The scientific accomplishments and engineering prowess of ancient civilisations have been consistently underestimated throughout history. Only now are we starting to fully appreciate the sophistication and depth of knowledge of our ancestors? One amazing example is the Antikythera Mechanism. Recovered in 1900–1901 from an ancient shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera, its significance and […]
Professor Stephen Miller, an American archaeologist, who has spent more than three decades excavating the ruins of ancient Nemea, in the Peloponnese, has suggested in a ‘Time Magazine’ article, that private companies should be allowed to manage ancient sites in Greece. He comments that “the Greek Ministry of Culture does some things very well; it […]
Professor Michael Cosmopoulos, of the University of Missouri-Saint Louis in the USA, is returning the oldest written text found in Europe to Messenia in the Peloponnese, where it was discovered in 2010. The writing in Linear B text, came to light during the excavation of the palace of Iklaina, near Pylos. The text on a ceramic tablet […]
During the digging of trenches for a new sewage system in Tigaki, ten human skeletons were unearthed. Initial dating of the remains places the burials to the early Christian period, from the 4th to the 7th century AD. It was known that there was a cemetery from this era located in the area. Four of […]
A recent survey has shown that Greece is among the top 20 countries in the field of nutrition, as contemporary Greek cuisine combines many flavours and health benefits. But what were the nutritional habits in ancient Greece? The ancient Greek diet was largely based on products that could be easily cultivated in the country’s landscape. […]
What did ancient Greek music sound like? Armand D’Angour, a classical musician and professor of history at the University of Oxford, has brought ancient Greek music back to life. A recent BBC article describes the conclusions of the professor’s research. It is often forgotten that the writings at the root of Western literature, the epics of Homer, the […]
Just 2km from the archaeological site of the ancient city of Philippi, on the mainland opposite Thassos, lies the prehistoric site of Dikili Tash. Discoveries at the site confirm that wine-making was well established here as early as the Neolithic Period. These are the oldest examples of the process ever recorded in Europe, dating back […]
More treasures are being unearthed during the construction of a new subway in the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city. The latest find is a gold wreath, the ninth unearthed since work started in 2006. Found on the site of an ancient cemetery at what will be the Dimokratias Station stop, the wreath of […]
Ten years of intensive scientific study of volcanic activity on Santorini shows that the south Aegean island has experienced a much more violent history than was previously suspected. Volcanologists now believe the cataclysmic Bronze Age eruption, which they date to 1630 BC (+/- 1 year), was in fact not responsible for exposing the stratified, multi-coloured […]
