Why 'Baring the Aegis'?

I was recently asked why I'd named my blog 'Baring the Aegis'. The Aegis is one of my favorite symbols from Hellenic Myth. The stories in which it features are smeared with the blood of bad decisions and broken dreams. It is the ultimate warning to stay your hand. Yet, it also pushes the boundaries of what is human and divine. Mythical heroes who bore it were some of the best and brightest; Perseus, for one.



The Aegis is generally said to be a shield, cape or buckler bore into battle by the likes of Zeus, Athena and Apollon. It was allegedly forged by Hēphaistos and sports Médousa's head. It has the power to scare enemies away or even turn them to stone and it's rumored to scare even the Gods. According to the Ilias:

'Athena went among them holding her priceless aegis that knows neither age nor death. From it there waved a hundred tassels of pure gold, all deftly woven, and each one of them worth a hundred oxen. With this she darted furiously everywhere among the hosts of the Achaeans, urging them forward, and putting courage into the heart of each, so that he might fight and do battle without ceasing. Thus war became sweeter in their eyes even than returning home in their ships.'

To me, the Aegis, as a shield and weapon of Athena, has always stood for just action. A cry for justice. To me, it's the embodiment of the Delphic Maxim of Be Overcome by Justice (Ηττω υπο δικαιου). It brings with it the rush of adrenaline that comes with being overcome by something one truly believes in. It's the embodiment of divine justice.

 It's hard to be overcome by anything these days. We have commitments to attend to, social obligations and facades to uphold. And justice... what is justice? Justice is law, and one should obey that law. But justice is more than law. It's forming law. It's an active struggle to be more, do more. It's a call to stand for something, anything, that you feel is unjust. Same-sex marriage, animal rights, pollution, whale hunt, abuse.

Blogging, per definition, is an act of baring the soul. As I started to lean more and more to Hellenistic Reconstruction, Baring the Aegis seemed like a perfect title for this blog. I chose 'aegis' as I longed to take a stand--for myself and in the community--for Hellenismos as a religion and I see true strength in pulling away the walls (or in this case, the shield) around the soul and speaking openly about one's aspirations, fears, struggles and joys. Sharing these experiences is what makes up a blog and so I chose 'Baring the Aegis'.
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Top archaeological discoveries in 2016

In what is becoming somewhat of a tradition on Baring the Aegis, let's have a look at the most important or simply stunning achaeological discoveries in 2016, in sequence.

Ancient Minoan city of Knossos far larger than previously assumed (January)
Archaeologists working on the Greek island of Krete have uncovered artifacts and structures that suggest the ancient city of Knossos was bigger and richer than previously thought. Exploration revealed considerable growth in the size of the settlement during the early Iron Age and also growth in the quantity and quality of its imports coming from mainland Greece, Cyprus, the Near East, Egypt, Italy, Sardinia and the western Mediterranean.

Statues depicting Artemis and Apollon found on Krete (February)
Two small sized sculptures (approx 0.54cm height), one of Artemis made of copper and a second of her brother Apollon made of marble, were unearthed at the archaeological site of Aptera, Chania on the Greek island of Krete. Both statuettes were probably imported from artistic centers outside Krete in order to decorate the altar of a Roman luxury residence. First estimates date both of the statuettes to the late 1st - early 2nd century AD.





Ancient text on a second Thermopylae battle discovered (April)
Fragments of an ancient Greek text telling of an invasion of ancient Hellas by the Goths during the third century A.D. were discovered in the Austrian National Library. Researchers used spectral imaging to enhance the fragments, making it possible to read them. The analysis suggests the fragments were copied in the 11th century A.D. and are from a text that was written in the third-century A.D. by an Athens writer named Dexippus. During Dexippus’ life, Hellas (then already part of the Roman Empire) and Rome struggled to repel a series of Gothic invasions.

Greek archaeologists announce the discovery of Aristotle's tomb (May)
Archeologist Kostas Sismanidis has stated there are strong indications that a peculiar ancient tomb found in the area of Stagira, in central Macedonia, is the tomb of the Aristotle. The announcement has been met with skepticism from the scientific and archaeological communities.


Exquisite mosaic of Hercules' labours uncovered in Cyprus (July)
The mosaic was found by the Larnaca Sewage Board staff, who were opening a canal for the waste to pass, when they discovered the work. The mosaic dates back to the 2nd century AD and is made up of five sections, depicting all of Hercules' labours between them. The mosaic is evidence that Ancient Kition--on which modern Larnaca was built--played an important role in establishing Roman culture in Cyprus.

