Archaeology

The American School of Archaeology in Corinth

constantinakatsari November 24, 2019

Recently a few photographs appeared in the Facebook page of the American School of Archaeology at Athens. They were photographs of the diaries of the first American archaeologists who excavated Ancient Greek Corinth. The excavations started at the end of the nineteenth century in 1896 and by now we have diaries that cover this year until 2007. Specifically, there are 1116 excavation diaries (digitalised) of around 200 pages each. This is a wealth of information for modern archaeologists of ancie... »

Happy and Healthy 2015

constantinakatsari January 3, 2015

I am so happy this year that I cannot help but want to wish the same for Love of History followers. Let us face it, some of you have been following this blog unfailingly for the past 5 years. As I am getting ready to take it to the next level, I would like to thank you for your support and eager readership. Without the encouraging comments and interesting discussions I would not have been able to keep at it for so long. So, enjoy the new articles and posts I will be uploading from time to time a... »

The power of the Roman state in the cities of Northern Turkey. The coin evidence

constantinakatsari January 2, 2015

Pontus and Paflagonian Coinage in the Late Republic and the Early Empire Already before the annexation of northern Asia Minor by the Romans, the cities of Pontus (around 12 of them) produced their own bronze currencies, which circulated throughout the region. Most of the types on these coins include Mithridatic connotations based on the association of the royal line with the God Dionysus. During the period immediately before the Roman annexation (85-65 BC), we observe a profusion of 12 different... »

Happy New Old Life!

constantinakatsari December 31, 2014

Christmas is time for deep reflection on the past and happy thoughts for the future. At least for me! I always use the free time to understand better what I achieved so far, and what I would like to target in the future. For some disturbing reason, this year I decided to return to the past! As a historian, it would seem to be the obvious choice for many. And yet, it is not the obvious choice for me. For the past year I was dealing almost exclusively with innovative companies. In a sense, ... »

Economic Reality and Greek Culture

constantinakatsari June 3, 2013

You all know how modern Greece became bankrupt, how its population lives under extreme economic conditions, how the government is trying to pay off the debts (though, not that successfully). The IMF process demanded that the entire economy deflated, that the salaries and the prices were reduced, so that Greece became competitive again. Competitive in what, though? Since the euro entered our lives, most Greeks have been living on borrowed money and time. They neither created products nor offered ... »

Theater re-opens after 1700 years in Greece

constantinakatsari May 22, 2013

I am not sure if the re-opening of the ancient theatre of Messene is connected to the economic crisis in Greece or not. Either way, it is a fact that cannot be ignored. As part of the Greek Festival the opening night will be the 3rd of August 2013. In the first instance 2500 people will be able to attend, although after its full restoration it will host more than 5000 people. The restorations will continue over the summer with the help of funds from Niarchos foundation and the European Union. Fa... »

New Rock Drawings in Epirus

constantinakatsari May 21, 2013

Today I was browsing for news on my native region in Greece, that is Epirus, when I found out about a new and exciting discovery! The archaeologist and archaeology professor at the University of Ioannina, Andreas Vlachopoulos, announced the existence of 5000 year old rock drawings in Vathi, Astypalaia. He mentioned that the drawings were of 70 cm length. They represent mostly boats with oars, while three of them seem to be carrying fish. According to Vlachopoulos the findings are similar to the ... »

Ancient city discovered in Greece

constantinakatsari May 20, 2013

Ancient historians may complain about the lack of new data coming to surface. Archaeologists, on the other hand, do not seem to have such a problem, since new excavations reveal new and exciting material all the time. Of course, most of the sites are already known to seasoned archaeologists, although excavations are slow to come about due to increasing financial difficulties. An announcement on a new ancient city found in Greece is about the city of Thuria in Messenia (south west Peloponnese). T... »

Syrian Unesco Heritage Site Falls in Battle

constantinakatsari April 27, 2013

I was devastated when I read in the Guardian about the fatal damage at Umayyad’s mosque in Aleppo, Syria. It looks like the minaret collapsed after intense fighting between the two parties. The minaret was part of the 12th century Sunni mosque in the middle of the old walled city. The video below is indicative of the damage inflicted upon the famous site. By the way, I tried to embed the video in this post but it was not working. So, I suggest that you follow the link below. Source: The Gu... »

The grave of the poet

constantinakatsari November 12, 2012

Around 430 BC a poet and musician died in ancient Athens. An excavation of his grave in the deme of Alopeke revealed a lyre, an avlos, a harp, papyri, wax tablets and a pen, all of which gave us clues about his professional life. The findings proved to be crucial for the study of ancient music, since no other harp has been found until then (only representations on vases), while the papyri were the oldest to be found in Greece. The excavation took place in 1981. Since then, the precious artefacts... »