Heracles to Alexander the Great at the Ashmolean

On the afternoon of June 10–11, 323 BC, Alexander died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. He was just one month short of 33 years of age. He was one of the most successful military commanders in history, and was undefeated in battle. By the time of his death, he had conquered most of the world known to the ancient Greeks. The Greek (or more properly Macedonian) Empire did not survive his death and descended into warfare and jostling for position. However he did create a remarkable empire stretching from Greece to India and ushered in the Hellenistic Age which saw an acceleration of human development and trade and the fusion of cultures in the Mediterranean and Middle East acting as a catalyst to the development of three of the greatest cultures the world has known and three of the world’s main religions. Alexander himself was open to foreign cultures and peoples. He integrated many foreigners into his army, leading some scholars to credit him with a "policy of fusion."



So it is high time that there was a reappraisal of the contribution of Alexander and Macedonia to world history as the modern perspective we have comes from the Athenians through the Romans and has played down the contribution of the small area in Northern Greece which changed the world. So the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford has hosted an exhibition of more than 500 objects, most of them never before seen outside Greece which rewrites our knowledge of the Macedonian civilisation that brought forth Alexander the Great – the man who conquered most of the known world, from Greece to Egypt, Afghanistan and India, in the 4th century BC.



The exhibition has just closed but its importance has led to a reappraisal of the pivotal role of Macedonia in history, a cause championed by Robin Lane Fox, a Fellow of New College, Oxford and father of the redoubtable Martha. Indeed he is such an “Alexandrine” he was historical advisor to the film director Oliver Stone for the epic Alexander. He also appeared as an extra in the movie, in addition to his work as a historical consultant.



He says in the exhibition guide;

‘The Macedonians lived under the same political system uninterruptedly for some five hundred years. Nowadays we admire the ancient Greeks for their invention of democracy, but even among the Athenians it lasted much less long. Macedon’s system was monarchy, the most stable form of government in Greek history. It persisted from about 650 to 167 BC and only stopped because the Romans abolished it.’

Mr Robin Lane Fox, Ancient Historian, University of Oxford.




Vergina Tombs entrance

Alexander the Great, descendant of the God Heracles, was the most famous member of the Temenids, the family who ruled Macedon from around 650-310 BC. By defeating the powerful rulers of the Persian Empire and by spreading Greek culture as far as central Asia, Alexander the Great established the largest empire the ancient world had ever seen and altered the course of history. The Temenids were based at Aegae, the first capital of Macedon. The royal city remained relatively unknown until the late 1970s, when Professor Manolis Andronikos and his team made an astounding discovery. Excavations brought to light the unlooted tombs identified with Philip II, the father off Alexander the Great, and his grandson, Alexander IV.


The wreath of Meda, wife of Philip II. She is believed to have committed suicide to follow her assassinated husband into his grave

In the groundbreaking exhibition ‘Heracles to Alexander the Great’ the Ashmolean is displaying more than 500 extraordinary objects, most of which were on display for the first time anywhere in the world. These recent finds were discovered in the royal burial tombs and the palace at Aegae, the ancient capital of Macedon. They rewrite the history of early Greece and tell the story of the royal court and the kings and queens of Macedon, descendants of Heracles whose rule culminated in the empire of Alexander the Great. Aegae remained relatively unknown until 30 years ago when excavations uncovered the unlooted tombs of Philip II and his grandson Alexander IV.


Alexander III of Macedon, Alexander the Great

Recent work at the site by the 17th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, has continued to unearth a startling wealth of objects – from beautifully intricate gold jewellery, silverware and pottery, to sculpture, mosaic floors and architectural remains.


