The Smyrna Catastrophe 1922 – End of Greco -Turkish War
On September 13th, 1922, Smyrna (now Izmir), one of the wealthiest cities of the Ottoman Empire, on the Aegean coast of Anatolia, inhabited mostly by Greeks, Jews and Armenians, went up in...
Category: Greece: ancient and modern
The Pharmakos – The Ancient Greek Scapegoat
The expression “scapegoat”, known as the “pharmakos”, in ancient Greece, describes an innocent person or group who is blamed and usually punished in some way for other people’s wrong-doings or problems. They...
Jewellery and Gemstones of Ancient Greece
Lusted for by royalty and sought after by collectors, rubies, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and many more gemstones have inspired myths, legends and curses in all cultures. Today, we know of around two...
Eutopia – Utopia – A Greek Neverland?
The word Utopia; used to describe an imaginary island, a perfect world, was first used by Sir Thomas More, an English lawyer, writer and statesman, in his book “Utopia”, written in 1516....
The Journey to the Ancient Greek Underworld
The ancient Greeks believed that existence does not end with death; there is no death, only a transition from one state of being to another; every human died only to live again...
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...
Sirius – The Dog Star – Did Ancient Aliens Come From Sirius?
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). This is also the Egyptian word...
The 10 Most Desirable Women 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 – The Way to the Afterlife
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...
12 Unusual Ancient Greek Medical Treatments
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...