Huge ancient ship graveyard found off Greek islands (July)
A joint Greek-American archaeological expedition found 23 ancient wrecks around the small Fourni archipelago inJune, confirming the Greek site is the ancient shipwreck capital of the world. The 23 shipwrecks add to 22 other wrecks identified in September 2015, bringing the total to 45. An international team surveyed the Bulgarian waters of the Black Sea and found the wrecks astonishingly preserved due to the anoxic conditions (absence of oxygen) of the Black Sea below 150 metres.

Human burial found in the middle of sacrificial altar at Mt. Lykaion (August)
During an excavations at the sanctuary of Zeus at Mt. Lykaion, located in the southwestern tip of Arcadia, a human burial with an East-West orientation was found and excavated in the middle of the altar and next to a platform carved into the rock. The skeleton, in the supine position and in an excellent state of preservation, was deposited in a narrow trench some 1.52 meters in length, created within the embankments of the ash and burnt earth. Needless to say, the media went nuts.


Marble statues of Aphrodite unearthed at Petra (September)
Two Roman marble statues representing Aphrodite/Venus were found recently at Petra, an ancient desert city in Jordan. The statues date to the second century AD. The statues were found to be nearly complete, with the heads and most of the bodies recovered, and archaeologists identified the standing figures as the goddess Aphrodite. She was also known to the Romans as Venus, but was more commonly identified by her Greek name in the eastern half of the empire where Petra was.


Archaeologists connect ancient Corinth's inner and outer harbours (December)
Greek and Danish archaeologists investigating Lechaion’s harbour areas are finding that the town appears to have been much more important than previously thought. In the course of three excavation seasons, they have delineated major offshore structures, a monumental entrance canal and several inland canals connecting at least four harbour basins. In total, the area is greater than 500.000 m2 – bringing it on par with other major harbour towns of the age, such as Athens’ harbours in the Piraeus and Roman Portus.

Here is to hoping for another succesful year of archeological discoveries in 2016!
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Happy new secular year!

It can't have escaped your notice that yesterday, the secular new year came to an end. Interestingly enough, I recognize many themes of the Deipnon within these festivities. Purification of the house and person, tying up loose ends of the old year, setting goals for a set period ahead. It makes me more comfortable to indulge in good food and friendship to recognise these very familiar efforts.

I've never really observed new year's as something specia,mostly because I have celebrated it around Samhain since I was thirteen and in my Hellenistic tradition, new year's is still half a year away. The Athenians and the other Ionian peoples began their year with the first new moon after the summer solstice, the Dorians with the first new moon after the autumnal equinox, the Boeotians and other Aeolians with the new moon after the winter solstice. Still, it's a fun evening and night to spend with family, friends and other loved ones. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

As a bit of a tradition, let me share the top ten search results that brought you here, my dear readers, just to show how awesome you guys are and how completely on topic!

- baring the aegis
- hellenismos
- hellenist blog
- modern hellenism festival head covering
- ancient greek warriors
- ancient greek art about afterlife
- baringtheaegis.blogspot.com
- ancient greek honey cakes recipe
- aegis
- atlantis

 I wish you all the absolute best in the secular new year!
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$ 90,- raised for the Matthew Shepard Foundation

We are proud to announce that Pandora's Kharis members have come through for the Matthew Shepard Foundation! Together, they have raised $ 90,- to help support this very worthy cause. Thank you very much!

  
On October 7, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming, was brutally attacked, simply for being gay and tied to a fence in a field outside of Laramie, Wyo. and left to die. On October 12, Matt succumbed to his wounds in a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. In the aftermath of Matt’s death, Judy and Dennis Shepard started the Matthew Shepard Foundation to honor his life and aspirations.

Their work is an extension of Matt’s passion to foster a more caring and just world. They share his story and embody his vigor for civil rights to change the hearts and minds of others to accept everyone as they are.


From this moment on, the Pandora's Kharis Facebook page is open to pitches. If you do not have Facebook, feel free to pitch your cause in the comments. We will relay the message to the community. Please pitch your cause before January 9th. On to another month of pitching, voting, and giving!
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Poseideon updates

On the day of the Hene kai Nea, I post a monthly update about things that happened on the blog and in projects and organizations related to it. I will also announce Elaion's coming PAT rituals.
s
Changes to the blog:
Statistics:
PAT rituals for Gamelion:
  • 1/6 - Gamelion 7 - Sacrifice to the Kourotrophos and Apollon Delphios
  • 1/6 - Gamelion 7 - Sacrifice to Apollon Lykeios
  • 1/7 - Gamelion 8 - Sacrifice to Apollon Apotropaius, Apollon Nymphegetes, & the Nymphs at Erkhia
  • 1/8 - Gamelion 9 - Sacrifice to Athena at Erkhia
  • 1/11 - Gamelion 12-15 - Lenaia - festival in honor of Dionysus in the Attic deme of Limnai
  • 1/26 - Gamelion 27 - Theogamia/Gamelia - celebrating the sacred marriage of Zeus Teleios and Hera Telei
  • 1/26 - Gamelion 27 - Sacrifice to Kourotrophos, Hera, Zeus Teleius, and Poseidon at Erkhia
Anything else?
The Matthew Shepard Foundation has become Pandora's Kharis' Poseideon 2016 cause. The Matthew Shepard Foundation’s longstanding mission is to erase hate by replacing it with understanding, compassion and acceptance. Through local, regional and national outreach, they empower individuals to find their voice to create change and challenge communities to identify and address hate that lives within their schools, neighborhoods and homes.