Gold Larnax with Vergina Sun symbol from Tomb of Phillip II

The exhibition consisted of treasures and artefacts discovered within the ancient Macedonian royal burial sites at Aegae (modern Vergina) from the 1950s onwards. These finds tell the story of the Temenid Kings of Macedon, a dynasty which ran from Perdiccas I in the 7th century BCE and ended with the assassination of Alexander the Great’s heirs roughly four hundred years later. More broadly they help show the development of the Kingdom of Macedon, a subject of the highest historical significance. This kingdom was eventually responsible, through the conquests of Alexander, for first spreading Greek (western) culture and language into the East. On the southern rim of the Macedonian Plain, close to the River Haliacmon in northern Greece, was the royal city of Aegae. It was the first capital of the Macedonians and the seat of the Temenids, a dynasty that ruled for 350 years, from the mid-7th century to the 4th-century BC, and gave to Greece two of its most famous heroes: King Philip II and Alexander the Great (Alexander III of Macedon).



Excavations in the 1970s revealed a series of spectacular tombs of King Philip II and other members of Alexander’s immediate family. Recent archaeological excavations have brought to light further tombs (mostly of women of high social standing, either members of the royal family or their court), remarkably preserved with much of their exceptionally rich contents intact. These burials take us on a journey back from the time of Alexander the Great through classical and Archaic times to the beginning of the first millennium BC.


Medusa

The exhibition follows the mythological origins of the Temenids to the rise and domination of Aegae as the seat of power of the Kingdom of Macedon. Through the reconstruction of individual burials, the role of men and women at the palace and the royal court, the lavish banquets (symposia) and the architecture of the palace at Aegae, visitors were given an into the ancient world in the time of these legendary rulers.


Silver tetradrachms dated back to the reign of Philip II. Part of the Rezhantsi Treasure, Bulgaria

The exhibition shows how an introverted, small tribal kingdom – mythologically founded by the descendants of Heracles – was gradually "drawn into the wider world, developing relationships on the eastern side of the Aegean and forming a key relationship with Athens, which it eventually pushed out of the region".
"For the first time we will be able to see where they were coming from; put the archaeology against the history, look at how they dressed and how they died. We are so focused on the history of Athens that we completely underestimate the Macedonians."


Gold Charioteer

The conclusions that can be drawn from the excavations of the last few years show that Macedon was never isolated from the mainstream of Greek culture. Philip II, for example, was a very educated person, who gathered about him the creme de la creme of Greek and Macedonian intelligentsia. The royal palace was the grandest, most elaborately built architectural complex of classical Greece, with an area of 12,500 square metres, making it only slightly smaller than Buckingham Palace.The building, as proved by the dazzling silver, was the scene of royal banquets on a scale which might have made Hollywood splutter: the 16 banqueting halls had space on double couches for more than 400 diners, while the court had room for 3,500 seated guests.


Golden larnax and wreath of Philip II of Macedon at the Vergina Museum

The Vergina Sun — also known as the Star of Vergina, Macedonian star, or Argead Star — is the name given to a symbol of a stylised star or sun with sixteen rays. It was unearthed in 1977 during excavations in Vergina, in the northern Greek region of Macedonia, by archaeologist Manolis Andronikos. He discovered it on a golden larnax in the tombs of the kings of the ancient kingdom of Macedon. Since its rediscovery, it has taken on a new function as a political symbol associated with modern Macedonia, and has become the object of political conflict between Greece and the neighbouring Republic of Macedonia. The Republic of Macedonia used it on its national flag between 1991 and 1995, when it agreed to change its flag under Greek pressure. Greece regards it as an official national symbol and has asserted an exclusive right to its official use. Well Macedonia as a term has different ethnic, geographic and political meanings but the dispute has serious implications. For myself I really wonder how this can be top of Greece's priorities (Bankruptcy, corruption, nepotism, failed state?) and how it is at odds with the ethnic diversity espoused by Alexander the Great. Maybe after the failure of the "Big Idea" which turned out to be a very small and stupid idea this is what Greek Nationalism has been reduced to, in the absence of anything useful.


Kingdom of Macedon at the death of Philip II in 336 BC Click to enlarge

The whole area of Macedonia is fraught with much nasty sectarian nationalist name calling and appropriation of symbols such as the 16 pointed Star of Vergina. There are people who regard themselves as of Macedonian heritage in Greece, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and in Bulgaria and Albania. The sectarian name calling is largely from the Greeks claiming an “exclusive” on being Macedonian. Well the modern transposition of the inhabitants of a 3rd Century Macedon may well be “complicated” being as it was a border kingdom under attack from Illyrians and Thracians at a time when the various tribes, Achaeans, Dorians, Spartans, Athenians, etc; who made up the Greek World were still developing their common cultural identity.


