Coinciding with a decade of museum operations, the excavation site at the Acropolis Museum is set to open to the public in the summer of 2019. The Museum Director, Dimitris Pantermalis, announced the opening recently to the Central Archaeological Council. 

The excavation site is located on the south side of the Acropolis, below the museum, and will be showcased through special lighting effects, informative signage, and digital applications. The site will also be accessible to anyone with disabilities, and admission is likely to be free due to the increase in ticket cost.

Visitors will have the chance to see ruins of an Ancient Athenian neighborhood along an ancient road, as well as homes, bathhouses, and workshops from 5th century BC.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Athens is a city thriving with world famous museums and ancient sites, including the National Archaeological Museum. Located in the center of Athens, the museum is the largest archaeological museum in Greece and has devoted itself to the preservation and display of precious Greek art.

Whether a local or a tourist, it is considered vital that you pay this global point of interest a visit and take a journey through time, from prehistory to Late Antiquity!

A team of Greek archaeologists has discovered the first tangible remains of the lost city believed to have been founded by captives of the legendary Trojan War in the 12th or 13th century BC.

 

Tenea survived the destruction of the neighboring city of Corinth in 146 BC, but appears to have suffered damage during a Gothic invasion in the late 4th century AD and may have been deserted around the time of Slavic conquests two centuries later.

To read this article in full, please visit: ekathimerini

The Greek National Theater's 2019-2020 season includes more than 20 productions, 4 of which will be staged with English surtitles every Wednesday through Sunday.

 

Surtitles will be applied to the current production of "Tonight We Improvise" and to the upcoming performances of Jack Thorne's adaptation of Charles Dickens' "Christmas Carol," from November 15 to January 12, 2020.

For the 2020 season, English surtitles will be available on the production of "Macbeth," from February 7 to March 8, and on Georges Feydeau's "Lady from Maxims," from March 21 to May 31. All 4 productions will be staged at the Ziller Building on Agiou Constantinou Street

To read this article in full, please visit: ekathimerini.com
Photo: National Theater

Preparations for Santorini Experience continue as the great sports tourism event approaches its 6th year, on October 2-4, 2020. Santorini, which is recognized among the top destinations around the world, will attract professional and amateur athletes once again this year, offering them unique moments of sports and tourism combined. The trail running and open water swimming races that will be held on October 3 and October 4, respectively, will have an eco-friendly approach, through a strategy that incorporates plastic-free actions, always placing the safety of all participants as its main priority.

The history of the volcano

The volcano of Santorini is one of the largest underwater active volcanoes in the world and perhaps the only volcano whose Caldera reaches the sea.

From the volcanic eruptions of ancient times, which even connected Santorini with the myth of the lost Atlantis, to the recent earthquakes, the history of Santorini is directly connected to its “restless” territory and its volcanoes. Parts of Santorini’s volcano are Nea Kameni (1707- 1711 AD), Palea Kameni (46-47 AD), the underwater volcano Columbus (active) (1650 AD), and Christiana Islands. The exciting swimming race of Santorini Experience will take place in the sea gap between Thira and Thirasia, which was formed during the Minoan eruption that took place in 1613 BC, featuring a depth of more than 1,000 meters.

On the morning of Sunday, October 4, 2020, participants of Santorini Experience will have the opportunity to swim over the lost Atlantis, according to Plato, on the mesmerizing 1.5 miles (2.4 km) route from the volcano to the old port of Fira. Swimmers will enjoy the imposing view of the island in the warm waters of the volcano, at the open water swimming race by Vikos. The event will look after all athletes by providing high-quality safety lifeguard buoys. The swimming route will be held, as every year, with absolute safety in the captivating waters of Santorini, where the average water temperature in October, reaches 20-22 degrees Celsius. Lifeguard Patrol’s specialized lifeguards and rescue boats will contribute to the safety of the race for another year. Different categories will be formed depending on the final number of entries and a separate category for those wearing wetsuits will be added too. The race will be held under the technical direction of Greek national swimming coach with Olympic and World Championship distinctions, Nikos Gemelos, with the approval of the Hellenic Swimming Federation, according to FINA regulations and the event’s health protocol in accordance with the instructions of the special scientists-collaborators of the Hellenic Swimming Federation, based on the epidemiological data and the suggestions of the Health Committee of the General Secretariat of Sports. You can find all the technical details of the swimming route here.

