With several days delay, the Greek Culture Ministry officially reacted to reports there was a secret deal with the British Museum for the temporary loan of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece. Greece does not recognize that the British Museum has any legal ownership rights to the Parthenon Sculptures, as they …
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Secret deal for timely limited return of Parthenon Sculptures raises furore
A plethora of publications in major international media, mainly British, but also in Bloomberg, have reported of an imminent agreement between the Acropolis Museum and the British Museum for the partial and timely limited return of the Parthenon sculptures to Greece. The “deal” is in fact no return of the …
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Deal between Greece & British Museum on Parthenon Marbles?
Greece’s Culture Ministry declined to confirm a report on Tuesday that the British Museum and the Acropolis Museum are nearing an agreement on the gradual return of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece. According to Bloomberg news agency, such an agreement would foresee that a part of the Parthenon Sculptures would …
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Pope Francis “donates” Parthenon fragments to Archbishop Ieronymus
Pope Francis will return three fragments of the Parthenon sculptures which have been held in the Vatican museums, in the form of a “donation” to the head of the Greek Orthodox Church, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos II. The three fragments consist of the heads of a boy, …
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British Museum in talks on Parthenon Sculptures?
The British Museum has pledged not to dismantle its collection, following a report that the institution’s chairman has held secret talks with Greece’s prime minister over the return of the Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles. The report by the Greek newspaper Ta Nea is the latest twist …
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Rare Roman mosaics of “Europa” and “Orpheus” in Sparta Museum
The museum of two rare Roman floor mosaics in Sparta was inaugurated on Monday a year after the modern buildings housing the mosaics opened to the public. “The Rape of Europa” (2.06 x 2.00 meters) and “Orpheus Charming the Animals” (1.40 x 1.13 meters), dated between the end of the …
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Building remains point to Poseidon lost temple in Peloponnese
The remains of a temple-shaped building that could be a lost sanctuary of ancient god Poseidon have been discovered in Kleidi at the foothills of the acropolis of Samiko, western Peloponnese, the Culture Ministry announced on Wednesday. The excavations completed at the end of September revealed part of the foundation …
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Late Roman antiquities, mosaic floor unearthed in downtown Athens
Salvage excavations at the Theater Square – Plateia Theatrou- in downtown Athens have revealed Late Roman antiquities, the Greek Ministry of Culture said on Thursday. Salvage work in the area started on October 7, 2022. In works ahead of the area’s makeover, which lies southwest of the Athens City Hall, …
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Cycladic Art Figurines from controversial Stern Collection in Athens exhibition from Nov 3
Ten Early Cycladic figurines of the Leonard Stern Collection will be shown at the Museum of Cycladic Art from November 3, 2022 to October 31, 2023, as part of an agreement by the Greek Ministry of Culture, the Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The …
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Minoan Civilization: Sacrificial bull’s head found at Petras
A sacrificial bull’s head found at a Minoan cemetery associated with the palace of Petras in eastern Crete is further evidence of an elite society with complex rituals of death, Minoan civilization archaeologist Metaxia Tsipopoulou said in an interview with state-run news agency amna. This finding of a bull’s sacrifice, …
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Entrance to Acropolis Museum, archaeological sites free on Oct 28
Entrance to the Acropolis Museum will be free of charge for everyone on upcoming Friday, on the occasion of the October 28 national holiday. On Friday as well, entrance to archaeological sites, historical sites, monuments and state museums will also be free of charge.
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Hipparchus’ oldest map of night sky found hidden in Medieval parchment
First known map of night sky found hidden in Medieval parchment. Fabled star catalogue by ancient Greek astronomer Hipparchus had been feared lost. A medieval parchment from a monastery in Egypt has yielded a surprising treasure. Hidden beneath Christian texts, scholars have discovered what seems to be part of the …
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Two Eros of Smyrna: Masterpieces of Ancient Greece at Athens Archaeological Museum
“Two Little Eros from Smyrna”: Two masterpieces of the ancient Greek world are to be displayed at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens for the first time ever. Occasion for the first exhibit of the Two Little Eros form Smyrna in autumn 2022 is the completion of a century since …
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Ancient Greeks used mercenaries from Northern Europe, DNA analysis finds
Ancient DNA research has shown that the ancient Greeks used mercenaries from Northern Europe. The ancient Greeks, at least in Greater Greece, used in their army from time to time mercenaries from very distant places. Wars and mercenaries played an important role in the large-scale movement of people in the …
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PM Mitsotakis set to seek agreement with UK’s Liz Truss over Parthenon Marbles return
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is set to seek an agreement with his British counterpart Liz Truss over the return of the Elgin (Parthenion) marbles to Athens according to a statement published in the Sunday Times. “At a time when Truss will be looking to build her credibility and when the …
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More antiquities unearthed during works for Thessaloniki metro
More antiquities have been unearthed during the construction works of the metro in Thessaloniki, northern Greece. The finding span from the Proto-Byzantine to the Middle-Byzantine era, that is from from the 4th to 11th centuries AD. According to local media, the antiquities were discovered during works at the southern access …
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Stunning findings unearthed at the Artemis Amarysia Sanctuary
Greek-Swiss excavations at the sanctuary of Artemis Amarysia have brought to light important new findings on the history of the most significant shrine dedicated to ancient Greek goddess Artemis. The sanctuary is considered the foremost center of her cult and is located just two kilometers east of Amarynthos on the …
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Marble lintel bears heraldry of the Gattilusio House & the Palaiologos dynasty
A 3.50-metre-long marble lintel was discovered found during the excavation near the foundations of the Byzantine gate of the castle of Agioi Theodoroi on the island of Lesvos. The lintel is linked to the ancient city-state of Antissa, one of the ancient Aeolian city-states of Lesvos, and leads to a …
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Emblematic director of Acropolis Museum, Dimitris Pandermalis, passes away
The president of the board of directors of the new Acropolis Museum and Archaeology Professor Dimitris Pandermalis, has died at the age of 82. He died in Thessaloniki following a few days of hospitalization. “History can make us wiser,” the emblematic archaeology professor said once about people’s relationship with the …
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Metro stations to turn museums with thousands artifacts found during construction in Thessaloniki
More than 300,000 archaeological artifacts were discovered during the construction of the Thessaloniki metro system, Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said at a press conference on Wednesday. Many of them will be exhibited at several metro stations, turning them also to museums. She added that a large selection of these artifacts …
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