In Greece, underwater excavations of Lechaion, ancient Corinth’s partially submerged harbour town, reveal the infrastructure of more than a thousand years of flourishing maritime trade. Researchers from the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports and the University of Copenhagen are using cutting-edge methods to uncover the configuration and scale of the harbour.

Corinth ranked among the most economically and militarily powerful, and enduring, cities of the Greek, Roman and Byzantine periods. The city had an exceptional geographical advantage in the North East corner of the Peloponnese and controlled the Isthmus that facilitated land travel between Northern and Southern Greece, and travel by sea between the Western and Eastern Mediterranean.

Corinth, which lay some three kilometres from the sea, built on this natural advantage by constructing two harbour towns – the main harbour Lechaion on the Corinthian Gulf to the West, and Kenchreai on the Saronic Gulf to the East (see map to the right).

"According to ancient sources, most of the city's wealth derived from the maritime trade that passed through her two harbours, eventually earning her the nickname ‘Wealthy Corinth’," says archeaologist Bjørn Lovén from the University of Copenhagen and co-director of the Lechaion Harbour Project (LHP).

The moles and warehouses of Lechaion saw vibrant maritime activity for over a thousand years, from the 6th century BC to the 6th century AD. Ships and fleets departed from here laden with cargoes, colonists and marines destined for ports all over the Mediterranean and beyond. 

To read more, please visit: Humanities DK

Low voter turnout, the growing popularity of the far-right, tax hike upon tax hike, widespread disappointment among the citizenry: This is democracy under pressure, in the country where it was born. The publication of “Democracy,” a new graphic novel featuring a broken amphora on its cover, could not have come at a more critical time, launched in the US in mid-September, just days before Greeks headed to the polls for the third time in under a year.

The book describes the establishment of democracy in ancient Greece and was created by the illustrators behind the sensational “Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth” (written by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou): Alecos Papadatos and Annie DiDonna.

The main hero is Leander, who, having witnessed the atrocities of the tyrannical regimes, tries to boost his comrades’ morale as they prepare for the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC by telling them about the birth of democracy as he experienced it.

“Oddly enough, none of the pop culture media have dealt with this story. Either because it is somewhat complex or because the applause is always stolen by the achievements of the 5th and 4th centuries BC. So telling it was worthwhile. It is of course about a dark period, the late 6th century BC – there is some confusion in the historical sources, but where research failed to shed light, we used our imaginations,” said Papadatos.

The plot was developed with writer Abraham Kawa and the book was first published in English by Bloomsbury, and recently translated into Greek by Politeia. “We decided to go this route so that it could compete in the foreign market first,” explained Papadatos.

“Abraham has the rare gift of having one foot firmly in analysis and the other in composition. He is very cultured and is crazy about comics and cinema,” said Papadatos. “He also has that annoying habit of knowing exactly what happens in which volume and on what page of Neil Gaiman’s ‘Sandman’ or how many plot twists there are in every issue of ‘Batman.’ He took the story of ‘Democracy’ and took it a whole new level.”

“Democracy” has received rave reviews in the international media. Science and sci-fi blog io9 has hailed it as one of the best graphic novels of 2015.

To read more, please visit: ekathimerini

Featuring over 2,000 finds from excavations carried out in Larissa, Trikala and Karditsa, as well as donated objects and repatriated antiquities from all historical periods, a new museum in the city of Larisa, central Greece, opened its doors to the public this week.

Materialized with EU funding under the National Strategic Reference Framework, the Larissa Museum aims to serve as a reference point for the history of the central Greece region of Thessaly, covering a wide spectrum of historical periods and areas of interest.

The museum, housed in a 1,500m2 space, is divided into 11 thematic units, featuring exhibits from the Paleolithic to Modern times and covering the development of the region through historic themes such as power, instirutions, society and economy.

To read more, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

On the 6th of January, the Christmas season in Greece officially comes to an end with the 'festival of light' ('ton foton' in Greek), also known as Epiphany.

This feast day in the Greek Orthodox Church is known as 'Theophania' which means 'a vision of God' or 'Christ shining through'. It is considered a very important day for the Greek Orthodox Church. In the Western Church, it is also known as "Three Kings Day",  a celebration of the 3 magi visiting baby Jesus.

