Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi signed a bilateral cooperation agreement. Credit: Prime Minister’s Office
Greece and Egypt signed an agreement on the establishment of the High-Level Cooperation Council in Cairo on Sunday.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi made joint statements after signing the agreement.
The Greece-Egypt bilateral agreement was signed prior to a joint meeting between the two leaders, the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and the leaders of Belgium, Italy, Austria and Cyprus.
“For us today is an excellent day for this strategic cooperation with Egypt” Mitsotakis said during the joint statements made by all participating parties. “Egypt’s stability and prosperity are of the utmost importance for the EU, and Greece is a supporter,” the Greek Prime Minister stressed.
“Greece is ready to help in any effort to achieve stability in the region. Our country has a leading role in the “Shields” operation, Mitsotakis said.
In regards to the humanitarian aid sent to war-stricken Gaza, Mitsotakis said, “We congratulate Cyprus for opening a new humanitarian corridor”.
Regarding the energy cooperation between the two countries, the Greek Premier said, “Egypt can become an energy center for the region. We will continue to promote projects such as the GREGY interconnection pipeline.”
On his part, the Egyptian President said: “Your visit today is of great symbolic importance because together we made a change in our cooperation.” El-Sisi stressed that it was agreed to hold a summit between the EU and Egypt in the second half of 2024.
“A big concern of ours is the war in Palestine. We will ask for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of corridors for humanitarian aid,” he added.
Credit: Prime Minister’s Office
EU Earmarks €7.4 Million Package for Egypt to Curb Migrant Influx
“Today we have before us a historic day with the signing of a partnership based on six pillars. I am happy to announce that it will be supported with a new package of 7.4 million euros,” said European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen.
The EU official also referred to energy investments and, as she said, the GREGY interconnection program that connects Greece with Egypt increases Europe’s energy security.
“We are all terribly concerned with the war in Gaza, which is facing famine. This is irreversible! Humanitarian aid must reach Gaza,” stressed Von der Leyen.
“Five hundred trucks a day leave for Gaza, 275 million will be provided by the EU to the Palestinians. We have sent over 1,800 tons of medical supplies and we need to be sure that these supplies will reach Gaza,” she said.
Economic pressure in Egypt and conflicts and chaos in neighboring countries could drive more migrants to European shores.
Egypt has been a refuge for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa trying to escape war or poverty. For some, Egypt is a destination. For others, it is a point of transit before attempting to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe.
Kyra Panagia is the closest island to the submerged settlement of Agios Petros. Credit: wikimedia commons / Chris Taklis cc by 3.0
The small islet of Agios Petros, north of Alonissos, Greece, is believed to be the oldest submerged settlement of the Aegean.
Founded around the end of the 7th millennium BC by a community of farmers, fishermen, and seafarers, Agios Petros presents a unique archaeological example of an island settlement.
In Agios Petros (Saint Peter) a civilization flourished for about 1,000 years. A few dozen families settled permanently on the islet, which at the time was connected by land to its larger neighbor Kyra Panagia, around 6100 BC.
Agios Petros is located next to Kyra Panagia in the northern Sporades. Credit: Google Maps
“The fact that the marine settlement of Agios Petros is preserved to this day at the bottom of the Aegean several thousand years after it was founded by the first agricultural groups that arrived in Greece, makes it a special archaeological site,” Nikos Efstratiou, professor of Prehistoric Archeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) says.
Efstratiou, who has been heading the archeological research in the area, adds that the site “allows us to investigate a series of important issues concerning the history of the island, the habitation in the Aegean, and the natural environment that the first islanders saw.”
Excavations on the islet have revealed stone rectangular and arched buildings, two children’s burials in natural rock cavities, stone piles, and ancient walls.
In addition, human-like figurines, inscribed ceramic sherds, and tools made of flint were uncovered, as well as food remains from various animals, birds, fish and oysters.
“The islet was not an isolated community but had cultural contacts with other and often more distant areas such as the southern Aegean, Thessaly, the Balkans, and Anatolia. The arrival of agricultural groups from Anatolia to Greece has been proven by archaeological finds,” Efstratiou says.
Inhabitants of Agios Petros were farmers, fishermen and hunters
“We learned from the excavations that the inhabitants of Agios Petros were farmers, breeders but also fishermen and hunters. This is evidenced by the remains of animals, birds and fish found in the archaeological layers, on land, and in the sea,” he adds.
The prehistoric settlement of Agios Petros was first discovered in the 1960s by the archaeologist Dimitris Theoharis, then the Antiquities Commissioner of Thessaly.
Since the 1980s, the head of research has been Efstratiou, who carried out the first marine research in the area, in collaboration with the well-known oceanographer N.C. Flemming and a team of divers from the University of Cambridge.
In search of the neolithic civilization of Agios Petros islet. Credit: Farmers at sea
Today the research conducted by the AUTH and the Ephorate of Marine Antiquities is part of a promising five-year program.
What archaeologically distinguishes Agios Petros from other projects in Greece is the extensive underwater research, which started in 2021 in the context of an ambitious five-year program (2021-2025).
