Most of the times, when we travel, we know the basics of the place we’re going to visit: the main sights to see, a couple of foods to eat, activities, night life, things we usually find in a travel guide or brochure or by doing a quick research on the internet.
But more often, each and every country in the world has its own customs, habits, laws, and facts, we know nothing about, sometimes interesting, sometimes funny, sometimes just helpful! So, you have decided to travel to Greece! We are here to welcome you and help you know a little bit more about our country and its people with some facts about geography, demographics, products, and exports, the Greek language, food, drinks, and habits.
GEOGRAPHY AND DEMOGRAPHICS
1. Although most people associate Greece with beaches and islands, the truth is that Greece is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe, with 80% of the country being mountainous. Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece and one of the highest peaks in Europe. Located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, the mountain rises up to 2,917 meters above sea level, the ancient Greeks considered Olympus the place where Zeus and the rest of the gods lived.
2. Greece has about 9,000 miles of coastline, more than any other Mediterranean country, the 11th longest coastline in the world.
3. Greece has a number of about 6.000 islands, of which only 227 are actually inhabited. Only 53 of them have a population of more than 1000 and 79 more than 100! Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world, and the fifth-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica.
4. Greece has only 28 considerably small rivers, most of them in the northern part of the country and none of the Greek rivers is navigable.
5. With a total land area of 131,957 sq. km (50,949 sq. mi), Greece is the 95th largest country on earth, with a population of 10.718.565 (2018).
6. Greece enjoys more than 250 days of sunshine -or 3,000 sunny hours- a year.
7. No point in Greece is more than 85 miles or 137 kilometers from water.
8. The female population predominates in the country. According to the last census, the population in Greece is almost 55% women and 45% men and as a result, almost 65% of all students in Greek universities are women.
9. Today, life expectancy has reached 77 and 82 years for Greek men and women respectively, a statistic that ranks Greece in the top 26 countries with the highest life expectancy in the world.
10. Ikaria, the island where people “forget to die”. The island of Ikaria is one of the five Blue Zones with one of the longest lifespans in the world. Around 30% live well into their 90s, which is on average 10 years longer than those in the rest of Europe and America. They also have much lower rates of cancer and heart disease, suffer significantly less from depression and dementia, maintain a sex life well into old age and remain physically active deep into their 90s. The secret behind these achievements is not specific, but perhaps the main reasons are their diet and way of life. Firstly, their low-calorie diet consisting of a lot of beans and locally grown greens containing antioxidants. Secondly, an active lifestyle due to the uneven terrain that requires people to walk to get around the villages. The lack of stress is another contributing factor, people in Ikaria lead a simple village life, they take a siesta during the middle of the day and get together to socialize over homemade glasses of wine regularly.
11. Greece has the lowest suicide rates in the EU.
12. Religion in Greece is dominated by the Greek Orthodox Church, representing more than 90% of the total population. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Constitution and other religious groups have their own places of worship.
13. Greece is a member of the European Union since 1981 and of NATO since 1952.
14. Family is still a core value of Greek society. Even in big cities, there are very few retirement homes, and grandparents often live with or near their children. While this closeness can sometimes lead to funny situations, Greek families get together as much as they can!
15. Greece has a literary rate of 98,5%, which turns to 99,2% for ages 15-24 being among the highest literary rates in the world!
STATISTICS -LOCAL PRODUCTS -FOOD-DRINKS- GREEK CUISINE
16. Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world. With more than 3,100 merchant ships in service, Greece has the largest fleet in the world and controls 23.2% of the world’s total merchant fleet.
17. Greece is one of the most productive marble exporting countries, contributing 7% to the marble produced in the whole world. The word “marble” derives from the Ancient Greek verb μαρμαίρω (marmaírō), “to flash, sparkle, gleam”. Quarries of marble are scattered almost everywhere in Greece, both on the mainland and islands. There are quarried more than 60 different marble types and stones in Greece of various colors from the lightest to the darkest color variety.
