Visitors are warned against “Skip the line” ads which claim to be providing shortcuts for faster access to the Acropolis of Athens. Credit: Matías Callone CC2 / Flickr
The Hellenic Organization of Cultural Resources Development on Saturday warned tourists against misleading “Skip the line” ads which claim to be providing shortcuts for faster access to the Acropolis of Athens.
There is no ticket that comes with a “skip the line” service, a statement read.
“Such service cannot be applied to the archaeological site of the Acropolis, due to the particular geomorphology of the hill and the nature of the monument. Even if a visitor manages to bypass the wait at the entrance, they will soon encounter a queue at the Propylaea gateway, where the entrance width is reduced. Therefore, any advertisement for a “skip the line” service is deceptive to the public,” it pointed out.
Visitors were reminded that the only valid website for purchasing tickets to access the Acropolis of Athens is the one operated by Hellenic Heritage e-ticket, hhticket.gr.
Acropolis of Athens faced with unprecedented overcrowding
The emblematic Acropolis of Athens, with its world-famous temples built in the 5th century B.C., has been faced with unprecedented overcrowding in recent months, as visits in June and early July alone increased by 80% compared to 2019, partly due to the sharp increase in the numbers of cruiseships arriving in Piraeus.
Visitors often have to wait for up to 45 minutes in the queue, under the hot summer sun.
In early July, the Ministry of Culture announced a series of measures in the attempt to curb the overcrowding. These included the introduction of time slots and E-ticketing for access to the site. Fast-lane entry points were also to be introduced for organized tourist groups.
Archaeologists and tourist guides had been pleading for the implementation of measures against overcrowding for at least five years, according to their representatives.
Visitor zones fully implemented in April 2024
In a recent meeting with representatives of cultural institutions and tourism professionals, the Minister of Culture and Sports, Lina Mendoni, said that the number of visitors to the Acropolis of Athens needs to be limited to 21,000 per day, to protect the monument.
A record 23,000 visitors per day has been observed thus far.
According to the planning for the implementation of visitor zones, there will be four one-hour time slots for 8,000 visitors between 8.00 a.m. and noon, and eight more one-hour time slots for 13,000 visitors from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m..
The pilot implementation of the new measures will start most probably from September 1, 2023. The visitor zones scheme is then expected to be rolled out by April 1, 2024, after the pilot implementation has been assessed.
The Greek island of Lipsi, that banned swimming pools. Credit: Athanasios Agorastos/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0
The tiny Greek island of Lipsi that banned the creation of swimming pools due to their environmental impact, is expected to reach 100 percent occupancy in August.
Loyal to the mission of offering an unspoiled natural paradise to its visitors, Lipsi recently made headlines for making the case against artificial swimming pools, whose construction on the island is rejected and discouraged by the local authorities and tourism professionals, in favor of a more environmentally-aware approach to sea and sun vacations.
“The response of tourists to our call for sustainability is great and bookings for Lipsi are on the rise, with occupancy estimated to reach 100% percent in August. Interest for September is also being very lively,” the island’s mayor Fotis Maggos told AMNA.
Tiny Greek island warns of environmental footprint of swimming pools
Lipsi is part of the Dodecanese group of islands, in the southeastern Aegean, and is not just one island, but actually a cluster of islets. The collective name comes from the largest island of all, Lipsi, which is formed by land masses joined by a narrow isthmus.
In recent years, Lipsi has been pioneering sustainability through a series of initiatives promoted on the island.
An innovative process of planting underwater gardens of an important seagrass species took place in Lipsi in June, organised by the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, while it was also recently announced that Lipsi are becoming a model destination for water autonomy with zero water waste.
The decision to ban swimming pools on the island is a “no” to wasting natural resources, the local Municipality says.
It is true that experts have often warned that the high water and energy use of artificial swimming pools, as well as the harmful chemicals involved in their sanitization and maintenance, have their own toll on the environment, although new techniques to minimise their footprint continue to emerge -including self sustaining systems.
However, this is rarely the case within the tourism sector.
Greek islands reaching high occupancy
In terms of high occupancy in August, Lipsi is followed closely by another eleven Greek islands, according to AMNA.
Samos, Lesvos, Ios, Skopelos, Astypalaia, Andros, Kalymnos, Sifnos, Karpathos, Paros, and Naxos, all are estimated to exceed 90 percent occupancy in August, at the peak of the tourist season.
Mykonos and Santorini remain consistently high in popularity worldwide, according to MTC GROUP surveys, and Crete is again the leading force in the Greek tourism sector.
The president of the Union of Hotel Owners of Crete, Manolis Tsakalakis, is expecting approximately 6 million arrivals, 10% up compared to last year.
Nisyros is a magical gem located in the Aegean. The island, part of the Dodecanese archipelago, is situated between Kos and Tilos, and has an active volcano which is also the youngest volcano in Greece.
Nisyros offers untouched villages, quiet beaches, hot springs and ancient walls of black volcanic stone. Top that off with the fact that there are few tourists, and you’ll feel like the entire island and all of its many beauties are exclusively yours.
The amazing villages of Nisyros
The village of Emborio on the Greek island of Nisyros. Public domain
There are several quaint villages on the island; the largest is Mandraki. It is straight out of a photo book of traditional Greek island architecture and great views.
The narrow, cobbled streets and squares lace around the villages where you can take a stroll and feel as though you have traveled back to ancient times. The homes, which are made of volcanic rocks and are insulated with pumice stone, boast wooden balconies.
