At altitude 900 meters – Dated from 1.600 up to 1.400 B.C.

Minoan building, dating from 1.600 up to 1.400 B.C. brought to light by the archaeological hoe at the site of Gaidourofas, in East Ierapetra, in altitude 900 meters.

The first indications, according to archaeologists, they speak of an important building, which with the so far features resulting from the excavation, it could be classified as a mansion.

And the British archaeologist Arthur Evans when he passed by the point 1898, he noted in his diary that he found that in the area - and despite the embankments- there were architectural elements that testified to the presence of a Minoan building.

During this year's first two-week excavation period, archaeologists managed to excavate, down to the floor, the interior of two rooms.

The building – according to archaeologists- he saves all his embankments, it has not been subjected to subsequent circulation and the main thing, the occupants left it after its destruction without taking with them the objects that were inside it.

The causes of destruction and the reasons for the building's abandonment have not yet been clarified and further evidence is expected to emerge as the excavation progresses., according to them.

Yet, as they emphasize, archaeologists such mansions exist in other parts of Crete but so far they have only been recorded and excavated in lowland areas, at an altitude of up to 400 meters, where they are traditionally associated with agricultural cultivation.

On the contrary, the building in the East is much higher, and is the second building to be excavated at such a high altitude after the one in Zominthos by Yiannis and Efi Sakelarakis.
The excavation is carried out as part of a five-year research program implemented and financed by the University of Athens, with the financial support of institutions from Greece and abroad, led by the Prehistoric Archeology lecturer at the Department of History and Archeology Yiannis Papadatos, and Gerapetri archaeologist Kostis Halikias as deputy director, PhD from the University of Heidelberg.

"With this excavation we are trying to understand the importance of the mountains for the Minoan economy, i.e. the natural resources and wealth-producing sources that the Minoans exploited at these altitudes, emphasizes the head of the excavation, Yiannis Papadatos.

Mr. Papadatos emphasized that "the second goal is to begin to understand what was happening in Minoan Ierapetra where the evidence is minimal. Despite the timeless importance of the Ierapetra plain, we have not the slightest idea about the location of the Minoan settlement, and we do not know whether there was any kind of administrative or even palatial center, such as those excavated at neighboring sites, in Gournia, in Makri Gialos and Myrtos.

» Yi’ this and we are looking for indirect evidence in the mountains hoping that the excavation in the East will provide us with it".

How with the transition to the Christian world the goddess Athena was "replaced" in the religious consciousness by the Virgin Mary

General, patron saint and virgin. She is the goddess Athena or the Virgin Mary; Protector of women, of children and childbirth. It is Artemis the Child-giver and Midwife or perhaps the Virgin Mary; Prudent, worlds, benevolent, gentle and merciful, who experienced unbearable pain and experienced much suffering. Is it the goddess Isis or is it the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ;
There, in the turning of the Greek world from polytheism to Christianity, when the latter slowly began to prevail in religious consciousness and devotional practice, mixing elements of the pagan past with the new religion would not only not cut it, but it would greatly contribute to its consolidation. Standards of centuries, besides, were difficult to remove. On the contrary, their assimilation by Christianity was the connecting link that people needed to accept it more easily. Result, many of the ancient deities and rituals to remain in the Christian calendar and to adapt to the formality and traditions of the new religion.
It is a coincidence that the great feast of Panagia on the fifteenth of August coincides with the birthday of the goddess Athena on 28 of the ancient month of Hecatombaion (mid July – mid August), when the Panathenaia was celebrated, the biggest celebration of ancient Athens; Or is it a coincidence that the temple of the virgin Athena on the Acropolis was transformed into a temple of the Virgin Mary; Besides, it was not only the Parthenon that became a Christian church, since according to Justinian's decree all ancient sanctuaries had to be converted into temples in order to purify. In many of them, where women were worshipped, pagan deities, temples were built dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which very often also took on the attributes of the ancient deities.