The event will be held, in accordance with the strict standards set by the Greek Ministry of Tourism, the General Secretariat of Sports and all relevant sports Federations. Santorini Experience will be planned and delivered based on the protocol of races, which will ensure public health and safety of all parties involved. Moreover, the health and safety of all participants remain the event’s main priority. The 10km race is organized along with AS Ifestos Thiras and EAS SEGAS Cyclades Region and approved by the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS).

Santorini Experience has joined the Greek actions of the #BeactiveHellas 2020 program of the European Commission and is held under the auspices of the General Secretariat of Sports.

The award-winning Active Media Group is responsible for the event’s Sports Production, and it is worth noting, that the event’s Official Hashtag #SantoriniExperience, has created its own unique trend on social media.

Accommodation packages at great prices and for all preferences

Up to this point and in these difficult times, this year’s event is supported with amazing offers and prices by the following hospitality sponsors: Athina Luxury Suites, Santo Maris Oia Luxury Suites & Spa, Canaves Oia, Katikies Santorini, Andronis Arcadia, West East Suites, K&K Unique Holiday Homes, Folia Bianca, Cocoon Suites, Marvarit Suites, Iriana Suites, Nefeles Luxury Suites, Sienna Resort, Santo Houses, Memories Hotel, 270 Oia’s View, Cori Rigas Suites, Uma Ray Suites, Loizos Stylish Residencies, Monolithia, Fanouris Condo, Epavlis Hotel, Iokasti Villa, Olive Cave Houses, Panorama Boutique Hotel, Esperas Santorini and Santorini Hospitality. Whether you wish to stay in the Caldera, Fira, Imerovigli, Oia, or in the beautiful Pyrgos, Monolithos, Akrotiri, Kamari, Messaria, Emporio, Megalochori or at the endless beach of Perissa and Perivolos, Santorini has everything. Participants may opt to stay in a room for two people, in a house for 4-6 people or in a villa with a pool for 4-10 people, amongst the many other options of Santorini.

Travel to Santorini Experience 2020 with safety

All those traveling to the island by ferry will be able to enjoy the safety and comfort of Blue Star Ferries once again this year. The top Greek shipping company offers a 40% discount on the ferry tickets, from/to Santorini, and a 30% discount on vehicles to all those visiting the event and the island during that period. Each person who has completed his/her registration is entitled to the same discount for 3 more people if these are his/her escorts, or for 4 people if these are family members.

Moreover, the top Greek rental company Avance, as the event’s official car rental partner provides participants of Santorini Experience with an opportunity to make their reservation, with a 15% discount on the official price list, for any vehicle of their choice regarding their travel to the island during the period of the event. 

Athina Luxury Suites, Vikos Natural Mineral Water, and Blue Star Ferries are the event’s official sponsors.

Luanvi is the event’s official sports supplier for another year.

Boatmen Union Santorini is the event’s official supporter.

Avance is the official car rental partner.

Messinian Spa is the event’s official beauty partner.

Premium TV partner: SKAI

Premium media partner: 24MEDIA

Red Swim Academy, Swim Academy, Leandros, and Swimmingclub.gr are the athletic partners of Santorini Experience.

The event is assisted by Lifeguard Patrol, Voluntary Lifeguards of Santorini, Atlantis Dive Center, Santorini Nautical Club, and Caldera Yachting.

Tangopapas.com is the event’s travel partner.

Santorini Experience is co-organized by the Municipality of Santorini, Municipal Sports Cultural Environmental Organization of Santorini (DAPPOS), and Active Media Group.

