How the world sees Greece
THESSALONIKI, Greece - Greek bakers in the northern city of Thessaloniki have made a giant "koulouri," a ring bread similar to a bagel, around the city's most visible monument, the medieval White Tower. The bread, 165 metres (540 feet) in diameter, weighed ...
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by Associated Press PAOK beats Atromitos 2-1, stays on top Associated Press - 19 October 2014 16:17-04:00 ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Two goals in the space of two minutes by Ergys Kace and Razvan Rat led PAOK to a 2-1 victory over visiting Atromitos in the Greek league Sunday. Kace opened the scoring in the 27th, and Rat added the second two minutes later. Javier Umbides pulled one back in the 61st but Atromitos did not threaten to equalize despite PAOK playing a man short after the 76th minute, when defender Miguel Vitor was sent off with a second yellow card. The win kept PAOK atop the league standings, a point ahead of Veria, which beat last-place Levadiakos 2-1. Kalloni is three points back after beating Kerkyra 1-0, as is defending champion Olympiakos after a 3-2 win over Ergotelis on Saturday. Also, OFI upset host Panathinaikos 2-1 and Platanias defeated Xanthi 1-0. Panionios hosts Giannena Monday. News Topics: Sports, Men's sports, Men's soccer, Soccer People, Places and Companies: Greece, Western Europe, Europe Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Greek bakers in the northern city of Thessaloniki have made a giant "koulouri," a ring bread similar to a bagel, around the city's most visible monument, the medieval White Tower.
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by Associated Press BC-SOC--Greek Standings Associated Press - 19 October 2014 15:02-04:00 BC-SOC--Greek Standings Greek Football Standings Greek League GP W D L GF GA Pts Veria 6 5 0 1 10 7 15 Kalloni 6 4 1 1 7 2 13 PAOK Thessaloniki 5 4 1 0 13 1 13 Olympiakos 6 4 1 1 13 5 13 Asteras 6 3 1 2 7 7 10 Atromitos 5 3 1 1 3 1 10 Kerkyra 6 3 1 2 8 6 10 Panathinaikos 6 3 1 2 8 7 10 OFI Crete 6 3 0 3 4 9 9 Panionios 5 2 1 2 6 6 7 Platanias 6 2 0 4 6 9 6 Xanthi 6 1 3 2 7 7 6 PAS Giannina 5 1 2 2 6 8 5 Panthrakikos 6 1 2 3 4 7 5 Ergotelis 6 1 1 4 8 12 4 Panetolikos 6 0 4 2 3 5 4 Niki Volos 6 1 0 5 3 12 3 Levadiakos 6 0 2 4 6 11 2 Saturday, Oct. 18 Niki Volos 1, Panthrakikos 0 Asteras 1, Panetolikos 1 Ergotelis 2, Olympiakos 3 Sunday, Oct. 19 Panathinaikos 1, OFI Crete 2 Kalloni 1, Kerkyra 0 Platanias 1, Xanthi 0 Veria 2, Levadiakos 1 PAOK Thessaloniki vs. Atromitos, 1730 GMT Monday, Oct. 20 Panionios vs. PAS Giannina, 1630 GMT Saturday, Oct. 25 PAS Giannina vs. Kalloni, 1200 GMT Levadiakos vs. Panionios, 1415 GMT Atromitos vs. Ergotelis, 1630 GMT Sunday, Oct. 26 PAOK Thessaloniki vs. Veria, 1300 GMT Kerkyra vs. Platanias, 1515 GMT Panetolikos vs. Panthrakikos, 1515 GMT Xanthi vs. Niki Volos, 1515 GMT Olympiakos vs. Panathinaikos, 1730 GMT Monday, Oct. 27 OFI Crete vs. Asteras, 1730 GMT News Topics: Soccer, Men's soccer, Sports, Men's sports People, Places and Companies: Thessaloniki, Crete, Greece, Western Europe, Europe Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Greek bakers in the northern city of Thessaloniki have made a giant "koulouri," a ring bread similar to a bagel, around the city's most visible monument, the medieval White Tower.