The properties
The recurring seasonal cycles of death and rebirth and the cults associated with the land, vegetation and a good harvest were also associated with the Virgin Mary, as the great folklorist Georgios Megas has written. The Entrances of the Virgin are associated with sowing and the Virgin takes on the characteristics of the goddess Demeter, sometimes acquiring the nickname Aposporitissa and sometimes Mesosporitissa. In fact, the ancient custom of panspermia remains, the polyspores, as we say today.
Aeiparthenos, such as the ancient goddesses Athena and Artemis, it was called Panagia from the 6th century. But at the same time, she is the protector of pregnant women who, in order to have a good delivery, keep a plant amulet, "the grass of the Virgin Mary", as it is called. There were other ancient mother deities: Astarte, Leto, Gaia, the Isis, with roots lost in the depths of the Neolithic era. The archetype of all, however, is considered to be the Great Mother or Mother Earth or Great Mother Goddess, which according to Jung is a matriarchal model that exists in humans before and from conception.
After all, the Great Mother was the main deity in Minoan Crete, from a certain time even alongside the "young god" (either as her "uncle infant" or as her husband). According to nature's cycle of death and rebirth the Great Mother continually marries the young god who is born and dies each year.

Protectors
General of generals, the Virgin Mary protects her faithful – as did the goddess Athena the Athenians – in every difficult moment. The 626, in the siege of Constantinople by Avars and Persians, the faithful who have gathered in the Great Church will suddenly see in front of them the Virgin Mary has spread her protective veil over the city (remember Athena's veil at Panathenaia). And the biggest proof: "I fight the battle, I strategize the victorious ones" sing the besieged Christians at the last mass of Hagia Sophia, the 1453.
The Akathistos Hymn, however, is somewhat similar to the "equal aretalogies", that is, the hymns to the goddess Isis, as the Archeology professor says. Michael Tiberios. Many of the characteristics of the Egyptian goddess, which had been Hellenized, they also went to Panagia. "Like the Virgin Mary, so this goddess acquired a myriad of nicknames, in other words, she was myrionymi, such as “almighty” and “queen of the sky, of the earth and the underworld”" notes Mr. Tiberius.

The Parthenon Basilica
It is unknown exactly when the Parthenon was converted into a Christian temple, but what is certain is that under Justinian (482-565) consecrated and designated as the "Catholic Church of Athens". The cult of the pagan virgin thus gave way to the Christian Virgin and the church took the name Panagia Athiniotissa. Indeed, for this purpose and in order to serve the needs of the new cult, the Parthenon underwent many operations and was transformed into a three-aisled basilica.
The prestige of the temple was great, since even Vasilios B’ Bulgaroktonos celebrated his victory against the Bulgars at Panagia Athiniotissa. After all, it was a magnificent temple, with the golden icon of the Virgin Mary and wonderful mosaics. Only 188 mosaics were saved from them and transferred the 1848 in the British Museum, while today little traces of the original performances can be seen. But what is preserved are the hundreds of engravings with the names of generals, bishops etc., but also simple inscriptions of names, deaths, titles and occupations, prayers and symbolic representations inscribed over the centuries on the columns of the temple. During the Fall of Athens by the Latins, however, the church was captured and converted into a Catholic church under the name "Santa Maria di Atene", while later it became a mosque.
The alleged similarity of the representation of a marble metope of the Parthenon with the scene of the Annunciation is also due to its rescue during the Middle Ages by fanatics of the new religion who destroyed the ancient decoration of the temple. The metope is today in the Acropolis Museum.

Source : tovima.gr

At 27 August at the Acropolis Museum by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation

On Monday 27 August, the "Stavros Niarchos" Foundation will hold the public presentation of the Cup that was awarded to the Olympian Spyros Louis. The presentation will take place on 7 in the afternoon at the Acropolis Museum.

It is recalled that the Foundation acquired the Cup at an auction in April 2012.

The cup, height 15 centimeters, was auctioned after a relevant decision of the Olympian's grandson.

According to Christie's, the value of the cup was between 120.000 and 160.000 pounds (about 146.000- 195.000 euro).

In the announcement of the Foundation, last April, referred to:

"The Stavros Niarchos Foundation’ announces that it has acquired the Silver Cup inspired and designed by Michel Bréal, for the First Marathon Winner, the Greek Spyros Louis, and which was awarded to him during the first Modern Olympic Games, in Athens, the 1896.

» The Stavros Niarchos Foundation’ acquired the Silver Cup in a spirited auction held today at Christie's in South Kensington, London.

» The Foundation will share the cup with the Greek people, exhibiting it permanently at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, after the completion of the last one 2015.

» In the meantime, the Foundation will investigate finding a suitable temporary location for its public display.”

Source : tovima.gr