 

Originally from Sicily, granita is a semi-frozen dessert with crystalline texture, made from sugar, water, and various flavorings, mainly fruit juices. It's extremely popular all around Greece, especially among kids, and it's the ultimate drink to survive the Greek summer's scorching heat.

Yield: 4-6 servings
Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ready in: 6 hours

• 150 g water
• 150 g brown sugar
• 800 g watermelon, cleaned
• 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• lemon juice from 1 lemon
• lemon zest from 1 lemon
• sliced watermelon for decor

• In a pot, add the water with the sugar and place it over medium heat for about 2 minutes.
• As soon as it starts bubbling, let it boil for 2-3 minutes, and then remove from heat. Set the syrup aside to cool.
• Cut the watermelon into 2-3 cm pieces and puree them along with the syrup, the vanilla extract, and the lemon zest and juice into a blender.
• Share the mixture into ice-cube trays and freeze them for 5-6 hours.
• When they freeze well and you are about to serve them, pour the ice cubes into the blender and puree them until they look like snow.
• Fill the glasses and serve with watermelon slices.

To read the complete recipe and learn the nutritional information, please visit: akispetretzikis.com 

As we step into the New Year, it's not just about resolutions; it's about seizing the chance for a fresh start, envisioning accomplishments, and making promises that resonate with our practical, day-to-day lives. Let's ditch the theoretical and dive into why setting goals is not just important but downright practical.




1. Goals Are Our Personal Growth Catalysts

Beyond checklists and achievements, goals propel us toward personal growth. Each goal becomes a milestone in our journey, pushing us to learn, adapt, and evolve. It's not just about what we achieve externally, but how we transform internally along the way.

2. Goals Fuel Lasting Motivation

External rewards might provide a temporary high, but internal motivation sustains the marathon. Practical goals force us to tap into our intrinsic desires, igniting a fire that keeps burning. They serve as constant reminders of why we embarked on this journey, fostering enduring motivation.

3. Building Resilience Through Challenges

Goals are not just about success; they're about navigating the hurdles that inevitably arise. In pursuit of our objectives, we build resilience. Challenges become opportunities to learn, adapt, and persevere, shaping us into more resilient individuals capable of weathering storms.

4. Enhancing Focus and Productivity

In a world filled with distractions, goals act as beacons of focus. When we have a clear objective, our energy and efforts are streamlined. It becomes easier to prioritize tasks, say no to distractions, and channel our efforts into what truly matters, boosting overall productivity.

5. Creating a Sense of Purpose

Goals provide a sense of purpose—something to strive for beyond the mundane. They infuse our actions with meaning, offering a clear direction in the chaos of everyday life. A life with purpose is more fulfilling, and goals guide us toward that overarching sense of meaning.

Now armed with a more profound understanding of why practical goals matter, let's not just pursue fulfillment; let's revel in the journey toward our desired results. The weight on our hearts often stems from what we never attempted due to fatigue, fear, or doubts about success. So, let's embrace the practicality of setting goals and make this year truly transformative.

Cheers to a year of purposeful goals, personal growth, and tangible victories!

The City of Athens recently proceeded with the complete reconstruction of Athens’ largest food market, the historical “Varvakeios Market”. As the Mayor of Athens, Costas Bakogiannis, stated: “The heart of Athens is beating here, in Varvakeios; it is beating loudly and we all have great joy and enthusiasm because, today, the Market is turning the page”.

The Varvakeios Market’s history

With a history of over 130 years, Varvakeios Agora is Athens’ Municipal Market located centrally on Athinas Street, which connects Monastiraki and Omonoia squares. It includes a meat market, a fish market, as well as an open-air fruit and vegetable market. The meat, poultry, and fish stalls are housed in a building that was constructed by architect and professor at the National Technical University of Athens, Ioannis Koumelis. The idea was to consolidate the shopping booths that, until then, had been scattered around the Ancient Agora. The Market was named after one of Greece’s national benefactors, Ioannis Varvakis (1745-1825). 

