Greek Key – Meander – Origins and Meanings
More than likely we’ve all come across the “Greek key” also known as the “meander” (a repeating geometric motif) at some time or another. During 18th century Europe along with the rejuvenated...
Category: Greece: ancient and modern
Ancient Greece and Sirius – The Dog Star
The ancient Greeks knew the star Canis Majoris by various names including: Sirius, derived from the Greek word Σείριος (Seirios), meaning glowing or scorching, Sothis (Σῶθις), which is also the Egyptian word for...
The 10 Most Desirable Hetairai – Courtesans of Ancient Greece
Hetairai (ancient Greek courtesans), the polite term for a ‘kept mistress’, were beautiful, sophisticated, educated and respected women who were, without a doubt, the most liberated women of ancient Greece. They were...
Secrets of the Eleusinian Mysteries – Walking the Sacred Way
Little to nothing is known about The Eleusinian Mysteries and probably never will be as nothing was ever written down. Participants of this member’s only cult were sworn to secrecy; to spill...
The Ancient Greek Origins of the Werewolf
For thousands of years the moon has been both worshiped and feared in Greece, even Hippocrates the ancient Greek physician and father of Western medicine understood the power of the moon and...
12 Curious Cures and Remarkable Remedies of Ancient Greece
Although the ancient Greeks mostly believed illness to be a divine punishment and that the cure or remedy was a gift from the gods, they were not afraid to seek help from...
Why Roman Architecture Echoes That of Ancient Greece
Greeks and Italians: ‘Una Faccia, Una Razza’ – ‘one face, one race’. The ancient Greeks and Romans, created unique styles of architecture, together known as classical architecture and constructed some of the...
3 Greek Graces of the British Pre-Raphaelite Art Movement
Marie Spartali Stillman, Aglaia Ionides Coronio and Maria Cassavetti Zambaco were talented artists and muses of Pre-Raphaelite painters, known as “The Three Graces”, owing to their Greek heritage, beauty and intellect. They grew...
Cynisca – The First Woman to Win the Olympic Games
At the time, 396 BC, the victory of Cynisca, a Spartan princess and according to Pausanius, ancient Greek travel writer, the first female champion of the ancient Olympic Games, was an unheard...
Did You Know These 10 Iconic Cities Began As Greek Colonies?
From ancient times, without interruption, up until today, Greece, with its endless coastline, inlets and deep bays, which created natural harbours, has been a nation of seafarers. The sea, instilled in the...
