Nice videos Ajax! I miss Greece more and more everyday. I really have to get back soon or I will go crazy! Good to see you back some.

No worries! Just check in from time to time to see what is going on when you get a chance. Now that I know Acheron comes on sometimes I will start posting more articles, etc. Hope all is well!

Acheron, elpizo oti ola einai kala me sena stin Ellada me ola ta problimata teleutaia!

Nai to diabasa! Einai trela! Exei perasei treis ebdomades apo tin teleutaio minima tou admin kai den exei alaksei tipota! Ksereis an itheles, tora exeis eukairia na meyalosies auto to site kai na kerdiseis perisoteres member. Auto einai dikiasou apofasi omos.

I have been trying to access macedoniaontheweb.com lately and I keep getting a message:

Error establishing a database connection!
Are you sure you have the correct user/password?
Are you sure that you have typed the correct hostname?
Are you sure that the database server is running?

No matter how I try to access it or look it up this is what I get! Does anyone know if anything happened to the site or is this just some problem with my computer?

Luckily he is not sick, but his life has definitely changed. He will not be on here much. So if this forum is to stay alive it will be up to us! Let's invite all of our Greek friends to join and make this a cool place to not have too serious of a debate and just enjoy ourselves!

Paidia,

many of you may not know but Ajax is going through some tough times personally right now. I will not say what. So can you all give him your best wishes, hopes and prayers for him to get through this time?! He is a great guy and I just want him to know that we are all thinking about him and that we care!

Ajax,

You have my e-mail please feel free to contact me anytime if you want to talk or anything!

http://www.hellenicleagueofamericahla.org/...onia_name_issue

The Washington Times Prints HLA Letter to the Editor on Macedonia Name Issue.



Contact: Nikolaos Taneris, New York, Tel. 1-917-699-9935


NEW YORK-Today, June 26, 2009, The Washington Times published Hellenic League of America (HLA) Press Officer, Nikolaos Taneris’ letter to the editor, responding to The Washington Times report ("No names, please," Embassy Row, World, June 12) regarding the Macedonia name issue. The text of the letter appears below, followed by The Washington Times report to which the letter responds.

To see the Letter to the Editor online, visit (www.washingtontimes.com) and click on the 'Letters to the Editor' section, or try this link

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/j...me-of-the-name/



June 26, 2009

Letters to the Editor
The Washington Times
3600 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002

To the Editor:

Ivica Bocevski neglected to clarify the legacy of the so-called name dispute, as reported in The Washington Times recently ("No names, please," Embassy Row, World, June 12). The country Mr. Bocevski hails from is a state that was part of the former Yugoslavia, an artificial political construct that waged war on Greece during the immediate aftermath of World War II.

The name "Macedonia" was originally bestowed on the region buttressing Greece by the dictator Josip Broz Tito, who funded and armed a military campaign fighting for partition of our land and people. It was concocted primarily by the Comintern and carried out with the most callous disregard for the basic human and linguistic rights recognized in modern Europe. It remains one of the gravest political crimes of all time and continues to stain the history of Europe and the United States. Imagine cutting a living human being limb from limb. This is the legacy of the Greek Civil War, a war fueled by communist forces seeping in from the porous borders of northern Greece and Macedonia.

The Macedonia of Alexander the Great was, and forever will be, Hellenic -- not Yugoslavian. It is time that Mr. Bocevski end his country's isolation by embracing the Hellenic origin of Alexander, one of Europe's greatest sons. Stop denying the past and dispense with false historical revisionism. It smacks of genocidal ideologies of a discredited era.



NIKOLAOS TANERIS



Press officer



Hellenic League of America



New York City

----------------------------------

The Washington Times

Report published on Friday June 12, 2009

EMBASSY ROW by James Morrison

NO NAMES, PLEASE



The new deputy prime minister of Macedonia declined repeatedly Thursday to discuss the one issue that is keeping his country out of NATO and the European Union.



Ivica Bocevski told reporters at the National Press Club that the dispute with Greece over the formal name of his nation is the responsibility of other Macedonian officials, who are negotiating with their Greek counterparts.



Greece objects to the use of the name, Macedonia, because it is a region in modern Greece and historically associated with Alexander the Great. Although Alexander was born in the capital of ancient Macedonia, his birthplace has long been part of modern Greece.



Greeks say Macedonia hijacked the name to establish a stronger claim to Alexander, even naming the national airport after the Greek conqueror and planning an eight-story-high statue of Alexander in the Macedonian capital, Skopje.



Greece continues to object to Macedonia's membership in NATO and the European Union until the name dispute is settled. The country was admitted to the United Nations under the provisional name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.



The United States and more than 120 other nations recognize the country as Macedonia.



Mr. Bocevski, on his first visit to Washington as deputy prime minister, talked around the name dispute, as he complained of problems from Macedonia's isolation from European institutions.



He noted that his mother traveled throughout Europe on a Yugoslav passport when Macedonia was a province in the former communist nation. But since independence in 1991, Macedonians have been required to get visas to visit other European countries because the nation is not part of the European Union.



Mr. Bocevski, who will turn 32 next week, said most of his generation of Macedonians have never traveled outside their small Balkan nation.
"Closing the borders has also closed the minds of a generation of Macedonia," he said, adding that the isolation can cause a political backlash against Europe. "Macedonians could fall prey to xenophobes and populists in the region," Mr. Bocevski said. "Closing the region has only made the situation worse."
He is meeting with State Department officials and members of Congress and speaking at a conference on Macedonia.

More from the Hellenic League of America! It seems that there is a small battle brewing between these two groups! Ahh, just like in ancient times!

Hellenic League of America Statement in Response to

False Claims Being Circulated Concerning the American Hellenic Institute

For Immediate Release: September 29, 2009





It has come to the attention of the Hellenic League of America that our most recent press release, an Op-Ed written by HLA activist and President of Panthracian Union, Ioannis Fidanakis, titled, ‘More than just Indifference’, has caused quite a stir within the Hellenic American community.



The Op-Ed written by President Fidanakis, was a response to a recently published Op-Ed by AHI President Aleco Haralambides, in which President Fidanakis offered AHI constructive criticism on the need for more aggressive lobbying on our National Issues. In response, AHI released a statement on September 28, 2009 attempting to strike at the legitimacy of the Hellenic League of America as an organization. For the record, the Hellenic League of America, HLA is a non-profit tax-exempt 501 © (3) organization.