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"The Euro Trap: On Bursting Bubbles, Budgets, and Beliefs" By Hans-Werner Sinn. Oxford University Press; 380 pages. "The 13th Labour of Hercules: Inside the Greek Crisis" By Yannis Palaiologos. Portobello; 270 pages. THE euro crisis never seems to end. From an acute phase of worries about public debt and whether the single currency might break up it has moved on to a chronic condition of near-zero growth and fears of deflation. The signs are that the euro zone is now back in recession, with even the German economy, the central powerhouse, slowing sharply. And that is creating new pressure on Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, to borrow and spend more for the sake of Europe. Yet there is strong resistance to this inside Germany, led by "ordoliberal" economists such as Hans-Werner Sinn of Munich University and the CESifo Group, whose latest book, "The Euro Trap", sets out his rationale. Mr Sinn believes the European Central Bank has become too accommodating and that its plans to buy sovereign debt are illegal (the European Court of Justice has just heard arguments on this). He also reckons the euro-zone bail-outs of the past four years have created moral hazard, allowing feckless Mediterranean countries to get away with minimal reforms and only limited fiscal discipline. Mr Sinn is particularly obsessed with Target 2 (the first German version of his book was called "The Target Trap") liabilities, which refer to the accounts of national central banks with the ECB. The German Bundesbank is a large creditor of the system, and most Mediterranean central banks are large debtors. The worry is that German taxpayers might end up with a massive bill. Yet Target 2 is essentially an accounting matter that would only become a real issue if the euro were to break up and the ECB be dissolved. The paradox is that the risk of that happening is increased by German-inspired austerity and a lack of growth. Mr Sinn's solution to the euro's problems is also problematic: he wants some countries to leave the euro and re-enter at a lower rate. As it happens, Mrs Merkel and her advisers have thought hard about a Greek exit (or Grexit), as Mr Sinn notes. But every time they looked at it, they concluded that it would be costlier, including to Germany, than doing what is needed to keep the currency together. That remains true. Mr Sinn would not take much comfort from Yannis Palaiologos's searing account of Greece's nightmare of the past five years. Poor tax collection, entrenched corruption and a dysfunctional state may lead one to ask how Greece was let into the euro in the first place. The pain caused by a fall of around 25% in GDP since Greece's first bail-out of May 2010 has been immense. Yet Greeks still want to stay in the euro. And reforms have now improved competitiveness and even rekindled growth. There may still be political upsets--the author's analysis of the far-right party Golden Dawn is troubling--but at least Greece is on the mend. The current concerns, as Mr Sinn notes, are France and Italy, which are both too big to fail and too big to bail out. No wonder the euro crisis is not over. Click here to subscribe to The Economist Join the conversation about this story »
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Under the Greek flag, the Lemnos found itself entangled in the middle of a multi-national military-political battle. Greece was divided on its role in the ...
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A new poll, conducted by the University of Macedonia and published by Greek newspaper “Kathimerini,” shows SYRIZA in the lead over New Democracy by 7.5%. Greek main opposition party SYRIZA leads with 27.5% compared to New Democracy’s 20%, while “To Potami” comes third with 7.5%, followed by Golden Dawn (6.5 %), the Greek Communist Party (5.5%), Elia (4%), Independent Greeks (2.5%) and Democratic Left (0.5%). In a previous poll conducted last September, the difference between the first two parties was 6%. According to the analysis by Nick Marantzidis, Professor at the University of Macedonia in northern Greece, the gap between SYRIZA and New Democracy was created in two phases: The first phase was in the first half of 2014, when SYRIZA recorded a significant gap in the May elections outcome. It should be noted that this gap was not created in the pre-election period, but was essentially established by mid-spring. The second phase was in early autumn, when factors such as the ENFIA property tax and internal government problems had a negative impact on New Democracy voters. Anti-memorandum voters is a major votes reservoir for SYRIZA, since it received 30% of Independent Greeks voters, 13% of Golden Dawn’s and 12% of the Greek Communist Party voters when the Memorandum dilemma was first launched in June 2012. It seems that this dilemma still works for the benefit of SYRIZA, which still receives the votes of those who are either frustrated or angry with the coalition government parties.
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Despite the dire economic conditions prevailing in the country, some Greek companies were able to withstand the crisis and maintain or even increase their profit. ICAP Group presented the 500 most profitable companies in Greece, based on their published accounts for 2013. The criterion for their selection was their profit based on EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization). According to the ICAP report that was published in the Greek newspaper “The Nea,” the ranking of the top 500 most profitable companies in 2013 remained largely stable. Sixteen companies that were in the top 20 spots, maintained their position in both 2012 and 2013. Alpha Bank was pronounced the top company for 2013, followed by Piraeus Bank. The new entries in the 2013 top 20 were Aegean Airlines and Duty Free Shops. Motor Oil Corinth Refineries topped the sector of industry leaders, followed by Karelia Tobacco, Metka and Greek Defense Systems. In the trade sector, Jumbo was the “champion” for the fifth consecutive year, leading the list of top five companies with profits of over 40 million, followed by Duty Free Shops, AB Vassilopoulos, Sklavenitis and Masoutis. In the tourism industry, the top five consists of two car rental companies, Autohellas and Olympic SA, as well as by two hotels led by FAIAX.
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Oct 19 (Infostrada Sports) - Results and standings from the Greek championship matches on Sunday Sunday, October 19Kalloni 1 Kerkyra 0 Panathinaikos 1 OFI Crete 2 Platanias 1 Xanthi 0 Veria 2 Levadiakos 1 Saturday, October 18Asteras Tripolis 1 Panaitolikos Agrinion 1 Ergotelis 2 Olympiakos Piraeus 3 Niki Volos 1 Panthrakikos 0 Standings P W D L F A Pts 1 Veria 6 5 0 1 10 7 15 ...