A foodie’s paradise

If you are a foodie looking for an authentic gastronomic experience in the heart of Athens, you will certainly love a visit to Varvakeios Market. In business nonstop since 1886 and open every day except Sunday, from early in the morning until late afternoon, the Market is a vibrant hub of authentic city life. In fact, experiencing its colors, sounds and aromas is like being catapulted into another era! The liveliest area is perhaps the fish market, where one can find around 100 professional fishmongers and get to know the “fishing geography” of the Aegean, while there are also many shops inside and around the market selling olives, herbs, spices, nuts and dried fruit, impressive varieties of Greek cheese, as well as traditional Greek sausages like soutzouki and pastourmas.

A must-meeting point for Athenians, especially on festive days of the year, the Market is literally the Grand Central Station of food, where people from all walks of life and lifestyles converge to discover the freshest and most delicious ways to satiate their hunger. Make no mistake; everyone shops here, from celebrity chefs to neighborhood grocery store owners. The Varvakeios Market is, thus, a tribute to the everyman as it knows no class divides, while it is also home to old cookhouses, such as the famed “Epirus” tavern, where one can enjoy some of the most traditional Greek dishes that are hard to find anywhere else. Whether a visitor to Athens or a local interested in culinary heritage, the Varvakeios Market is, thus, a definite place to visit!

To read this article in full, please visit: greeknewsagenda.gr

 

In "Alexander: the Making of a God" (now on Netflix), we get to see some discoveries from Dr. Calliope Limneos-Papapakosta's excavation at Alexandria. Would Alexander's tomb be the greatest archaeological discovery?

Yes – and No. Yes, because it’s been sought for so long, speculated over so hard, and there’s a powerful mystique surrounding royal tombs (think – the Pyramids, the tomb of the first Chinese emperor, or … the Tombs of the Macedonian royals at Aigai, on which more below …). No, because I – like most sober, non-partisan observers and analysts – believe it’s been lost forever beneath the sea-waves that have long ago submerged the entire Royal Quarter of ancient Alexandria in Egypt.

Can we get our heads around the notion that Alexander had two fathers -- dual descent?

Olympias certainly did want everyone to believe that her firstborn son’s conception had something of the divine about it – though whether she fingered Zeus or an Egyptian-Greek variant of him, Ammon, is unclear. In another sense, regardless of what tale (myth) of his conception Olympias had put about, everyone would have accepted that Alexander as son of Philip II was at least descended from, even if not actually sired by, Zeus. This was because all Macedonian royals were considered to be lineally descended from Heracles, and Heracles was – in myth – sired by the greatest Olympian divinity of them all, Zeus.

Did Alexander believe that Artemis was present at his birth?

Artemis was indeed for all Greeks a goddess of childbirth – but she had no special Macedonian, let alone royal-Macedonian connections. Alexander’s Epirote mother much preferred Dionysus - and his house speciality of fermented grape-juice and associated ecstatic orgiastic rituals - to Artemis the perpetual virgin of the wild margins.

Murder at a Wedding

Why did Alexander have a falling out with his father, Philip?

Alexander too found the volatile, controlling Philip at best difficult, at worst impossible. So great had been his own estrangement, not too long before 336, that he had even gone into more or less involuntary temporary exile abroad. The issues between them were essentially personal, questions of power rather than of foreign policy objectives on which they were basically agreed.

And do you think it likely that Alexander and Olympias had a hand in Philip's murder?

I do think it very likely that Olympias had a hand in arranging Philip’s assassination – for, had Philip not been assassinated in 336, Philip and not Alexander would have led the planned Persian expedition that made Alexander’s name. Alexander would have been left behind at the Macedonian capital, Pella, to serve as Regent, a role he had performed (and exploited for personal advantage) already when only a teenager. By 336, Olympias had long ago fallen out with and been estranged from her husband. Over her son, however, she continued to exercise a powerful both attraction and domination. (He ‘joked’ that she charged him a high rent for the nine months she’d housed him in her womb.)