Emporios. Credit: Robert Powell, CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikimedia
Nightlife on Nisyros is very unlike the hectic pace of party islands in Greece. You will, however, find quaint local tavernas and bars in which to enjoy your lazy summer nights.
The Volcano
You can actually go to the center of the island, walk along the volcano’s rim, and watch its boiling crater. The volcano, which hasn’t actually erupted since 1888, is a spectacular sight.
Located at the edge of the caldera, the view is breathtaking, and you can learn a thing or two about the fascinating geology of the island. 3D animated images to demonstrate various facts about the volcano are available, so be sure to check them out.
Dating back to the classical period and ruins of the ancient city, the Paleokastro is constructed from one of the hardest rocks in the world, basaltic andesite, which was spewed out from the volcano. This has helped preserve the acropolis through the passage of time.
A Monastery Built in a Cave
The Monastery of Panagia Spiliani sits atop of a hill in northwest Mandraki, the largest part of it constructed inside a cave. A truly unique experience, the cave is divided into two churches and is definitely worth a visit.
Panagia Spiliani. Public Domain
Nisyros’ Thermal Spas
At several points along the coast of Nisyros, you will find spouting hot water springs with temperatures varying from 30 to 60 degrees Celsius (86 to 140 degrees F). The springs are known for their therapeutic effects for muscles and skin.
Around 1.5 km (1 mile) east of the port of Mandraki, you will find the thermal spa of Loutra with hot spring waters at 37 degrees Celsius (or 98.6 Fahrenheit, equal to humans’ body temperature).
Get ready For Beautiful Beaches on Nisyros island
Credit: Visit Nisyros
Due to the relatively few numbers of travelers on the island, the beaches of Nisyros are extraordinarily clean, quiet, and relaxing.
You can go to a different beach every day, as there are many to choose from. Some favorites are Lefki Beach, along with Gialiskari, Lyés, Páloi, Pachia Ammos, Katsouni, Aghios Savas, Aghia Irini, and Chochlákia Beaches.
Must-try local cuisine
There are many traditional dishes to be savoured on Nisyros island. Some typical “spitiko” or homemade dishes are pita, chickpea nuggets, and kapamas, which is stuffed goat. Of course, as you are on an island, there is always fresh seafood available, too!
Getting there
You can get to the volcanic paradise of Nisyros from the island of Kos or as part of a tour of other islands in the Dodecanese, as well as from Piraeus.
Greece was defeated by Hungary at shoot-outs and won the silver medal in the men’s water polo World Championship 2023 in Fukuoka, Japan. Credit: Facebook / Hellenic Olympic Committee
Greece was defeated by Hungary 13-14 at shoot-outs at the Men’s Water Polo World Championship final and won the silver medal after a thriller match that tied at normal time.
It was a hard-fought battle on Saturday as Greece and Hungary faced off in the gold-medal match at the men’s Water Polo World Championship in Fukuoka, Japan.
The cliffhanger final finished normal time 10-10 and went into penalty shoot-outs to determine the winner, with Greece eventually losing to Hungary 13-14.
Although the Greeks were justifiably hopeful for the gold, the silver medal they secured is still the national team’s best-ever men’s water polo World Championship result.
Water polo world champion determined at penalty shoot-outs
Greece opened Saturday’s score with a diagonal shoot, three minutes into the game, but Hungary took the lead as the first period finished 2-4 for the Magyars.
The rivals went into halftime with a 4-5 score for Hungary, but in the second half of the game Greece regained vigour and soon caught up with the score.
The two teams followed one another closely with alternating goals as they competed for the title of 2023’s world champion.
Greek team’s long-standing flirtation with World Championship gold
Greece has come at close reach of winning the men’s water polo world championship a few times before, but this was its first-ever world championship final.
Therefore, hopes were high for a gold medal win, especially as the Greeks were defeated at semifinal level in previous years.
In the lead up to the Fukuoka final, the Greek team won two thriller games against USA and Montenegro and dominated the match against Serbia 13-7, which sent them to the final.
Greece had thus far won the bronze medal in Men’s Water Polo World Championships three times, including last year, and also won silver at the Tokyo Olympics.
But the silver medal is not the only achievement of the Greeks at the 2023 World Championship; on Thursday, Greece and Hungary became the first teams to qualify for the men’s water polo tournament at the Paris Olympic Games 2024 following their victories against Serbia and Spain respectively.
17th Olympic appearence in Paris 2024
Following its silver medal win in Fukuoka, the Greek water polo team is set to compete at the Olympic Games of Paris in 2024.
The Greek national men’s water polo team has participated 16 times at the Olympic Games thus far, having always been present in the tournament since 1980.
Three runners featured on an Attic black-figured Panathenaic prize amphora. The footrace was the first event in the Olympic Games in ancient Greece. Credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen, CC BY 2.5/Wikipedia
The history and origins of the Olympic Games take us back into Ancient Greece and the legends of the heroic athletes visiting the city of Olympia every four years to take part in one of the most important athletic competitions of the ancient world.
Held in honor of the father of the ancient Greek gods, Zeus, written records show that the Olympics first took place in 776 BC and were celebrated for more than a thousand years until the Emperor of Byzantium Theodosius I suppressed the Games as a pagan spectacle since they were dedicated to Zeus.