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It’s been more than half a century since Harry Mark Petrakis, a Chicago native, began selling short stories and novels after several years of rejections, but writing from his Greek experience – and his home city – still endear him to legions of fans. The post Greek Life Chronicler Petrakis Still Chicago, After All These Years appeared first on The National Herald.
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Despite the dire economic conditions prevailing in the country, some Greek companies were able to withstand the crisis and maintain or even increase their profit. ICAP Group presented the 500 most profitable companies in Greece, based on their published accounts for 2013. The criterion for their selection was their profit based on EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization). According to the ICAP report that was published in the Greek newspaper “The Nea,” the ranking of the top 500 most profitable companies in 2013 remained largely stable. Sixteen companies that were in the top 20 spots, maintained their position in both 2012 and 2013. Alpha Bank was pronounced the top company for 2013, followed by Piraeus Bank. The new entries in the 2013 top 20 were Aegean Airlines and Duty Free Shops. Motor Oil Corinth Refineries topped the sector of industry leaders, followed by Karelia Tobacco, Metka and Greek Defense Systems. In the trade sector, Jumbo was the “champion” for the fifth consecutive year, leading the list of top five companies with profits of over 40 million, followed by Duty Free Shops, AB Vassilopoulos, Sklavenitis and Masoutis. In the tourism industry, the top five consists of two car rental companies, Autohellas and Olympic SA, as well as by two hotels led by FAIAX.
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The Greek Ministry of Infrastructure estimates that the first 4,000 free Wi-Fi hotspots will be ready in mid 2015. The wi-fi hotspots will be initially providing free internet connection to 100 archaeological sites and museums, as well as 200 ports and marinas. People will be able to connect to the internet for 30 minutes, provided that they are within 20 meters from the access point when indoors and 100 meters when outdoors. Each access point will be able to serve 40-50 users simultaneously. The project, totaling 15 million euros, has been applied for by four companies: OTE, TELESTO, COSMOS BUSINESS SYSTEMS, ZTE HELLAS and INTRACOM. According to the Ministry, “This is the biggest effort, internationally, on a coverage area basis and its practice is going to be an example for the European Union”.
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NEW YORK – Still basking in the glow of the ground blessing for the St. Nicholas shrine at Ground Zero at noon – Archbishop Demetrios of America called it a great day from Alpha to Omega – clergy, laity and friends of the Greek Orthodox Church gathered at the New York Hilton for the banquet […] The post Annual Archons Banquet Fetes Religious Freedom and Human Rights Advocate appeared first on The National Herald.
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Just as we were keeping up our hopes on the negotiations between Turkish and Greek Cyprus, we were surprised by the news coming from the Greek ...
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Episcopal Day School students put on a skit and had Greek Mythology ... with portraying characters from Greek Mythology last week in Brownsville.
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Several prisoners and police officers in Greece have been found infected with tuberculosis. The Greek Center of Disease Control and Prevention (KEELPNO) has stated that it is launching a program to vaccinate convicted prisoners, immigrants held in detention and police officers. Yesterday, it was reported that a Pakistani immigrant being held in the Amygdaleza detention facility had been diagnosed with the disease. The man was transferred to the Sismanoglio hospital in Athens where doctors ascertained that he is suffering from lymphatic tuberculosis, which is not contagious. However, the fact is that conditions both in prisons and police holding cells across the country are very poor and highly conducive to the spread of diseases such as tuberculosis. Only several days ago, two people being held in an Athens police station, were found to be suffering from tuberculosis while another six prisoners and eight police officers have been infected by the bacteria. They will be given a precautionary 9 month course of antibiotics. While tuberculosis can be treated with antibiotics, it is one of the most difficult bacterial infections to treat, with several strains having developed resistance to multiple antibiotics. A KEELPNO team has begun testing all the immigrants detained in Amygdaleza for tuberculosis infection, as well as the officers working at the facility and they will all be vaccinated against the disease. Currently, 1600 immigrants and asylum seekers are being held in the facility, which is manned by 450 police officers. The facility has repeatedly come under serious criticism both due to the indefinite nature of the detention of irregular immigrants, as well as the squalid conditions they are held in. It is very likely that the vaccination program will be expanded to all of the country’s prison facilities and holding areas in police stations where prisoners are often kept for months at a time. Yet, while vaccinations are an important first step, the fact remains that many detention facilities throughout the country remain overcrowded and with grossly insufficient sanitation. The country was heavily criticized recently by the European Council for the Prevention of Torture and Inhumane Treatment. The Council catalogued a number of cases of gross inadequacy and stated that the country has the greatest prison overcrowding problem in Europe. According to the Greek Justice Minister himself, the prison population is 40% over capacity, with 13,000 detainees crammed into facilities that are only designed to accommodate 9,000.