Ethnic Macedon in the 3rd Century BC Click to enlarge

Instead of appropriating these symbols for the narrow purposes of sectarian nationalism we should instead celebrate what was showcased in this wonderful exhibition at the Ashmolean. We should celebrate the hardy, highly developed and remarkable Macedonian Kingdom which became the Macedonian Empire and truly changed the world. In just over eight years, in his capacity as king, commander, politician, scholar and explorer, Alexander led his army a further 11,000 miles, founding over 70 cities and creating an empire that stretched across three continents and covered around two million square miles. The entire area from Greece in the west, north to the Danube, south into Egypt and as far to the east as the Indian Punjab, was linked together in a vast international network of trade and commerce. This was united by a common Greek language and culture, while the king himself adopted foreign customs in order to rule his millions of ethnically diverse subjects.


Macedonian Empire in 323 BC


Ashmolean Museum

It is an achievement never equalled which established Greek culture and learning as the predominant influence in the Ancient World and laid the foundation of Western Civilisation.

See also;

The Oath of Alexander the Great in 324 B.C.

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/03/oath-of-alexander-great-in-324-bc.html

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/11/oxfords-ashmolean-museum.html


Alexander the Great
Basileus of Macedon, Hegemon of the Hellenic League, Pharaoh of Egypt, Shahanshah of Persia

Au revoir à l'euro?

It is not a goodtime to be one of the PIGS – Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain. Greece, Ireland and Portugal, the euro region countries that needed 256 billion Euros ($366 billion) in emergency aid to avoid default, may all see their debt loads exceed the size of their economies this year. The only one of the PIGS whose economy has not been bailed out is Spain which is arguably too big to be bailed out in any event.



However the possibility of a second Greek Bail-Out and the increasing likelihood of defaults on Sovereign Debt is threatening not just the continuation of the Eurozone but the entire European Banking System – it is estimated that UK Banks have over €88 Billion exposure in Ireland and French and German Banks over €100 Billion exposure in Greece. Moody's has placed three large French banks on negative review based on their exposure to Greek debt.



In Ireland the political opposition is building up to the IMF Bailout fuelled by resentment that the Developers, Bankers and idiot Politicians who caused the bubble in asset values are getting off scot free. Finance Dublin kicked off The Irish Government Debt Clock which was set at midnight on June 30th 2009, when it was €65.278 billion. It updates the latest figures for the National Debt of Ireland. The clock is re-set periodically, to reflect changes in debt and deficit estimates from the Dept of Finance, the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), and independent economists. The clock is set now at €107 Bn, an amount which would be unserviceable even if the boom had continued. For further background on what the debt figures mean click here.

http://www.financedublin.com/debtclock.php


Cheerful Hibernians in between Riverdancing

Greece’s debt, already the biggest in the euro’s history at 143 percent of gross domestic product last year, will jump to almost 158 percent this year and 166 percent in 2012, the European Commission said this week in Brussels. Portuguese debt will surpass total economic output for the first time this year, growing to 101.7 percent of GDP, while Irish debt will reach 112 percent, the forecasts show.



As European Union officials consider boosting aid for Greece a year after its 110 billion-euro bailout, today’s report shows little sign of debt levels becoming more manageable. Soaring borrowing costs have left the three nations shut out of financial markets with investors increasing bets that Greece will become the first euro member to default.



The scale of Greece's problem is simply stated: her national debt will approach 160 per cent of GDP on current trends. Here in the UK we are supposed to be in crisis because that ratio is heading for about 75 per cent.


Les porcs

The Celtic Sage takes no satisfaction in predicting as far back as 2007 that the “One size fits all” Monetary Policy would be unsustainable in the EU’s peripheral economies when I wrote;

“There is widespread and growing disquiet about the consequences of the Euro, especially as the preparations for it already seem directly responsible for rising unemployment in Europe. Some argue cogently that the regional imbalances from monetary union will be a source of conflict not harmony between states. Popular resentment about high unemployment in depressed regions and about the scale of financial transfers to them from richer states could lead to a possibly violent break-up of monetary union.”