AHI’s press release claims that ‘valuable time and resources’ had been spent in issuing a statement to address ‘blatant falsehoods’. The Hellenic League of America wonders, how much valuable time and resources did the “American Hellenic Institute” use to write a simple 146 word press release? Such a statement makes those of us, HLA volunteers wonder, if so much ‘valuable time and resources’ were needed to write a 2 minute press release, how else has AHI mismanaged its time and resources instead of aggressively carrying out a productive legislative agenda in the name of Hellenism.

The Greek Lobby collectively has failed to introduce any legislation with teeth into this year’s US Congress, unlike the previous thirty years there is no legislation regarding Cyprus this year, NONE, and the legislation introduced on Macedonia is anti-Macedonian in calling for a so-called “geographical qualifier” as an answer to the Macedonia Name issue. It itself is at odds with historical truth and Hellenic-American community opinion. The largest Macedonian group is the world is unequivocally AGAINST a “geographical qualifier”.

AHI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NICK LARIGAKIS: THE SIX FIGURE SALARY “COMPANY MAN”



AHI Executive Director Nick Larigakis has remained at the same post for twenty-three years. At this point in American history, when even Fortune 500 CEO’s cannot hold down the same job for twenty years, Mr. Larigakis has defied all odds , and despite his own President’s claim that Greek-Americans are “indifferent” has managed to (or so he claims) raise funds from the Greek American community for all these years to hire paid staff, pay all those maintenance costs for a building (owned by AHI) in Washington DC and even cover the electricity bill all by donations from the “indifferent” Greek American donors. Mr. Larigakis must also have a bridge for sale for us in Brooklyn if he expects us to believe that! Numerous sources have documented a history of funding by Hellenic governments for years, hence explaining the close relationship Mr. Larigakis has with the Greek and Cyprus Embassy and his haughty disregard and ignorance of Greek Americans. At least one AHI donor for the past twenty years has told us that Mr. Larigakis has never come clean with how AHI is run and how decisions are made at AHI. The time has come for AHI to open the books on how much exactly its Executive Director is paid, how much all its staffers are paid, and how it pays for what it does, such as it is. We are aware of many other Hellenic-American community associations that openly declare how they pay the bills, who pays the bills, and how decisions are made. What the six figure salary man doesn’t want us (us “indifferent” Hellenic-Americans) to know is that decisions regarding what AHI does and how AHI works on Hellenic National Issues is ultimately dependent on the bosses (i.e. the Greek Ambassador , the Cyprus Ambassador in DC etc) in consultation with their corrupt home office in Athens, now and then.



AHI and (ELIAMEP)

(ELIAMEP) spells out in translation from Greek “the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy“and is a producer of Skopjan friendly propaganda. Mr. Veremis appears to be a founding member and former President of the semi governmental think tank Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), which is also funded by the open societies of George Soros, and is the Chairman of the National Council of Education (ESYP), Council President of Higher Education and University Professor at the National University of Athens. http://www.cdsee.org/pdf/b_horiz8.pdf

(Horizons-magazine of CDRSEE), http://www.cdsee.org/jhp/news_131106.html

(Please note that Mr.Veremis has publicly denied the genocide of Greeks in Asia Minor.)

The researchers Triandafyllidou, (member of ELIAMEP), Kalloni and Mikraki on their article on this website http://www.socresonline.org.uk/2/1/7.html

titled: “Modern Greek Nationalism” include the following: “More specifically, in the Balkans, where nations are perceived in ethnic terms, the states which succeeded the Ottoman Empire set the foundation for great illusions, namely that they represented ethnically homogeneous societies ... Minority groups experienced a variety of exclusionary measures varying from suppression of rights to extreme situations such as collective expulsion and ethnic cleansing.”

In other words, these researchers not only reproduce hostile positions towards Greece but also go a step further and denounce Greece for genocide! How could it be possible for an institution which supposedly defends the Greek national interests to aid expediencies which are harmful to Greece?

AHI has not only included (ELIAMEP) speakers at AHI functions and events, AHI and its Executive Director Nick Larigakis make it a point to visit (ELIAMEP) when in Greece and encourage Greek-American scholarship students on the annual trip to Greece to meet with (ELIAMEP)



The Fallacy of the so-called “Greek-American Policy Statements”



A prolific Genocide Awareness advocate and leader of a major Hellenic-American association in New York told us that when AHI requested his Association’s policy statement they gave him something like a two-day deadline to submit the statement, and then AHI after close to six months consultation with the Greek government issues a watered down Policy Statement . At least one major Hellenic-American leader, namely the leader of the Thracians and his association has been consistently ignored by AHI despite numerous attempts by phone, email and postal mail to express his community’s opinions to AHI. The current AHI so-called “Greek-American Policy Statement” on Macedonia is in dispute with the very solid position on the Macedonian Name Issue by the Pan-Macedonians the biggest Macedonian Association in America and the world. Hence, raising the question of where AHI gets its directions on its so-called “Greek-American Policy Statements”? From Greek-Americans or from corrupt Anti-Hellenic, Anti-Nationalist, and Pro-Skopean groups that deny the Hellenic Genocide like (ELIAMEP) in Greece?



AFTER DISCORD COMES CONCORD



Despite our disagreements with Aleco Haralambides on Greek-American “indifference” and the questions raised of how Mr. Larigakis spends his and AHI’s time and resources while running real estate and construction businesses in the DC-Virginia area and in Greece. We still reach out our hand as Hellenic brothers as always and we hope that Mr. Haralambides fires Mr. Larigakis and joins us next April 6 for our annual Hellenic Genocide commemoration outside the UN in New York.



It’s high time that AHI cut off its relationship with Skopean friendly groups like (ELIAMEP) and join its Hellenic brothers in the struggle AGAINST Skopean and Turkish false historical revisionism. We hope AHI comes out against the “geographical qualifier” and helps create an autonomous Hellenic-American Lobby free of the corrupt governments in Athens who SOLD OUT CYPRUS and SOLD OUT MACEDONIA, now and then.