The deadline to donate is December 31th, 2016. You can do so by using the PayPal option to the side of the Pandora's Kharis website or by donating directly to baring.the.aegis@gmail.com. Thank you in advance!

Are you looking for an online shop to buy incenses and other Hellenistic basics from? Try The Hellenic Handmaid on Etsy.
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Court approves plans to keep antiquities at Venizelos Metro Station in Thessaloniki

The Council of State judged the removal and subsequent return of the antiquities discovered during the construction of the Thessaloniki’s underground metro to Venizelos station to be fully legal and constitutional, dismissing objections raised by the Thessaloniki municipality. The municipality resorted to the court to block a 2014 culture ministry decision for the construction of the metro station around the antiquities, which are to be preserved and placed on display inside the station. To this end, the ministry instructed that the remains be removed and stored, then returned to their positions inside the station.


A crash course on the project for those who are new to the blog. In March of 2013, I blogged about an excavation conducted at the Venizelos metro station which brought to light a very well preserved 70-meter section of a marble-paved road, the remains of buildings dating back to the sixth to ninth centuries AD, as well as big public buildings of the 7th century; a rarity for the Byzantine world. Trouble was (and is) that the site of the find is part of a new subway tunnel and platform which are being built to transport 250,000 passengers daily, and thus decrease traffic congestion and air pollution in the city. The entire subway project has a price-tag of 3.5 billion euros (4.6 billion dollars), and was co-financed by the European Union. To keep the road, the entire subway project would have to be abandoned. To save the subway project, the road would need to be moved, or destroyed--the same thing, according to archaeologists.

By April it looked like Thessaloniki's government and archaeological institutions had found a solution to the problem: they were going to temporarily remove the finds during the station's construction and then restore about 85 percent to 95 percent after the station was completed. The solution proposed had a low cost--0,6 percent to 0.8 percent of the budget--with zero or only a few months delay to the works’ completion. Only a 45 square meter space (out of the area’s 1.600 square meters) would not be restored, due to the placement of vents and escalators.

By February of last year, word got out that the removal of the antiquities from the construction site was suspended in July of last year following a decision reached by the Council of State. In the beginning of April I blogged about the estimation that it will take at least another three years and some 40 million euros for the excavation of ancient ruins to be completed. Well, it seems that that was a careful estimate: the new numbers weren't pretty. the new completion date was somehwere in 2020 and it might cost another 42 million euros in funding for the archaeological work it has lined up to complete the digs, on top of 92 million already spent.

In September, 2015, a new decision issued by the Central Archaeological Council (KAS) favored the in situ preservation of the antiquities found, however, KAS rejected the proposal about the enhancement of the monument on the ground of lacking documentation and asked the Municipality to conduct a complete architectural proposal in collaboration with the relevant services of the Cultural Ministry and the Attiko Metro.

The Thessaloniki Municipality claimed that the ministerial decision violated the constitutional principle of proportionality, since the 'worst solution for the protection of the cultural environment was selected, which results in the permanent disappearance of the specific historic monument as a complete whole'. It also argued that the decision violated laws on the protection of antiquities and cultural heritage.

It failed to convince the court, however, which ruled that the ministerial decisions were legal and in line with the constitution, since the ministry had previously examined all proposals, including that of the municipality. The final decision required that the greater part of Venizelos station be redesigned, structurally and functionally, so that the remains discovered could, in the most part, be restored to their original position, the court noted.

It also pointed out that the Central Archaeological Council had approved the removal for the protection of the remains but also in case deeper finds were revealed, while ruling that the studies for the protection, removal and storage of the finds were legal.
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Google calendar updated for the next six months

The ancient Hellenic calendar is a complicated affair. To make it easier to keep up with your home worship, I keep a Google calendar with the 'kata theion', the 'sacred month', and the festival days. It can be found here. Yesterday, I updated it for another half year. Since that took forever, this announcement is all the post you are going to get for today ;-)



Oh, don't forget I also have another calendar for you to follow on your phone or browser. This one is the Elaion event calendar, which will inform you of upcoming PAT rituals, as well as important dates for Pandora's Kharis. You can find it here. This one is updated as events come up.


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