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/09/euro-opportunity-or-threat-for-britain.html

Earlier this year I pointed out the sheer impossibility of Ireland servicing its (then smaller) debt and how the election of a new brand of Gombeen Government would not make an iota of difference;




Beware of electorates carrying placards

“So the € 80 Bn Bailout equates to roundly € 55,000 for every productive worker. Add to this annual interest servicing costs of € 4,960 per annum and you get the scale of the problem, Ireland’s public and private debt is simply unsustainable. Most reconstructions, Bankruptcy and liquidations, involve substantial debt reduction, a write off of debt before you begin a fresh start. Ireland is in unrealistic denial about being able to service its Public and private debt making the hard stop of debt default inevitable sooner rather than later.”

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2011/02/terrible-default-is-born.html

You know, sometimes it would be good to be wrong?

Kos; a Tale of two restaurants

Kos Town

Seasoned travellers know that to get under the skin of a place you need to seek out true local restaurants for food and produce are always integral to culture. This is especially true on the ancient and storied Island of Kos which like many other Greek Islands originally went for mass tourism as a catalyst to alleviate the poverty and stagnation which blighted Greece in the 1960’s. So in Kos Town avoid the strip of restaurants by the harbour with multi-lingual tourist menus. There is nothing too wrong with them but they are a form of culinary wallpaper which you can hardly describe as “Real Greek”. Instead follow me to two exceptional restaurants which give an insight into the diversity and culture of this special place which was the crossroads of the Greek, Roman and Crusader world.


Platani - 4 km outside Kos Town

To do this we first go 4 km outside Kos Town where we find ourselves (and you may be surprised by this) in a Turkish village. Kos at one time had a large Turkish minority but with the tensions over Cyprus, many have left the island. About 50 Muslim families remain on Kos and they mostly reside in Platani along with a Greek minority. Everyone seems to get along just fine but the good news is the Turkish restaurants that await visitors.



At Platani on the way to the Asklepion of Kos there are still Turkish villages with the restaurants reputed to have the best food on the island. Also on the way to Platani you can see the old Jewish and Muslim cemeteries side by side. Platani’s older domestic architecture is similar to styles in Crete from where some of the village’s inhabitants came between 1898 and 1913. There is a working Ottoman fountain near the crossroads and several excellent Turkish tavernas; Arap, Asklipios, Sherif and Gin’s Palace. This is a good place just 3 miles outside Kos Town to come in the evening to enjoy the cooler air, savour the village atmosphere and enjoy Turkish food in Greece.



They all offer Anatolian-style mezedhes and kebabs and enjoy a reputation, including among the Greeks, as the best eateries on the island. We dined at Arap where all the vegetables are grown on the owners land and the meats sourced on the island. We enjoyed an excellent meal with our Greek friends who are regulars here. I expressed my surprise to Yasar, the owner that the menu included a pork chop but he said there was not necessarily a strict interpretation on this before saying he had to earn a living! Yasar Memis, the owner, is always there and in the Greek and Ottoman tradition you are welcome to go into the open and scrupulously clean kitchen to inspect the produce.



The food here is a mix of Greek and Turkish and the spirit of this unpretentious family restaurant is contagious. Whatever you order from the extensive menu, it's impossible for you to choose wrongly. Although there are many meat dishes, vegetarians will have a feast. The roasted red peppers stuffed with feta and the zucchini flowers stuffed with rice are splendid, as is the bourekakia (a kind of fried pastry roll stuffed with cheese). Afterward, you can walk across the street for the best homemade ice cream on Kos.

All of the restaurants here are good with the patrons’ mainly Greek locals who appreciate the quality of the Turkish cuisine as well as the distinct atmosphere of this place which until 1964 was most commonly known as Kermetes (Germe in Turkish). The Turkish community had its own primary school but in the wake of the Cyprus crises of that year the village was given a Greek name and education provided in Greek only. Now things are more relaxed and I can only hope this special part of the world continues to embrace diversity.