In the Olympic Games of 776 BC, a cook named Coroebus from Elis won the only event in the competition—a 192-meter (630-foot) footrace called the stade (the origin of the modern word “stadium”) thereby becoming the very first Olympic champion of them all.
In comparison to the modern Games, the Olympics in ancient Greece were both a religious celebration and an athletic panhellenic meeting, which featured artistic competitions as well. Sculptors and poets would congregate at each Olympiad to display their works of art to would-be patrons. In addition, there were fewer athletic events than there are today.
Early Olympic Games
The palaestra of Olympia, a place devoted to the training of wrestlers and other athletes during the ancient Olympic Games in Greece. Credit: Bgabel, CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikipedia
The first competition held during the ancient Olympics, according to the Greek traveler Pausanias who wrote in 175 AD, was the stadion race, a race of about 190 meters (623.36 feet) supposedly measured after the feet of Hercules.
Gradually, in 724 BC the two-stade race (384 meters) was introduced, and four years later, a long-distance run which ranged from seven to twenty-four stades (1,344 meters to 4,608 meters). The fourth type of race involved runners wearing full armor, which was a two to four stade race (384 meters to 768 meters), used to build up speed and stamina for military purposes.
In 708 BC, the pentathlon and wrestling were also included in the Games. Boxing was added to the Games in 688 BC while the tethrippon (a race carriage with four horses) was introduced in 680 BC. Some 32 years later, horse racing also became another exciting part of the Olympics. Over time, more and more sports were added to the Olympics while their duration expanded from one to five days.
The Olympic Games were always held at Olympia rather than alternating at different locations while other Games were held at other religious sites across Greece, including Delphi and Nemea.
In 648 BC, pankration, a combination of boxing and wrestling, which had virtually no rules, debuted as an Olympic event. Only free-born Greek males were allowed to participate in the ancient Olympic Games; not only were there no women’s events, but married women were even prohibited from attending the competition.
The Discobolus is a copy of a Greek statue from c. 5th century BC. It represents an ancient Olympic discus thrower. Credit: Livioandronico2013 , CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons
However, there is one particularly well-known case of a woman called Kallipatira, who disobeyed the strict rules and was the first woman ever to set foot in the Olympic Stadium.
Being the mother of an athlete, Kallipatira naturally wanted to admire her son’s performance and therefore dressed up as a man to be able to enter the Stadium. Her admiration finally betrayed her gender, but she was not punished by the Hellanodikes because of her family’s tradition in winning the Olympics.
Ancient prizes for winners
The prizes for the victors were wreaths of laurel leaves instead of money, and city walls would even be demolished for them to enter. Their names were praised, and their deeds were heralded and chronicled so that future generations could appreciate their accomplishments.
Homer’s epics provide the earliest and greatest description of athletic competitions in Western literature, while the earliest myths regarding the origin of the Games are recounted by the Greek historian, Pausanias.
According to him, the dactyl Herakles (not to be confused with the son of Zeus) and two of his brothers raced at Olympia. He crowned the victor with a laurel wreath, which explains the traditional prize given to Olympic champions.
Ancient list of Olympic Games victors in Greece from the 75th to the 78th, and from the 81st to the 83rd Olympiads. Public Domain
The other Olympian gods (named after their permanent residence on Mount Olympus), would also engage in wrestling, jumping, and running contests.
Another myth, this one occurring after the aforementioned myth, is attributed to Pindar. It was claimed that the festival at Olympia involved Pelops, king of Olympia and eponymous hero of Peloponnesus, and Herakles, the son of Zeus.
The story goes that after completing his labors, Herakles established an athletic festival to honor his father. Pelops, using trickery and the help of Poseidon, won a chariot race against a local king and claimed the king’s daughter, Hippodamia, as his prize.
As far as their early history is concerned, the first Games began as an annual foot race of young women in competition for the position of priestess for the goddess Hera in Olympia, a sanctuary site for Greek deities.
The Heraea Games, the first recorded competition for women in the Olympic Stadium, were held as early as the sixth century BC. By the time of the Classical Greek culture, however, in the fifth and fourth centuries BC, the Games were restricted to male participants.
Olympic Games part of the Panhellenic Games
This model shows the site of Olympia, home of the ancient Olympic Games in Greece, as it looked around 100 BC. Credit: Carole , CC BY-SA 2.0/ Wikipedia
The Olympic Games were part of the Panhellenic Games with four separate games held at two- or four-year intervals but arranged so that there was at least one set of games every year. The Olympic Games were the most important and prestigious ritual in ancient times, followed by the Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmian Games.
Besides boosting the athletic spirit, the Olympics provided a common means of counting time in ancient Greece. The historian Ephorus, who lived in the fourth century BC, is believed to have established the use of Olympiads to count years and put an end to the confusion among city-states when trying to determine dates.
The Greek tradition of athletic nudity was introduced in 720 BC either by the Spartans or by the Megarian Orsippus, and this was adopted early in the Olympics, as well. This is perhaps one of the reasons why women were not allowed to enter or watch the Games. The word “gymnasium” comes from the Greek root “gymnos” meaning nude; the literal meaning of “gymnasium” is “school for naked exercise.”
Leonidas of Rhodes, the Greatest Ancient Greek athlete of them all
Unfortunately, little is known about Leonidas of Rhodes, a runner who won the laurel wreath in three categories at the Olympics in the years 164, 160, 156, and 152 AD. Leonidas is notable not only for his long career, winning his final championships at the age of 36, but also for his versatility.