From the Hellenic League of America

http://www.hellenicleagueofamericahla.org/...f_a_greek_lobby

More than just indifference is the Myth of a Greek Lobby

For Immediate Release: September 22, 2009

Contact: Ioannis Fidanakis, New Jersey, Tel. 1-973-464-0211

More than just indifference: A response to President Haralambides of the American Hellenic Institute

(Originally posted September 22, 2009 on Enotitan Revolution blog by Ioannis Fidanakis)

http://enocism.blogspot.com/2009/09/more-t...esponse-to.html



A recent article published by Greek News, written by the President of the American Hellenic Institute, or AHI for short, Aleco Haralambides, entitled ‘Our Problem is Indifference’ caught my eye the other day. I was initially pleased to see President Haralambides addressing the state of our National Issues and their priority for the average Hellenic-American. However, I feel it is my duty to enlighten President Haralambides on several other ‘realities’ concerning our National Issues. I therefore have written the following article, entitled ‘More than just indifference’ in response to the Honorable President Haralambides.



More than just Indifference



The present condition of our National Issues and their failure to be seen as a priority for the average Hellenic American will only truly be understood when we as a community start asking ourselves why. Why does Hellenism in the United States suffer from Indifference? What has led our community to look the other way on our National Issues and fear healthy Nationalistic feelings for our ancestral Homeland? Perhaps these questions are not asked because we fear the answer, that we as a community have failed. We have failed to instill healthy Nationalistic feelings in our children, something which our Armenian brothers have succeeded in doing, and hence explains why they are light years ahead of us in effectively lobbying their ethnic community’s issues. A victory achieved by Armenian-Americans, which I’ve witnessed time and time again participating in demonstrations hosted by their organizations for the Armenian Genocide. At their most recent demonstration against their own ethnic government in Armenia on September 19th 2009, I was left speechless and truly envious of the Armenian-American community when I noticed a little Armenian girl upset because her mother hadn’t given her a flag to hold. She wept because all she wanted to do was proudly wave her ethnic flag. If we as a community wish to identify the culprit behind our indifference, all we must do is look in a mirror.



Signs of Disunity on Foreign Policy



Currently AHI releases their so-called ‘Greek American Policy Statements’ annually, which claim to be the ‘collective position’ of Hellenic Americans on American foreign policy issues concerning Hellenism. Yet these are not collective positions created by Hellenic Americans, instead they are the carefully crafted positions of the Hellenic Government in Athens for their paid lackeys in the United States to promote. Watered-down positions and ineffective methods of lobbying our National Issues does not represented the collective will of American Hellenism, but rather the misguided political intentions of the corrupt Athens’ governments of past and present. AHI boasts that these statements are endorsed and created after consulting the major Hellenic Americans organizations, yet why does or did AHI support the Athens’ government’s position for a geographical qualifier in the Macedonian Name dispute when the Macedonian American community of Hellenic descent and their organizations like Pan-Macedonian spoke out against the use of such a solution to the name dispute? I myself as President of Panthracian Union of America ‘Orpheus’ have never been approach by AHI over my community’s feelings on National Issues dealing with Western, Northern or Eastern Thrace, and yet AHI still claims to know how ‘a Thracian on the border with Bulgaria’ feels. Disunity still is an obstacle when it comes to our National Issues, but what clearly is our biggest is the lack of an autonomous Hellenic American organization lobbying on American foreign policy.



AHI is far from out of touch with Athens and/or Nicosia



Annually the leading officials of AHI travel to Hellas and Kypros to discuss with Hellenic government officials different issues of ‘mutual concern and interest’, not because it is useful, but rather because this is what good employees do. When the Hellenic government funds your organization it is your duty as good employees to travel to the home office to get next years orders on handling your job requirements. I myself am under the impression that Executive Director Nick Laragakis makes several trips a year to Hellas, 3 or 4 so I am told. Disharmony with Athens is not the issue at all. Our free will and true opinions as a Diaspora is the issue at hand.



The following are a few examples of international issues being ineffective handled that affect Hellas and Kypros vis-à-vis United States foreign policy:



1) Kypros: For the past 35 years Turkey has been allowed to occupy part of this small European nation and yet is still being considered for possible membership in the European Union thanks to American support. Organizations like PSEKA have failed to effectively and aggressively lobby the Kypros Cause. Even after incidents as recent as this past June 17th, when Turkish military ships prevented U.S. based Noble Energy from exploring for oil and gas deposits that they had been contracted to search for by the government of Kypros, PSEKA failed to hold public demonstrations in response to this most recent injustice against the Cypriot people. Is this because the method of public demonstration does not work? No, it is because PSEKA has failed time and time again to inspire the Cypriot-American community to take the battle for Kypros to the streets. Instead they hold cultural events to mark important days of national mourning and prefer attempting to win over American politicians who are already paid and bought by the Turkish government or are being blackmailed into submission on our issues.



2) Turkey: Mr. Obama’s recent visit to Turkey and his insulting Anti-Hellenic comments when addressing the Turkish Parliament give the average Hellenic American a clear picture of America’s attitude on our community’s feelings. Some may feel that the reference by Mr. Obama on the need for the Halki Theological Seminary to be re-opened and the meaningless visit of Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan on August 15th to the island of Prinkipo with Patriarch Bartholomew as signs of hope, but what of the issue of the Hellenic Genocide? The most important issue, the International Recognition of our own Genocide, still seems to fail to appear on the radar for both American-Turkish Relations and our community’s leading advocacy organizations like AHI. Our community must not forget that when it comes to Turkey, its refusal to provide full religious freedom for the Patriarchate is not our only issue. The need for International Recognition of our Genocide and even linguistic rights for speakers of the Hellenic Pontian dialect in Turkey must and should be addressed.



3) Adhere to International Law in the Aegean Sea: The continued aggressive acts of the Turkish Military in violating Hellenic Airspace in the Aegean and its international importance when dealing with the safety of not only the lives of Hellenic military pilots, but also American tourists traveling on civilian aircraft fail time and time again to gain National American media coverage. This is not because it is not news worthy, but because our leading advocacy organizations fail to produce any written statements that will grab the eye of the American media and create the needed headline to sell to the American people.