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Greek Alternate Health Minister Leonidas Grigorakos said on Saturday that Greece is prepared for the Ebola virus. “We are ready. We are taking precautionary measures. We have set a special room at “Amalia Fleming” hospital in Athens with two beds.
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On Saturday, Greek main opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras underlined the need for his party to dominate politically and take advantage of its victory in the European Parliament elections, and within this framework to undertake initiatives towards the national agreement, during his address to his party’s central committee. Tsipras charged the government and Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras for “humiliating the parliamentary institutions and scaremongering,” and reassured that SYRIZA will not follow this path. He stated that his party is the most powerful and organized political force in Greece at this moment, “a political force that secures stability”. Ahead of the start of the procedures for the election of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Tsipras called all political forces, as well as the independent MPs, to state their position clearly. Despite the fact that he did not rule out the possibility of rapid political developments, he underlined that “we can say with certainty that the presidential elections will be a landmark for the country” because as he said “the government does not have the parliamentary majority to elect the new president that would allow it to continue its disastrous course.” Tsipras said that SYRIZA should not be trapped in the so-called ideological clarity, adding that authority means “the ability to create a majority based on our program” and pledged that he will insist on the need of a wide political, social and national agreement. He said that the government has dried along with its success story’s bubble and charged Samaras and Venizelos that “in order to undermine SYRIZA, they do not hesitate to undermine the country’s stability,” adding that the Prime Minister did not have the boldness to demand what the program he co-signed foresees; after the achievement of a primary surplus, start the discussion for the debt’s sustainability.” The main opposition leader predicted that “the markets will probably be hostile towards Greece for a long period,” adding that the markets are playing their own games and noted that only after a substantial debt relief they will stop being hostile.” Referring to the developments in the Balkans and the Middle East, Tsipras charged Turkey’s stance on Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone, saying that “it consists a despicable violation of Cyprus’ rights, enshrined by international law”. He also expressed his concern over the recent developments in Dervitsani, Albania, noting the need for immediate action against the nationalist tension in the Balkans that is against the efforts for cooperation and solution to the area’s problems. (source: ana-mpa)
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Greece's long-term borrowing costs breached 8 per cent on Thursday – the highest since early February – as investors fretted over the possibility that ...
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"Greece must resolutely continue to implement the agreed reforms. In its own interests. Being reliable creates confidence - also on the markets," he ...
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Worries over Greece's plans for an early pullout sparked a major sell-off of Greek bonds and stock last week, with investors concerned over its ability to ...
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Despite Greece's miserable record in European qualifying, new Greek soccer coach Claudio Ranieri is still getting official support. The post Bad Start Ranieri Gets Backing appeared first on The National Herald.
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Hill had arranged meetings in Athens last week with high level Greek officials and a group of leading legal experts from a London law firm. The team ...
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+ caption This July 6, 2014 photo shows picturesque windmills on the island of Mykonos in the Cyclades, a Greek island chain in the Aegean Sea.
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- Faced with scores of terrorist groups who want to bring down the government and wreak havoc in society, Greece is reportedly turning to the United States for assistance in battling extremists and dealing with irregular immigration and sending Public Order Minister Vassilis Kikilias to Washington, D.C. The post Greece Asks US Intelligence Help In Battling Terrorism appeared first on The National Herald.
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ATHENS – With Greece and its international lenders coming to terms over how to wrap up its bailouts early, the next step is finishing a review of unfinished reforms. The scrutiny is hold hold while the Troika of the European Union-International Monetary Fund-European Central Bank (EU-IMF-ECB) waits for the government to forward plans on wrapping […] The post Greece, Troika Find Common Ground appeared first on The National Herald.
