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As London hosts the 30th modern edition of the Olympic Games, Dr Craig Barker from the University's Nicholson Museum and Michelle Kiss, a Year 10 work experience student from William Carey Christian School, evoke the ancient Olympic spirit with a look at the origins of the world's oldest sporting festival that may provide parallels for the next three weeks of competition in London.

• The first Olympic Games took place in 776 BC at Olympia in Greece, a sanctuary site devoted to the Greek god Zeus. The ancient Olympics were held every four years, a tradition that remains today. However, whereas cities around the world compete to host the modern games, ancient-world athletes always competed in Olympia.

• Olympia boomed as the games increased in importance — a statue of Zeus was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world — before the games were eventually abolished by the Roman emperor Theodosius I in 394 AD, supposedly because they were reminiscent of paganism. While there is much talk of the legacy of London 2012, Olympia and its athletic stadium is an important historical and archaeological site.

• In 2012, news surfaced that Australia's men's basketball team travelled to London in business class while their female equivalents languished in economy. However, during the first ancient games, gender equality in sport was even worse: women couldn't compete. Competitors were split into two groups, boys (12-18 years) and men (18+ years). Horses were also split into colts and fully grown age groups.

• While the composition of the crowds of spectators is less well understood, it's likely that only males and young girls were allowed to watch.

• In antiquity, a lit flame was tended throughout the celebration of the Olympics, and the idea of the fire was reintroduced in 1928 in Amsterdam. Every four years the Olympic flame is lit in front of the Temple of Hera then carried by torch to the host city. The torch relay was not an ancient practice and was introduced at the controversial 1936 Berlin Olympics.

• Judges were handpicked from people living in Elis, the area surrounding Olympia. The 'Elean Judges' enforced strict rules on the competitors: fines were issued for failing to arrive on time for the training period, cheating and for cowardice.

• Events in the ancient Olympics included foot races, discus, jump, javelin, boxing, pentathlon, pankration (a blend of boxing and wrestling) and chariot races. Most events, including the races, discus and javelin, took place in the Stadium of Olympia with other events taking place in the surrounding area.

• Before the start of any Olympic Games a truce would be announced, proclaiming that all wars, disputes and death penalties be put on hold until the end of the games. This truce also guaranteed athletes a safe journey to Olympia in the month leading up to the games. The truce was written on a bronze discus and placed in Olympia. The modern International Olympic Committee has revived the tradition of the truce, and all 193 United Nations member states have, for the first time, united to co-sponsor the Olympic Truce Resolution for the 2012 London Olympics.

• the sixth-century BC wrestler Milo of Croton, who was said to have died when he was wedged against a tree during a display of strength gone wrong and subsequently devoured by wolves

• Astylos, also of Croton, who competed at Olympic Games between 488 and 480 BC, but was expelled from his home city when he agreed to compete for Syracuse, and so can lay claim to being the first free-agent in sporting history

• Roman emperor Nero, who despite being thrown from his chariot in the 10-horse race at the 67 AD games, was still proclaimed the winner on the grounds that he would have won had he been able to complete the race

The exhibition which opened on July 2 at the Musee d’histoire de Nantes, was organized in partnership with the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens, and offers a chance to discover the exceptional objects from the Refugee Treasures exhibition presented in 2009 in Athens, and a selection of items conserved in France that will be presented for the first time.

The treaty imposed the exchange of civil populations and defined the terms of forced migration on both sides of the Aegean Sea. 1.3 million Greeks and 400,000 Muslims were forced to leave their homes, leaving their belongings behind.

Today, some icons in France act as a testament of a migration extending far beyond Greece’s borders.

Exhibition curator: Kiriaki Tsesmeloglou, member of the Icon Network association, restorer and conservator of painted works.

The exhibition will run through November 13, 2016.

Source: Musee d’histoire de Nantes [July 08, 2016]

One of the sites chosen as part of the green cultural routes program organized by the Culture Ministry’s Directorate of Museums, Exhibitions and Educational Programs Department was Aristotle’s Lyceum. The tour, which introduced attendees to new and exciting information about life in ancient Greece, was led by the head of the Third Ephorate of Classical Antiquities, Eleni Banou.

The Lyceum, located between the Officers Club, the Athens Conservatory and the Byzantine Museum, is poised for its grand opening. The display areas are ready, the information signs are up and the site is officially waiting for visitors. Those passing the well-tended 11,000-square meter grounds on the Culture Ministry’s tour asked Banou when the ancient philosophy school would be ready. Some of them managed to sneak in through the door on the Vassilissis Sofias side of the site to take in the ancient lyceum from up close.

The Lyceum (first brought to light by archaeologist Effi Lygouri in 1996), was an overgrown suburb of ancient Athens named after a nearby temple dedicated to Apollo Lyceus. The archaeologists of the Third Ephorate of Classical Antiquities, which is responsible for the site, want it to become a part of Athenians’ everyday life, a place where visitors can take a walk, rest or read.

However, a date for its formal inauguration has not been set yet, though it is slated to take place within the next couple of months, before the end of summer.

Author: Iota Sykka | Source: ekathimerini [June 03, 2014]

Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History Complex, and the Canadian Museum of History are pleased to announce that they will be welcoming a world-premiere exhibition to Canada later this year: The Greeks – Agamemnon to Alexander the Great. To be presented in Montréal from December 12, 2014 to April 26, 2015 and in Gatineau from June 5 to October 12, 2015, the exhibition covers more than 5,000 years of Greek culture, from the Neolithic Period to the Age of Alexander the Great.