There are some inside the Hellenic American community who haven’t just sat back and accepted the status quo, and instead have taken charge in aggressively making every effort to fight for our National Issues and end the current indifference which plagues our community. The Hellenic League of America, HLA and the Cyprus Action Network of America, CANA have led the way for the past three years on the front lines of organizing a true autonomous grassroots voice for Hellenic advocacy in the United States. Leading the way with public demonstrations, lectures and grassroots letter writing campaigns, which have produced the very first signs of any sense of victory for Hellenic American advocacy in over 30 years. The HLA and CANA have effectively lobbied against the Star of Vergina being displayed on a Skopjean-American Visa Credit Card and achieved mainstream American media coverage on the issue of Occupied Kypros. If organizations, such as AHI, truly wish to take a stand and honestly fight to change ‘the current trajectory of U.S. foreign policy towards Turkey’, they must begin to implement a more aggressive strategy on our National Issues or perhaps start warming up to the thought of cooperation with organizations like the HLA and CANA.



*Ioannis Fidanakis is a Grad Student and Hellenic-American Activist. He is currently the youngest elected President of Panthracian Union of America “Orpheus”. A member of the Hellenic League of America, HLA and Cyprus Action Network of America, CANA he has been featured as a guest speaker at several different grassroots rallies, lectures, and functions up and down the American East Coast. As President of Panthracian Union he is responsible for organizing the first ever Hellenic Genocide Commemoration outside the United Nations on April 6, 2009. His writings have been published several times in Hellenic-American newspapers from Chicago to New York, as well as on Global Politician.com. His various articles have been republished on numerous blogs and web sites such as Sparta: Journal of Ancient Spartan and Greek History. Ioannis has a B.A. in Political Science; with a concentration in International Politics and a minor in History. He is currently pursuing his Masters in Public Policy. Ioannis' father's family comes from the small village of Sofiko, Evros, his mother's family, from Bloomfield, New Jersey.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/envi...icle6922248.ece

Seems to me that this is stretching the findings without further analysis. They need to compare the Magna Graecia temples to the mainland and Ionian one. They also need to see how many of these temples which do fact east actually have a view to the east of the rising sun. (We must remember that there are mountains all over Greece and elsewhere which could block the view. Also the setting sun is more impressive in Greece than the rising sun. Furthermore they need to break the temples down into which God it was dedicated to and if there is any connection of these Gods to the sun. It is interesting that I am attending University of Leicester for my Masters. I would like to know more about this. I may have to focus on this for my Thesis??

The Ancient Greeks deliberately built their temples to face the rising Sun, according to research that promises to shed light on their religious practices and to resolve a longstanding archaeological controversy.

An investigation into temples built by Greek colonists in Sicily has found strong evidence that they were aligned to the East.

The findings, by Alun Salt, of the University of Leicester, suggest that Ancient Greek religion may have included ritual elements inspired by astronomy, as well as illuminating the national culture of settlers who founded communities beyond the mainland. The study could settle a long-running dispute among archaeologists and classicists about temple orientation.

Although it has long been known that most of these shrines face east, some academics have questioned whether this alignment reflected a deliberate plan. Critics of astronomical theories have pointed out that some temples face north, south or west, and argue that their orientation was not important to the Greeks.
Related Links

Dr Salt’s research, however, indicates that the predominant east-west alignment is almost impossible to explain by chance, and probably followed a religious convention founded on astronomy. Temples laid out in accordance with astronomical phenomena could have highlighted the role of gods and goddesses as arbiters of nature, or helped priests to interpret celestial omens. They could also have helped in observations needed to calibrate the religious calendar.

In the study, published in the journal Public Library of Science One, Dr Salt found that 40 of 41 temples that he analysed in Sicily were oriented towards the eastern horizon. A statistical analysis all but eliminated the possibility that this was due to chance. The sole exception was the Temple of Hekate, which he suggests may have been built to honour a Moon goddess.

Dr Salt also examined data for Greece, collected by Gregory Retallack, of the University of Oregon. Though there were more exceptions, he again found a highly significant bias towards east-facing layouts.

He said the idea that orientation was not important may have gathered support because of an ignorance of statistics among classicists. “It shows the value of an interdisciplinary approach,” he said.

“There are quite a few temples in Greece which don’t face sunrise, so a few archaeologists have published that there’s nothing significant about the nuumber that do face East. The problem is that no one has ever said what a significant number would be.

“I have quantified this as simply as possible, and it looks clear that something important is going on. There is a very clear preference for solar orientations.”

Dr Salt said that while the reasons for this preferred layout have still to be established, he suspects that astronomical factors played a significant part. “It may have had something to do with the priest looking into the sky for omens,” he said. “There is also evidence that astronomy was important to the relgious calendar, and there was probably a a practical purpose too. A temple that faces the sunrise would be well-lit at dawn, so the priest would not be working in the shadows.”

In Greece itself, the less consistent orientation of temples could reflect local geographical circumstances, or the way temples were often built on top of older shrines that were laid out according to a different cosmological and religious system.

In Sicily, Greek colonists far from the mainland would have been building their temples from scratch. They may also have been keen to conform very tightly to correct Greek architectural practice as a political statement of their Hellenic nationality.

“If you live in Greece, you don’t need to prove your Greek identity and religion,” Dr Salt said. “If you’re living overseas, you might feel more insecure about your Greekness, and feel the need to do things by the book.”

Many dedications of statues and treasuries at important shrines such as Delphi and Olympia come from Greek communities outside Greece that were keen to advertise their national identity, and strict interpretation of relgious architecture could be part of the same phenomenon, he said.

Efrosyni Boutsikas, of the University of Kent, disputed Dr Salt’s conclusions. She said that her own analysis of 107 temples in Greece showed that only 58 per cent faced east.

“Greek religion is much too localised and dependent on local factors for us to be making culturally meaningful arguments about general orientation patterns. There is no general orientation pattern that all Greek temples follow.”

She added that Greek religion was not uniform and had many local manifestations. “Just saying that Greek temples are oriented towards the Sun is not enough,” she said. “We need to say why this would have been important to the Greek cults and what this importance would have been. Any Greek archaeologist or classicists familiar with Greek religion will be able to tell you that there was no such thing as one Greek religion.” See

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...u2nG2SE9IfPisEw

Pasko Kuzman makes a bold claim by blaming Greece for the looting of the artifacts with absolutely no support or evidence for the claim. At the same time the article mentions 250 illegal artifacts were found at the Croat-Slovenian border! WTF?! Seems to be more propaganda coming our of FYROM to attempt to make Greece look bad!