The next choice as you might expect is a Greek restaurant but it is in Kos “Old Town” which in reality is the Ottoman Old Town of Halluvazia which survived the devastating earthquake of 1933. Olive (Elia in Greek) at 27. Apelou Ifestou, is a traditional Greek Restaurant affiliated to the Slow Food movement which specialises in authentic local dishes and local produce and which I cannot recommend too highly.


Elia's sweet olives marinated in honey

At the end of the meal you will be presented with their coup de theatre, a saucer of Olives! When you eat them you will react strangely for these are sweet olives marinated in honey and taste surprisingly delicious. Indeed they are so popular and unique that Elia now sells them in jars to take away. The menu is best described as Greek home cooking with many Dodecanese specialities and a quixotic menu which features headings such as “Barley Juices” (Beers), Vineyard Juices (Wines), Boiler extracts (Teas & Coffees).



The emphasis is on quality fresh ingredients with exceptional artisan wines and cheeses in particular. A great place for lunch or dinner and the antidotes to the tourist “bolognaise and cheeps” include specialities such as "pastourma", "gardoumpa" , "frygadelia", "tsigarides" , "spetsofai" and "kavoyrdisto." Don’t worry if this means nothing, just ask the helpful staff. As well as the cool stone restaurant there is a lovely and restful canopied garden at the rear.



So on a Greek Island these are two of the best, one Turkish in Greece and the other traditionally Greek in the Turkish Old Town! Both excellent, both producing the food of memory deeply rooted in the produce and tradition of this special place.

Details;

ARAP Restaurant in Platani

Platani Village Square Kos island 85300, Greece
Tel. +30 - 22420 28442

Elia Traditional Restaurant - Tel. +30-2242022133
Apellou 27 - 85300 Kos, Greece

http://www.elia-kos.gr/en/

See also;

Around Kos Town

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/09/around-kos-town.html

Muslim Kos

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/07/muslim-kos.html

Jewish Kos

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/06/jewish-kos.html


The Greek God of Healing, Asclepia arriving in Kos greeted by Hippocrates, the father of medicine, (seated) and a Coan (in the hat). Roman mural, 1st Century A.D.

Agios Nektarios, Kos - αγιος Νεκτάριος στην Κως.

We have been going down to Kos and Kalymnos since 1999 and in that time we are fortunate to have met people on the islands we count as friends and to have an insight into the real life of the Dodecanese Islands. If you read the tourist brochures they are full of the usual clichés; “Sun kissed Paradise” “Fascinating culture and history” “live the island life” and so on. All very well but, as in real life, reality is more complex than the soundbites and it is only the overall context which makes sense.







So we are very fortunate that our friends take the time to show us their places away from the well trod tourist tracks and allow us to share in their everyday lives. So with them we sometimes head up to the district of Agios Nektarios on the slopes of the Mount Dikeos range just behind Kos Town. Here on the slopes you get a fine view of the town and harbour and 3 miles across the water the Bodrum Peninsular in Turkey and the town of Bodrum itself which in antiquity was Hallincarnassus, the birthplace of the historian Herodotus, known as “The Father of History”, and site of the Tomb of Mausulos, one of the Seven wonders of the ancient world.









Entrance to the Monastery of Saint Nektarios



Here we visit the Monastery of Saint Nektarios which our friends support and help along with many of the locals. This supports a small community of nuns (In the Orthodox tradition there are male or female monasteries) and we have always been warmly welcomed by the nuns, who include a mother and daughter. In the Orthodox tradition monastic life is esteemed and valued within the communities. Within the Monastery you find three chapels - the chapel of the Resurrection, the chapel of St. Raphael and the chapel of St. Irene Chrysovalantou. It also contains the tomb of Gerasimos, a nineteenth century Archbishop of Kos and his mother. The Monastery is located on a panoramic view-point and although it is situated out of town, it is visited every week for the traditional Sunday service. But to understand how an Orthodox Convent (Monastery) is different you must realise that whilst religious keep to a code there are no Monastic Orders like in the West with Benedictines, Franciscans, Dominicans, etc.