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By Andrew Chugg* I wrote my initial article on this question on the morning of 6th September, a day before the announcement of the discovery of the caryatids, and I wrote a second part on 20th September and a third part on 28th September dealing with the caryatids. The discovery of the mosaic announced on 12th October prompted fourth article on 13th October, in which I predicted that the part-excavated mosaic depicted the Abduction of Persephone with the god Hermes running ahead of the chariot and Hades (a.k.a. Pluto), god of the Underworld, driving the chariot. Therefore I forecasted that the figure of Persephone would be found in the unexcavated part on the right-hand side. I further suggested that “Persephone” would actually be a representation of the occupant of the tomb. On 16th October Persephone was duly revealed and that has required that I compose this fifth instalment, since the image of this goddess provides us with the strongest evidence yet on the identity of the occupant of this increasingly impressive mausoleum. But in order to set the occupant’s identification in context I first offer the following summary of the inferences I drew from the evidence available in my first three articles: 1) Sphinxes decorated the thrones found in the tombs of two mid to late 4th century BC queens of Macedon, one of whom was Alexander’s grandmother Eurydice I 2) Greek mythology recognised Hera the wife of Zeus as the mistress of the sphinx: the 4th century BC Macedonian kings identified themselves with Zeus, so it would make sense for their principal queens to have identified themselves with Hera 3) The female sphinxes at Amphipolis have their closest parallel in a pair of female sphinxes found by Mariette at the Serapeum at Saqqara, which were dated to the reign of the first Ptolemy by Lauer & Picard, mainly on the basis of an associated inscription: the Serapeum at Saqqara is also a strong candidate for the site of the first tomb of Alexander the Great 4) There are strong parallels between the façades of the tombs of Philip II and Alexander IV at Aegae and the reconstructed façade of the lion monument that stood atop the mound at Amphipolis 5) The paving in the tomb at Amphipolis closely matches paving in the 4th century BC palace at Aegae 6) The 8-petal double rosettes in the Amphipolis tomb have an excellent match on the edge bands of the gold larnax of Philip II 7) The evidence therefore favours an important queen being entombed at Amphipolis: Olympias, Alexander’s mother, and Roxane, Alexander’s wife may both have died at Amphipolis and are the only prominent queens that accord with the archaeologists’ firm dating of the Amphipolis tomb to the last quarter of the 4th century BC 8) On the assumption that the occupant of the Amphipolis tomb is Olympias, a straightforward explanation of the caryatids would be that they are Klodones, the priestesses of Dionysus with whom Plutarch, Alexander 2 states that Olympias consorted: the baskets worn on their heads would be those in which Plutarch says the Klodones kept snakes. 9) Plutarch, Alexander 2 tells the story of Philip having dreamt that he sealed Olympias’s womb whilst she was pregnant with Alexander with the device of a lion. This provides an explanation for the tomb having been surmounted by a lion monument. In pursuing the logic of the evidence provided by the mosaic, there is a strong presumption that the figure of Persephone could be a portrait of the deceased individual who is the occupant of the tomb. This is because a forced abduction into the Underworld is a metaphor for death. If there is a depiction of someone passing from life laid out across the path of a visitor on entering a tomb, it is hard not to form a conception that it represents the death of the tomb’s occupant. But there is a second reason to believe that Persephone should be a portrait of the deceased. The people who built a tomb of such phenomenal grandeur clearly intended to exalt its occupant in every possible way. Since the world was plunged into permanent winter when Persephone was abducted, to make her look like the deceased in the mosaic would have been a wonderful compliment. It was like saying that the world was again plunged into a kind of winter by the death of the occupant. It is hard to believe that the tomb-builders, who were probably the occupant’s close relatives, would have missed such an opportunity, when they had gone to so much trouble and expense over the rest of the arrangements. If Persephone is indeed a portrait of the deceased, then the occupant was a woman. In view of the exceptional size and magnificence of the structure, she should be a woman of exceptional status, almost certainly a queen. Everything I have seen tends to support the archaeologists’ firm date range for this tomb within the last quarter of the 4th century BC. Consequently, the field of possible occupants narrows to just two particular queens: Olympias, the mother of Alexander, and Roxane, his wife, both of whom may have died at Amphipolis. I have previously argued that the caryatids representing priestesses of Dionysus and the lion that stood atop the mound are more readily explicable, if Olympias is the occupant. But now the fully revealed mosaic (Figure 1) presents us with a significant new piece of evidence to decide between them. Specifically, the Persephone figure has reddish hair (Figure 2). It is certain that Alexander’s wife, Roxane, was a native of northern Afghanistan. There are now, and I believe were then, very few redheads in that region. The reddish hair of the Persephone figure makes Roxane an unlikely occupant for this tomb (or at least an unlikely principal occupant.) Conversely Olympias was a Molossian from Epirus, where redheads were reputedly common. Some websites actually declare that Olympias had red hair, as though it is an established fact (e.g. http://www.ancient.eu/Olympias/). However, I am not sure that we have any direct evidence from written sources or ancient images to confirm it. Nevertheless, there is some slightly less direct evidence on the matter. Firstly, Olympias claimed direct descent from Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles. His nickname was Pyrrhus, which means flame–red in Greek. This nickname suggests the person had reddish-blond hair in rather the same way that the nickname “Ginger” usually means someone with auburn hair in English. This Pyrrhus was of course a semi-legendary figure, but