The story of how Athens, one of the oldest cities in the world, attained its current name is a foundational Greek myth. Unbeknown to many, the city actually had several names throughout its 3,400 years of recorded history.
The initial...
It was 1874 when the Greek prime minister and the minister of ecclesiastical affairs and public education stood before parliament and declared that Greece would refuse to accept the priceless Treasure of Troy, discovered by German-American archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann.
Also...
Plato, one of the greatest Greek philosophers of all time—with whom one might claim that, along with Aristotle, Greece intellectually conquered the world—traveled widely during his lifetime. Sicily was amongst Plato's destinations. The question is what was his purpose...
Clay tablets, papyrus scrolls and organized archives gave rise to the largest libraries the ancient world had ever seen. From Mesopotamia to the Mediterranean, early civilizations built and guarded repositories that preserved knowledge, solidified power and shaped future generations.
These...
There are at least fourteen major operas that are based on themes and personages from Greek mythology and its glittering history. That says all one needs to know about the universality of Greek mythology and history, how much these...
Monemvasia, on the southeastern shores of the Peloponnese, Greece is Europe's oldest continuously inhabited castle town.
Founded in 583 by inhabitants of the mainland seeking refuge from the Slavic and the Avaric invasion of Greece and surrounded by the Myrtoan...
The country known today as Iran extends from the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean in the south to the border of Turkey and Turkmenistan in the north. The territory of Iran is equivalent to much of the ancient...
During his campaigns, Alexander the Great relied on a variety of military units for tactical success; the most prestigious of these units were the Companions, the elite mounted shock cavalry of the Macedonian army.
The Companion Cavalry, known in Greek...
Cleopatra was not just a famed Greek queen of Ancient Egypt but was also known for her love of parties. She even created her own secret drinking club.
The famous ancient ruler became well known during her time for her...
The ghost village of Levissi (known today as Kayaköy) was once a bustling Greek village on the slopes of a hill in the district of Fethiye, Turkey.
It was practically right across from the island of Rhodes.
Greeks of the 5,000-year-old...
The ancient Greeks used to make a wide variety of breads, as they considered it to be of great importance in their eating habits.
Wheat, considered a gift from the goddess Demeter, was highly valued by the Greeks, who particularly...
The Greek queen of Egypt Cleopatra is associated with a very public love affair with Roman leader Julius Caesar apart from her glamorous beauty routines, deadly snake bites, and lavish banquets. But their “situationship” was complex, according to two...
Αntyllus, one of antiquity’s most skilled and innovative surgeons, was an ancient Greek physician active in Rome around 150 AD. Though influenced by earlier Greek medical traditions, he broke from the conservative models of physicians such as Hippocrates and...