“Research is focused on locating ancient human DNA and opening test sections at the points where surviving architectural remains have already been identified. We are also looking for clues that will enlighten us about the practices of early navigation in the Aegean, such as for example the type of boats used by the first islanders – something about which we can only make assumptions since there is a lack of similar findings internationally”, he emphasizes.
At the time the settlement was developed, the islet of Agios Petros was connected to Kyra Panagia by a peninsula, which today has been submerged.
“The process of the gradual sinking of the settlement of Agios Petros is a completely natural process related to the continuous rise of the sea level and not due to some dramatic geological phenomenon,” Efstratiou says.
Byzantine fortifications found in excavations on Tinos island. Credit: Greece’s Ministry of Culture
New archaeological research on Tinos has revealed the rich Byzantine history of the island that was not known before, shedding new light in Aegean Sea history as well.
The preliminary results of the research project “Byzantine and Latin-ruled Tinos: Old and new archaeological data” were presented at the “Leonidas Zervas” Amphitheater of the National Research Foundation (NRF).
According to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA) report, the project is a collaboration between the Cyclades Ephorate of Antiquities of Greece’s Ministry of Culture and the Institute of Historical Research (IHR). Project director is Dimitris Athanasoulis of the Cyclades Ephorate of Antiquities and co-director is Anastasia Giagaki of the National Research Foundation.
Important Byzantine History
The Greek island of Tinos. Credit: Greek Reporter
“For the first time, systematic archaeological research is being done for the Middle Ages period on Tinos” Athanasoulis said, adding that the medieval period lasted several centuries more for Tinos, and there are more indicators of its importance in the Aegean.
One of them is the active lifespan of Chora, the island’s capital. “With the study of the ceramics and the findings from the old excavations of Chora, the time span of use of the port from the late Roman years, i.e. from the 3rd and 4th centuries, is extended through the 8th century century, Athanasoulis said.”
“It seems that the port survives this transitional period as well and this is very important because it shows us that Tinos still had an important anchorage until the early Middle Ages.”
The second indicator is the fortress of Agia Eleni, located on the imposing hill of Xoburgos in the center of the island. According to the new findings, what until now only existed as a hypothesis is confirmed, namely that the acropolis of Agia Eleni is the Byzantine fortress of the 7th century.
“For the first time, the Byzantine phase of Agia Eleni was identified. There there is a square precinct on the acropolis with a large pentagonal tower. Essentially we have the same pattern as the rest of the castles in the Cyclades identified in our recent studies. In other words, during the time of the Arab invasion, a large investment was made by the Byzantine Empire to protect and control the Aegean and one of these castles is located on Tinos,” Athanasoulis said.
Island Fortification Network in the Aegean
According to the ephorate director there was a rather complex network of Cycladic island fortifications in the transitional centuries (7th – 9th), each with at least one castle.
“On the one hand, the castles form a visual communication network that covers the entire central Aegean, with coastal castles guarding important ports and anchorages, while those on hills oversee the island, ports and sea lanes. On the other hand, they have accommodation for guards and accommodation for the islanders in times of danger, while they also function as state warehouses for the management of agricultural products and the feeding of the army,” Athanasoulis said.
On Tinos, the fortification network includes the castle of Xobourgos. “In contrast to coastal fortifications, such as on Kythnos, Mykonos and especially Paros and Naxos, Xobourgos is founded inland. As is the case with other inland castles, such as Apaliros in Naxos, its role is to protect the agricultural production of the island and, at the same time, to supervise Tinos and the sea routes around it. The visibility analysis from the citadel confirms this role. From Xobourgos one could have visual contact with a large part of the Cycladic archipelago,” Athanasoulis elaborated.
Tinos island Greece. Credit: GreekReporter
And he continued: “In this position there would be the Byzantine garrison of the island and it would function as a place to store the production and a refuge for the Tinians in times of danger. Even though the buildings that presumably exist inside the walls have not been excavated, the pottery from the site confirms such a use.”
Athanasoulis further said that the Venetians who arrived later resumed the use of Xobourgos and in the acropolis of Agia Eleni they added to the fortifications of the transitional centuries. Their negligent use of masonry is evident as the small stones they added stand out from the large stones the Byzantines used before.
“In the case of the large pentagonal tower, its geometric shape is altered and the sharp end gives way to a higher, rounded corner. After all, one can distinguish more than one intervention, indicating the constant use of the acropolis.”
Fifth Century Basilica Found Under 16th Century Church
The third important information the research provided is found in the excavation at Agia Anastasia in the “Redia” site as it reveals a much earlier phase.
“Agia Anastasia is a two-aisled church from the 16th century, under which we discover an early Christian basilica from the 5th century. And this is very important, because it is the oldest church that has been built on the island and which continued to be used until the end of the 7th century,” Athanasoulis said.
After a gap in its use, the church was used again in the mid-Byzantine period (12th century) and later, in the 16th century when it was reconstructed into a two-aisled structure.
The research program “Byzantine and Latin-ruled Tinos: Old and new archaeological data”, carried out from 2019 to 2023, will continue. The focus is on the above excavations positions, as well as others on which preliminary work has been done.