18. Greek fishery is considered a ‘Med champ’. Fish is the second-largest agricultural export after olive oil, and sometimes, comes first. The country exports almost 85% of its products and for some species, Greece accounts for nearly half of global production. Although modern technology has changed the fishing industry worldwide, the majority of Greek fishermen still fish with the traditional methods. The Greek sea fishery lands around 130,000-160,000 tonnes of fish and seafood every year. About 90% of this is caught in the Aegean Sea, some of the most common species being sardine, anchovy, sea bream (tsipoura), sea bass (lavraki), and Mediterranean mussels. The Greek sea is also the source of many delicacies like avgotaraho, a traditional fish roe delicacy, protected under PDO and considered by many as Greece’s answer to caviar.
19. Greece is the world’s largest producer of organic saffron and the red saffron (Krokos Kozanis) is PDO protected and placed among the most precious and valuable spices inherited by ancient civilizations, due to its aromatic, color, pharmaceutical, and aphrodisiac properties. The northern Greek prefecture of Kozani is one of just four regions in the world where saffron is grown, and the Greek variety is considered of supreme quality. Collecting, sorting, and processing are done without any help from technology, approximately 50,000 stigmas are needed to produce just 100 g of red saffron.
20. The mastic of Chios island (Mastiha Chiou) is characterized as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product, exported from Chios all over the world. It is a natural, aromatic resin, produced from the mastic trees that grow exclusively on the Aegean island of Chios, the only place in the world where mastic is produced. This is probably because of the volcanic composition of the soil and the climate. Mastic is used as a natural chewing gum, but most importantly, it is used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and even in the culinary world in products such as ice-creams, chocolates, chewing gums, beverages, tea, coffee, pasta, sauces, liquors, ouzo and wine.
21. The first recorded cheese maker ever is the one-eyed giant Cyclop, as mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey. The annual per-person consumption of cheese in Greece is about 25 kilos, more than in France or Italy, who are also famous European cheese lovers. Greece has become an important exporter producing some of the finest cheeses in the world, for every type of cooking. Apart from the best-known feta, many other varieties, equally protected under the PDO provisions, are worth tasting like hard, salty kefalotyri and graviera, the sweet manouri, the fresh myzithra, or the smoked metsovone, are all produced in the most traditional and qualitative way.
22. Feta is the most well-known cheese in Greece. It is a soft, white, cheese that is very nutritious and is an excellent source of calcium, made from sheep’s milk or sometimes mixed with goat’s milk (but never more than 30% of the mixture). For 3-4 days the feta cheese is salted and placed in wooden barrels and then placed in a salted solution (brine) and refrigerated for at least two months. The European Union made Feta a protected designation of origin product in 2002. If you see feta in your supermarket, but it was made in another country, well, it’s not really feta!
23. Both regular and Greek yogurt are made with the same main ingredients but yet, their taste and nutrients differ due to how they’re made. Greek yogurt differs from other yogurts because it goes through a straining process to remove the whey (whey is a liquid that contains lactose, a natural sugar found in milk), so it has more protein and less sugar — and a much thicker consistency. The cuisine of ancient Greece included a dairy product known as oxygala (οξύγαλα) which was similar to yogurt. Galen, the famous ancient doctor, mentioned that oxygala was consumed with honey, similar to the way thickened Greek yogurt is eaten today.
24. Raisins or currants, as they are also called, have been cultivated for many centuries in specific areas in Greece, and the Corinthian variety is one of the oldest known raisins. References of how the product dries and is finally mastered can be found throughout the Odyssey and in the texts of Aristotle but the first detailed written record was in 75 AD by Pliny the Elder, who described a tiny, juicy, thick-skinned grape with small bunches. Almost 1000 years later, the raisins became a subject of trade between Venetian merchants and Greek producers from the Ionian coasts. In the 14th century, they were sold in the English market under the label “Reysyns de Corauntz”, and the name raisins of Corinth was recorded in the 15th century, after the Greek harbor which was the primary source of export. Nowadays, Greek raisins are exported all over the world and are considered gourmet products with many culinary uses.
