.

The outlet reported on the same day that Gocha Barnov, a theologian, told TV channel Mtavari Arkhi that the icon’s presence in the cathedral was “blasphemous,” and it should be removed immediately.