in fact the grandson of Olympias’s sister and uncle was the historical King Pyrrhus of Epirus, after whom Pyrrhic victories are named. There is also firmer evidence in that we do have some strong indications of Alexander’s hair colour, which might very well have echoed that of his mother. Two ancient sources provide direct evidence on Alexander’s hair colour as follows: “They say that Alexander the son of Philip was naturally handsome: his hair was swept upwards and was golden-red in colour.” Aelian, Varia Historia 12.14 “Alexander had the body of a man but the hair of a lion.” Pseudo-Callisthenes 1.13.3 Even better, we have a near certain colour image of Alexander in the form of a mural found at Pompeii (Figure 3). The hair colour of this Alexander is an excellent match for the hair of the Persephone figure in the mural and these murals from Pompeii are usually copies of much earlier Greek paintings. Finally there is a mosaic depicting a deer hunt found at Pella in Macedonia (Figure 4) in which some scholars (e.g. Paolo Moreno, “Apelles: The Alexander Mosaic”, pp. 102-104) have seen representations of Hephaistion and Alexander. This is because the double-headed axe is an attribute of the god Hephaistos, after whom Hephaistion was named, and also because the Alexander figure on the right has his hair swept up over his forehead in an anastole, which is a feature found in many of the most authentic surviving ancient portraits of Alexander. Therefore we can conclude that the reddish hair colour of the Persephone in the newly discovered mosaic is highly consistent with Olympias’s probable hair colour and the ensemble of evidence now before us makes it reasonable to suspect that Persephone is represented as a portrait of Olympias. The question next arises of whether the Hades (or Pluto in Latin) and Hermes figures in the Amphipolis mosaic also have human counterparts? Did its artist intend that there should be a kind of overall duality in its interpretation, such that each of the gods is actually a portrait of a dead member of the Macedonian royal family? This is inherently quite a likely possibility, because artworks seeming to possess a similar duality have been found in other Macedonian tombs of this era. In particular, there is a superb ivory carving from the Prince’s tomb (Tomb III) at Vergina (Figure 5), which has often been interpreted as representing Philip and Olympias as a god and goddess with Alexander serenading them on the pipes in the guise of the god Pan. In this ivory it is immediately obvious that the bearded and wreathed man at its centre bears a striking resemblance to the bearded and wreathed Hades figure in the newly discovered mosaic. Hades also looks very similar to a range of other contemporaneous portraits of Philip II, Alexander’s father, and it was widely remarked prior to the unveiling of Persephone that he looked like a portrait of Philip II. That he is crowned as a king could equally refer to a kingdom in the Underworld or in Macedon. Furthermore, Hades averts the right side of his face. This is significant, because Philip’s right eye was disfigured by an arrow wound at the siege of Methone in 354BC, so the right side of his face could not be shown without spoiling the Hades- Philip duality. It is a magnificent irony to depict Philip as carrying Olympias into the Underworld, since Justin 9.7.1 repeats an old rumour that she had been involved in organising his assassination. But it is the final figure’s possible human identity, which is the most interesting point of all. The artist seems to have depicted Hermes (Figure 6) with particular care, vivacity and drama. Staring out at us, he almost steals the show! If he is to have a human counterpart he should be somebody close to Olympias who preceded her into the afterlife for he precedes her into the Underworld and nobody still living at the time the mosaic was crafted could sensibly be depicted entering the afterlife. Philip is depicted at about his age at death, which was forty-seven. He could not be shown any older, if he were to be recognisable. He died at about the autumnal equinox in 336BC, almost twenty years before the death of Olympias in the spring of 316BC. All the human portraits in the mosaic therefore need to be consistent with the year 336BC in order for them to work as a group portrait of members of the royal family, although there is some artistic leeway, since it is difficult to be precise about the ages of figures represented in mosaics. Olympias would have been in her mid-thirties in 336BC. Rendering her more youthful than her actual age at death could also be seen as a compliment to the deceased, so it was probably expected of the artist anyway. Hermes appears as a young, clean-shaven man of about twenty and there is something curiously familiar about him to me. Indeed this riddle has a simple solution: the male member of the royal family who was twenty when Philip died and who pre-deceased Olympias was their only son, Alexander the Great. There seems to me also to be a family resemblance between the figures of Hermes and Persephone in the mosaic. It is not difficult to believe that they are mother and son. Although it may be unfamiliar to see Alexander depicted wearing a petasos hat, there is in fact a parallel instance in the Pella deer hunt mosaic (Figure 4), where just such a hat has flown up off of Alexander’s head, due to the impetus of his attack on the deer. A few other portraits of Alexander at this age survive, perhaps the most important being a head found on the Acropolis in Athens (Figure 7). It seems to me quite credible that the Amphipolis Hermes and this Acropolis Alexander depict one and the same individual. This duality in the interpretation of the figures in the newly discovered mosaic is necessarily conjectural, but if it is obvious to me, it should have been obvious to anybody viewing this mosaic when it was first made. We may have a spectacular new portrait of Alexander as a young man – the way he was always remembered in Macedon, for he left his homeland at twenty-one, never to return. The whole composition is really quite moving when you know the tragic stories of the three enormously important individuals portrayed. And everybody who saw this when it was new would have known and understood everything that its subtle and masterful artist intended. Finally it is opportune to note that an interview with Lena Mendoni, general secretary of the Greek Ministry of Culture, and Katerina Peristeri, head