Application "The lost world of ancient Crete" summer studies now open

The Institute for Mediterranean Studies (Rethymno, Crete) organised the first summer school on the civilization of ancient Crete in July 2019. Participants included 12 undergraduate, graduate and PhD students from China and Hong King, Brazil, Italy, the United Kingdom and Greece.

Given the great success of 2019, the Institute is pleased to announce the Second Summer school, which will take place between 25th of June – 1st of July 2020.

The prehistoric civilization of Minoan Crete is world-famous and attracts major scholarly and lay attention. As for classical antiquity, the history and archaeology of Crete have largely remained outside wider purview and mainly explored by specialist scholars. This is despite the variety and fascinating nature of the existing sources about ancient Crete and the important questions and answers they provide.

The purpose of this summer school is to introduce participants to the lost world of ancient Crete and its history, archaeology and culture. It will examine how Crete illuminates wider trends and phenomena in ancient history, archaeology and culture, as well as how Cretan communities  differed both between themselves and in relation to the rest of the Greek and the wider Mediterranean world.

The summer school will employ a long-term perspective on ancient Crete, starting from the second millennium BCE through the novel circumstances of the first millennium to the incorporation of ancient Crete into the Roman Empire and the world of late antiquity. This perspective will enable participants to explore both long-term continuities, as well as major changing points in Cretan history and archaeology.

The classes offered will explore writing systems and their uses; material and visual culture; politics and warfare; institutions and laws; economic and social conditions; sexuality and gender; religion; and the image of Crete and Cretans in ancient Greek literature.

The trips to archaeological sites and museums (Knossos, Phaistos, Gortyn, Eleftherna, Herakleion museum) will enable participants to gain a first-hand experience of Cretan topography and the Cretan material world and contextualise the classes based on literary sources, inscriptions and coins.

Classes will be held in the premises of the Institute for Mediterranean Studies, in a stunning complex of buildings of the Venetian and Ottoman era. Accommodation will be provided by the House of Europe, hosted in a traditional refurbished building. Both classes and accommodation will be located in the scenic Old Town of Rethymno, allowing participants to explore also the post-classical history and culture of Crete and its Byzantine, Venetian, Ottoman and Modern Greek phases.

This summer school is addressed to undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology, Philology, Near Eastern studies and Late Antique studies. There is a limited number of places available (between 10-15) in order to offer an intensive learning experience to all participants. The cost will be 750 euros, covering tuition fees, trips to archaeological sites/museums, and accommodation.

The deadline for applications is the 10th of February 2020.

For further information and application forms, please visit the summer school’s web page at https://summerschool.ims.forth.gr/2020/

The Organising Committee
Kostas Vlassopoulos (University of Crete) Melina Tamiolaki (University of Crete)

• Wednesday, January 15, 2020
  current affairs modern Greece

Study suggests more damage caused to Parthenon Sculptures by Victorian vandals and British Museum than Athens’ air pollution

A new analysis of Lord Elgin’s original casts of the Parthenon marbles, recently published in Antiquity, has revealed details effaced by Victorian vandals - and air pollution - following the classical sculptures’ removal from Greece in the early 19th century.

Dr Emma Payne, a specialist in classics and archaeological conservation based at King’s College London, conducted 3D scans of the plaster casts made by Elgin's workman of parts of the West frieze, which was removed from the monument in 1993 and is now in the Acropolis Museum in Athens.

Payne hoped to answer two key questions: First, how accurate were the 19th-century casts, and second, do the casts “preserve sculptural features that have since been worn away from the originals — do they now represent a form of time capsule, faithfully reflecting the condition of the sculptures in the early 19th century?”

"Elgin’s casts could be important records of the state of the sculptures in the very early 19th century before modern pollution would hasten their deterioration."

Payne compared Elgin's casts to a second set of casts commissioned by the British Museum in 1872, and created under the supervision of Charles Merlin, British consul to Athens. She found that the casts of the West frieze of the Parthenon revealed features that are now lost, including the faces of some of the sculptures, and chisel marks showing they had intentionally been chipped away by Victorian-era vandals. Indeed, Payne's analysis showed that more damage was caused in the intervening seven decades than in the 120 years that followed, meaning that a century of traffic pollution did less harm than Elgin and his compatriots.