One of them is Paleokklisia in the area of Zodemeni, also one of the oldest churches on the island, although newer than the early Christian church of Agia Anastasia. It is a large-scale temple, which was covered with a sloping stone roof, a particularly rare solution found in only one other monument in the Cyclades. The site is included in the plan for further research.
Boxing, or Πυγμαχία in Greek, meaning “fighting with the fists,” in ancient Greece originated as a very tough sport, much harder than professional boxing as we know it today.
There are archeological discoveries showing that the ancient Greeks held boxing matches as early as in the Minoan and Mycenaean periods. There are numerous legends pertaining to the origins of boxing in Greece.
One of the most bizarre stories holds that the heroic ruler, Theseus, invented a form of boxing in which two men sat face to face and beat each other with their fists until one of them was killed. With time, however, boxers began to fight in a standing position, as we so often see them pictured on Ancient Greek pottery.
The boxing rules in the early days were draconian. No Marquess of Queensberry rules applied in those days.
There were no weight categories, no rounds with intermediate breaks, no points or victory or defeat on points, no interruption when the fighters began to bleed; nor of course, were there any gloves, and judges enforced the rules by hitting the offenders with a switch or whip (as seen above).
The winner was simply the boxer who knocked out his opponent or forced him to leave the match. In the case of a match of especially long duration with no clear winner, the brutal “scale” rule applied with the agreement of both opponents.
The “scale” was in a way similar to the modern penalty shootout in soccer. Each of the two opponents remained completely still and received a punch to the face without making any move whatsoever to avoid it.
The order of these blows was determined by lot and the winner was the one who would remain standing. There have been cases in which boxers were killed during the “scale” after receiving a lethal punch.
Also, there were no gloves for protection. The boxers wrapped their fingers and wrists to make their joints more stable–not to reduce the force of the blows on the opponent.
Through the years, though, boxing became more civilized and more of a sport. In fact, it became an Olympic Games sport as early as 688 BC. Onomastus of Smyrna was the first winner in Olympic boxing.
At the time, the god Apollo was regarded as the inventor and guardian of the sport of boxing.
Boxers in Ancient Greece who went down in history
Obviously, winning a match in such a sport required huge reserves of physical–and even mental–strength. Therefore, the few great boxers whose names have gone down in history were revered as superheroes.
The Spartan Ipposthenes was most likely the top boxer in ancient days in Greece, winning first place in five consecutive Olympic Games. This means that for 16 consecutive years, he boxed at the very highest competitive boxing level.
August Vinchon, “Diagoras Carried by his sons after Olympic victory,” 1814. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/ Public Domain
Diagoras of Rhodes, a one-time Olympic champion, four-time champion in Isthmia, and two-time champion in Nemea, was over two meters (6 feet 6 inches) tall and boxed without twisting aside or ducking, making no effort to avoid his opponent.
On the contrary, he went straight for his unfortunate competitors. Everyone admired this giant of a man who was known to combine power with great personal virtue.
Melankomas, from Caria in Asia Minor, followed the completely opposite tactic, however. But as we can see today, his name has also gone down in history as one of the great ancient pugilists.
He was so flexible and nimble that he could easily avoid being hit by his opponent. The latter usually left the match exhausted without throwing so much as a single punch but also without receiving any, as “noble” Melagomas was only interested in avoiding the blows, and not throwing any!
The most courageous boxer in all of history was perhaps Evrydamas from Cyrene. In one match, his opponent broke Evrydamas’ teeth, but he swallowed them so that the other would not realize that fact and feel that he had an advantage.
Then, with a series of overwhelming blows, Evrydamas simply knocked his opponent out cold.
Athina Onassis. Credit: wikimedia commons / Michael Kramer CC BY 3.0
Athina Onassis is taking a new step in the business world by joining the board of directors of French supermarket chain Groupe Casino.
According to French financial newspaper Les Echos, the granddaughter and heiress of Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis, entered the French company after changes in the composition of the Groupe Casino board of directors and an increase in the share capital.
The new consortium will have the majority stake owning 52 percent of the Groupe Casino share, the newspaper states.
The new board of directors will include Athina Onassis, Elisabeth Sandager, general manager of Helena Rubinstein (L’Oréal group) and Branislav Miškovič from Daniel Kretinsky. Nathalie Andrieux remains in her position in the Casino board of directors.
Other than its eponymous brands Casino Supermarkets and Géant Casino, the Group developed Monoprix, Franprix, Leader Price in France, but also Pao de Açúcar and Extra in Brazil and Exito and Carulla in Colombia.
Athena Onassis, who is also heiress to the French pharmaceutical group Roussel-Uclaf, is close to Daniel Kretinsky and her well-known name will be added to the list of the new board of directors members.
The Sole Heiress of the Onassis Estate
Athina Onassis, born January 29, 1985 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, is the sole heiress of Christina Onassis, daughter of Aristotle Onassis who inherited 55 percent of the Greek shipping magnate’s fortune. Her father is Thierry Roussel.
In November 1988, when she was three years old, her mother – who was reportedly addicted to drugs and alcohol – died at the age of 37 after a heart attack in Argentina. She thus became the sole heir to her mother’s assets, half of which were managed by a charitable foundation based in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.