He won fast-twitch sprint races such as the stadion and diaulos but then went on to victory in the “hoplitodromos,” which as its name implies, includes long-distance feats associated with soldiers, including running in a helmet and armor while carrying a heavy shield.
Leonidas of Rhodes has gone down in history as winning a total of twelve different Olympic victories, an athletic feat that has incredibly never been equaled in either the ancient or modern competitions even with all the technology and training methods available today.
The American swimming star Michael Phelps earned a whopping eleven individual Olympic golds during his successful career, but as the Olympic motto goes, Leonidas’ gargantuan accomplishments still stand as a goal for those who always want to go higher and faster.
Decline of the ancient Greek Olympic Games and the modern revival
The Olympics continued for some time after the Roman Empire conquered Greece in the mid-2nd century BC, but their standards and quality fell away to the point that the Roman Emperor Nero entered an Olympic chariot race in the year 67 AD and declared himself the winner although he had fallen out of his chariot while racing.
In the year 393, Emperor Theodosius I, who was a Christian, called for a ban on all pagan-oriented festivals, bringing an end to the ancient Olympics after nearly twelve centuries.
But 1,500 years later, the Olympics would be revived, eventually growing into the global spectacle that we enjoy today.
France’s Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who lived from 1863-1937, was mostly responsible for the restoration of the ancient games onto the stage of the modern world, staging them in Athens in 1896.
Early in the afternoon of March 25, 1896 (April 6th by the new calendar) on the day commemorating the Greek War of Independence, the games began in the renovated stadium that was crowded with spectators.
The stirring “Olympic Anthem,” with lyrics by national poet Kostis Palamas and music by Spyros Samaras, was heard for the very first time ever.
A total of 241 athletes from Greece and thirteen other countries, including the USA, Germany, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Switzerland, Australia, and Chile participated in these first modern-day Olympic Games.
Female athletes were not allowed to participate at that time. As a protest, a young Athenian, Stamata “Melpomeni” Revythi ran the marathon—alone—one day after the triumph of Spyros Louis.
The vast majority of the athletes were Greek, winning 46 medals (10 gold-17 silver-19 bronze), against 20 by the USA (11 gold-7 silver-2 bronze), which came in second place in the medal count.
The winners received a silver medal, an olive branch, and a commemorative diploma while the runners-up received a bronze medal, a laurel branch, and the diploma.
Those who came in third place, unfortunately, did not get a medal at all. The International Olympic Committee later decided to award gold, silver, and bronze medals to the first three athletes in each event, which was done for the first time at the St. Louis Olympics in 1904.
An ancient Roman shipwreck carrying hundreds of amphorae was discovered off the harbour city of Civitavecchia, Italy. Credit: Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale
The discovery of a 2000-year-old Roman shipwreck carrying hundreds of amphorae stunned archaeologists in the historic Italian city of Civitavecchia this week.
The ship, dated to the 2nd century B.C., was found lying about 160 meters deep on the sandy seabed off the city of Rome.
The discovery is described by Italian media as a “treasure of amphorae.”
2000-year-old Roman shipwreck discovery assisted by robots
The exceptional discovery was the result of an investigation led by a special unit of the Italian police which is tasked with safeguarding the country’s cultural heritage.
Coordinated by the Public Prosecutor of Civitavecchia, near Rome, and in collaboration with the National Superintendence for Underwater Cultural Heritage of Taranto, the Archeology Section of the Operations Department of the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage scanned the area with the help of a robotic system to detect the shipwreck.
A state-of-the-art patrol boat equipped with a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) featuring sonar and depth sounder made the stunning discovery and completed the mapping of the submerged archaeological site.
Besides the ship’s cargo, consisting of hundreds of amphorae, two Roman metal anchor stocks, belonging to the ancient vessel, were also found in the immediate perimeter of the wreck.
The discovery of the Roman shipwreck is of great historic, artistic and archaeological significance, as it bears witness to the ancient maritime trade routes.
Procedures for further reasearch at the site have been initiated with permission from the competent judiciary authorities.
A Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) featuring sonar and depth sounder helped detect the 2000-year-old shipwreck. Credit: Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale
The rich history of Civitavecchia
The area of Civitavecchia, where the Roman shipwreck was discovered, is home to an important harbour on the Tyrrhenian Sea since antiquity.
The city was first inhabited by the Etruscans, whose tombs are still scattered in the territory. The Romans developed the harbour which thrived throughout antiquity, the Byzantine Era and the Middle Ages.
Today, Civitavecchia is a major cruise and ferry port, the main starting point for sea connection from central Italy to Sardinia, Sicily, Tunis and Barcelona.
Ruins of the Roman city are omnipresent and well-preserved. They include Roman baths, towers, warehouses and an aqueduct.
Antiquities of Greek origin “recovered from the Abyss” exhibited in Italy
Italy’s National Superintendence for Underwater Cultural Heritage is a relatively new institution, established in 2021. It is headquartered in Taranto -a city developed from an ancient Greek colony– and has two more departments in Venice and Napoli.
Its first exhibition, “Recovered from the Abyss,” featuring the finds from a 7th-century B.C. shipwreck between the Italian and Albanian coast, launched in June and will be open to visitors until the end of 2023.
The sunken ship and its cargo were discovered during the works for the installation of the TAP gas pipeline between the Albanian and Italian coasts, at a depth of about 780 meters.
It carried ceramics of Corinthian manufacture, in particular containers for the transport of food, and fine ceramic tableware.