25. Due to the country’s unique climate and rich soil conditions, Greek flora is one of the most exceptional in the world and according to international references, Greece ranks third in the world in biodiversity, and among the top five countries with the greatest wealth of aromatic plants. There are 7,500 different plants and herbs (about 1,200 are endemic) to Greece and about 20% are aromatic or medicinal plants.
26. The herbs found in Greece today, are the same herbs gathered thousands of years ago in Ancient Greece, and their uses have remained unchanged, not only to flavor delicious Greek cuisine, but also for medicinal purposes. Especially in the villages people still follow what Hippocrates, the ancient physician and father of medicine, said:
“Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food”
Oregano is maybe the most commonly used herb in Greek Cuisine and In Ancient Greece, it was believed to encourage good luck and health and symbolized joy.
Marjoram (mantzourana) is a close relative of oregano with similar uses in the kitchen but has a more delicate flavor. In ancient times, they used to place marjoram on the graves, to help fill the final resting place with eternal peace but being a symbol of love, they also made wreaths of marjoram for the newly married couples to ensure happiness and love.
Fennel (maratho) looks similar to dill, but the taste is very different, with a distinct anise flavor.
The Greek name for fennel, marathon, is said it was taken from the place name Marathon, where the Greeks defeated the Persians (490BC), in a field covered with fennel.
The Greek mint is of a superior quality, both aroma and flavor, because of the rich soil and the warm temperatures of Greece. It is used in many Greek dishes but also in the form of tea, for indigestion, nerve disorders, dizziness, sore throats, coughs, headaches and insomnia.
Rosemary (dentrolivano) is a member of the mint family, and is thought to be a perfect antiseptic, to purify blood, medicine for asthma and breathing problems, as well as relieving headaches and indigestion. In the kitchen it goes mostly with roast meat, especially lamb, giving a particular flavor.
Thyme is one of the few herbs which will retain all its flavor when dried, and is one of the herbs to give a unique flavor to the Greek honey.
Thyme, in Ancient Greece was as a source of courage, women used to give it to warriors before they headed to battle.
Placed beneath a pillow, it was said to aid sleep and send away the nightmares. Today we know that oil of thyme is an effective mouthwash and antiseptic and as a tea, it helps coughs and bronchitis.
In springtime the Greek countryside is full of Chamomile and a lot of people still gather the beautiful flowers and dry them. Chamomile tea is well known as a sedative, a relaxant, as an aid for sleep given even to babies and for stomach disorders. Hippocrates was the first to mention chamomile and recommended it for purification, protection and to fight colds.
Sage (faskomilo) is a strong-tasting herb which is thought to lower cholesterol, enhance memory and smooth skin irritations and inflammation. The ancient Greek physicians praised it so much, believing that the use of Sage brought almost immortality, or a long and healthy life , that it inspired the Romans to name it salvia, meaning, saving lives.
Mountain tea, also known as shepherd’s tea or “sideritis” in Greek, has been famous for its health benefits since antiquity (according to Greek mythology, the mighty Titans used to consume it).There are about 27 to grow in Greece, each with a different flavor and in some areas it is also called Sideritis (from the Greek word for iron “sidiros” indicating the iron content in the tea).It is a herb that boosts the immune system and cures colds, respiratory ailments, sore throats, and stomach aches and recent studies have proven that “sideritis” has anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-spasmodic properties.
27. Ouzo is an alcoholic spirit with aniseed, traditionally and exclusively produced in Greece.
Combining the unique herbs of the Mediterranean with a traditional process, ouzo is the most famous of Greek spirits. When water or ice is added to ouzo, which is clear in color, it turns milky white and releases more of its aromas and flavor.