Her father, Roussel, sued the “Onassis Foundation” to release the inheritance to him, but the courts decided against him because he was already divorcing Christina Onassis. The trust company Fides KPMG in Lucerne was commissioned to manage the Onassis assets from 1999 until Athina’s 18th birthday.
Athina Onassis grew up in sheltered circumstances with her father in France, Spain and Lucerne, Switzerland. Roussel managed to keep his daughter away from public eye.
In 1992, The New York Times cited a report from the Associated Press, naming Onassis one of the year’s new billionaires. Athina is often referred to as a “billionaire heiress” in the media, but the true extent of her wealth remains unknown. Some accounts claim that Onassis’ net worth is less than $1 billion.
There have been several estimates of her inheritance, including the island of Skorpios in Greece, which was later sold to trusts connected with Ekaterina Rybolovleva, daughter of Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev, who bought the island for $153 million.
Greek singer Vicky Leandros. Credit: Stefan Brending Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 de
World famous Greek singer Vicky Leandros tripped and fell off the stage during a concert in Hanover, Germany on Friday night.
According to German newspaper Bild, the Greek singer suddenly fell off the stage while singing one of her biggest hits, “I Love Life.” The stage was one meter (3.3 feet) high.
Security and people in the front row rushed to help Leandros get on her feet in that awkward moment. Luckily, the Greek singer was not injured or hurt and returned to the stage to resume her show.
“I stumbled onto the stage. Fortunately, I fell on my side,” she said speaking to Bild, and added: “I must have had a lot of guardian angels with me because I could have fallen on my head or broken anything. But I don’t even have a bruise or feel any pain.”
“This is the first time this has happened to me in my entire career. Falling off the stage is every singer’s nightmare,” Vicky Leandros said.
A pan-European star
Greek Singer Vicky Leandros was born Vassiliki Papathanasiou in Palaiokastritsa on the Greek island of Corfu on August 23, 1952. Her father, Leandros Papathanasiou, was a composer, and she started singing professionally early in life.
When her family moved to Germany in the late 1950s, she became singular Vicky. She was thirteen when she released her first single, “Messer, Gabel, Schere, Licht,” as Vicky in 1965. The song became a hit around Europe, and she was invited to represent Luxembourg at the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest.
She chose to sing “L’Amour Est Bleu,” a vocal version of the famed instrumental “Love Is Blue.” She finished fourth in the contest, but that was enough for the song to become a major hit across Europe. From then on, she had a career, with her father acting as her manager and often writing songs for her.
To maximize her appeal, she recorded songs in up to eight different languages in order to win as many fans as possible. She was offered a German television series Ich Bien that was broadcast in thirteen countries and won third place at the annual Montreux Television Awards in 1971.
After becoming a European superstar, she spread her wings to Japan, South Africa, the Middle East, and Canada. In Japan, she was a mega-star with hits like “Watashi No Sukina Chocolate” (“I Like Chocolate”) and covers of pop hits.
In 1972, she returned to the Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg, and this time, she clinched first place with the song “Apres Toi.” As a result, she managed to capture the difficult English audience with an English version of the Eurovision song “Come What May,” which attained second place in UK charts.
As if that wasn’t enough, she managed to get her own show, the BBC television series Music My Way. After conquering England, the Greek singer attempted to break into the US market with a country-rock album, Across the Water, but did not get very far with it.
Still going srong
In the late 1970s, Leandros’ impeccable sheen began to fade. She continued to release records and sing duets with famous male singers such as Demis Roussos and Johnny Hallyday. In 1986, Leandros announced her intention to take some time off to concentrate on her family.
She returned to action three years later with the Greek album Piretos Tou Erota, and over the next few years, she worked hard to reestablish herself. She had a few hits in the 1990s, including the German-language version of “My Heart Will Go On” from the movie Titanic.
The Greek singer remained successful throughout the 2000s. She also returned to Eurovision, performing her latest hit, “Don’t Break My Heart,” at the 2006 national finals. However, the song was not ultimately selected to go on to the international event. Nevertheless, she continues to perform and draw loyal audiences.
Statue of Athena Promachos by Leonidas Drosis (1836-1882) at the Academy of Athens on Panepistimiou Street. Athens, Greece. Credit: Wikipedia/George E. Koronaios/CC BY-SA 4.0
Ancient Greek history is full of glorious men who have left an indelible mark through their military genius, courage, artistic greatness, political savviness, and exceptional statesmanship.
Their statues grace monuments, city squares, and government buildings. In their portraits, they gaze magisterially from history books, as if expecting future generations to appreciate and laud their feats.
However, some of these men we now revere as heroes did not have an end that was befitting for their importance. Their lives ended in poverty or disgrace and in undignified death.
Ancient Greece, often referred to as the cradle of Western civilization, was a thriving hub of intellectual and philosophical activity. Socrates Address, Louis Joseph Lebrun, 1867. Credit: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Socrates drank the conium
Socrates (c. 470-399 BC) is the father of Western philosophy. This is a most appropriate title for one of the most influential philosophers in history. As a sculptor who was told by the Oracle of Delphi that he was the wisest man in the world, he confirmed that by declaring that he knows nothing of importance.
