elysian: 2018

OLYMPUS: THE HOME OF THE GODS

12:30:00

Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece and one of the highest peaks in Europe. Between the regions of Macedonia and Thessaly, Mount Olympus was declared a National Park in 1938 due to its deeply rich flora, natural beauty and of course its mythological connection. It was considered to be the residence of the 12 Greek Gods. In Homers’ Iliad, the home of the gods is described as an ancient acropolis below the peaks of Olympus. The three Horae guarded the golden gates. Inside there was the palace of Zeus, other palaces for the rest of the Gods and stables for the immortal horses.

The origin of the name Όλυμπος (Olympus) is unknown and usually considered to be "pre-Greek". There are mentions of Olympus in Homer, Herodotus and many ancient writers. Its highest peak, Mytikas (meaning nose) rising to 2,918 meters, considered to be the meeting place of the Gods. Furthermore, M. Olympus has also an important historical significance since it served as a hiding place of the armatoloi, who were fighting against Ottoman occupation and later as a gathering centre for the Greek resistance against German occupation (1941-1944).

Mount Olympus has 52 peaks, gorges, forests and alpine fields. For seven months of the year it is covered in snow (from November to May) while the temperature varies in the winter from -10 °C to 10 °C and in the summer from 0 °C to 20 °C. Its fauna and flora are really impressive. In antiquity (according to Pausanias) there were lions and until 16^th century bears. Now the traveler may come across various species of birds (as the golden eagle, the lanner falcon, etc), reptiles (snakes, lizards) and other animals as the wild boar, the wildcat and roe deer. Its flora is even more impressive with about 1700 species and subspieces. 23 of them are local endemic plants (they can be found only in Olympus).

The first recorded ascent took place in 1913 by the local goat hunter C.Kakkalos together with the alpinists F.Boissonas and D.Baud-Bovy. Today is one of the most popular destinations with more than 150000 visitors per year. There are various activities (hiking, trekking, canyoning, etc) satisfying every adventurer. The Greek Gods chose Mount Olympus as their home. Ascending it, is a once in a lifetime experience and who knows...maybe you can catch a glimpse of Zeus upon his throne!!

archaeology

GOD DIONYSUS AND THE PIRATES

18:16:00

archaeology

COLOSSUS OF RHODES: AN ANCIENT WANDER

00:30:00

archaeology

THE WINDS OF ATHENS

19:00:00

architecture

MONEMVASIA: A SHIP OF STONE

14:00:00

One of the most beautiful medieval cities in Greece is Monemvasia (the name derives from the words mone and emvassia meaning single entrance). Monemvasia is built on a rock 200m high, 1500m long and 600m wide. Its entrance is a bridge connecting the rock to the mainland. The town was constructed this way to avoid enemy attacks. Founded by the Lakedemons in the 6th century AD, Monemvasia was an important town, part of the Byzantine Empire. The town’s geographically strategic position made it an ideal base for military operations. Later it passed under Venetian (1463-1540 and 1690-1715) and Ottoman occupation (1540-1690 and 1715-1821). In 1821, the fortress was the first to be liberated during the Greek War of Independence.

There are many things to admire in Monemvasia. The architecture of the houses is a mix of local, Venetian and Ottoman style. Today most of the old mansions have been converted into guesthouses and boutique hotels. The visitor may explore the Upper Town that accommodated the first residents, the byzantine churches and the Muslim Shrine (now housing the Archaeological Collection of the city). Don’t forget to taste the culinary delights and of course the famous “Monemvasian Wine’’ (or “Malvasia’’ for the west). You can wander around the narrow, cobbled streets and appreciate the amazing view from different spots.

Monemvasia is the birthplace of the great poet Yannis Ritsos (1909-1990). He was born in 1909 and he left a wide range of poems, plays, etc. Ritsos' poetry ranges from the overtly political to the personal, and it often utilizes characters from ancient Greek mythology. Tractors (1934), Epitaphios (1936), Earini Symphonia (1938) and Moonlight Sonata (1956) are among his popular works. Monemvasia was constant in his mind as in his work.

"Monovasia"

Rock. Nothing else. The wild fig tree and the ironstone.
An armed sea. No room at all for genuflection. Outside the Elkomenos Church gate a crimson in the black. The old women with their cauldrons bleaching the longest woven cloth in history suspend on rings from the forty-four Byzantine arcades. The sun a merciless friend with his lance on the walls opposite and death disinherited within this vast illumination where the dead interrupt their sleep now and then with cannon fire and rusty lampposts, going up and down on step after step carved in the rock. They strike their tinder boxes against the edge of their palms until the sparks fly. I – he said – will climb higher, above the soft continuation, stepping on the dome of the large submarine church with its lit candelabra. I with the blue bone, the red wing and the pure white teeth.

Monovasia 28.9.74

Source for the poem: www.monemvasia.gr

archaeology

BLOODLESS EXECUTIONS: THE DARKER SIDE OF ATHENIAN JUSTICE

17:00:00

"The death of Socrates" Jacques-Louis David, Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Stoa of Attalos in Athens ( a reconstructed building of around 150 B.C. ) houses the Museum of the Ancient Agora. Its exhibits are mostly connected with the Athenian democracy, as the Agora was the focus of the city's public life. The collection of the museum includes clay, bronze and glass objects, sculptures, coins and inscriptions from the 7th to the 5th century B.C., as well as pottery of the Byzantine period and the Turkish conquest.

