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Newsletter 52March 2006Mark your CalendarUpcoming Events of Prometheas
· Saturday, March 11: Lecture: The Treatment of Prostate Cancer, by Dr. Panos Koutrouvelis, at St. George Church, 7:30 pm. For more details, see brochure.
· Saturday, March 25th, 2006. Hellenic Independence Day Celebration, at St. Katherine’s Church, Falls Church, VA. For more details, see brochure.
The Prometheas Annual Masquerade Ball
The Prometheas Annual Masquerade Ball took place on February 25th. The early consensus suggests that this may have been one of the most successful dances in recent years. More than 230 people attended, many of whom were young people and many newcomers. A large percentage wore in costumes with many excellent dresses. Awards were given to the best-dressed individual, couple, young adult, child and group. The music was excellent and everybody had a lot of fun. Prometheas thanks all its members and friends who participated at the dance and recognizes Amphitrion Holidays for the donation of a three-day cruise in the Aegean, Kourkoulakos Jewelers for the beautiful bracelet, Amerikus Importers for the case of wine, and Euclid Mortgage Services for the generous financial contribution.
Some pictures from the dance are provided in the web site.
Other Events
The Annual RTO (Return to the Origins) Performance has been moved to March 12, 2006. For more details, see attached announcement.
The Oracle’s Mysteries Revealed/Book Signing Monday, March 13 at 7:00pm Corcoran and AHI Members $12; Public $15 Of all the legends of ancient Greece, few capture the imagination as does the Oracle of Delphi. In a scintillating evening, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and best-selling author William J. Broad unveils the dramatic account of the recent discoveries of the truth behind the Oracle’s mythical powers of revelation. Following almost a century of scholarly denouncement of the Oracle’s existence, Broad’s groundbreaking book, The Oracle: The Lost Secrets and Hidden Message of Ancient Delphi (The Penguin Press, 2/06) describes how a team of modern-day scientists combined their knowledge of geology and archaeology with clues from ancient literature to change forever the way we understand the Delphic Oracle. The lecture takes place in the Frances and Armand Hammer Auditorium, Corcoran Gallery of Art. To register, please call (202) 639-1770, fax (202) 639-1822 or visit the Corcoran’s website www.corcoran.org.
Upcoming events at The
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Monday, March 13 Panel Discussion: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm 5th Floor Conference Room Turkey's Turbulent Road To The EU Details Forthcoming.
Tuesday, March 21 Forum: 10:30 - 11:30 am 5th Floor Conference Room Cyprus: Beyond the Deadlock Gustave Feissel, Former UN Acting Special Representative to Cyprus
Website: www.wilsoncenter.org/sep
“From Byzantium to Modern Greece opened at Onassis Cultural Center, NY until May 6A major exhibition of Greek art with the title “From Byzantium to Modern Greece opened at the Onassis Cultural Center in New York and will stay open until May 6, 2006. The exhibit covers the period 1453 to 1830 and includes early paintings of El Greco, domestic crafts, jewelry, church ornaments, maps and charts.