What we have learned about Socrates is through Plato, his most loyal student. There are no texts written by himself, but his philosophy is communicated through Plato’s writings, the famous Plato’s dialogues that have survived. The Socratic method of questioning is dialogues in the form of short questions and answers. The philosophy of Socrates has also been communicated via philosopher and historian Xenophon.
In 399 BC, the ancient Greek philosopher was formally accused of impiety to the gods of Athens and of corrupting youth. The accusations were initiated by a poet named Meletus who asked for the death penalty. Socrates was tried by a jury of hundreds and found guilty.
Although he was given the chance to propose an alternative punishment for himself after being found guilty, he did not choose to do so. He could have requested permission to flee Athens and live in exile, but he decided otherwise.
According to Plato, he proposed receiving free meals from the city on a daily basis in recognition of his contribution to Athens or receive a fine. Yet, the jurors insisted on the death penalty by making him drink a cup of hemlock poison. On his last day in prison, friends visited him and offered to help him escape, but he rejected their help.
The helmet of Miltiades, ancient Greek general.Credit: Ken Russell Salvador – Flickr, CC BY 2.0
Miltiades: From the marathon victory to the Paros failure
To a large extent, the Battle of Marathon victory belongs to Miltiades (c. 550-489 BC), the Athenian general and politician who led the outnumbered Greeks to defeat the Persians in their first invasion of Greece in 490 BC.
Following this great achievement, he was highly honored by his fellow citizens, and having the consent of the demos in the spring of 489 BC, he headed the campaign to clear the Cycladic islands of the remaining Persian garrisons so as to punish those islands that had allied with the Persians.
Ancient Greek historians such as Herodotus and Plutarch, as well as later historians, do not seem to agree with each other. There is also a version of the event that Miltiades asked the Athenians for seventy ships and an army without telling them against whom he would campaign. He simply promised them that if they followed him, they would be rewarded with riches.
The Athenians thus followed him blindly, enthusiastic after the triumph at Marathon. It seems, however, that after the Athenians landed on several Cycladic islands and drove out the Persian garrisons, they sailed to Paros under the pretense that the islanders helped the Persians at Marathon by giving them a trireme.
The Athenians laid siege to the island, and Miltiades asked the Parians for a hundred talents to break the siege. The islanders declined and resisted bravely for twenty-six days. During the siege, Miltiades was wounded in the knee and was forced to retreat. He returned to Athens without bringing the riches he had promised. This displeased the Athenians.
His opponents, the Alcmaeonidae aristocratic dynasty led by Xanthippos, father of Pericles, found an opportunity to accuse him of lifting the siege of Paros because he was bribed by the Persians.
In the trial that followed, Miltiades was unable to defend himself and was bedridden. His friends who undertook to defend him mentioned both the battle of Marathon and the capture of Lemnos by Athenian troops, led by Miltiades.
The great general escaped the death penalty, but was fined fifty talents. That seems to have been the expenses of the campaign. Miltiades soon died of gangrene. According to Herodotus, it was Kimon’s son who paid the fine. Other sources state it was paid by Kallias, a rich Athenian who married Miltiades’ daughter and Kimon’s sister, Elpiniki. Despite his indictment, Miltiades was honored by the Athenians and buried on the battlefield of Marathon in a separate tomb.
Pausanias: The victorious general of Plataea who was starved to death
The Battle of Plataea in 479 BC was the battle that sealed the end of the Persian Wars and and Persian presence on Greek soil. It was when an allied army of city-states, led by general Pausanias, literally kicked the Asian invaders out of ancient Greece.
Pausanias was born in Sparta between 515 and 510 BC. After the victory at Plataea, he led the Greek fleet first to Cyprus, of which he captured a large part, and then to Byzantium, a rich, heavily-fortified supply base of the Persians. Pausanias brought back to Sparta treasures and several captured prominent Persians.
However, his success made him arrogant and overly ambitious. He chose to live as a Persian magnate. Pausanias surrounded himself with Egyptian and Persian bodyguards, wore lavish Persian clothes, and lived in luxury. Once, he sent a letter to Xerxes, which was preserved by Thucydides, asking him to marry his daughter. He also promised him that he would turn Sparta and the rest of Greece into a Persian province.
Xerxes readily accepted Pausanias’ proposal. This move greatly disturbed the Greek allies and the Spartans acquitted him. At the same time, the Ionians of Asia Minor abandoned Sparta and offered the leadership of their united forces to Athens. This was the beginning of the subsequent naval Athenian hegemony.
In his homeland, the ancient Greek general was accused of being a traitor. He was found guilty of several minor misdemeanors but was acquitted of treason either because he bribed the magistrates with gold or because his arguments that his relations with Xerxes was a stratagem of war were believed
Pausanias continued negotiations with Xerxes. The ephors had strong suspicions of his actions but no proof. He was also accused of trying to incite a revolution among the helots to whom he promised freedom and political rights. The testimony of a helot at the expense of a distinguished Spartan was not well accepted.
Pausanias would have been acquitted again if a servant of his, acting as a messenger in his contacts with Artavazos, did not present a letter from Pausanias to the Persian satrap. Again, the prefects maintained their reservations until they overheard the conversation of Pausanias with his messenger, hidden in the sanctuary of Poseidon at Tainarus.