of the Amphipolis archaeological team was published by the Ministry on 16th October. They suggest that the occupant is “extremely important” and they are connecting the finds with Orphic and Dionysiac cult activities. Furthermore, they state that this may in turn connect the occupant to the Royal Family of Macedon. They also remain firm on the dating of the tomb to the final quarter of the 4th century BC. I would like to comment that there are not many extremely important members of the Macedonian royal family that were available to be buried at Amphipolis in that period. Alexander himself was entombed in Egypt beyond reasonable doubt. His father was the occupant of Tomb II at Aegae/Vergina, as has just been re-confirmed. It is about 90% certain that Tomb III at Aegae/Vergina contained the cremated remains of Alexander IV. Philip-Arrhidaeus, Adea-Eurydice and her mother Cynna are stated to have been interred at Aegae by Diodorus 19.52.5. Cleopatra, the daughter of Philip and Olympias, was murdered at Sardis in about 308BC and Cassander and Thessalonice died a little too late in 297BC and 296BC respectively. Among prominent members of the royal family that mainly leaves Olympias and Roxane. But among all the members of the royal family, the person most explicitly associated with Orphic and Dionysiac cults was undoubtedly Olympias, so it is appropriate in conclusion to cite Plutarch’s comments on Olympias’s participation in such activities: “Moreover, a serpent was once seen lying stretched out by the side of Olympias as she slept, and we are told that this, more than anything else, dulled the ardour of Philip’s attentions to his wife, so that he no longer came often to sleep by her side, either because he feared that some spells and enchantments might be practised upon him by her, or because he shrank from her embraces in the conviction that she was the partner of a superior being. But concerning these matters there is another story to this effect: all the women of these parts were addicted to the Orphic rites and the orgies of Dionysus from very ancient times, being called Klodones and Mimallones, and imitated in many ways the practices of the Edonian women and the Thracian women about Mount Haemus, from whom, as it would seem, the word ‘threskeuein’ came to be applied to the celebration of extravagant and superstitious ceremonies. Now Olympias, who affected these divine possessions more zealously than other women, and carried out these divine inspirations in wilder fashion, used to provide the revelling companies with great tame serpents, which would often lift their heads from out the ivy and the sacred baskets, or coil themselves about the wands and garlands of the women, thus terrifying the men.” Plutarch, Life of Alexander, 2.4-6 Perhaps it is still premature formally to identify Olympias as the occupant of the Lion Tomb at Amphipolis, but it is very clear that the evidence continues to move forcefully and consistently in that direction. *Andrew Chugg is the author of The Quest for the Tomb of Alexander the Great and several academic papers on Alexander’s tomb.
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By Mike PeacockLONDON (Reuters) - Evaporating inflation and slowing growth have put financial markets into such a spin that they could inflict further damage on the world economy.Until a dramatic selloff, exuberant markets had raced well ahead of the economies that underpin them, partly because the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks flooded the financial system with new money.With the Fed set to turn off its money taps at the end of this month, investors appear to have woken up to poor growth prospects in much of the world, something International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde has termed a "new mediocre".It's not all doom and gloom. The outlook for the world’s largest economy has not suddenly taken a turn for the worse. And a 25 percent plunge in the price of oil since June should put more money in the pockets of companies and households."U.S. momentum has softened a little but we expect growth to remain solidly above trend. At the same time, the drop in oil prices is as much a reflection of supply as demand factors," economists at Goldman Sachs said in a note."For consumers in the largest economies, it should provide meaningful relief, offsetting the pressure from tighter financial conditions and weaker global demand."Fears are centered on recession and even deflation in the euro zone and the extent of China's slowdown.When the world financial crisis raged from 2007-2009, China's resilience was one of the major silver linings. It may not be this time.Chinese third-quarter gross domestic product numbers due on Tuesday are forecast to show growth at its weakest pace in more than five years, at 7.2 percent year-on-year.Beijing is expected to roll out a stream of stimulus measures in coming months, though most economists believe it will hold off on an interest rate cut unless conditions deteriorate sharply.PRESSURE ON GERMANYA poor run of economic data suggests Germany will flirt with recession in the third quarter, having contracted by 0.2 percent in the second.Flash October purchasing managers indices for the United States, euro zone, Germany and France -- due on Thursday -- will give a first glimpse of the state of their economies heading into the last quarter of the year.Britain won't escape the impact of the euro zone's malaise but is in much healthier shape. Third-quarter GDP data on Friday are forecast to show growth of 0.7 percent in July to September.The International Monetary Fund, United States, G20 and European Central Bank have pressured Berlin to increase public spending to lift its own economy and help its peers in the currency area.But the German government, the only one in the euro zone with the resources to spend more and the heft for it to make a difference, is committed to a balanced budget with no net new borrowing in 2015.The argument will doubtless be reprised at an EU leaders summit in Brussels late next week.France and Italy are pressing for more leeway on debt targets to buy time to push through much-needed structural economic reforms but are likely to have their 2015 budgets rejected by Brussels, leading to a scramble to broker a face-saving deal.The German and French economy ministers have asked experts in Berlin and Paris to come up with reform recommendations for their countries in an apparent attempt to avert a full-blown