Among them, there are some black-glazed medicine bottles from the area of the “Desmoterion”(:jail) - 5th century B.C. that used to hold the hemlock or Conium macelatum employed in executions. Conium comes from the Ancient Greek κώνειον - kṓneion: poison hemlock, a herbaceous and poisonous biennial flowering plant. This may be related to konas (meaning to whirl), in reference to vertigo, one of the symptoms of ingesting the plant.

In ancient Greece, hermlock was used to poison condemned prisoners. The most famous victim of hemlock poisoning is the philosopher Socrates. After being accused of impiety and corrupting the young men of Athens, in 399 B.C., his trial (where he easily refuted these charges) resulted in his being condemned to death. Socrates was given a potent infusion of the hemlock plant. Plato described Socrates' death in the Phaedo:

“The man...laid his hands on him and after a while examined his feet and legs, then pinched his foot hard and asked if he felt it. He said “No”; then after that, his thighs; and passing upwards in this way he showed us that he was growing cold and rigid. And then again he touched him and said that when it reached his heart, he would be gone. The chill had now reached the region about the groin, and uncovering his face, which had been covered, he said – and these were his last words – “Crito, we owe a cock to Asclepius. Pay it and do not neglect it.” “That,” said Crito, “shall be done; but see if you have anything else to say.” To this question he made no reply, but after a little while he moved; the attendant uncovered him; his eyes were fixed. And Crito when he saw it, closed his mouth and eyes…”

elysian

THE LEGEND OF THE MERMAID THESSALONIKE

11:30:00

Thessaloniki is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Macedonia. Founded in 315 BC by Cassander and named after his wife Thessalonike, half-sister of Alexander the Great. Thessalonike was the daughter of king Philip II of Macedon and his mistress Nicesipolis. To commemorate the birth of his daughter (around 350 BC) which fell on the same day as the armies of Macedon and Thessalian league won the battle of Crocus field in Thessaly over the Phocians, King Philip is said to have stated, "Let her be called victory in Thessaly". Her name is the combination of the words Thessaly and nike, that translates into 'Thessalian Victory'. As her mother did not live long after her birth, Thessalonike have been brought up by her stepmother Olympias, the mother of Alexander and Philip's fourth wife.

Her brother Alexander died when she was 21 years old. After the conquest of Pydna (where the royal family had found shelter), Cassander married Thessalonike, wanting to connect himself with the Argead dynasty. She became queen of Macedon and the mother of three sons. Her husband paid her the honour of conferring her name upon the city of Thessaloniki, which he founded on the site of the ancient Therma. But Thessalonike had a tragic end. Her son Antipater put her to death in 295 BC, jealous of the favour his mother showed to his younger brother Alexander.

Apart from the historic figure of Thessalonike, there is a popular Greek legend about a mermaid who lived in the Aegean for hundreds of years and she was thought to be Thessalonike. According to the legend, when Alexander died, his sister attempted to end her life by jumping into the sea, not being able to bare the loss of her brother. Instead of drowing, however, she became a mermaid swimming the Aegean sea and asking the mariners only one and always the same question.."Is Alexander the king alive?" (Ζει ο βασιλιάς Αλέξανδρος;), to which the correct answer would be "He lives and reigns and conquers the world" (Ζει και βασιλεύει και τον κόσμο κυριεύει!!) If she recieved this answer she would allow the ship and the crew to sail safely away in calm seas... Any other answer would transform her into a Gorgon, who would send the ship with everyone on board to the bottom of the sea...

This legend inspired numerous artists. Painters, musicians, sculptors, writers found inspiration in the story of the sad mermaid. But most importantly is a fairy-tale passing from generation to generation, becoming a part of our culture...

architecture

THE BRIDGE OF ARTA

19:00:00

The Bridge of Arta is a stone bridge that crosses the Arachtos river in the west of the city of Arta in Greece. It has been rebuilt many times over the centuries, starting with Roman or perhaps older foundations; the current bridge is probably a 17th-century Ottoman construction. From the annexation of Arta in 1881 to the outbreak of the First Balkan war in 1912, the highest point of the bridge was the border between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Greece.

According to the folk ballad "The Bridge of Arta", 45 masons and 60 apprentices, under the leadership of Head Builder, were building a bridge, but its foundations would collapse each night: "All day they were building it, and in the night it would collapse". Finally a bird with a human voice informed the head Builder that, in order for the bridge to remain standing, he sould sacrifice his wife. As she is being buried alive in the foundations of the construction, she curses the bridge to flutter like a leaf, and those who pass it to fall like leaves also. She is then reminded that her brother is abroad and might pass the bridge himself, so she changes her curses so as to become actual blessings: "As the tall mountains tremble, so shall the bridge tremble, and as the birds of the prey fall, so shall passers fall".

Apart from the physical connection of the river, this Bridge is also what connects Arta with its historical past, its living present and hopefully its future. For 2000 years, this achievement of engineering is standing as symbol of resistance against the water of the river, the occupation powers (Turks, Germans), but also resistance against the Greek bureaucracy, that during the 1930’s, recommended the demolition of the Bridge, as it was no longer considered to be operational. This legend of the Bridge of Arta and the song of this tragic female figure is what made this construction known around the world. This Bridge has always been at the epicentre of artistic production.

OLYMPUS: THE HOME OF THE GODS

GOD DIONYSUS AND THE PIRATES

COLOSSUS OF RHODES: AN ANCIENT WANDER

THE WINDS OF ATHENS

MONEMVASIA: A SHIP OF STONE

BLOODLESS EXECUTIONS: THE DARKER SIDE OF ATHENIAN JUSTICE

THE LEGEND OF THE MERMAID THESSALONIKE

THE BRIDGE OF ARTA

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