The history of ouzo starts sometime around the late 11th century in Asia Minor, then part of the Byzantine Empire. The cosmopolitan Greek merchants and marines of the time mastered from Arab spirit-makers the art of creating aniseed-flavored drinks and carried this knowledge with them at the Aegean islands, starting from Mytilene, and then Macedonia and Thessaly. There are two theories about the name “ouzo”, it either comes from the Turkish word “üzüm” meaning “grape” and “grape juice” or according to the other belief, the term “ouzo” was born in Tyrnavos, in Thessaly, from a rich Greek merchant exporting his products in Marseilles into wooden boxes with the inscription “uso Marsiglia” (“to be used in Marseilles”).
28. Greek honey is one of the products with high international recognition due to its high quality, wonderful flavor, and excellent aroma. Many of the plants found in Greece are aromatic and medicinal herbs, carrying their qualities to honey, the honey produced in 2018 was 30.000 tons from 2.5 million bee colonies and about 55% of the production is pine honey,10% thyme honey and almost all the rest is blossom honey mostly from orange and lemon trees flowers and wildflowers. There is also heather honey which tends to crystalize more easily than the rest and two more “rare” types, chestnut and fir honey.
29. Honey has properties that make it last for very many years without going bad. Of course, humans discovered this and figured they could use it as a preservative, so man has used honey to preserve grain and fruits for later use as well as meat and we also know that honey has been used successfully for thousands of years as an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory to treat wounds and minor burns. The Greek historian Herodotus (4th century BCE) recorded that the Assyrians used to embalm their dead with honey and almost a century later, Alexander the Great’s body was reportedly preserved in a honey-filled sarcophagus.
30. Greece, being located in the temperate Mediterranean region has all the favorable climatic conditions for vine growing. Greek wines, like many agricultural products in Greece, carry a long history and a heritage which comprises unique viticultural practices and a treasure of local grape varieties. Wine is being produced in Greece for more than 4,000 years, after all, it is the birthplace of Dionysus, the god of wine! Today there are plenty wineries and wine varieties and numerous award-winning Greek wines have emerged, placing Greek wine in a coveted position in the international wine scene. One of the earliest known wine presses was discovered in Palekastro in Crete, the Mycenaeans actively traded wine throughout the ancient world in places such as Cyprus, Egypt, Palestine, Sicily and southern Italy and we also know that later in ancient times, the reputation of a wine depended on the region. in the 4th century BC, the most expensive wine sold in the local agora in Athens was that from Chios. In ancient Greece wine was almost always diluted, usually with water (or snow when the wine was to be served cold) and the Greeks believed that only barbarians drank unmixed or undiluted wine. The general instructions about how much wine one should drink were given by Dionysos, the god of the wine himself, in the 375 BC play “Semele”. “Three bowls do I mix for the temperate: one to health, which they empty first; the second to love and pleasure; the third to sleep. When this bowl is drunk up, wise guests go home. The fourth bowl is ours no longer but belongs to violence; the fifth to uproar; the sixth to drunken revel; the seventh to black eyes; the eighth is the policeman’s; the ninth belongs to biliousness; and the tenth to madness and the hurling of furniture”.
31. The Mediterranean climate of Greece is most appropriate for the cultivation of citrus fruits as they need sunshine for a fairly long time and a mild and moist winter season. The citrus trees cultivation ranks second after the olive trees, it occupies about 500.000 acres and produces about 1.000.000 tons every year, mostly oranges, mandarins, lemons, and fewer grapefruits and limes. Citrus trees are called Hesperidoidi in Greek and their kind includes 11 species. They took this name from the Hesperides, nymphs of ancient Greek mythology who were daughters of the Night and the Ocean, they were the ones guarding the Golden Apples, which Gaia (Earth) offered as a wedding gift to Goddess Hera. These famous “golden apples” are identified as oranges by some scholars and stealing them was one of the 12 labors of Hercules. There are about 160 varieties of orange trees in Greece and in general, most of the citrus trees are cultivated in southern Greece. The number of orange trees in Greece are about 12.500.00(2018). Did you know that orange is the world’s third favorite flavor after chocolate and vanilla?