SKOPJE — Macedonia has vowed to put a halt to illegal excavations at the country's wealth of archaeological sites, many of which have already been ransacked by savvy smugglers digging up the rich treasures.

"The criminals are always a step ahead, they follow our activities and know exactly when to move away," an official from the special department in charge of archaeological crime who requested anonymity told AFP.

When archaeologists arrived at Isar Marvinci in southern Macedonia, the seat of power in ancient times, they had hoped to begin excavations but instead faced an unpleasant surprise.

"They found more than 1,000 open pits, but all the findings were gone, mostly sold to our southern neighbour" Greece, said Pasko Kuzman, head of the state institute for the protection of cultural heritage.

Ancient graves were believed to be full of "golden jewelry, silver, bronze and amber pieces, all very light and easy to transport," Kuzman said.

Isar, which dates back to the Iron Age, flourished under the ancient Greeks, but the Romans levelled the metropolis to the ground.

Kuzman noted a case when 230 archaelogical findings -- hidden in bags full of beans -- were discovered by customs officials at the Croatian-Slovenian border in 2006.

"Slovenian officials established that the findings were from the territory of Macedonia and returned them to us," he said.

In the past two years, police have reported 21 cases of cultural heritage theft, with 16 of them solved, interior ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski said.

Thieves are mostly interested in smaller pieces like money, silver, copper or ceramic pots, and stone figures, he said.

According to various estimations, most of Macedonia's territory hides archaeological treasures due to the Balkan state's central position in ancient times.

So far, 10,000 different sites have been registered, but at least several more thousand still need to be examined.

The ancient Roman settlement of Stobi, famous for its mosaics, has for years attracted visitors, scientists and tourists, but also thieves.

A large part of the area has yet to be excavated, so officials have introduced 24-hour security at the site.

"Stobi has been protected around the clock as our presence is the best guarantee that there will be no illegal diggers," Silvana Blazevska, the manager of the site, told AFP.

It is quite common in Marvince, in southern Macedonia close to the border with Greece, for a builder to find an ancient plate while putting in foundations for a new home, or for a farmer to dig out a piece of an ancient vase in hisfield.

"Usually farmers immediatelly call us to tell us of the findings," said Blazevska.

Police officials are reluctant to estimate whether the amount of archaeological thefts has risen in the past years, but say that such "illegal business can bring several million dollars annually."

A wide-range network is believed to be organised through regional crime gangs, while buyers are easily found in Greece, Austria and Germany, they say.

Some of the findings could be sold for up to 20,000 euros, while less valuable pieces -- like an ancient Roman spear top -- could be had for only 100 euros.

"One golden coin by itself has no high value, but if it is found together with other objects from a dated time-period, its value increases in relation to scientific, cultural and heritage significance," Kuzman said.

Zlatko Videski from the Museum of Macedonia heads the excavations at Isar, spread across about 80 hectares (xx acres ????) of land. He said the economic crisis has trimmed government funding of the site -- "neglected for so many years" -- so his team will be able to cover only about 20 acres HECTARES??? this year.

"But the site has been damaged a lot and only when we examine material collected so far will we be able to estimate its real value," Videski told AFP.

In only seven months of excavations at the site, archaeologists have found around 2,500 graves from different time periods, he added.

"There are graves from prehistoric times, Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages, but for smugglers, the most interesting are those from ancient and Byzantine times," Kuzman said.

http://www.ana-mpa.gr/anaweb/user/showplai...amp;service=144

Maronia Cave, home of the mythological Cyclops Polyphemus


According to Greek mythology Odysseus, during his 10-year journey home from the 10-year Trojan War, arrived in the Kingdom of the Kikonians, the land of the Thracian people who lived between present-day Lake Vistonida and the estuary of the Evros River, where he tied up his ship. The hero took 12 men and set out to find supplies. Along the way they found a large cave, which turns out to be the home of the fierce Cyclops Polyphemus, the one-eyed (Cyclops) son of Poseidon and Thoosa, who traps them in the cave and devours two of the men for his meal. The next day when Polyphemus returns to the cave with his flock of sheep, Odysseus inebriates him with a strong wine given to him by King Maron. When Polyphemus passes out, Odysseus and his men drive a stake into the Cyclops' eye, blinding him, and escape the cave by tying themselves to the undersides of the sheep.

Polyphemus' cave, also known as Maronia cave, is situated 25 kilometers east of Komotini, near the historical settlement of Maronia, in a limestone hill with steep, and at times sheer, corridors.

Although it is unknown when the cave was discovered, systematic exploration since 1969 by members of the Hellenic Speleological Society indicates that it has always been occupied, due to prehistoric finds of human presence, corresponding finds dating back to the Neolithic period and the Byzantine era that have been excavated in the cave.

The local villagers knew of the cave's existence long before it was first visited by prominent archaeologist George Bakalakis in 1938, following indications in a passage in Apollonius' "Argonautica".

The Maronia Cave is considered an important monument both with respect to its beauty and its archaeological interest. Its vast chambers are adorned with breathtaking stalactites and stalagmites of varying shapes and colors that resemble cypress trees and leafy branches, leading the first explorers to give such names to the chambers as the Stone Forest, the Red Room, the Chamber of the Bats, the Harp Chamber and the Chamber of the Idols.

In modern times, the cave's entrance was used as a shelter for animal herds.

Apart from the colorful stalactites and stalagmites, the cave is also home to and breeding ground of two rare species of bats found nowhere else in the world.

Maronia Cave is also the only place in the world where one can find the unique populations of the isopod Alpioniscus thracicus, the coleoptera Maroniella beroni and the non-marine mollusk Balcanodiscus cerberus. Also, 30 different species of invertebrae have been found, of which 25 have permanent populations and five are new to science, while of particular importance are 8 exclusive cave-dwelling species (6 species of troglobites and 2 species of stygobites) and at least 10 species native to the cave.