The sanctuary of Demeter and Kore and the Telestrion, where the initiation rites took place for the Eleusinian Mysteries. Eleusis, Greece. Credit: Carole Raddato /CC BY-SA 2.0
Eleusis, the site of the eponymous Eleusinian Mysteries in ancient Greece, was the center of worship for the goddess Demeter and her daughter Persephone, who returned to the Underworld every year in the Autumn.
The mysteries celebrated in honour of these goddesses were regarded as the most sacred of all the the mysteries in the Ancient Greek religion through the centuries until the fall of paganism.
Located about eighteen kilometers (eleven miles) northwest of the center of Athens, it is part of the metropolitan area of Greece’s capital.
The area which figured so prominently in Greek mythology and ritual was also the birthplace of the great playwright Aeschylus. Today, Eleusis is the home of the Aeschylia Festival, the longest-tenured arts event in the Attica region.
Eleusis and Athens were linked in ancient celebration of Eleusinian Mysteries
The word Eleusis first appears in recorded history at the Orphic hymn “Δήμητρος Ελευσινίας, θυμίαμα στύρακα.”
Hesychius of Alexandria maintained, however, that the even older name for Eleusis was Saesaria (Σαισάρια). Saesara was the mythic daughter of Celeus, who was the king of Eleusis when the goddess Demeter arrived for the first time, as well as the granddaughter of Eleusinus, the first settler of Eleusis.
Eleusis, situated opposite the island of Salamis, possessed three major natural advantages for its settlement. It was on the road from Athens to the Isthmus of Corinth on a very fertile plain at the head of an extensive bay, formed on three sides by the coast of Attica and enclosed on the south by Salamis.
One of the caves on the shoreline of Eleusis is said to be the very spot where Persephone was abducted by Hades; the cave was considered a gateway to Tartarus, the deepest abyss of the Underworld. At the very spot this abduction was said to have taken place, there was once a sanctuary, or Ploutonion, dedicated to Hades and Persephone.
Once a year, those taking part in the great Eleusinian procession traveled from Athens to Eleusis along the Sacred Way.
Eleusis’ place in mythology and its long history
Eleusis may have derived its name from the supposed advent (ἔλευσις) of Demeter although some trace its name back to its supposed first founder, Eleusis. It was one of the twelve independent states into which Attica was said to have been originally divided.
“When Athens had only just become Athens, it went to war with another city built thirteen miles away, Eleusis,” Roberto Calasso says of the ancient provenance of the relationship between this temple-city and the Attic seat of power.
Calasso and his coauthor Richard Dixon state in their work The Celestial Hunter, published in 2020, that “it was a war usually described as mythical, since it has no date….[a]nd it was a theological war, since Athens belonged to Athena and Eleusis to Poseidon. Eumolpus and Erechtheus, the founding kings of the two cities, both died in it.”
The East Triumphal Arch, built by Antoninus Pius, at the Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore at Eleusis. Credit: Carole Raddato/CC BY-SA 2.0
The story goes that during the reign of Eumolpus, the king of Eleusis, and Erechtheus, the king of Athens, there was a war between the two states in which the Eleusinians were defeated. After that time, they agreed to acknowledge the supremacy of Athens in everything except the celebration of the mysteries, which they would carry out themselves.
Even after it became an Attic deme, in consequence of its great religious importance, Eleusis was allowed to retain the title of polis and even to coin its own money, a privilege possessed by no other town in Attica outside of Athens.
The Eleusinian Mysteries
The Mysteries of Demeter and Kore, the rites which became popular in the Greek-speaking world as early as 600 BC, attracted initiates for centuries, continuing even during the Roman era of Greek history.
These Mysteries, which revolved around a belief that there was a hope for life after death, are linked in many ways to the changing of the seasons, as the spring and summer “disappear” for a period of months before they are “allowed” to return to the Earth, just as Demeter’s daughter, Persephone, was dragged down to the Underworld for months before being allowed to return to the Earth.
The central myth of the Mysteries was Demeter’s quest for her lost daughter (Kore, the Maiden, or Persephone) who had been abducted by Hades. During the initiates’ ceremonies, as part of the Eleusinian Mysteries, they were shown a number of things, including the seed of life in a stalk of grain, historians believe.
It was here that Demeter, disguised as an old lady who was abducted by pirates in Crete, was sad to have come to an old well where the four daughters of the local king, Keleos and his queen Metaneira (also known as Kallidike, Kleisidike, Demo and Kallithoe), found her and took her to their palace as a nurse for Demophoon, the son of Keleos and Metaneira.
Demeter raised Demophoon, anointing him with nectar and ambrosia, until Metaneira discovered this and insulted her. Demeter arose, casting off her disguise of a mortal woman, and, in all her glory, instructed Meteneira to build a temple to her.
Keleos, informed of this the next morning by Metaneira, ordered the citizens to build a shrine to Demeter, where a statue of the goddess was seated majestically; part of her worship involved people praying to Zeus to make the world provide food once again in the spring.
The Eleusinian Mysteries may even have involved the use of a hallucinogenic substance, as researchers now know that the drink used to sustain the initiates during their initiation fast contained ergot, a fungus which produces hallucinations.
One of the few foods allowed during this time was the Kykeon. Its preparation was extremely simple; it was made of water, rye flour, and Roman mint (γληχων).There were many experiences of visions and apparitions during the Eleusinian Mysteries, during which it was thought that one could have direct contact with the world beyond and with the deities being celebrated.