32. The variety of the Chios island mandarins is among the most aromatic in the world. Even when they are unripe, in an amazing way their aroma escapes the citrus groves, taking over the entire island, making Chios known both in Greece and abroad as ‘Myrovolos’ – the fragrant island.
33. When you walk in the center of Athens, you can’t miss the orange-like trees that line up along the streets. Well, no matter how appetizing they look, do not eat them! They are bitter oranges, not edible as they are but you can try them when they are turned into a delicious traditional bitter orange spoon-sweet.
34. The two main elements in the production of salt are the sun and the sea, and Greece has plenty of both. Greek salt is still gathered using traditional tools, it is then washed and crushed without any chemical processing. The famous “fleur de sel”, is what the ancient Greeks called “anthos alatos” (salt flower) even today needs to be harvested by hand, so this is done with traditional methods using traditional tools. Greek salt is 100% natural and not chemically treated.
35. Apollo, the Greek god of music, poetry, art and the sun, mocked the god of love, Eros, for his use of bow and arrow, as Apollo was also patron of archery. The insulted Eros then prepared two arrows: one of gold and one of lead. He shot Apollo with the gold arrow, instilling in the god a passionate love for the river nymph Daphne and Daphne with the lead arrow, instilling in her a hatred for Apollo.
Apollo being in love, continually followed her, begging her to stay, but the nymph continued to reject him till one day Apollo was bound to reach her. She then called upon her river god father for help and
so, in order to “save” her he turned Daphne into a laurel tree (dafni as it is called in Greek). Pythia while giving her prophecies at Apollo’s oracle was chewing leaves of laurel and at the Pythian Games which were held every four years in Delphi in his honor, a wreath of laurel was given as a prize. Hence it later became customary to award prizes in the form of laurel wreaths to victorious generals, athletes, poets, and musicians, worn as a chaplet on the head. The Poet Laureate is a well-known modern example of such a prize-winner. The laurel trees are native to the Mediterranean region and their leaves have been a part of the culinary and medicinal world for thousands of years in this area.
The leaves are used as a spice to flavor soups and stews, most commonly added in their whole form but removed from the dish prior to consumption. It is a medicinal plant with a lot of health benefits and therapeutic value. The leaves are also used to relieve symptoms of indigestion and other stomach-related ailments, but also help to give relief from abdominal pain, gastrointestinal infections. When the essential oil of laurel leaves is extracted, it can be mixed into a salve and applied to the chest to help in various respiratory conditions.
36. Perhaps you think that Greece’s national dish is moussaka or souvlaki, but it’s not! It is bean soup called in Greek fasolada, usually eaten in the winter or when the weather is cold. A very simple but delicious dish containing white beans, carrots, onion, and garlic, a couple of laurel leaves, celery, tomato juice, and of course olive oil. The bean soup and the lentil soup (fakes) are very common and popular dishes with traditional and relatively simple recipes, cooked for centuries by Greek families.
37. The funny story of how potatoes were introduced to Greece
After four hundred years of Turkish occupation, Greece’s first Prime Minister Ioannis Kapodistrias, in 1828, tried to introduce the potatoes to the Greeks. To his disappointment, when the shipment arrived the Greeks showed no interest in the potatoes. Kapodistrias, knowing the Greek mentality well, positioned armed guards around the potatoes. The Greeks, presuming this must mean they were something of great value, began to steal them, and this is how potatoes gradually spread through Greece.