According to scientists, the cave was formed 8-10 million years ago, when the region emerged from the sea and erosion from rainwater began. the movement of the subterranean waters created caverns that were colonized by non-marine organisms.

The cave was explored by the Petrocheilos couple in the early 1960s, when the first systematic documentation of its interior commenced. A more coordinated effort began in 2000, when the Eastern Macedonia-Thrace Periphery, in collaboration with the Municipality of Maronia, assigned the task of conducting biological, geological and related research and studies to a team of professors from Thessaloniki's Aristotle University (AUTH). The researchers' results were submitted to the Periphery, which then began drafting a program to commence visits to the cave, in cooperation with experts from the Vienna Museum of Natural History and the Alistratis Cave in Serres and the Mara Cave in Drama.

The local Rodopi prefectural council recently approved a contract to assign a study for exploitation of the cave, while the plan is, in collaboration with the Speleology and Palaeontology Ephorate, to set out a 300-meter long trail along which visitors can view the exquisite stalactites and stalagmites.

Further, using state of the art laser technology, a virtual reality application will be developed that will enable visitors to "visit" and view the inaccessible sections of the cave. A similar technology will be used to videotape the rare bats, with the footage then being shown to visitors in a projection room, thus causing almost zero disturbance to the cave's dwellers.

Byzantine Era Discoveries

http://www.english.globalarabnetwork.com/2...-greek-era.html

Archaeologists uncovered ancient findings dating back to the Greek era during excavations at Sheikh Saad site in Daraa, southern Syria.

The excavations unearthed a residential place consisting of four rooms, a warehouse and an ancient drainage channel with some parts covered by flagstones.

''15 small-sized coins, which were not identified for being oxidized, were also discovered, and cleaning is underway to define the era that they belong to,'' Director of Daraa Ruins Department Hussein Mashhadawi said.

He added that the archaeological mission also discovered nice-shaped and skillfully-made earthenware pieces at the same site.

Two coins belonging to the Roman era that date back to 1255 C.E., and another one dating back to the same era were also discovered at Tal al-Ashari site, Mashhadawi said.

Also at Tal al-Ashari, some metals, mortars, pestles, broken tobacco pipes and a number of earthenware and glass pieces dating back to the Ottoman era were unearthed.

Earlier, the archaeological excavations at Sheikh Saad site last season led to uncovering the remaining parts of the Roman Temple. (ASNA)

This is very interesting considering it would be the furthest north a Greek town has ever been found in the Adriatic.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...water-city.html


British holidaymaker discovers lost underwater 'city'

A British holidaymaker has uncovered what is believed to be a lost, ancient temple while snorkelling in the Mediterranean.

Michael Le Quesne, 16, was swimming off a popular beach in Montenegro with his parents and his ten-year-old sister Teodora when he spotted an odd looking 'stone' at a depth of around two metres.

It turned out to be a large, submerged building which may have been the centrepiece of an important Greek or Roman trading post, swallowed up by the sea during a massive earthquake.

A British team of experts led by Dr Lucy Blue, presenter of BBC Two show Oceans, is to investigate the significant find in this largely unexplored corner of south east Europe.

Dr Blue said that if the discovery is confirmed to be an underwater temple it would “put Montenegro on the map”.

She added: “Montenegro is largely an undiscovered underwater world.”

The discovery was made while Charles and Vera Le Quesne and their two children, from Princes Risborough, Bucks, was on a trip to their holiday home in the tiny Balkan country last month.

The family has been holidaying in Montenegro since 1994, but had never visited Maljevik, a small bay of sand and shingle, sheltered by pines, near the city of Bar.

Once his son reported the find, Mr Le Quesne, a professional archaeologist, fetched a snorkel and dived down to investigate. He discovered fluted columns, 90cm in diameter, on plinths, which appeared to form part of an ancient Greek or Roman temple, basilica or major public building, similar to those at other archaeological sites around the Mediterranean.

On a clear day, the columns are visible from the surface of the water, but it appears that the remains, which include ancient pottery, have stayed untouched for thousands of years.

Michael said: “When I first swam out, I thought they were just rocks, as most people would, but then I noticed that they were cylindrical and knew that they couldn’t be natural, so I called my dad over.

“I’ve been dragged around a lot of ancient ruins, so if it hadn’t been for that I wouldn’t have looked twice.”

The potential size of the structure and the discovery of other architectural remains nearby suggest the ‘temple’ could have formed part of a large Greek or Roman settlement, dating back as far as the 2nd century BC.

No historical records exist of a major settlement on the site, although the Montenegrin coast is dotted with ancient ruins yet to be documented.

The discovery has been described as “something that could rouse curiosity in the world of science” by Mladen Zagarčanin, the curator of the museum in Bar and archaeologist, who inspected the site the following day.

Work on site later this month as Mr Le Quesne returns to Montenegro as part of a team working for the University of Southampton’s Department of Maritime Archaeology.

Dr Blue and Professor David Peacock, both of the department, will join Mr Le Quesne to explore the underwater settlement next spring.

Mr Le Quesne, an archaeology expert and author on the subject, said: “If it is a monumental building it is not going to be part of a small hamlet, but it is not a missing Atlantis, as we would already know about it. It remains a bit of a mystery.”

“The area was an important, ancient trading route, so it may have been a port.

“There are ancient shipwrecks all along this coast which, unfortunately, are being damaged and looted and which need protecting.”

In recent years, Montenegro’s rich, unexplored ancient history has lured organised crime gangs, which have flourished in the region since the collapse of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Valuable Roman and Greek pottery from shipwrecks is being plundered and sold to collectors in western Europe, it is believed.

So far, 2009 has proved an exciting year for underwater archaeology in Montenegro, which is promoting its stunning coastline as a tourism hot spot while building a reputation as a cut-price version of Monaco thanks to a relaxed tax regime.

Before the discovery of the ancient temple, a local team working alongside American experts discovered the remains of two Roman cargo ships at the bottom of Kotor Bay, one of Montenegro most popular tourist attractions.