In the Greek Orthodox Church, Epiphany is celebrated as the revelation of Christ as the messiah and second person of the trinity, at his baptism, by John the Baptist, in the River Jordan. Another cause for celebration in the Greek Orthodox Church on this day is that Christ's baptism was only one of two occasions when all three persons of the trinity revealed themselves, at the same time, to humanity: God the Father, speaking from the clouds, God the Son, being baptized in the River Jordan, and God the Holy Spirit, revealed as a dove, descending from heaven.

On Epiphany, the Greek Orthodox Church performs the 'Great Blessing of the Waters'. This ceremony is usually performed twice, once on the eve of Epiphany which is performed in the church, and then again on the actual day outdoors with priests blessing large bodies of water, sea, rivers, lakes etc.

The tradition is that a priest, surrounded by brave young men and boys, throws a cross into the sea, either from the harbour or from a boat at sea; the minute the cross leaves the priest’s hand, the divers jump into the freezing water to catch the cross. The lucky one who finds and returns the cross is blessed by the priest. As the cross is victoriously brought back, the priest releases a white dove, as a symbol of the holy spirit. This tradition is carried out to commemorate the baptism of Christ and to bless the waters.

Just a few metres away from Syntagma metro station and right next to the Greek parliament lies the national garden which, together with the Zappion hall garden, covers 24 hectares full of vegetation, rare plants, saplings and birds.

The garden is accessible from seven entrances. The central entrance on Amalias Avenue, one on Vasilissis Sophias Avenue, three on Irodou Attikou Street and two more in the area of Zappeion park.

Before it was renamed “National”, the garden was called “royal” or “the garden of Amalia” the queen to whom it owes its rare existence. The interest of Queen Amalia, wife of King Otto, in the Garden was such that she is said to have spent at least three hours a day personally taking care of it. She herself also planted the iconic 25-metre-high Washingtonia palm trees which grab the attention  when one enters the garden from the gate on Vasilissis Amalias Avenue.

Next to the gate on Amalias Avenue, there’s always a street vendor supplying passers-by and visitors with traditional “koulouri Thessalonikis”, bread rings covered in sesame seeds, people are crowded at the bus stop and the kiosks are stocked for every contingency.  A few steps  into the garden allows you to escape the hurly burly of the city. Shaded by eucalyptus trees, its benches make an ideal spot to bury yourself in a book , make new acquaintances or perhaps even start a romance. There are also many Athenians who prefer the National Garden for their exercise and every now and again you will spot people jogging through this luxuriant city paradise.

To read more, please visit: Discover Greece

After a year of restoration works, the grand Rotunda of Thessaloniki, also known as the Church of Agios Georgios, reopened its doors on Friday 18th December 2015, with a concert to mark the much-awaited occasion.

The building, included on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1988, is one of the most important Roman monuments in the city and stands next to the Arch of Galerius.

This cylindrical structure was commissioned by Roman Emperor Galerius in 306 AD, who had planned for the structure to be his grave. Through its turbulent history, it served first as a Roman mausoleum, then as a Christian church and during the Ottoman era, as a mosque.

From 1920 until the end of WWII, the Rotunda housed the city's archeological treasures by serving as a museum.

To read more, please visit: Greek Reporter and ANA MPA

Microsoft announced today that it has acquired the big-data focused company Metanautix, an innovative startup founded by Theo Vasilakis three years ago. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Vassilakis, who was an engineer at Google before becoming an entrepreneur, was able to get $7 million in capital to start Metanautix, including cash from well-known venture firm Sequoia. 

“I am excited to announce that Metanautix has been acquired by Microsoft,” Metanautix CEO Theo Vasilakis wrote today in a statement. 

“Three years in, we can take this work to the next level by joining forces with Microsoft. We look forward to being part of Microsoft’s important efforts with Azure and SQL Server to give enterprise customers a unified view of all of their data across cloud and on-premises systems.”

To read more, please visit: Greek Reporter

Greeks ring in the new year with as much celebration as everyone else, except that New Year's Day in Greece is a big day for another reason too.

 

January 1st is the name day of Saint Basil or Agios Vasilios, one of the forefathers of the Greek Orthodox Church, making this holiday one with many traditions to enjoy. Here are a few of our favorites:

 

Exchanging Gifts 
Although Christmas has recently brought Santa Claus and the giving of gifts, traditional Greek homes celebrate gift-giving on the name day of Agios Vasilios - presents are left under the tree on the morning of New Year's Day.

Playing Cards

Luck plays a big part in the new year celebration in Greece. A win at cards could signal a whole year of good luck, so playing card games, rolling dice, and other games of chance play a big part in Greek celebrations at this time of year. Games are often played in tavernas, kafenion, and homes across the country. Even the state lottery is played with much enthusiasm at this time of year.

