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Greece Dreams, Kentwood, MI (2024)

06/14/2024

06/09/2024

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**The Golden Larnax and grave crown of of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great

**Philip II the King of Macedonia was assassinated by one of his seven bodyguards, Pausanias of Orestias in 336. Pausanias stabbed a Philip II while he was on his way to the wedding of his daughter, Cleopatra to Alexander I, the King of Epirus. It was a strategic alliance, of course.

For the record Alexander I of Epirus was the brother-in-law of Phiilip II. His sister, Olympias, was the fourth of seven wives of the polygynistic Philip, but most importantly, the mother of Alexander III, the Great.

Olympias, was one of the ancient she wolves, and a major player in Macedonian politics after the death of Philip. She also played hard with the "boys" in that very real Game of Thrones - the Diadochi Wars. She was killed, executed by her enemy and rival, Cassander,in 316 BCE when she was about fifty-nine years old.

The murdered Philip was cremated upon a pyre. His remains put into the golden box-like *larnax* and placed in his tomb at the royal burial grounds of Aagai in Vergina, Greece. The funerary crown is a gold rendition of the sacred Hellenic crown, a cluster of oak, myrtle, and laurel leaves.

It was only in 1977 that Greek archaeologists discovered the arched or "vaulted" tomb under one of the 500 or so tumuli around Aigai the site of Ancient Macedonian royal capital in Vergina.

The" Vergina Star" on the larnax lid, was the symbol of the Macedonian *Argead* royal house and dynasty into which Philip II was born.

The bodyguards, like Pausanias of Orestis, called *Somatophylakes *often descirbed as companions were members of Macedonian nobility, social peers of the royal house of Argead.

06/08/2024

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Greek bronze shield, made around 185 BC

06/08/2024

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‘300’ WILL HAVE ITS SERIES ON HBO MAX

According to Warner Bros. Television is already working on a series within the universe of ‘300’.
Although exact plot details are unknown, sources say the series could serve as a prequel to the 2006 film.
Zack Snyder will be in charge of production.
The series would hit HBO Max starting in 2026!
(Image ©️ Leonidas of Sparta Original

06/08/2024

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What was the population of Sparta around 480 B.C?

At its peak around 500 BCE, Sparta had some 20,000–35,000 citizens, plus numerous helots and perioikoi. The likely total of 40,000–50,000 made Sparta one of the larger Greek city-states.However, according to Thucydides, the population of Athens in 431 BCE was 360,000–610,000, making it much larger.

05/28/2024

According to legend, the Athenians each year sent 7 young men and women in Crete, to be devoured by the Minotaur monster in the labyrinth built by the famous Daedalus. When Theseus, son of Aegeus, king of Athens, arrives in Crete to offer himself as a victim to the Minotaur, he meets King Minos' daughter, Ariadne who falls in love with him. To save him from death Ariane resorts to a trick: against the promise to marry him, she provides him with a thread which he unwinds behind him in order to find his way back (the famous Ariadne's thread), thanks to which he succeeds in find the exit of the labyrinth after his victorious fight with the Minotaur.
"The thread of Ariadne", which took its name from the myth of Ariadne, means nowadays the solution of a problem that at first seems unsolvable!
Art José Daniel Cabrera Peña.
Theseus and Ariadne
Entrance of the minoan Labyrinth
Selon la légende, les Athéniens envoyaient chaque année 7 jeunes hommes et femmes en Crète, se faire dévorer par le monstre Minotaure dans le labyrinthe construit par le fameux Dédale. Lorsque Thésée, fils d'Egée, roi d'Athènes, arrive en Crète pour s'offrir en victime au Minotaure, il rencontre la fille du roi Minos, Ariane qui tombe amoureuse de lui. Pour le sauver de la mort Ariane recourt à une ruse : contre la promesse de l'épouser, elle lui fournit un fil qu'il dévide derrière lui afin de retrouver son chemin(le fameux fil d'Ariane), grâce auquel il réussit à retrouver la sortie du labyrinthe après son combat victorieux avec le Minotaure.
"Le fil d'Ariane", qui tire son nom du mythe d'Ariane, signifie de nos jours la solution d'un problème qui semble en premier insoluble!
Art José Daniel Cabrera Peña.
Thésée et Ariane
Entrée du labyrinthe minoen

05/25/2024

Greece is a country in southeastern Europe, known in Greek as Hellas or Ellada, and consisting of a mainland and an archipelago of islands. Ancient Greece is the birthplace of Western philosophy (Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle), literature (Homer and Hesiod), mathematics (Pythagoras and Euclid), history (Herodotus), drama (Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes), the Olympic Games, and democracy.

The concept of an atomic universe was first posited in Greece through the work of Democritus and Leucippus. The process of today's scientific method was first introduced through the work of Thales of Miletus and those who followed him. The Latin alphabet also comes from ancient Greece, having been introduced to the region during the Phoenician colonization in the 8th century BCE, and early work in physics and engineering was pioneered by Archimedes, of the Greek colony of Syracuse, among others.

Mainland Greece is a large peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean Sea (branching into the Ionian Sea in the west and the Aegean Sea in the east) which also comprises the islands known as the Cyclades and the Dodecanese (including Rhodes), the Ionian islands (including Corcyra), the isle of Crete, and the southern peninsula known as the Peloponnese.

