Ancient Greek Myths about Birds
In ancient Greece birds represented power, freedom and wisdom and show up in numerous Greek myths and legends where they most often appear as messengers of the gods, oracles and even gods...
Greeker Than The Greeks
Aphrodite of Knidos – The Most Copied Statue in the World
During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, statues of Aphrodite were everywhere; mostly modeled on Praxiteles’ Aphrodite of Knidos (around 364 BC), the first naked female Greek statue and the most widely copied...
Saint Barbara the Great Martyr – Beheaded by her Father
Saint Barbara, a third-century martyr, lived in Nicomedia with her rich pagan father, Dioscorus, who imprisoned her in a tower and after discovering she had secretly become a Christian, beheaded Barbara himself...
Ancient Pinecone Magic and Symbolism
Images of pinecones, sacred eyes and not least, the thyrsus, the ancient Greek magic wand, have been associated with the pineal gland (named after the pinecone) since ancient times and pop up...
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...
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...
Astra Planeta – When the Greek Gods Were Planets
The ancient Greek astronomers knew of five star-like planets visible to the naked eye, all named after Greek gods; Hermes (Mercury), Aphrodite (Venus), Ares (Mars), Zeus (Jupiter) and, Cronus (Saturn). They called...
Jewellery and Gemstones in 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 hundred...
Greek Gemista – Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers
You know summer’s arrived when Greeks start cooking stuffed vegetables! Gemista (Greek for filled), are summer vegetables, usually tomatoes and bell peppers but courgettes and aubergines are also firm favourites, stuffed with...
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....