Baptisimal font and table



Rather in the Orthodox world a community is set up with the permission of the local Bishop and with a priest assigned to them as a spiritual mentor but often they are otherwise on a small scale supported by the local community. So at Agios Nektarios the community uses the churches for their life events of Baptism’s, Marriages and Deaths but also visit for the Sunday service or just for quiet contemplation in the peaceful grounds or prayer in the churches. They also visit for their Saints Days. In Orthodox tradition children generally take the name of the saint whose feast day they were born or baptised on and this day is commemorated as their birthday. On the day we called to the convent there was a baptism due to take place and a church was decked out with flowers, garlands and gifts for the children attending of toys and bags of homemade sweets. These are always large family events in Greece and around 100 were expected to attend.















The nun insisted we take some sweets as a sign of friendship. The relationship between the “Latins” and the “Greeks” has at times been bitter and fraught but (even though I’m a non-believer) I have only ever been welcomed with considerable courtesy when visiting Orthodox sites and at Agios Nektarios we are welcomed like old friends for the tradition of monastic hospitality runs deep.



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/04/fall-of-byzantium.html



There are three branches of the early Christian Churches which have shaped Christianity ever since. There were the two “official” churches of the Roman Empire. The Patriarchate of Rome which claims apostolic succession from Saints Peter and Paul (people don’t realise that the second largest Basillica in Rome after St. Peter’s is St. Paul without the Walls which also contains the grave of the saint) and which was the official church of the Western Empire. Then there is The Patriarchate of Constantinople which was the official church of the Eastern Roman Empire and then of Byzantium and which claims apostolic succession from St. Andrew. But these were the “official” churches with all the trapping and baggage being a Church of the State entails.





Kos Town and the Turkish Coast from Agios Nektarios





Grave of Archbishop Gerasimos



There was a third strand that rebelled against Christianity being used as a political instrument and is in many ways more interesting. This was the Church of the East which at one stage reached as far as Western China and adopted local languages and customs in its devotional practice. This was the church most reduced by the rise of Islam but its residue and rich traditions can be seen in the Maronites, The Armenian church, The Copts, the Chaldean Christians in Iraq and the Assyrian Christians who can also be found in India and who claim apostolic succession from St. Thomas the Apostle.













Icon of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary



But today the world seemed much simpler as we wandered through the churches with their rich frescos in the Orthodox tradition. Like many of the “visuals” and music associated with the Christian tradition they were designed to convey the teachings of the Bible to what would have originally been mainly illiterate congregations but are now part of the artistic patrimony of the church. The gardens of the monastery are peaceful and enclosed with ponds (for the Persian word which gives us “Paradise” meant a water garden, the greatest luxury in a desert) and like the gardens of Marrakesh it is designed to be productive with many fruit and olive trees. As well as the three churches and the archbishop’s grave there is the living quarters of the nuns in a large but simple house. All of this is set in a peaceful and verdant setting which helps sustain their contemplative life.



The Saint after whom the monastery is named, Nektarios of Aegina (1846-1920), (Greek: Άγιος Νεκτάριος Αιγίνης,) Metropolitan of Pentapolis and Wonderworker of Aegina, was officially recognised as a Saint by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1961. His Feast Day is celebrated every year on 9th November. There are reasons why this place is special to our friends. She is called Irene and one of the churches is dedicated to her saint, Irene Chrysovalantou and she visits to commemorate her saint day.





St. Savvas the New of Kalymnos with his icon of St. Nektarios



But there is also another reason. She is a Kalymnian and their patron is Agios Savvas who inspires great devotion amongst Kalymnians, the hardy and industrious inhabitants of the island north of Kos, famed for sponge fishing. Before coming to Kalymnos Savvas stayed with Nektarios on Aegina and was with him when he died, or reposed in the Orthodox lexicon when speaking about a saint.