The "Podariko" Tradition

On New Year's Day, a common tradition called 'kalo podariko' or first footing, is that the first person to enter a Greek house on New Year's Day will bring luck in with them. Typically before midnight, the 'first footer' is chosen to step through the doorway and back into the house in an attempt to bring good luck to the home. It is said that luck is only brought by someone with a kind, loving, and honest heart, so children are commonly chosen to usher in the new year in this way.

Vasilopita

New Years Day also brings the traditional 'Vasilopita' cake, a round sweet cake that is ceremonially cut with a slice for each member of the family and additional special slices for the home, Agios Vasilios, and any other religious figures the family wishes to cut for. Slices are handed out to each family member from oldest to youngest - whoever receives the lucky slice, the piece containing a hidden coin, is said to receive good luck for the whole year.

Gouri - New Year's Charms
Good luck charms, or 'gouria' in Greek, are also very popular at this time of year. The Gouri is a traditional Greek New Year’s gift that you give to loved ones in order to bring them luck for the year to come. Designs and materials may vary, just like their prices, but a gouri is a very popular symbol of love and protection for the new year.

Other New Years' Traditions Around Greece

In the Cyclades, villagers believe a north wind on New Year's Day to be a very good omen for the year. Also, if a dove should land in the yard that day, the family will have an extra lucky year, but if a crow flies over the house, then all luck will be lost.

In Crete, the tradition of hanging wild sea onions, or 'squill' is still practiced in some homes. The Cretan wild onion is actually poisonous and may cause a skin rash, but when uprooted, it flowers and grows new leaves. Cretans consider this rare quality a very good omen and hang the wild onions in their homes on New Year's Day in a tradition that goes back to the 6th century BC.

Temperatures are expected to drop during the last two days of the year in Greece, raising hopes that some mountainous and northern regions might enjoy some snow.

Greece has experienced an exceptionally mild winter so far, with clear blue skies and temperatures reaching 15 degrees during the day, including Christmas day.

Clouds and rain are expected on Wednesday (Dec. 30) throughout Greece while snow is forecast for the mountainous area in central and northern parts of the country. Temperatures will drop as low as 2 degrees Celcius.

On New Year’s Eve, sleet is forecast for many regions of the country. Mountainous areas as well as in the lowlands of central and northern Greece will have winds reaching 7 Beaufort. Temperatures will drop to -1 in many regions. Temperatures will drop another degree on New Year’s day with sleet, rain and clouds expected for most of the country.

Source: ANA-MPA

Vasilopita is a traditional Greek cake or bread served on New Year's to celebrate the life of Saint Basil. After baking the cake, a coin is inserted though the base and when cut, the person who finds the coin is said to be granted luck for the rest of the year.  

Vasilopita is made of a variety of doughs, depending on the region of Greece and almost every family has its own recipe. The most popular vasilopita recipes are made either with tsoureki dough or like a cake. Here, My Greek Dish shares with us their family's recipe which has been enjoyed for over 30 years.

 

To find out important tips on how to prepare the Vasilopita, please visit: My Greek Dish

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History Behind The Tradition

The Vasilopita is made in honor of St. Basil (Agios Vasilios) and a heavy tax burden. It is said that one year, during a time of famine, the emperor levied an excessive tax on the people of Caesarea. The tax was such a heavy burden on the already poverty-stricken people that to avoid debtors’ prison, each family had to give up its few remaining coins and pieces of jewelry, including precious family heirlooms.

Learning of this injustice, St. Basil, who was the archbishop of Caesarea, took up his bishop’s staff and the book of the Gospels and came to his people’s defense by calling the emperor to repentance. The emperor listened! He canceled the tax and instructed his tax collectors to turn over to St. Basil all of the chests containing the coins and jewelry which had been paid as taxes by the people of Caesarea.

St. Basil was then faced with the daunting and impossible task of returning the thousands of coins and pieces of jewelry to their rightful owners. After praying for a long time, St. Basil had the idea to bake the treasures into one huge pita (bread). He then called all the townspeople to prayer at the cathedral. After the church service, he blessed and cut the pita, giving a piece to each person.

The people all joyfully returned home, giving thanks to the bishop St. Basil the Great! In remembrance of this act, Orthodox Christians observe the tradition of the Vasilopita each year on January 1st.

Main image: @polikalablog