"The marble of the Parthenon sculptures displays an orange-brown patina, approximately 100–150 μm thick. The origins of this patina—whether ancient or modern, natural or manmade—have been disputed. It is, however, stable and uniform, preserving the original surface details. This patina is distinct from the thicker, disfiguring pollution crust (from 200 μm to several mm thick) that once covered the sculptures, but has now mostly been removed from the West Frieze by laser cleaning... Such crusts are caused by suspension of atmospheric pollutants in a gypsum matrix, created by the reaction of the marble with sulphur dioxide. The crust, where present, retains the surface details of the original to a certain extent, but is discoloured and highly friable.

"It is noteworthy that the decay of the sculptures appears to have slowed during the twentieth century — precisely when problems with sulphurous emissions and acid rain were at their most acute. In turn, this leads to the conclusion that the apparently greater rate of deterioration during the nineteenth century can be largely attributed to deliberate defacement... rather than the cumulative effects of long-term environmental conditions. The relative lack of change in detail preserved between the Merlin casts and originals suggests that these attacks subsided following Greek independence in the 1830s and with subsequent restoration efforts."

The sculptures held in London, on the other hand, have suffered not only from 19th-century pollution, which persisted until the mid-20th century, they have also undergone irreparable damage caused by 'cleaning methods' employed by British Museum staff in 1838, 1858 and 1937–38.

The last cleaning process commissioned by Lord Duveen, for example, scraped away much of the detailed tone of many carvings and in some places the surface removed may have been as much as one-tenth of an inch (2.5 mm).

• Tuesday, January 14, 2020
  archeology current affairs

Adjust the stone to fit the line, and not the line to fit the stone

Hellenismos asks of all practitioners to consider the ethics. What they may be is up to the practitioner, but being informed and having an opinion on issues that esist in our world is a must. That can lead to a lot fo black and white thinking, and 'us versus them' behavior. This is not the goal of phylosophy and ethics.

In Plutarch's essay, "How a Man May Become Aware of His Progress in Virtue" (79e), he writes something I like to remind people of every once in a while:

"Rightly has it been said: Adjust the stone to fit the line, and not the line to fit the stone. But those who do not adjust their tenets to fit the facts, but rather try to force the facts into an unnatural agreement with their own assumptions, have filled philosophy with a great number of difficulties, of which the greatest is that which would assign all men to a general category of badness with the single exception of the absolutely perfect man; the result of which is to make a puzzle out of what we call progress, since it falls but little short of the utmost foolishness, and represents men who have been released by it from all kinds of passions and weaknesses as living in a state of equal wretchedness with those who have not yet been freed from a single one of the worst evils.

Now these men really refute themselves when, in their lectures, they put the wrongdoing of Aristeides on an equality with that of Phalaris, and cowardice of Brasidas on equality with that of Dolon, Band the hard-hearted attitude of Plato as actually not differing at all from that of Meletus; whereas in their life and practice they show an aversion for these latter men and avoid them as ruthless, but the former they seem to think are men of great worth, for they cite them with confidence in the most important matters.

But as for us, we observe that there are degrees in every kind of evil, and especially in the indeterminate and undefined kind that has to do with the soul. (In the same way also there are different degrees of progress produced by the abatement of baseness like a receding shadow, as reason gradually illuminates and purifies the soul.) We do not, therefore, think that consciousness of the change is unreasonable in the case of persons who are, as it were, making their way upward out of some deep gorge, but there are ways in which it can be computed.

Of these I beg you to consider the first without further preface. Just as men sailing out into the open sea calculate their run by the time elapsed in conjunction with the strength of the wind, reckoning how much distance, after spending a certain time, while carried onward by a certain force, they are likely to have accomplished; so too in philosophy a man may take for himself as a proof that he is gaining ground the uniformity and continuity of his course, which makes on the way no frequent halts, followed by leaps and bounds, but smoothly and regularly forges ahead, and goes through the course of philosophic reasoning without mishap.

