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Economic Reality and Greek Culture

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 ... »

Modern Nazi-Greek ideals and the classical tradition

constantinakatsari July 1, 2012

Most of you probably heard a few weeks ago about a violent incident that took place in Greek tv. Apparently, the member of the parliament Elias Kasidiaris, who belongs to the nazi party, attacked the female member of the parliament Liana Kanneli, member of the communist party. At this point, I would like to ignore the fact that there is such a thing as a nazi Greek party, which seems to be deeply disatisfied with current German economic policies! Instead, I would like to focus on a recent interv... »

Go Greek for a Week. Classical Ideals as Propaganda.

constantinakatsari November 16, 2011

At last, I managed to watch the Channel 4 program “Go Greek for a Week”. I have followed the discussions about its truthfulness, accuracy, attempts to discriminate against another nation e.t.c. with great interest. In this post, though, I do not intend to focus on the half truths, distortions and derogatory comments. Instead, I would like to bring your attention to the fine classical details that the producers included in the program. Have you noticed the repeated appearances of the Acropolis an... »

Greek crisis and Classical Studies

constantinakatsari November 10, 2011

How does the Greek crisis affect Classics in the UK? Classical Studies in the UK are directly affected by the Greek crisis, not least because our research is about this part of the world. We regularly travel to Greece, we use its research facilities, we accept grants from its Foundations, we collaborate with Greek colleagues. On the whole, the fate of this country affects the fate of the discipline abroad. First of all, we should take into consideration the finances of the Greek students in the ... »

Greek and Roman armies in Northern Balkans

constantinakatsari May 29, 2011

This is a conference very close to my research interests. I would have liked to participate. Is anyone else going? “Call for Proposals – Annual Conference of the Metropolitan Library of Bucharest, Sinaia, Romania, 20-22 September 2011. Section IV c. WORKSHOP “Greek and Roman Armies in Northern Balkans : Conflicts and Integration of the Warrior Communities, Vth c. B.C.- IIId c. A.D. ” This workshop is part of the research project “Warrior Structures and Exchanges bet... »

Learn how to study inscriptions!

constantinakatsari February 15, 2011

“Classics Subject Centre Practical Epigraphy Workshop for University Lecturers/Postdoctoral staff 12-14 April 2011 Classics Centre/Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford A Practical Epigraphy Workshop is taking place for those who are interested in developing hands-on skills in working with epigraphic material (Greek and Latin). The workshop is aimed at lecturers in post and postdoctoral status academics in UK HE institutions, whether or not they have previous experience of epigraphy. With... »

Karl Lagerfeld supports Classics

constantinakatsari December 2, 2010

Karl Lagerfeld is not just a fashion designer and famous photographer. He also seems to be a fervent supporter of teaching Greek and Latin in Schools. In a recent interview he claimed that learning ancient languages is imperative, since modern languages and civilisations are based on them. His artistic tendencies seem to idealise the ancient world. Yesterday in Moschow he revealed the new Pirelli calendar, whose photos combine his passion for natural beauty with Greek and Roman deities. When jou... »

Epigraphy made easy

constantinakatsari July 23, 2010

How many of you have been frustrated, when you attempted to find all the possible references to a specific Greek inscription. Well, in my cases, I have been constantly frustrated and, at some point, I almost gave up on Epigraphy. It looks like, though, the Germans suddenly appeared to save us. They created a database that relates the material from the Inscriptiones Graecae catalogues to the material from the Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum. So, if you enter the number of the inscription as you... »

Symbols in Crisis

constantinakatsari March 7, 2010

On the night of May 30, 1941 two young men, Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas were wondering in Athens. By then, the city was occupied by the brutal German forces. The men avoided carefully the military patrols while they walked across Plaka, the nineteenth century neighbourhood. Their footsteps brought them at the foot of the Acropolis. The climbed carefully uphill and they headed for the top of the Sacred Rock. Without losing valuable time, they reached for the Swastica that was desecrating ... »

Destroying Greek Heritage: The Temple of Aphrodite in Porto Rafti

constantinakatsari January 9, 2010

How many countries do you know that dedicate themselves to destroying their own heritage? How many countries do you know that, at the same time, profit from their classical tradition? Greece must be one of them. The Greek government and the Greek people are proud for the development of two industries: shipping and tourism. Of these, tourism relies heavily on the existence, upkeep and advertisement of its ancient monuments. The ministry of tourism focuses its campaigns on the “fact” that Greece i... »