From that conversation, the guilt of the great general became crystal clear. The ephors decided to arrest him, but he fled and sought asylum in the temple of Chalkioikos Athena. The ephors built the doors of the sanctuary so Pausanias would starve to death inside. In order for the temple to not be desecrated by his death, they tore down the roof and removed the victor of Plataea just before he died.
Herodotus doubts Pausanias’ guilt while Thucydides takes it for granted. More recent studies have indeed shown that Pausanias had deviated but essentially paid for it with the loss of Sparta’s hegemony in Greece.
The great sculptor Phidias and his gold
Phidias was one of the greatest ancient Greek sculptors of antiquity. He was the creator of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the 41-foot (12.4 meter) tall statue of the seated Zeus at Olympia.
Having risen to great heights around 490 to 430 BC, he was also a painter and architect, and his name was closely connected with that of Pericles and the Golden Age of Athens. Pericles assigned him the general artistic creation, supervision, and decoration of the buildings of the Acropolis and especially the Parthenon.
Phidias was the first who combined ivory and gold in sculpture and used both in the famous chryselephantine statue of the Virgin Athena (438 BC). Furthermore, he most probably designed the sculptures of the Parthenon. It is said of him that he had seen the exact image of the gods and then revealed it to man.
However, political opponents of Pericles accused Phidias of misappropriating part of the Athena statue’s ivory and gold. Phidias, in turn, detached the golden tunic of the statue—without causing any damage—and weighed it. This way, he proved that the accusations were nothing but slander.
His enemies, however, also sued him for disrespect, accusing him of portraying Pericles and himself on the shield of the goddess. According to Plutarch, he was imprisoned and perished in prison as a result of disease or poison, treacherously given to him by Pericles’ enemies.
According to another version of Phidias’ fall from grace, he was not imprisoned but escaped and went to Ilia, where he built the famous golden-ivory elephant statue of Olympian Zeus. He was then killed by the Ilians after being sentenced to death a second time for basically the same reason as the first.
Once again, problems arose as to which of the two statues—Zeus or Athena—was crafted earlier. The temple of Olympian Zeus was completed in 456 BC. Phidias probably worked in Ilia, returned to Athens at the invitation of Pericles, and spent the last years of his life in Ilia.
Representatives of Athens and Corinth at the Court of Archidamas, King of Sparta, from the History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides. Credit: Hans Leonhard Schäufelein. CC BY 1.0/Wikimedia Commons/ Hans Leonhard Schäufelein
The self-exiled historian, Thucydides
Thucydides, the greatest historian of all time, according to many, was born in Alimos, Attica around 460 BC and was the son of Olorus. His family must have had Thracian blood, judging by his father’s (Thracian) name and the large tracts of land with ores that he owned in Skapti Yli.
In 424 BC, the ancient Greek historian assumed the office of general. As a general, he was sent to defend Amphipolis by the Lacedaemonian General Brasidas. However, he did not succeed and saved only the port of Amphipolis, Iona. He was then accused of treason and sentenced to death. That is why he was forced to self-exile in his estates in Skapti Yli.
The ancient Greek historian remained in exile for twenty years and traveled to Macedonia, the Peloponnese, and probably to all the battle sites of the Peloponnesian War. With his twenty-year stay in exile, he was able to witness events from a detached and independent perspective and judge the Athenian state objectively.
In 404 BC, a general amnesty was granted to all exiles, and Thucydides returned to Athens. According to one version of events, he remained in the city until his death (between 399 and 396 BC), while according to another, disappointed by what he encountered, he returned to Skapti Yli, where he passed away.
Pyrrhus of Epiru, the most famous victim of a roof tile… Credit: Catalaon / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Pyrrhus: The king of Epirus who died in Argos
According to Plutarch, Hannibal ranked Pyrrhus as the greatest commander in the world. His victorious battles are to thank for the phrase “Pyrrhic victory,” meaning a victory with great losses for the winner.
The ancient Greek king of Epirus, Pyrrhus, was born in 319 BC. This was during the Hellenistic period. He became ruler at the age of twelve and allied himself with Demetrius, son of Antigonus I Monophthalmus of Macedonia.
After he was dethroned by an uprising in 302 BCE, Pyrrhus fought beside Demetrius in Asia and was sent to Alexandria as a hostage under the treaty between Ptolemy I Soter and Demetrius. Ptolemy became friends with Pyrrhus, and in 297, helped him get his kingdom back. Pyrrhus reigned along with a relative, Neoptolemus, but soon had him assassinated.
In 294, he took advantage of a dynastic quarrel in Macedonia and managed to obtain several frontier areas. He later had Corcyra and Leucas given to him in a marriage dowry. Pyrrhus went to war against his former ally, now Demetrius I Poliorcetes of Macedonia, and took Thessaly and the western half of Macedonia while he relieved Athens from Demetrius’ siege. He was driven back into Epirus by Lysimachus in 284.
When Tarentum (in southern Italy) asked for Pyrrhus’s assistance against Rome, he crossed the Ionian with about twenty-five thousand men and won a complete, if costly, victory over a Roman army at Heraclea.