For the lines: If even small upon the small you place and do this oft, dare not merely well put in regard to the increase of money, but they apply to everything, and especially to advancement in virtue, since reason thereby gains the aid of constant and effective habit. But the variation and obtuseness often shown by students of philosophy not only cause delays and stoppages in their progress on the road to knowledge, but also bring about retrogressions, since vice always makes an onset on the man who yields ground by loitering, and carries him backward in the opposite direction."

• Monday, January 13, 2020
  ethics Hellenismos 101 Plutarch

Repost: What, exactly, is a polis?

The polis (πόλις) literally means "city" in Greek. The plural is "poleis" (πόλεις). It's almost synonymous with "city-state": a sovereign state, also described as a type of small independent country, that usually consists of a single city and its dependent territories. Athens was one, for example, as was Sparta.

In the ancient world, the polis was a nucleus, the central urban area that could also have controlled the surrounding countryside, which were usually part of the polis. These outskirts were called usually called "Khôra" (χώρα). There were around 1500 archaic and classical Hellenic poleis. Many of them are listed here. The region formed by a cluster of poleis, bound geographically and ethnically, was an ethnos (ἔθνος, nation). Its plural is "ethne."

The Ancient Hellenic city-state developed during the Archaic period as the ancestor of city, state, and citizenship and persisted (though with decreasing influence) well into Roman times. The term polis, which in archaic Greece meant "city", changed with the development of the governance center in the city to signify "state" (which included its surrounding villages). Finally, with the emergence of a notion of citizenship among landowners, it came to describe the entire body of citizens. The ancient Hellenes did not always refer to Athens, Sparta, Thebes, and other poleis as such; they often spoke instead of the Athenians, Lacedaemonians, Thebans and so on. The body of citizens came to be the most important meaning of the term polis in ancient Hellas.

Plato analyzes the polis in The Republic, whose Greek title, Πολιτεία (Politeia), itself derives from the word polis. The best form of government of the polis for Plato is the one that leads to the common good. According to Plato, there are five main economic classes of any polis: producers, merchants, sailors/shipowners, retail traders, and wage earners. Along with the two principles and five economic classes, there are four virtues. The four virtues of a "just city" include, wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice. With all of these principles, classes, and virtues, it was believed that a "just city" (polis) would exist.

Derivatives of polis are common in many modern European languages. This is indicative of the influence of the polis-centred Hellenic world view. Derivative words in English include policy, polity, police, and politics. In Greek, words deriving from polis include politēs and politismos, whose exact equivalents in Latin, Romance, and other European languages, respectively civis ("citizen"), civilisatio ("civilization"), etc., are similarly derived.

• Sunday, January 12, 2020
  ancient Hellenic culture Athens Plato

How archaeologist discovered ‘treasures of Apollon’ buried below ancient Hellenic ruins

Apollon is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Hellenic and Roman mythology. The son of Zeus and Leto, Apollo was said to be the god of archery, music and dance, truth and prophecy, healing and diseases, the Sun and light, poetry, and more. As the patron deity of Delphi, near Phocis, a sanctuary was erected in the fourth century BC by architects Spintharus, Xenodoros, and Agathon to worship Apollon.

Despite much of the buildings being destroyed by an earthquake in 373BC, Amazon Prime’s "Secrets of Archaeology” revealed how breakthroughs are still being made after millennia. The narrator explained in 2014:

"The ancient sacred road that leads to the sanctuary crammed today with tourists wanting to see the archaeological site was lined in ancient times with statues and small temples. They were the treasures of Delphi and this treasure of the Athenians is the best-preserved one, but there were many all containing valuables and artworks, most of which were carried off over the centuries and never found again. Yet Delphi never fails to amaze with gold, bronze and ivory votive objects and a magnificent sphinx, perhaps the city’s most beautiful statue have been unearthed. These superb objects, however, were not mentioned in history books."

The series went on to reveal how archaeologists found many relics intact below the ground. It added:

"Scholars found the answer to this mystery by examining the disasters that occurred in the area, like earthquakes and landslides on the hills at Delphi. Had the gifts offered to Apollo been damaged in the disasters, they could no longer be displayed, that’s why people buried them below the sanctuary. So the many masterpieces, already under the ground, can now be admired at the local museum. Another beautiful construction is these tools, a splendid circular building with a diameter of approximately 30 feet and was 23 feet high. It wasn’t very big, but it expressed the Greek’s tendency to seek perfection and was an unusual building in classical Greece."