Scientific study has identified alkaloids in the fungus that interact with the serotonin receptors in our brains.
Additionally, we know that the ergot fungus contains lysergic acid as well as its precursor, ergotamine. Lysergic acid is a precursor for the synthesis of LSD.
It can be said then, that the visions common to initiates during the Eleusinian Mysteries can be attributed to the psychotropic effects of the fungus much like other types of fungus, notably mushrooms, which can be highly hallucinogenic.
The ancient temple of Demeter at Eleusis was burned by the Persians in 484 BC in the Greco-Persian Wars; it was not until the administration of Pericles that an attempt was made to rebuild it.
“A dream forbade me to describe” Mysteries
Under the Romans, Eleusis again enjoyed great prosperity, however, as initiation into its Mysteries became fashionable among Roman nobles.
The Eleusinians have a temple of Triptolemus, another of Artemis Propylaea, and a third of Poseidon the Father, and a well called Callichorum, where the Eleusinian women first instituted a dance and sang in honor of the goddess.
They say that the Rharian plain was the first place in which corn was sown and first produced a harvest, and that hence barley from this plain is employed for making sacrificial cakes. There the so-called threshing-floor and altar of Triptolemus are shown. The things within the wall of the Hierum (i.e., the temple of Demeter) a dream forbade me to describe.
The Rharian plain is also mentioned in the Homeric Hymn to Artemis; it appears to have been in the neighborhood of the city, but its exact location cannot be determined.
The temple of Demeter, sometimes called ὁ μυστικὸς σηκός, or τὸ τελεστήριον, was the largest in all of Greece and is described by Strabo as capable of containing as many persons as a theater. That may, of course, have meant thousands of individuals.
The plan of the building was designed by Ictinus, the architect of the Parthenon at Athens; many years passed, however, before its completion. The names of several architects, who were employed in the building of the structure, are preserved. Its portico of twelve stately columns was not built until the time of Demetrius Phalereus, around 318 BC, by the architect Philo.
When it was completed, it was considered one of the four finest examples of Greek architecture in marble. It faced the southeast.
The great temple was tragically destroyed by the Gothic invader Alaric I in 396 AD, and it disappeared from history as a religious site at that time.
European travelers who toured the area during the Ottoman occupation of the country described Eleusis as having few inhabitants but many ancient ruins.
Modern city of Elefsina grew from 250 to thousands during industrial era
In 1829, after the Greek War of Independence, Eleusis was a small settlement of about 250 inhabitants. By the late 19th century, however, Eleusis had changed drastically as new buildings were erected by the new merchant settlers. During that period it became one of the main industrial centers of the Modern Greek state.
After World War II, workers from all parts of Greece moved to Elefsina to work in the industries in the region. Industrial activity, however, unfortunately developed in a completely disorganized manner near the Ancient Greek antiquities there.
A large house which was through to have been the home of priests from the Roman era was discovered in 1962.
The annual “Aeschylia Festival” is held in honor of the great tragic poet Aeschylus, who was born in the city in 525 BC.
Established in 1975, the festival is currently the longest standing cultural event organized by the Attica Municipality. It is held annually at Palaio Elaiourgeio, a former soap factory by the waterfront which functions as an open-air theater. The festival usually begins at the end of August and runs throughout September. It includes stage productions, art exhibitions and installations, concerts, and dance events.
“Transition to Euphoria” is the city’s theme for the preparations leading up to this significant year. The municipality is involving residents and local art and culture associations in several arts programs which will celebrate the cultural designation.
The whole city is alive, with both young and older residents participating in cultural programs in residential areas and along the waterfront. Weekly meetings of young adults and teenagers are held where art and ecological projects are designed and created.
The city of Eleusis now looks like an endless workshop for the arts; exhibits with subjects ranging from artistic photography to the workers’ movement during the industrialization of the area are seen all over town.
“Eleusis is a big (gamble),” Sofia Avgerinou-Kolonia, the president of Eleusis, told reporters from the Athens Macedonian News Agency (AMNA) that “we need to overcome shortcomings and move forward.”
“The work of the Capital City board is not easy…we need to synthesize a lot of data and overcome procedural difficulties stemming from the institutional framework and the circumstances that the country has experienced in recent years,” she added.
Avgerinou-Kolonia continued, saying “We believe, however, that we have been making progress recently with the support of the Ministry of Culture, our municipality, our donors, the Ministry of Labor, especially the (unemployment agency) OAED, the Archaeological Service, and residents.”
Several songs written by Greek composers were made hits by international stars like The Beatles. Public Domain
Few people today may realize that some classic songs which became international hits were actually written by Greek composers, many of them by the giants Mikis Theodorakis, Manos Hattzidakis, and Giannis Spanos.
From The Beatles to Edith Piaf and Nat King Cole to Shirley Bassey, many renowned singers, as well as countless others across the world, have given voice to some timeless Greek melodies.
Greek songs that became hits internationally
1. The Beatles: “The Honeymoon Song”
The Mikis Theodorakis song “If You Remember my Dream,” originally sung in Greek by Giovanna, was picked up by none other than the Beatles, who turned it into “The Honeymoon Song.”
2. Brenda Lee: “All Alone am I”
An English version of a timeless Manos Hatzidakis song is “Don’t Ask the Heavens.” This lovely ballad was originally sung by actress Tzeni Karezi in the film “Island of the Brave.”