In 279, the ancient Greek king beat the Romans once again in Ausculum. He then crossed to Sicily and conquered most of the Punic province except Lilybaeum. The Sicilian Greeks, however, revolted against him, and Pyrrhus returned to Italy. In 275, he suffered heavy losses in a battle against Rome at Beneventum.
When he left Italy to return to Epirus, Pyrrhus saw his army dwindling down while all the spoils of war had been wasted. He continued, however, to wage wars. The next year, he defeated the new Macedonian ruler, Antigonus II Gonatas in the Battle of the Aous. His strategy had the enemy troops hailing Pyrrhus as king.
In 272 BC, he was summoned to Sparta by Cleonymus, an unpopular royal who wanted to reclaim the throne. Cleonymus promised him that, in return, he would let him take control of the Peloponnese. However, the Spartans fought bravely and did not allow Pyrrhus to win. In addition, the Epirote lost his firstborn son, Ptolemy, in the battle.
Immediately after, Pyrrhus was called to Argos to intervene in a civil dispute. Since Antigonus Gonatas was approaching too, the Epirote king took his soldiers to the narrow streets of Argos, which were crowded by hostile troops.
While Pyrrhus was fighting an Argive soldier, the soldier’s mother, who was watching from a rooftop, threw a tile which knocked him off his horse and broke part of his spine, thereby paralyzing him. A Macedonian soldier named Zopyrus saw him down and beheaded Pyrrhus, according to Plutarch.
When Antigonus arrived in Argos, he cremated Pyrrhus’ body with all the honors.
Experts suggest that AI ‘Ghosts’ can be a threat to mental health. Credit: Lenara Verle / Flickr / CC BY-NC 2.0
Loss and grief touch everyone’s lives. But what if saying goodbye wasn’t the end? Imagine being able to virtually bring back loved ones, have conversations with them, and know how they’re doing—wherever they may be.
For many, the idea of seeing a departed loved one moving and talking once again could bring some solace, wrote Nigel Mulligan, an assistant professor of psychotherapy at Dublin City University.
AI ‘ghosts’ may cause confusion, stress, and psychosis
Mulligan finds the rise of ghost bots fascinating as a researcher in AI and therapy. However, he’s also worried about how they might affect people’s mental health, particularly those who are grieving.
Bringing back deceased individuals as avatars could create more problems than solutions, leading to increased confusion, stress, sadness, anxiety, and, in severe cases, even psychosis.
Advancements in AI have brought about the emergence of chatbots such as ChatGPT, which can engage users in conversations that mimic human interaction.
With the help of deep fake technology, AI software can generate lifelike virtual representations of deceased individuals using digital data such as photos, emails, and videos. What once seemed like mere imagination in science fiction is now becoming a tangible reality in the realm of science, according to Mulligan.
AI ghosts might disrupt the natural grieving process
Research published in Ethics and Information Technology recommended the use of death bots as short-term support during mourning to prevent possible emotional reliance on the technology, which could be harmful.
The presence of AI ghosts might disrupt the natural grieving process, potentially impacting people’s mental well-being.
A Mother meets her deceased Daughter through VR technology 🕊️
Grieving is a gradual journey that unfolds over time, spanning various stages that can extend across many years.
In the initial stages of grief, people may frequently think about their departed loved ones, vividly recalling memories. It’s common for grieving individuals to experience intense dreams involving their lost loved ones, wrote Mulligan.
AI ‘ghostbots’ may cause issues like hallucinations
Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud was deeply interested in how individuals cope with loss. He noted that additional challenges could arise during the grieving process if there are negative aspects surrounding the death.
For instance, if someone had mixed feelings toward a person who passed away, they might feel guilt afterwards. Similarly, if the death occurred under traumatic circumstances such as murder, accepting it might be even harder for the grieving individual.
Freud termed this phenomenon “melancholia,” also known as “complicated grief.” In severe cases, a person might experience apparitions or hallucinations of the deceased, leading them to believe the deceased is still alive.
Introducing AI ghostbots could potentially worsen the distress of someone experiencing complicated grief and might heighten issues such as hallucinations.
Mastiha, often referred to as the “Tears of Chios” or the “White Gold of Greece,” is a product made exclusively on the Greek island of Chios. Since antiquity, this sticky resin, which seeps from the bark of mastic trees, has been harvested not only for its flavor but for its therapeutic value.
Although the mastic tree, also called “lentisk,” is native to many areas in the Mediterranean, its bark only “bleeds” mastic on the island of Chios, making it a truly unique and nearly miraculous product.
Mastic is used as flavoring in many sweets and drinks, most famously in Mastiha, a digestive liquor from Chios. The mastic “tears,” or small bits of hardened tree sap, can also be chewed like gum, a practice dating back thousands of years. Its healing properties include prevention and treatment of stomach pains and gastric disorders and rejuvenation of the skin.
Mastic is used in cultures throughout the Mediterranean and Arab world, especially in Greek, Cypriot, Syrian, and Lebanese cuisine. The spread of mastic through the Mediterranean and Middle East is due to trade routes which date back to the Byzantine era.