Here is the link to see the images of both reconstructions. Some differences but generally the same. I would probably lean a little more towards the second. Reason being the first one seems to 'pretty' and visually more appealing than the second. Since having taken an Anthropology class on the biases of National Geographic I know they tend to go for the more visually appealing images.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/20...ries/tut_mummy/

The Fresh Face of King Tut: Famous Pharaoh's Features Reconstructed Using High-Resolution CT Scanner

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/...50511133510.htm

ScienceDaily (May 11, 2005) — The scientific breakthrough: Some 1,700 high-resolution Siemens CT-scanner images of the world’s most famous mummy — King Tutankhamun. The opportunity: Besides providing boundless information on the health and possible cause of death of the legendary young king, the data could paint a fresh portrait of Tut’s face — the first bust of Tut ever created from 3-D CT scans.
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Matter & Energy

Under the leadership of Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, National Geographic has used the CT data to show the world how Tut looked the day he died, some 3,300 years ago. The process involved forensic artists and physical anthropologists from two countries and created two independently made busts of Tut.

The French team’s work will appear on the cover of the June issue of National Geographic magazine and in the two-hour world premiere special “King Tut’s Final Secrets,” on the National Geographic Channel May 15. The second rendering will be seen on National Geographic’s Web site at www.nationalgeographic.com.

How the new face of Tut came about:

1) Using the CT data from scanning done in January, a “rapid prototype model” of the skull was made and provided to French forensic anthropologist Jean-Noel Vignal, of the Centre Technique de la Gendarmerie Nationale. Vignal, who works daily with police officials to reconstruct deceased crime victims, determined from the skull that the person had been male, 18 to 20 years old, with Caucasoid features. “Caucasoid” describes a major group of peoples of Europe, North Africa, the Near East and India.

2) From the CT data, Vignal and his team determined basic measurements and features of Tut’s face. For example, the size of the narrow nasal opening, considered a Caucasoid trait, allowed them to fix the size range of Tut’s nose. Other data guided them on the position of the king’s mouth and his receding chin. Vignal also used the data to calculate the correct thickness of skin on Tut’s face.

3) Vignal’s skull “map” then went to one of the world’s leading anthropological sculptors, Elisabeth Daynes of Paris. Daynes’s job was to combine the science with art to create the most accurate, lifelike face of Tut ever. She used Vignal’s conclusions as well as archaeological information supplied by Hawass that included two wooden sculptures made of Tut during his youth. Daynes used tissue-depth information to lay clay over the plastic skull models and build toward a human image with flesh, filling in the king’s eyebrow thickness, precise shape of the nose and lips, as well as the approximate shape and size of Tut’s ears.

4) Finally, Daynes made a plaster mold of her clay sculpture and created a flesh-toned silicone cast. Attentive to the tiniest detail, she placed glass eyes and implanted a head of hair with surgical precision. Skin tone, which could have varied from very dark to very light, was based on an average shade of modern-day Egyptians. Eyelashes, eye makeup known as “kohl,” and even jewelry were added to adorn the king as he was in life.

5) To further validate the French specialists’ work, National Geographic decided to provide the CT data to a second team — but without telling them who they were recreating. Working “blind,” Susan Antón, associate professor of anthropology at New York University, in consultation with Bradley Adams of the chief Medical Examiner’s office, studied the CT data. She quickly described the mystery person as male, age 18 to 19 years, and of African ancestry with several Caucasian affinities, possibly of north African origin — all uncannily accurate. Using this information artist Michael Anderson of the Yale Peabody Museum then created his own likeness of the mystery figure and cast it in plaster.

To the relief and jubilation of Hawass and National Geographic, the second likeness closely resembled the first, validating the process. Still, despite the solid scientific information used, it is impossible to know for certain everything about how King Tut looked — the shape of the top of his nose, the shape of his ears, the color of his eyes and skin — as they are not determined by the shape and proportions of his skull.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/...40901095031.htm

This is quite interesting and the future use of the technology will be also!

MDCT 'Unwraps' Egyptian Mummy, Clearly Revealing Face Of 3,000 Year Old Man

ScienceDaily (Sep. 2, 2004) — Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) was used for the first time to produce a detailed 3D model of the face of an Egyptian man who lived nearly 3,000 years ago--without having to unwrap his mummified corpse, say a multidisciplinary group of Italian researchers that included physicians, anthropologists and forensic scientists.

MDCT was used to image the completely wrapped mummy of an artisan named Harwa, which had been on display at the Egyptian Museum in Torino, Italy. MDCT created 3D images, which were then reconstructed to create all the features of the mummy's face. A physical plasticine and nylon model was sculpted based on the 3D image. The facial reconstruction revealed Harwa to be 45 years old at the time of his death and was detailed enough to reveal a mole on his left temple. "The only other way to have gotten the information we got from MDCT would have been to unwrap, destroy and otherwise alter the conservation of the bandages and the mummy," said Federico Cesarani, MD, of the Struttura Operativa Complessa di Radiodiagnostica in Asti, Italy, and lead author of the study.

CT is a noninvasive method that can provide data such as skull dimensions and dehydrated soft tissue arrangement for 3D reconstructions of the skull and body while preserving the mummy. "MDCT provides thin slices--up to 0.6 mm--in a single-shot acquisition and in a very short time, which permits high-resolution 3D reconstructions," said Dr. Cesarani.

According to the author, the technique of facial reconstruction is important for forensics, anthropology and medicine. "Police use it for identifying bodies, anthropologists to learn more about individuals in ancient societies and medicine can learn about the diseases that afflicted ancient peoples," said Dr. Cesarani.

For the lifelike Harwa facial reconstruction, the researchers avoiding guessing at the hair, beard and the color tones of the skin. They were also unable to determine just how fatty Harwa's face was when he was alive, since fat does not leave signs in the skull, as do muscle and skin.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=1...6015-2009-10-12

Archaeologists have found traces of a temple built for the Greek goddess of divine retribution, Nemesis, during excavations in the ancient city of Agora in the Aegean port city of İzmir.

Akın Ersoy of Dokuz Eylül University’s archaeology department and heading the archaeological excavations in the ancient city, told the Anatolia news agency on Monday that they speculated there might be a temple built for Nemesis in the area.

“We found traces of such a temple during our excavations in Agora,” he said. “We want to concentrate our work to unearth the temple in the future.”

This year's archeological excavations have unearthed many important findings that belonged to the Ottoman era, said Ersoy, including many pieces of Ottoman ceramics. “There are several layers to be worked,” said Ersoy. “We will work on the Ottoman era first, followed by the Eastern Roman, Roman and then the earlier ages.”