3. Shirley Bassey: “Life Goes On”
Mikis Theodorakis wrote the music for this song, which was featured in the Brendan Behan play “The Hostage,” inspired by the struggle of the Irish for independence.
4. Brigitte Bardot: “Les Amis de la Musique”
A light-hearted composition by Giannis Spanos, this was sung by the French idol in her prime.
5. Harry Belafonte: “In the Small Boat”
This is a rare gem with popular singer Harry Belafonte singing (in Greek!) the song made famous by movie star Aliki Vougiouklaki. It was written by who else but Manos Hatzidakis for the film Madalena.
6. Nat King Cole: “In the Cool of the Day”
Nat King Cole sang the title song of this 1963 movie, which starred Peter Finch and Jane Fonda. The composer is, again, Manos Hatzidakis, the original title being “Turn Your Pain into Joy.”
7. Connie Francis: “Never on Sunday”
The Manos Hatzidakis Oscar-winning music from the charming film of the same title. In the film, “Never on Sunday” was sung in Greek by leading actress Melina Mercouri. This is a version by American singer Connie Francis.
8. Dalida: “Darla Dirladada”
A traditional fisherman’s song from the island of Kalymnos, this has been performed by several Greek singers, but French chanteuse Dalida made it an international hit.
9. Edith Piaf: “Les Amants de Teruel”
Legendary French singer Edith Piaf gave voice to “Les Amants de Teruel,” the French interpretation of the Mikis Theodorakis song “Beautiful City.”
10. Milva: “Sogno di Liberta”
Another Mikis Theodorakis composition, this song, originally called “Denial,” features Italian lyrics sung by Milva. This Italian version is titled “Dream of Liberty.”
Greek archaeologist Calliope Limneos-Papakosta. Public Domain
For over fifteen long years, Greek archaeologist Calliope Limneos-Papakosta has been searching for the Golden Fleece of Greece’s ancient history, namely, the priceless tomb of Alexander the Great.
For all these years, she and her team have dug tirelessly in the Shallalat Gardens in Alexandria, Egypt, the city named after the great conqueror.
Battling water which constantly floods the dig, she and her colleagues have dug through layer upon layer of Alexandrian history.
Now, they have reached down to the bedrock of Alexandria, locating the first roads built in the city, as well as the foundation of an enormous public building over two hundred feet long, which she has yet to fully uncover.
Historical records indicated that after his death in Babylon, Alexander the Great‘s body was mummified and buried in Egypt, specifically at the temple of Zeus Ammon in the Siwah Oasis.
That was the great general’s wish. This is why archaeologists have been searching for his tomb in Egypt and Alexandria in particular.
After years of digging and discovering ancient historical artifacts without any indication of Alexander’s tomb, the Greek archaeologist was ready to quit in 2018.
As if by magic, however, a pristine white marble hand was suddenly unearthed, reviving her hopes. It was as if the buried statue the hand belonged to wanted to tell her that she had to continue on with her mission.
As Papakosta said on Greek television in May of 2018, “For fourteen years, we searched without results. I was so tired and one day I said ‘That’s it, I quit.’ Just one hour before our departure, after we had stopped the excavation, the soil retreated on one side and a hand appeared…I felt awe. ‘My Alexandros’ reveals himself to me.”
The mystery over Alexander the Great’s tomb
Alexander the Great as shown on the Alexander Tomb. Calliope Limneos-Papakosta is still hunting for his resting place. Credit: Ronald Slabke/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0
Alexander had requested to be referred to as the “Son of Zeus Ammon” and did not wish to be buried alongside his father Philip at Aegae.
According to early historians, when Alexander died suddenly in 323 BC in Babylon, his body was mummified, like the Pharaoh he was, and placed in a gold coffin to be taken to Siwa.
However, his wish was not honored. The funerary cart with Alexander’s body was hijacked in Syria by one of his generals, Ptolemy I Soter.
In late 322 or early 321 BC, Ptolemy diverted the body to Egypt, where it was interred in Memphis, which had been the center of Alexander’s government in Egypt.
While Ptolemy was in possession of the great conqueror’s body, his generals, Perdiccas and Eumenes, had Alexander’s armor, diadem, and royal scepter in their possession.
In the late fourth or early third century BC, Alexander’s body was transferred from the Memphis tomb to Alexandria for reburial by Ptolemy Philadelphus.
Later on, his successor, Ptolemy Philopator, placed Alexander’s body in Alexandria’s communal mausoleum.
According to Pausanias, the mausoleum was called the “Soma,” which means “body” in Greek.
By 274 BC, Alexander was known to be entombed in Alexandria, and his tomb became the focal point for the Ptolemaic cult of Alexandros the Great.
New discovery supports belief Alexander the Great is indeed buried in Alexandria
The artifact discovered on the last day of excavations by Papakosta and her crew turned out to be an early Hellenistic statue bearing hallmarks of Alexander the Great.
This greatly encouraged the indefatigable archaeologists to continue their excavations.
“The statue revealed himself to me, offering his hand!” Papakosta said at the time. “I prayed to God to see the way the hand turned to know if it carries a spear to prove that it belongs to Alexandros the Great the Spear Bearer, which was created with the same technique of Lysippus, that is, with a tilted head to the side and down.”
“As it is written from sources like Plutarch, Alexandros used to speak to Zeus, looking obliquely down, and saying, ‘I belong to the Earth. You take care of Olympus,'” she noted.