An article in the New York Times (Dec 30th, 2005) quoted the introductory essay of the exhibit catalogue which noted the exhibition’s illustration of “two constants- the ancient, beautiful Greek language and the unifying power of the Orthodox Church, the only Byzantine institution to survive the Ottoman conquest, kept Hellenism alive and helped shape its self-awareness in the modern world”. Embassy of Greece, “Greece”, January 2006 (pg 3)
Miscellaneous News
ANNOUNCEMENT February 24, 2006 PAIDEIA 2006 SUMMER PROGRAMS IN GREECE GREEK LANGUAGE, CULTURE, HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY PAIDEIA semester/year around study abroad programs are offered in Thessaloniki, and Rhodes in collaboration with Aristotle University, University of Macedonia, and University of Aegean. PAIDEIA 2006 Summer Programs are offered in Thessaloniki, Dion, Kozani, Sparta, Ikaria, Mytilini, Delphi, Karpenisi, and Rhodes in Classical @ Modern Greek, Culture, History, Marine Sciences, Art, and Archaeology of Greece. The program includes various summer concerts, visits to Archaeological sites and monuments of Greece depending on student interest and courses offered. The program includes a number of excursions to museums, galleries, churches and theaters. Some past destinations with guided field trips have included Kozani, Aiani, Pella, Virgina, Meteora, Volos, Lamia, Delphi, Athens, Thermopylai, Orhomenos, Epidauros, Nafplion, Sparta, Pellana, Olympia, Patra, Korinthos, Kos, Symi, Patmos, Halki, and Karpathos. The courses are intensive for periods of three weeks. The dates are from
Students will live at rental apartments in walking distance from the classrooms. Thessaloniki students take the afternoon and evening meals at school cafeteria. Students in Dion, Rhodes and other regions of Greece take breakfast and dinner at a restaurant. Meals are seven days a week. Afternoon meal is not included. Eligibility: It is preferable that students have a grade point average of 2.5 GPA. Credits: 4 semester hours for Greek language courses and 3 semester hours for history, archaeology and other courses. Cost: The program fee is $1,200 for one course. For two or more the cost is $900.00 per course, which includes orientation, tuition, transcripts, housing, meals, cultural activities, local excursions and field trips. Part of this year program costs for each participant are defrayed through Paideia’s scholarship support. This scholarship is reflected in the program fee. This does not include the International Student Identity Card, and a nonrefundable $420 fee for application and registration through the University of Connecticut. Additional estimated costs include $1,100 for round-trip airfare, $700 for personal expenses and about $70 per course for textbooks. Applications can be obtained at: Study Abroad Programs
or Center for Hellenic Studies Paideia
GLOBAL HELLENISM: ΤΟ ΠΕΡΙΟΔΙΚΟ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΝ ΠΑΓΚΟΣΜΙΟ ΕΛΛΗΝΑ Κυκλοφορεί από την Εταιρία Μελέτης και Καταγραφής Απόδημου Ελληνισμού στην Ελλάδα και σ' ολόκληρο τον κόσμο Ο χάρτης του Ελληνισμού παγκοσμίως έχει αλλάξει τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες. Η μετανάστευση έχει μειωθεί δραματικά αλλά ο αριθμός και η δύναμή τους αυξάνεται. Εκατομμύρια Ελλήνων, μία πραγματικά άλλη Ελλάδα, ζει και δημιουργεί στο εξωτερικό. Η νοσταλγία και η αγάπη των μεταναστών για τη γενέτειρα στις νεώτερες γενεές παίρνει πλέον την μορφή εκτίμησης της πολιτιστικής τους κληρονομιάς. Ταυτοχρόνως, γεννιέται η ανάγκη γνωριμίας και σύσφιξης των σχέσεων τους με τη γενέτειρα αλλά και μεταξύ των. Στην εποχή της παγκοσμιοποίησης ο Ελληνισμός ως ιδεολογία παραμένει κυρίαρχη διεθνώς. Οι Έλληνες του εξωτερικού ζουν και ευημερούν στις περιοχές τους δημιουργώντας πνευματικές εστίες