Its rarity has made mastic highly sought-after throughout history. Even today, mastic is considered a precious commodity not to be wasted. The European Union has designated it a “protected designation of origin” product, confirming that only Chios can produce authentic mastic.
In fact, any attempt at producing the resin outside of the island over the years has totally failed. Researchers believe that Chios simply makes for the perfect combination of climate and soil conditions for the aromatic sap to be produced.
During the Byzantine period, it was so fundamental to the economy that villages in Chios were heavily walled to protect the island’s precious “white gold.”
Mastic production shapes daily life in Chios. In villages where the aromatic resin is produced, called “mastihohoria,” all of the residents partake in the preparation of the product.
Preparation begins in fall, when the tree bark is scored by a needle-like tool. The mastic then seeps out of the tree like tears as the bark tries to “heal” itself.
This process of gathering mastic is such an ancient tradition that UNESCO placed it on its “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” list in 2014.
Mastiha, or mastic, is an integral part of life in Chios
When the resin is dry, it is collected and taken back to the village to be cleaned. Women gather in groups to clean the “tears” of brittle, cloudy resin one-by-one so they will be ready for processing.
In response to drops in mastic prices in the nineteenth century, a cooperative called the Chios Gum Mastic Growers Association was formed. The association ensures that the two hundred families who depend on mastic production are not left unsupported in case of difficult crop seasons, wildfires, or other unforeseeable events that could halt production of the resin.
This concept of cooperation and concern for fellow mastic-workers is essential to Chios and is representative of the island’s tradition of working together and supporting one another.
The product’s rich history on the island is celebrated in Chios’s Mastic Museum, located in the southern region most associated with production of the resin. In the museum, all of the stages of mastic collection are explored, from the fields to the final stages of production.
Although most popular in the Mediterranean, the unique product from Chios has now reached all corners of the world, even South Korea and China.
Watch our short documentary on mastiha made possible through a grant by executive producer Michael Psaros:
17th century Zen garden in Takahashi City, Japan. Credit: Ka23 13 CC BY-SA 4.0
The first-ever Zen monastery in Greece is set to open in the next few weeks on the Greek island of Serifos. Additionally, a Zen temple in the Kerameikos area of Athens is currently under construction.
This endeavor is spearheaded by Zen abbot and entrepreneur Konstantinos Sgoumpopoulos. He passionately undertakes the construction, expressing his profound commitment to ensuring the eternal transmission of Zen teachings, reminiscent of the enduring legacy of Zen Buddhism in Japan, a Kathimerini report stated.
The Zen monastery on Serifos island is almost complete, while at the same time the Zen temple on 76 Agisilaou Street in Athens is also close to completion.
The Zen abbot and businessman said that the two spaces will be self-financing, and will leave a zero ecological footprint.
The monastery will have 10 cells for the monks, or long-term practitioners, with shared bathrooms and a large kitchen and can also accommodate 30 or so people in rooms outside the monastery.
Sgoumpopoulos said that currently there are more than 10 Zen monks in Greece, and they form the main sangha group of the Serifos monastery. Almost everything that the monastery inhabitants consume will be grown by the inhabitants.
If someone wants to become a monk or a practitioner they should be familiar with the Zen teachings, and it doesn’t matter what religion they belong to, if they are Christian, Muslim, atheist, or Jewish. Anyone can come, as long as they want to be trained, he said.
There will also be yoga, laido, aikido and tae kwon do classes and Zen Day. Also, Sgoumpopoulos himself will be teaching an introductory Zen class on the first Tuesday of every month.
Zen Buddhism Principles
A statue depicting Buddha performing the vitarka mudra. Credit: Purshi / wikimedia common CC BY 3.0s
Zen is a profound sect of Mahayana Buddhism originating in India approximately 2500 years ago, with its roots tracing back to China around 2000 years ago. About a millennium later, it merged with elements of Taoism, giving rise to Chan Buddhism, which eventually found its way to Japan, where it became known as Zen.
It emphasizes direct experience and insight into the true nature of reality. At its core, Zen is about realizing one’s inherent Buddha nature—our fundamental nature of wisdom, compassion, and interconnectedness with all things.
Rather than relying solely on intellectual understanding, Zen encourages practitioners to engage in rigorous meditation practice to directly experience this truth for themselves. Through disciplined meditation, often involving long periods of sitting in silence, practitioners aim to quiet the mind and cultivate a heightened state of awareness.
Zen teachings often employ paradoxical statements, stories, and koans (puzzles or riddles) to provoke deep contemplation and transcend conceptual thinking. By challenging conventional ways of understanding, Zen aims to break down the barriers of ego and attachment, leading to a profound shift in consciousness.
Central to Zen is the concept of mindfulness—being fully present and attentive to each moment without judgment or distraction. This mindfulness extends beyond formal meditation sessions into everyday life, where mundane activities like eating, walking, or working become opportunities for spiritual practice.
Ultimately, Zen is not just a philosophy or belief system but a way of life—an ongoing journey of self-discovery, awakening, and compassionate action. Through dedicated practice and inner exploration, individuals can cultivate a sense of peace, clarity, and profound interconnectedness with the world around them.