The series went on to explain why the sanctuary was so important to the ancient Greeks. It continued:

"To worshippers, their images of the power and majesty of the gods was embodied in the beauty of this building. Besides being a place of worship, Delphi also played host to the Pythian Games, one of the four athletic and artistic festivals of Ancient Greece. The battles at the Pythian Games included competition in wrestling, running, and throwing and the event was held every four years between the Olympic Games. Winners were awarded crowns of laurel wreaths, the plant worn by Apollo himself, to whom the games were dedicated. Apollo was known for his wisdom and sense of justice, he was the patron of archery and bows, and showed great courage, even as a child."

• Saturday, January 11, 2020
  ancient Hellenic culture Apollon archeology Delphi

Applications now open for Hephaistos Summer Program running in June 2020

Applications are now open for the Hephaistos Summer Program running un June 2020. This unique accredited program on the History of Western European Jewelry is offered through the Ilia Lalaounis Jewelry Museum’s Education Center in collaboration with esteemed Greek and international academics, archaeologists and jewelry experts.

The Program challenges the participants to discover the fascinating world of Ancient Greece and the history of Western Jewelry through its most spectacular artifacts.

The history and archaeology of Ancient Hellenic jewelry from Classical Greece to the Byzantine era will be followed by a survey of the history of western European jewelry up to the most amazing contemporary artistic productions. The class on Studio Jewelry is tailored to the discipline of contemporary art jewelry and researches its creative methods. Participants will map diverse aspects of wearability and social coding of the body, as also investigate how concepts and cultural values materialize into jewelry formats. This exploration opens a new dimension to students concerning individual creativity and its application with tools and machinery in different vocations.

Guest lectures will be offered throughout the course on a wide range of topics, from illicit trafficking of antiquities to Athenian architecture and museum management. All lectures will be held at the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum Lecture Hall.

Participants will enjoy instructive guided tours of and on-site lectures by academics in the historical center of Athens and Museums with the most important jewelry collections. These include the Acropolis archaeological site and Museum, the National Archaeological Museum and the Byzantine and Christian Museum. Visits to jewelry making workshops will introduce students to the secrets of successful jewelry making in Greece. Open doors to the havens of industrial units of fine jewelers and artist’s studios will give an insight of the exciting use of ancient and modern goldsmithery techniques and the use of non-traditional materials for the delight of contemporary creations.

Apply now following the link: http://jss.gr/application-form/.

• Friday, January 10, 2020
  current affairs modern Greece

Greek authorities seize rare 6th century BC Kouros head in Corinth

Investigators with the Hellenic Police’s (ELAS) department for the protection of cultural heritage and antiquities seized what is believed to be a rare 6th century BC statue fragment during a raid in Corinth, according to an announcement this week.

The fragment is a 40 cm head and part of the neck of a larger-than-life kouros, a statue of a young man, dating from the archaic period and considered of tremendous archaeological value because of its age, provenance, details and construction.

The item was found hidden among rocks on a rural road in Nemea in Corinth, during an investigation into a Greek man who was allegedly planning to sell the artifact for 500,000 euros. The suspect has been arrested, while the head has been sent for expert analysis.

Earlier this week Greek authorities also arrested a 61-year-old doctor and his 42-year-old wife on charges on antiquities smuggling after finding a Neolithic statue and a classical-era amphora during raids of their home and business.

The two objects, which were seized along with an unlicensed flair gun, were sent to experts at the Piraeus ephorates for Antiquities and Underwater Antiquities, where they ascertained that the statue depicts a fertility goddess and is dated to around 4000 BC, while the amphora originates either from the island of Samos or Thasos and dates from between 500 and 400 BC.

The statue will be handed over to the National Archaeological Museum, while the amphora will be placed in the keeping of the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities.

• Thursday, January 9, 2020
  Actaeon archeology current affairs modern Greece