Dear friends, Once again, allow me to apologise for my long absence.I will not bother you with what happened to me in the last few months; just allow me to say that life has a way of surprising us. I’d … Continue reading →

Snow in Athens

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Yesterday was a rare day indeed – a day of snow. A few flakes had the courtesy to drift this far south and excite the kids with a promise of a white city, like the ones we see on Christmas … Continue reading →

Columns built into the Acropolis walls

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When walking in Plaka, the historic district of Athens, just below the Acropolis, look up and you will see the Erechtheum. Right in front of it, built into the wall, you will notice huge round blocks of marble, while a … Continue reading →

Quiz of the week: An odd wall

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Anyone taking a walk in the historic district of Athens (known as Plaka) will certainly have walked past this wall, seen it, maybe even photographed it. It is the Northern side of the Acropolis wall. But saturated with too much … Continue reading →

Photo of the week: Sounion

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The Cape Cape Sounion, is the tip of a peninsula thrust into the Aegean, only 60-90 minutes’ drive from Athens. It is right in the middle of all those trade routes connecting the two sides of the Aegean Sea and … Continue reading →

Photo of the week: colourful head of a bronze statue

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Having talked about how colour was indispensable to Ancient Greek sculpture, to the extent that even in bronze statuary attempts were made to give a more colourful appearance, I couldn’t help posting another photo of a bronze. This is a … Continue reading →

Photo of the week: Head of a bronze statue

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After posting the previous article about the classical statues found in Riace, Italy, I couldn’t help posting another photo of them, this time the head of the statue known as Riace A. As I’ve said before, no statue was uncolored … Continue reading →

Two masterpieces of classical sculpure survive 2000 years under the sea

Happy 40th anniversary, Riace Bronzes! On August 16, 1972, Stefano Mariottini, a Roman chemist on vacation in Calabria, was dive fishing in waters just 26 feet deep off the Ionian Sea coast of Riace, Italy (the toe of the boot) … Continue reading →