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/10/portrait-of-pothia-kalymnos.html



Her husband is Cypriot but went to school in Alexandria which is one of the 14 cities named after Alexander the Great and once had a large Greek community. Here too there is a connection with Nektarios for he started his priestly mission in that great city but after a bitter row with the Patriarch of Alexandria he was expelled in some ignominy.



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/03/oath-of-alexander-great-in-324-bc.html



So we took our leave of the Abbess and nuns of Agios Nektarios (In Greek names Agios = Saint, Agia= Saintess, Agias = Saints) and headed further up the side of the hill to near where the road runs out and we come to a small double church dedicated to Agias Stelios and Maria Magdalene. Once again this points out a difference between Western and Eastern practice for in Greece there are many churches not used for regular services built either by individuals or communities. So for instance in the grounds of the hotel where we always stay in Kos, The Continental Palace, there is a small church dedicated to Agios Gerasimos built by the owner to honour his father who is named after Gerasimos, Patron and Protector of Kephalonia (as seen in captain Corelli’s Mandolin).







The Convent House





http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/09/around-kos-town.html



This church at the crest of Agios Nektarios was built and maintained by the rural community around here and is used for saints days, baptisms and marriages and village ceremonies. It is also used for private prayer as today when our friend was commemorating the anniversary of his mother’s funeral. The key to the church was found under a nearby rock and incense and an urn were found and the incense lit. Then the icons in the two churches were venerated with the incense. Separating the Nave from the Sanctuary in every Orthodox Church you find the iconostasis, a screen with a door in the centre containing 5 or 7 icons.





Churches of Agias Stelios and Maria Magdalene



Icons are part of the eastern tradition even if they were a source of controversy and division in the east. To Muslims, any kind of picture, statue, or representation of the human form is an abominable idol. In the controversy in the Eastern Church there are two empresses, Irene the great proponent of icons and Theodora who saw their use as idolatry and a barrier to the conversion of Jews and Muslims. Theodora is known as Iconclastis – the destroyer of icons. They still divide with Calvinists seeing these images as a corrupt distraction replacing the many gods of the pagan religion with a similar pantheon in a Christian guise.









Iconostasis



But for the Orthodox today icons are venerated as they represent people of great piety who had a greater understanding of God. For the Orthodox they are venerated not for the image on them but as windows into Heaven. And so our friend’s mother was remembered today by burning incense and venerating the icons. It may seem strange for a non-believer to attach such importance to this but religion is rooted both in belief and in culture. You can, for instance, consider yourself Jewish without being observant. To understand why Greeks are Greeks you need to understand that as they chaffed under the yolks of many conquerors two things kept them Greek, their religion and their language.





Incensor





Icon of Maria Magdalene



Today in Kos you would not think yourself as being anywhere other than Greece but this place was never part of a country of that name until 1948. They endured 700 years of occupation by Crusader Knights of St. John, The Ottoman Turks, Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany and more benignly the British before they were finally unified with Greece in 1948. And before that again in antiquity they were Byzantine, Roman and at various time allied with or controlled by Carians, Persians, Dorians, Athenian League and Ptolemies to name a few.





Kebab on the hoof



Then as we leave Agias Stelios and Maria Magdalene to head to Platani (Kermetes) and a Turkish Restaurant



Yes, a Turkish restaurant!



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2011/06/kos-tale-of-two-restaurants.html)



to belatedly celebrate my birthday there is a moment of pure Greek magic! Suddenly the air is filled with the sound of bells. We look around over a hundred goats are heading in single file without any human guidance along the path and the road to new pastures. However somebody called Lord Byron summed up the special sense of time, place, history and people in the Greek Islands better than I ever could;



THE isles of Greece! the isles of Greece!

Where burning Sappho loved and sung,

Where grew the arts of war and peace,---

Where Delos rose and Phoebus sprung!

Eternal summer gilds them yet,

But all, except their sun, is set.



The Scian and the Teian muse,

The hero's harp, the lover's lute,

Have found the fame your shores refuse;

Their place of birth alone is mute

To sounds which echo further west

Than your sires' "Islands of the Blest."





Sunset over Pserimos and Kalymnos seen from Agios Nektarios