Tombs

Did Olympias' tomb or the tombs of Alexander's Persian wives ever get discovered?

Alexander’s mother Olympias was buried in Pydna, northern Greece – no question: written and documentary sources are agreed. But does the Tomb of Korinos house her tomb, as has been alleged? The jury is still out on that.

Alexander’s wives: he had three, simultaneously, all of them Iranian. The graves of none of them have been located.

What is Philip II's tomb like?

Only for Philip II (assassinated at Aigai in 336 BCE) has a seriously good case been made that his actual tomb has been located. Unfortunately, dispute continues over which of the earliest two of the three tombs excavated underneath the massive Aigai tumulus was his: was it Tomb I or II? Since II is more magnificent than I, in terms of its offerings, many have wanted it to be his, but there are legitimate doubts of a both chronological and osteological nature, suggesting that it is in fact that of Philip III Arrhidaeus, Alexander’s mentally impaired half-brother: Philip III of Macedon.

That would leave Tomb I for Philip II. One of its most famous features is an interior fresco depicting the abduction of Persephone (daughter of goddess Demeter) by Hades, eponymous ruler of the subterranean kingdom of the shades. (Tomb III is agreed to be that of Alexander IV, the ill-fated posthumous son of Alexander with his first wife, Rhoxane of (central Asian) Bactria or Sogdia.)

Alexander’s Death & Body Snatching

What caused Alexander’s Death?

How – or of what – Alexander died is one of history’s great mysteries. At one level, the question is binary: was it natural causes – or murder? If the former, what disease was it exactly that did for him at the tender age of nearly 33? If the latter, who – most – wanted him dead?

My historian’s instinct suggests that it was the unexpectedness, suddenness and prematurity of Alexander’s death, added to the king’s own known fears of assassination (but by force not poison), that gave rise to conspiracy theories of suspicious death – presumably by poisoning. More likely, in my view, is that he succumbed to some disease, his bodily resistance already fatally weakened due to a combination of near-death illnesses, grave war-wounds – and excessive alcohol consumption.

How and why did Alexander’s body get snatched?

As for how his – mummified – body ended up being buried in Egypt, first in Memphis, then at last in the new Egyptian capital he had founded, Alexandria, the story’s a bit complicated. Here are the headlines. Mummified in June 323 in Babylon, the corpse was somehow preserved there in southern Iraq until 321 when it was included in a grand cortege designed to transport it back to mainland Greece, for glorious reburial in the royal graveyard at Aigai (today’s Vergina). But near Damascus the caravan was intercepted, and the corpse hijacked, on the orders of Ptolemy son of Lagos, a Macedonian with whom Alexander had grown up and been educated, and whom Alexander had promoted to the highest status possible among his intimate Companions, that of one of his seven special Bodyguards.

Pharaohs: Alexander, Ptolemy, Cleopatra

Like the other Successors, Ptolemy had huge ambitions?

Under the immediate post-mortem carve-up of Alexander’s empire, Ptolemy became viceroy (satrap) of the vital province of Egypt. But he harboured grander ambitions: to emulate Alexander as Egyptian Pharaoh, even though he hadn’t a drop of royal blood in his veins. The capture of Alexander’s corpse as a talisman in 321 – and grandiose reburial in a specially built Mausoleum at Alexandria (the clue’s in the name) - were an earnest of his future intentions, realised in 305 BCE. Whence the ‘Ptolemaic’ ‘royal’ dynasty, culminating in the reign and suicide in 30 BCE of Cleopatra VII.

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Richard Marranca is an author who teaches ancient world, myth, and religion at Montclair State University. He writes for various print and digital publications, and his upcoming book, "Speaking of the Dead: Mummies & Mysteries of Egypt," will be published by Blydyn Square Books. Richard has had the honor of receiving a Fulbright to teach at LMU Munich and spent a semester in Athens during his doctoral studies at New York University. In his career, Richard has had the privilege of interviewing esteemed classicist Paul Cartledge on topics ranging from Alexander the Great to Greek philosophy.