Papakosta added, “It is a great blessing that this statue, which many archaeologists searched for, for many years, was found by a Greek mission.”
The stunning Greek marble statue, which has been universally acknowledged as a representation of Alexander the Great himself, is now exhibited at the National Museum of Alexandria.
Calliope Limneos-Papakosta’s previous discoveries in Alexandria
In 2015, the Hellenic Institute for the Research of Alexandrian Culture, directed by Papakosta, uncovered a large public building from the Ptolemaic period. The discovery was a carved tunnel at a depth of ten meters (thirty feet).
“This is a significant discovery because the site belongs to the Royal Quarters of the Ptolemae and we have information about these buildings from ancient times,” Papakosta told the Athens Macedonian News Agency.
Two years later, an even larger discovery provided support for the belief that Alexander the Great’s tomb was nearby, as the archaeologist uncovered the ancient Alexandrian royal quarters near the crossroads of the ancient city, just as she had thought.
The funding for Papakosta’s excavations is mainly from private institutions and sponsors, the most important of which are the Greek company KLEOS SA and the Egyptian Reliance Group of Companies along with the Moheb Kassabgui Foundation.
The National Geographic Society is also assisting with the dig, providing electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) technology to help Papakosta identify areas which may point the way to the tomb of Alexander.
Greek-speaking residents of Catalca, Turkey. Credit: Constantine Garelas
The Turkish town of Catalca in a rural district of Istanbul is full of Greek speakers, many of whom have a distinct northern Greek accent.
A recent video filmed by Constantine Garelas shows a group of Greek-speaking men filled with joy as they meet the Greek visitor to their village. They perceive him as a compatriot who lives on the other side of the border.
The men, who are all over fifty years old, speak with a strange feeling of nostalgia for the land of their ancestors and their roots. Most of them are descendants of the population exchange between Turkey and Greece that took place in 1923 after the Asia Minor Disaster.
Some have never been to Greece, but they like to speak the language—probably because it is the link with the homeland of their ancestors.
They sing Greek songs with great joy, as if they want to prove to the person holding the camera that despite the nationality written on their ID, they are Hellenes—or simply because it comes from a soft spot deep in their hearts.
Those who have visited the place in which their ancestors used to live, speak with pride about the trip to their roots. These are the ‘Greeks at heart’ in Catalca, Turkey.
Greek-speaking town in Turkey was home to ancient Greek city
Once an ancient Greek city called Ergiske (Εργίσκη), the town is believed to have been settled as early as 450 BC.
Its name comes from Ergiscus, a son of Poseidon through the nymph Ava, who according to Greek mythology, was the daughter of River Evros. During the Roman era, the city was named Metrae.
The town was settled throughout the Ottoman period and, according to the Ottoman Official Statistics of 1910, the majority of the area were Greeks—almost six out of ten residents.
According to the Ottoman population statistics of 1914, the kaza of Catalca consisted of a total population of 30,165, comprised of 16,984 Greeks, 13,034 Muslims, 53 Jews, 44 Armenians, 40 Bulgarians and 10 individuals of Roma descent.
Due to its location on the ridge between the Marmara and the Black Sea and its closeness to Istanbul, Catalca has seen many population movements.
Migrations to and from the area occurred during the Balkan Wars (1912/13) and the First World War (1914-18).
However, the Population Exchange Treaty signed between the Turkish and Greek Governments in January 30, 1923 was the first of its kind in history because it was legalized by international laws, which forced the exchange of population between the two countries.
The most remarkable aspect of the treaty is the main criterion, which was exclusively religious. There was no reference to linguistic categories or to ethnic ones.
People were ascribed new identities as either Greek or Turkish merely on the basis of religion.
The majority of the Muslims from Macedonia were Greek-speaking and a considerable proportion of the Greek Orthodox of Central Anatolia spoke Turkish.
“My grandparents came here and spoke only Greek,” notes a resident of Catalca in the video.
Population exchange brought Greek speakers to Turkish town Catalca
The population exchange was seen as an integral part of the nation-building process. Approximately, 1,700,000 people (1,200,000 Orthodox Greeks and 500,000 Muslims) were subjected to the exchange.
The migrants were carried port to port by ships and initially settled in temporary refugee camps.
As a result of this mandatory migration, the lives of thousands of people were changed completely.
In reality, they were victims of the treaty on both sides, as they had to rebuild their lives from the beginning.
The exchanged population attempted to preserve their homeland identities and cultures while struggling to integrate to the new community.
Prior to the 1923 exchange, Orthodox Greeks and Muslim Turks used to live peacefully together in Catalca.
After the exchange, Muslim people from Grevena, Lagadas, Kilkis, Drama, and other Macedonian cities and towns settled in the residential areas of Catalca, replacing the Greeks who were required to abandon their homes.
Today, as can be seen in the video, the Greeks, who are Turkish citizens, speak their language fluently and happily, albeit a northern Greece dialect, much like the Muslim Greek citizens who live in Western Thrace, without forgetting their cultural heritage and religion.
Greek-speaking residents of Caltalca, Turkey. Credit: Constantine Garelas/Screenshot
In 2010, a historical building in Catalca was allocated to the Foundation of Lausanne Treaty Emigrants to be used as a Population Exchange Museum.
The museum opened to the public in December 20, 2010 after restoration of the building, with the Çatalca Municipality’s partnership and the support of the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency.