Ersoy said it was during the excavation work when they found clues of a temple to Nemesis built in the ancient city. “We think the temple is situated on the western side,” he added. “It might be under the Hürriyet Anatolian High School building. We hope to unearth it in coming years.”

In Greek mythology, Nemesis was the spirit of divine retribution against those who succumb to hubris, vengeful fate, personified as a remorseless goddess.

The ancient city of Agora was constructed during the rule of Alexander the Great. Today it is mostly in ruins. What little is left remains because of Faustina, wife of Marcus Aurelius, who had the Agora rebuilt after an earthquake devastated the original in A.D. 178. The Agora was first excavated by German and Turkish archaeologists between 1932 and 1941. Surrounded on the west and north by colonnades, the Agora once had a large altar dedicated to Zeus in the center. The altar is now gone, but statues of Poseidon and of Demeter believed to have come from the altar are on display in the Archaeological Museum in İzmir. Also visible at the site are various capitals, remnants of three of the four main gates, some recognizable stalls, architectural fragments bearing medieval coats of arms and a stone slab that may have been used as a gaming board.

Well it is about time someone with the respectability of Paul Cartledge to come and and say it! Cartledge is one of the foremost international experts on Ancient Greece and truly knows his topic! I have known this for years and so have many other people, it was just a few anti-Hellenes who could never admit to it. They like to think it was the Romans, but wine was in southern France much earlier than the Romans. Check it out, it's nice to get some actual credit instead of the usual from Greece's enemies!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/fo...dy-reveals.html

France's well-known passion for wine may have stemmed from the Ancient Greeks, a Cambridge University study discloses.

The original makers of Côtes-du-Rhône are said to have descended from Greek explorers who settled in southern France about 2500 years ago, it claimed.

The study, by Prof Paul Cartledge, suggested the world's biggest wine industry might never have developed had it not been for a “band of pioneering Greek explorers” who settled in southern France around 600 BC.

His study appears to dispel the theory that it was the Romans who were responsible for bringing viticulture to France.

The study found that the Greeks founded Massalia, now known as Marseilles, which they then turned into a bustling trading site, where local tribes of Ligurian Celts undertook friendly bartering.

Prof Cartledge said within a matter of generations the nearby Rhône became a major thoroughfare for vessels carrying terracotta amphorae that contained what was seen as a new, exotic Greek drink made from fermented grape juice.

He argued the new drink rapidly became a hit among the tribes of Western Europe, which then contributed to the French’s modern love of wine.

"I hope this will lay to rest an enduring debate about the historic origins of supermarket plonk,” he said.

"Although some academics agree the Greeks were central to founding Europe's wine trade, others argue the Etruscans or even the later Romans were the ones responsible for bringing viticulture to France.”

Archaeologists have discovered a five-foot high, 31.5 stone bronze vessel, the Vix Krater, which was found in the grave of a Celtic princess in northern Burgundy, France.

Prof Cartledge said there were two main points that proved it was the Greeks who introduced wine to the region.

"First, the Greeks had to marry and mix with the local Ligurians to ensure that Massalia survived, suggesting that they also swapped goods and ideas.

"Second, they left behind copious amounts of archaeological evidence of their wine trade (unlike the Etruscans and long before the Romans), much of which has been found on Celtic sites."

The research forms part of Professor Cartledge's study into where the boundaries of Ancient Greece began and ended.

Rather than covering the geographical area occupied by the modern Greek state, he argued Ancient Greece stretched from Georgia in the east to Spain in the west.

I'm a Liberal but that is way too liberal for me! Only a 5 year wait to have the right to vote at the local level? No country that I know of has such a loose law. Immigrants, legal immigrants, should have rights but to allow the children born in Greece who's parents are illegal to have immediate citizenship is just wrong. This opens a whole other can of worms and Greece will see a big influx of illegals who are pregnant arriving in Greece. We must remember that if the children have citizenship rights then the parents will also have the right to remain in the country because Greece will not want to take care of all those children!

This is just all messed up and the only way to control it is by the E.U to put heavy pressure on Turkey to stop their assistance of illegals to enter Greece!

LOL, Silly Turks!

I would disagree as to FYROM not being able to stir-up trouble in the Balkans. You may be correct, if you are meaning by a direct cause and effect, but indirectly I see potential for trouble. This trouble stems primarily with the issue of the Albanians in FYROM. If the Gruevski or later governments do not do something to satisfy the wants of the their ethnic Albanians then trouble will happen on an even bigger scale that the previous time. This will lead to a similar situation as that of Kosovo. We all know what happened and is still happening in Kosovo!

As far as direct trouble i don't see anything. They have no military and no allies, except for the Turks. FYROM's only goal is to stir up trouble politically and not militarily and this is evidenced from the claim on Greek, Bulgarian and Serbian cultural history!

Both sides seem to be pursuing their own interest which in the end, I believe, will tear the country apart. The Slavs of FYROM want to create a purists concept of their nation while the Albanians want a separate nation or union with Albania. The Albanian issue is similar to that of the Bulgarians in the Region of Macedonia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when they wanted unification with mother Bulgaria, but realizing that the Powers at hand did not want that to happen they began the call for an independent "Macedonia" and the claim that they are not Bulgarians but "Macedonians".

The Slav FYROM side wants to further its propaganda about being the descendants of the Ancient Macedonians and having a pure race. This, in my opinion, smells of Nazi Germany and their goals of so called purity. Even though FYROM gained independence with no violence this regime and and their neo-nationalist offspring will lead to much greater problems in the Balkans!

Seems they are a bunch of pansies who are too afraid of Turkey for who knows what reason! It is amazing how they dismiss a legitimate observation from a neutral country. This seems to be a similar situation with the Destruction of Smyrna in 1922 when the various European countries and the U.S gave explicit orders to no help the Greeks and Armenians flee the city when the Turks were burning it. They were afraid this would look bad upon them to the Turks and they would lose their rights to the natural resources in Anatolia and their trade rights. So the result was more than 100.000 Greeks and Armenians died in Smyrna due to their GREED! Money to them is more important than human life.

If Alexander and all Ancient Macedonians looked like that they would have never conquered most of the known world!