clash over economic policy.The hope is that a renewed French and Italian commitment to economic reforms will persuade Germany to loosen its purse strings and the ECB to act more forcefully, even crossing its Rubicon and printing money.The ECB has denied there is any "grand bargain" in the offing and officials admit that whatever transpires -- the aim is that a deal will be done in time for a December summit -- may fall short of what is required."We now see sovereign QE as unavoidable next year," said Ruben Segura-Cayuela, economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, referring to quantitative easing, or asset purchases with new money."In a central scenario of a weak economic recovery, where the fiscal stance does not ease meaningfully, and an inflation profile that surprises the ECB on the downside, we believe the central bank will be forced to do more than it has done so far."The euro zone's most pressing problem is Greece, where borrowing costs have rocketed way above the level that would allow Athens to quit the bailout program hated by its people and return to financing itself on the markets.Prime Minister Antonis Samaras insists Athens will press ahead with plans to wean itself off EU and IMF aid.(Editing by Catherine Evans)Join the conversation about this story »
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ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Finance Minister Gikas Hardouvelis said in an interview published on Saturday he did not expect the European Central Bank's health checks to show major surprises for ...
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Scoreless in the first quarter. Greece Athena's Signory Kapend took the handoff and shook off a couple tackles then found room on the outside to take ...
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Carolyn Eller (leading the walk, with sign), 29, of Erie, organized the walk in conjunction with the A21 Campaign, a Greece-based organization that is ...
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Mihalis Hatzigiannis – a Greek Cypriot singer and bona fide pop star – loves coming to Melbourne. And why wouldn't he? He's been invited to visit the ...
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Elegant was the theme of the show presented by the Daughters of Penelope that raised money for Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Smile ...
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Hundreds of people attended a blessing ceremony on Saturday for a new house of worship that will replace the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint ...
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It turns out that the Greece Forest Hill is different from Forest Hills Restaurant. The owner of Forest Hill is Mike Sheedy and said he gotten lots of calls ...
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A CHILLING tale of lost love is echoing through the millennia as archaeologists delve into the mysteries of an immense 2300-year-old Greek burial mound.
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A ceremony was held Saturday in lower Manhattan to bless the ground at the site of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, destroyed during the Sept.
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ATHENS: Greece's radical leftist Syriza party would beat Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' New Democracy party if an election were held now, but its ...
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Investors in the Singapore market could be forgiven for feeling like victims of a Greek tragedy today. After slowly driving the benchmark Straits Times ...
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Thirteen years ago, the small Greek Orthodox church that stood as a reprieve from the city's furious financial nerve center was crushed as the south ...
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Nearly a thousand members of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, which raised $38 million to build a national shrine at Ground Zero, ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.newsday.com |
Now Amal Clooney has reignited the debate over the Parthenons crowning glory, its time we rectified a historic wrong. Reunite these ancient sculptures with their homeAlmost every day I take a walk around the Acropolis. Around is the operative word, because the Greeks have gone to great lengths to unite their Athenian antiquities with a pedestrian path.At the centre of this classical treasure trove stands the craggy outcrop known as the Sacred Rock. As you ascend the walkway, it is what crowns its summit that leaps out at you. For there, amid the pines, is the Parthenon, the greatest temple of all, peerless, incandescent white, the embodiment in marble of the glory that was the Golden Age. Continue reading...
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For the seventh year Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church is holding the Central Georgia Greek Festival. A large crowd was there Saturday afternoon ...
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The site for the "Saint Nicholas National Shrine" was blessed by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, marking significant progress toward the ...
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Wearing a Chanel cream jacket and pencil skirt, the barrister, who agreed with Greece's claim for the return of the marbles, was asked if she would ...
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The Cyprus problem and the contribution of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to efforts to promote the issue in Washington as well as ...
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Hundreds of members of New York's Greek Orthodox community attended a blessing ceremony Saturday for a new church near ground zero in Lower Manhattan that will replace a house of worship that was destroyed in the Sept. 11 terror attacks. In his remarks at ...
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st nicholas greek orthodox church new york A procession of church leaders and others walks to a groundbreaking for the St Nicholas National Shrine ...
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Very generous and thank you for sharing these with the rest of the world. I will link the article from my blog as well. Sound quality is great, All of ...
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