The Greeks – Agamemnon to Alexander the Great is the most vast and comprehensive exhibition on Ancient Greece ever presented in North America. It brings together more than 500 artifacts from 22 Greek museums, including many pieces never before displayed outside Greece. Among other treasures, visitors will be able to see a number of priceless objects, the result of some unparalleled archaeological discoveries.

“We are delighted that Pointe-à-Callière is participating in the consortium formed for the exhibition’s North American tour,” says Mark O’Neill, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of History. “The consortium, which our Museum is proud to lead, includes several prestigious museological institutions and we are all honoured that the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports has agreed to lend us artifacts of such great historical value for the benefit of Canadian and American audiences.”

To facilitate the production of an exhibition of this breadth, a consortium of North American museums was created. In addition to the Canadian Museum of History and Pointe-à-Callière, the consortium includes The Field Museum in Chicago and the National Geographic Museum in Washington, DC. The Museum of History will oversee direction of the consortium, as well as work on production of the exhibition in association with the Directorate General of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports.

“I am especially proud to see this unique project take shape as a showcase for Greece, our heritage, and our treasures, illustrating an important part of our history. The fact that 22 Greek museums have come together to produce this exhibition—the largest ever to be held outside of Greece—demonstrates both the scope and the value of this project, as a number of major objects will be travelling to America for the very first time,” stated Eleftherios Anghelopoulos, Greek Ambassador to Canada.

About the Exhibition

The Greeks – Agamemnon to Alexander the Great invites visitors on a breathtaking and illuminating journey through 5,000 years of Greek history and culture. It is the most comprehensive exhibition about Ancient Greece to tour North America in a generation and features some of the finest artifacts of the classical world. Many of the objects have never before travelled outside of the country. The exhibition includes priceless treasures, the fruit of fascinating archaeological discoveries, along with items recounting the epic adventures of heroes of Ancient Greece, from the siege of Troy by Agamemnon to the triumphs of Alexander the Great.

The journey begins around 6000 BCE, revealing the deep roots of Greek culture. It ends in the days of Alexander the Great (356 to 323 BCE), whose military conquests created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Along the way, visitors will meet the legendary King Agamemnon, leader of the united Greek forces in the Trojan War (12th century BCE) and one of the great heroes of Greek mythology. They will also learn about numerous milestones in Greek and human history: the birth of democracy, philosophy, theatre and the arts, science and medicine. They will see how the first democracy functioned and discover the tools that made it possible.

Visitors will also be able to admire over 500 exquisite treasures drawn from the collections of 22 Greek museums, including the renowned National Archaeological Museum and the new Acropolis Museum in Athens. Among the many exceptional pieces are the iconic portrait of Alexander the Great, found near Pella, the impressive kouroi statues of young men and women dating from the 6th century BCE, and a dazzling array of golden jewellery from royal tombs. All these items come from Greek museums, co-ordinated by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports –Directorate General of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage, in collaboration with a consortium of museums led by the Canadian Museum of History. All in all, hundreds of golden objects will be presented, including two magnificent death masks from Mycenae (16th century BCE); superb warrior’s helmets; the beautiful myrtle wreath of Queen Meda from the antechamber of the tomb of Philip II of Macedonia (about 336 BCE); and a marble bas-relief representing a young man crowning himself.

As they tour the exhibition, visitors of all ages will be captivated by the stories of historical figures like Aristotle, Plato, Philip II of Macedonia and the Spartan King Leonidas, and the epic heroes and gods of Greek mythology, including Achilles, Aphrodite, Athena, Zeus and Poseidon.

They will also enjoy captivating interactives, fascinating hands-on objects, and a stunning design treatment.It all adds up to a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition and a truly memorable visitor experience.

Source: Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History [March 26, 2014]

A museum in the port city of Volos in eastern Greece will host the replica of Argo, the legendary ship propelled by 50 oars-men and sail on which according to Greek mythology, Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to the Black Sea to retrieve the Golden Fleece.

Currently, the replica of the ship – inaugurated in 2007 and entirely built with traditional methods and materials used at the time like oak, beech, pine, ash and fir wood (for the mast and oars) – is still at the port of Volos, in the gulf of Pagassitikos, for students and tourists who want to go on board and discover the story of its mythical trips.

”But Argo, which is owned by Volos, doesn’t just aim to be an attraction for tourists,” said Deputy Mayor Fotis Lambrinidis, who is in charge of technical services at the municipality of Volos. ”This ship represents for us an element of culture, a real symbol of our city. The objective of the competition we called as a first concrete step for the creation of a museum to valorise Argo, is to gather proposals for the creation of a thematic museum to turn the contemporary Argo into a monument, presenting its history through myth and historical elements connected to it,” concluded Lambrinidis.

Source: ANSA [February 25, 2014]

Perched upon wild crags, the complex of Greek Orthodox monasteries called Meteora justify their name in Greek as each of the six monasteries looks like it is “suspended in the air” or “in the heavens above.”

Athanasios Koinovitis founded the first Meteoron monastery on Broad Rock between 1356 and 1372. Christian legend has it that he did not scale the crag but he was carried up by an eagle. Initially there were more than 20 monasteries built but only six survive today. Four of them are inhabited by men and two by women. With less than ten monks in each monastery, they are now mostly tourist attractions. However, they remain the most important monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos.

Meteora are located at the northwest edge of the Thessaly Plain, near Pineios River and the Pindus mountains in central Greece. The nearest town is Kalambaka.

The Meteora monasteries complex is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Author: Philip Chrysopoulos | Source: Greek Reporter [January 01, 2015]