προώθησης των Ελληνικών ιδεών και θεμάτων. Είναι οι καλύτεροι πρεσβευτές της Ελλάδας. Είναι καιρός να τους γνωρίσουμε, να τους αναγνωρίσουμε, να τους αξιοποιήσουμε και να τους σεβαστούμε. Να ενδυναμώσουμε τις σχέσεις μας και να απευθυνθούμε κυρίως στις νεώτερες γενεές των ομογενών για να αφουγκραστούμε τις ανάγκες τους. Η υποστήριξη και η προώθηση της ελληνόγλωσσης και ελληνικής παιδείας είναι η προτεραιότητά τους και προτεραιότητά μας. Η νέα περιοδική έκδοση η οποία απευθύνεται σε όλους τους Έλληνες παγκοσμίως μόλις κυκλοφόρησε από τον μη κερδοσκοπικό οργανισμό «Εταιρεία Μελέτης και Καταγραφής Αποδήμου Ελληνισμού» (Ε.Μ.Κ.Α.Ε.). Η έκδοση δεν αποβλέπει σε εμπορικό κέρδος. Αποτελεί ένα εγχείρημα ευαισθητοποίησης των απανταχού Ελλήνων για τις κοινές τους ρίζες και οράματα, με μια σύγχρονη, δυναμική και υπεύθυνη προσέγγιση. Το περιοδικό θα επιχειρήσει να καταγράψει τους προβληματισμούς και τις αγωνίες της ομογένειας, τα έργα και τις δραστηριότητές της αναδεικνύοντας τα κοινά ενδιαφέροντά τους. Οι συντελεστές του, με πολύχρονη εμπειρία στα Ομογενειακά Μ.Μ.Ε. και με άποψη για την ομογενειακή πολιτική της Ελλάδας, με την αρθρογραφία και τα ρεπορτάζ τους θα επιδιώξουν να προωθήσουν τα θέματα που απασχολούν τον παγκόσμιο Ελληνισμό. Στο περιοδικό συνεργάζονται Έλληνες της διανόησης από όλες τις ηπείρους για να συμβάλλουν με την αρθρογραφία τους στην αλληλογνωριμία και συνεργασία της ομογένειας και της γενέτειρας. Στόχος μας είναι μέσα από την επικοινωνία που εγκαινιάζουμε να συμβάλλουμε στη διαμόρφωση συγκεκριμένων προτάσεων για την ενότητα και συνεργασία του απανταχού Ελληνισμού. Θα υπηρετήσουμε τον στόχο αυτό με συνέπεια, ήθος και πραγματική αγάπη και σεβασμό για την ομογένεια που ιστορικά έχει παίξει καθοριστικό ρόλο για την τύχη του Ελληνισμού.
Για τη Συντακτική ομάδα του «Παγκόσμιου Ελληνισμού»
Δρ Κώστας Σ. Πασχαλίδης – Πρόεδρος της Ε.Μ.Κ.Α.Ε
Νάνσυ Μπίσκα, Σύμβουλος Έκδοσης Global Hellenism
Οι ενδιαφερόμενοι να το αποκτήσουν, μπορούν να απευθύνονται στην Εταιρία Μελέτης και Καταγραφής Απόδημου Ελληνισμού, τηλ. +30 23210 37208 & +30 210 6531755, Φαξ: +30 23210 37732 E-mail: info@globalhellenism.gr
SCIENCETyphoid Linked to
Athens Plague Genetic analysis indicates that typhoid fever -- not smallpox, anthrax or measles -- caused the great epidemic of Athens that broke out in 430 B.C. and killed a third of the city, ending the golden age of Athenian dominance of the ancient world. Greek scientists writing in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases said they concluded that typhoid caused the plague by studying DNA recovered from the teeth of skeletal remains in an ancient mass burial pit. The pit has more than five layers of skeletons buried in a precise manner, topped with bodies "virtually heaped one upon the other," suggesting a quick burial in difficult conditions. After extracting the trace dental DNA, the researchers used new techniques to amplify and compare it with genetic sequences from diseases such as plague, typhus, anthrax, tuberculosis and cat-scratch disease. They found a match with typhoid fever. The great plague occurred in the first years of the Peloponnesian War, which eventually led to Sparta's defeat of Athens. At the time, Athens was surrounded on land by Spartans and survived only because its navy controlled the sea through the port of Piraeus. The city's great leader, Pericles, died in the epidemic. In his famous history of that war, Thucydides described the plague as including fever, rash and diarrhea. All are consistent with typhoid fever, which is spread by contaminated water and food. The lead author, Manolis J. Papagrigorakis of the University of Athens, said the research shows how useful the study of infectious disease can be in understanding and unraveling "the most debated enigmas in medical history."