The geography of Greece greatly influenced the culture in that, with few natural resources and surrounded by water, the people eventually took to the sea for their livelihood. Mountains cover 80 percent of Greece and only small rivers run through a rocky landscape which, for the most part, provides little encouragement for agriculture. Consequently, the early ancient Greeks colonized neighboring islands and founded settlements along the coast of Anatolia (also known as Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey). The Greeks became skilled seafaring people and traders who, possessing an abundance of raw materials for construction in stone, and great skill, built some of the most impressive structures in antiquity.

Etymology of Hellas

The designation Hellas derives from Hellen, the son of Deucalion and Pyrrha who feature prominently in Ovid's tale of the Great Flood in his Metamorphoses. The mythical Deucalion (son of the fire-bringing titan Prometheus) was the savior of the human race from the Great Flood, in the same way Noah is presented in the biblical version or Utnapishtim in the Mesopotamian one. Deucalion and Pyrrha repopulate the land once the floodwaters have receded by casting stones which become people, the first being Hellen. Contrary to popular opinion, Hellas and Ellada have nothing to do with Helen of Troy from Homer's Iliad. Ovid, however, did not coin the designation. Thucydides writes, in Book I of his Histories:

I am inclined to think that the very name was not as yet given to the whole country, and in fact did not exist at all before the time of Hellen, the son of Deucalion; the different tribes, of which the Pelasgian was the most widely spread, gave their own names to different districts. But when Hellen and his sons became powerful in Phthiotis, their aid was invoked by other cities, and those who associated with them gradually began to be called Hellenes, though a long time elapsed before the name was prevalent over the whole country. Of this, Homer affords the best evidence; for he, although he lived long after the Trojan War, nowhere uses this name collectively, but confines it to the followers of Achilles from Phthiotis, who were the original Hellenes; when speaking of the entire host, he calls them Danäans, or Argives, or Achaeans.

05/24/2024

05/21/2024

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05/20/2024

The Abduction of Helen, a significant artifact from the ancient city of Pella in Macedonia, Greece.

This artwork, dated around 325 BC, is housed in the Archaeological Museum of Pella, showcasing the high level of artistic skill in the late Classical period. The mosaic illustrates the dramatic moment when Helen, the queen of Sparta, is abducted by Paris, an event that ultimately leads to the Trojan War. The craftsmanship of the mosaic is remarkable, with intricate details capturing the dynamism and tension of the scene, reflecting the high aesthetic values and technical proficiency of Macedonian art during this era.

Pella, the capital of ancient Macedonia and the birthplace of Alexander the Great, was a prominent cultural and political center. The mosaics found here, including the one depicting the abduction of Helen, provide invaluable insights into the daily life, mythology, and artistic achievements of the time. These mosaics, often adorning the floors of wealthy homes and public buildings, were not only decorative but also served to convey powerful mythological and historical narratives. The Abduction of Helen mosaic, with its vivid representation and dynamic composition, is a testament to the sophisticated visual culture of ancient Macedonia and its enduring influence on the art and mythology of subsequent generations.

👉 Read also about the Pella Curse Tablet: https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/the-pella-curse-tablet-a-linguistic-window-into-ancient-macedonia?rq=Pella%20Macedonia

05/20/2024

In the summer of 480 BC, the narrow pass of Thermopylae became the stage for one of history's most legendary clashes. Here, a small force of Greek warriors, led by King Leonidas of Sparta, stood defiant against the massive invading Persian army commanded by Xerxes I. Despite their valor and unwavering resolve, the Greeks faced overwhelming odds. For three days, they held the pass against relentless Persian assaults, inflicting heavy casualties and buying precious time for Greece to prepare its defenses. Yet, ultimately, betrayal and strategic maneuvering led to their defeat. The Battle of Thermopylae stands as a symbol of sacrifice and resilience in the face of tyranny, immortalized by the courage of those who dared to defy overwhelming forces.

05/15/2024

Illustration of anciet agora of Athens, Greece

05/13/2024

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Mystras in Lakonia (Peloponnese), Greece...!
😍🇬🇷❤️
📸 tsiak

05/12/2024

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The Queen""s Bath and its reconstruction in the Palace of Knossos, which belongs to the Minoan civilization. 16th century BC. Crete, Greece. The Minoan civilization, which emerged in 3,500 BC, lived its brightest periods between 2700-1450 BC. Later, it lost its former power and Mycenaean culture began to spread on the island. The name Minos was coined by British archaeologists excavating in Crete.
According to Ancient Greek Mythology, Minos is the son of Zeus and Europa, who gave the European continent its name, and is the legendary king of the island of Crete.

12/04/2023

12/03/2023

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The theater of Epidaurus (Peloponnese, Greece) is one of the greatest examples of Greek architecture remaining to this day. It is located in the eastern part of the Peloponnese in the region of Argolis (map) and in the archaeological complex of Ancient Epidaurus about 130 km from Athens (See the Athens-Epidaurus route) and about 190 km from Patras (See the Patras-Epidaurus route). The theater of Epidaurus was built in the 4th century BC. by the architect Policleto il Giovane and originally consisted of 34 rows of seats, but in a later period the Romans expanded the seats by creating another 21 rows in the highest part of the theater, total 55.
(Quote from Fabio Piuma)