Archaeologists Find Massive Tomb in GreeceBy COSTAS KANTOURIS
The Associated
Press
THESSALONIKI, Greece -- Archaeologists have unearthed a massive tomb in the northern Greek town of Pella, capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia and birthplace of Alexander the Great. The eight-chambered tomb dates to the Hellenistic Age between the fourth and second century B.C., and is the largest of its kind ever found in Greece. The biggest multichambered tombs until now contained three chambers. The 678-square-foot tomb hewn out of rock was discovered by a farmer plowing his field on the eastern edge of the ancient cemetery of Pella, some 370 miles north of Athens, archaeologists said. "This is the largest and most monumental tomb of its kind ever found in Greece," said Maria Akamati, who led the excavations. Archaeologists believe the tomb _ filled with dozens of votive clay pots and idols, copper coins and jewelry _ will shed light on the culture of Macedonia in the period that followed Alexander's conquest of Asia. Alexander's empire, which stretched from Greece to Asia, broke into separate kingdoms upon his death in 323 B.C., as his generals battled over the remains of the ancient world's greatest empire. Similar tombs from the same era have been discovered on Crete, Cyprus and Egypt, which was ruled by a Greek dynasty founded by Ptolemy, Alexander's general. The tomb's size suggests it belonged to a a wealthy Macedonian family, Akamati said. The tomb, believed to have been used for two centuries, was probably plundered in antiquity as most of the artifacts were strewn by the entrance to the chambers, Akamati said. The complex is dominated by a central area surrounded by eight chambers colored in red, blue and gold dyes. Three inscribed stone slabs inside bear the names of their female owners _ Antigona, Kleoniki and Nikosrati. A relief on one of the slabs depicts a women and her servant. The discovery was confirmed on Friday by a senior archaeologist responsible for the Pella site and will be presented at an Archaeological Conference in Thessaloniki that begins Thursday. Greek Hiker Finds 6,500-Year-Old Pendant By COSTAS KANTOURIS, Associated Press Writer Fri Feb 17, 10:46 AM ET
A Greek hiker found a 6,500-year-old gold pendant in a field and handed it over to authorities, an archaeologist said Thursday.
The flat, roughly ring-shaped prehistoric pendant probably had religious significance and would have been worn on a necklace by a prominent member of society.
Only three such gold artifacts have been discovered during organized digs, archaeologist Georgia Karamitrou-Mendesidi, head of the Greek archaeological service in the northern region where the discovery was made, told The Associated Press.
"It belongs to the Neolithic period, about which we know very little regarding the use of metals, particularly gold," she said. "The fact that it is made of gold indicates that these people were highly advanced, producing significant works of art."
She said the pendant, measuring rough 1 1/2 by 1 1/2 inches, was picked up last year near the town of Ptolemaida, about 90 miles southwest of the northern city of Thessaloniki. Karamitrou-Mendesidi is to present the artifact at a three-day archaeological conference that opened Thursday in Thessaloniki.
Greek police confiscated a hoard of 33 similar pieces of hammered gold jewelry from smugglers in 1997.
The woman who found the pendant did not want a reward and wished to remain anonymous, Karamitrou-Mendesidi said.
Similar finds have been excavated in modern Turkey and the Balkans, particularly in Bulgaria.
Around 4500 B.C., when the pendant was made, Greece's early Neolithic farming settlements were consolidating into structured trading centers with a developed knowledge of metalworking.
In November, archaeologists announced the discovery of two prehistoric farming settlements dating back as early as 6000 B.C. in the Ptolemaida region.
The settlement digs uncovered burial sites, clay and stone figurines of humans and animals, pottery and stone tools.
Another 25 prehistoric settlements have been found in the area.
Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press.
Greek Shipwreck from 350 BC Revealed By
Ker Than The remains of an ancient Greek cargo ship that sank more than 2,300 years ago have been uncovered with a deep-sea robot, archaeologists announced today.
The ship was carrying hundreds of ceramic jars of wine and olive oil and went down off Chios and the Oinoussai islands in the eastern Aegean Sea sometime around 350 B.C.
Archeologists speculate that a fire or rough weather may have sunk the ship. The wreckage was found submerged beneath 200 feet (60 meters) of water.
The researchers hope that the shipwreck will provide clues about the trade network that existed between the ancient Greek and their trading partners.
The wreck is “like a buried UPS truck,” said David Mindell of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “It provides a wealth of information that helps us figure out networks based on the contents of the truck.”
The shipwreck was located using sonar scans performed by the Greek Ministry of Culture in 2004. In July of 2005, researchers returned to the site with the underwater robot, called SeaBed.
The robot scanned the shipwreck and scattered cargo and created a topographical sonar map of the region. It also took more than 7,500 images over of the site over the course of four dives. The researchers have assembled those images into a mosaic.
The study of the Chios shipwreck is part of a 10-year project that aims to examine ancient trade in the Mediterranean during the Bronze age (2500-1200 B.C.). In particular, the project will focus on the Minoan and Mycenaean cultures and their trading partners.
The investigating team also includes researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), the Greek Ministry of Culture and the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR). |
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