38. The cultivation of olive trees began in Greece during antiquity, in fact, some olive trees in Greece that were planted in the 13th century still bear fruit to this day and the cultivation and exploitation technique today is not very different from the one used in ancient times! Greece has more 140 million olive trees covering over 20% of the cultivated land and is the third country in the world in olive production, only behind Spain and Italy. It is the world’s 3rd leading producer of olives, but it has more varieties of olives than any country in the world. Although the olive tree thrives in all regions of Greece, the Peloponnese and Crete share 75% of the total production, notice that the Greeks are today the first consumers of olive oil compared to any other people in the world. The per capita consumption is approximately 16,5 liters annually ( In Crete it can be even more), the moment in the USA, for example, it is reaching 1.1 liters per person. Still, around 75 million Americans never use olive oil in their food. The olive oil naturally comes in a range of colors from pale to a deep yellow /golden to green, but they are not an indication of quality. The more chlorophyll present in the oil, the greener it gets. The oil harvest starts in late autumn lasting till the end of the winter in some areas and It usually takes 5-6 kilos of olives to get I kilo of oil. The green olives are picked when they have obtained full size, but they are still unripe while the black ones are picked at full maturity. Perhaps the most popular olives are the ones called “Kalamon” named after Kalamata the city and region of the Peloponnese where they are traditionally grown. They are olives of exceptional quality, particularly large in size and hand-picked one by one!
39. When a Greek tells you “Let’s have a coffee” what he really means is “Let’s sit down and have a chat about everything for a couple of hours or more”. The two most popular kinds of coffee are the Greek coffee served in a small cup and the frappe coffee served in a glass with ice cubes.
The traditional Greek coffee is a strong brew and is made in a specialized small pot called “briki”. The water needs medium-low heat, add the coffee and some sugar if you want, a couple of stirrings till it is dissolved and then you just wait for the foam to come up. You don’t drink the grounds at the bottom of the cup, but what some people do especially in the villages, is to swirl the cup, turn it upside down and leave it like this for a while. The patterns left on the surface of the cup, for those who believe in coffee cup reading can tell you things about your future! (as an extra tip to mention that this method of fortune-telling is known as tasseography, or tasseomancy (kafemandeia in Greek), originates in China, where tea leaves were read in the cups and has been practiced for centuries). In most places today, and especially for younger people, cappuccino, espresso, freddo etc. are the ones they prefer but if you find yourselves in a smaller town or a mountainous village, Greek coffee is still the only coffee you can get!
40. The most popular coffee for summer or just a hot day is frappe! It is a cold and refreshing drink,
very easily done by putting in a shaker instant coffee (Nescafe) and water, sugar if you want, shake well to produce a foamy drink, and add ice cubes after beating. Greek frappe or Nescafe frappe was invented in 1957 in Thessaloniki at the International Trade Fair, during the presentation of a new chocolate beverage for children which was produced instantly by mixing with milk and shaking in a shaker. One of the employees was looking for a way to make hot instant coffee during his break but couldn’t find hot water. So he decided to follow the new product instructions and mix in a shaker of instant coffee with cold water and ice cubes.
41. The term traditional “Mediterranean diet” on which the Greek cuisine is also based, reflects food patterns typical of most Mediterranean regions in the early 1960’s, such as Crete and parts of southern Greece, and Italy. It is based on minimally processed, seasonally fresh, and locally grown foods, fresh fruit, dairy products (principally cheese and yogurt), fresh fish, poultry and red meat all cooked using a lot of herbs and of course by using only olive oil as the principal source of fat.
The Greeks are social and hospitable and like to get together to share a meal either at a family-friends meal at home or at a local “taverna”, chatting, laughing, even arguing sometimes and these meals usually last for hours!
Funny Superstitions-Customs and Traditions-Random facts about ancient and modern Greece
Every culture around the world has its own superstitions, so do the Greeks! Some of them are very similar and perhaps common in many countries but just like most of the habits and traditions have survived through many centuries to reach our days. After all, Greece is not just its history, monuments, museums or its sunny islands, it is really more about its people. Here are a few things you might want to know!
42. The evil eye, or mati, is a symbol of protection and Greeks believe that wearing an evil eye will protect the wearer from negative energy and bring good vibes their way. This negative energy, mostly because of jealousy and sometimes just from admiration, can cause a simple headache but also misfortune or injury. Is common in many cultures and it comes mostly in blue and sometimes green color. You’ll find the evil eye on key chains, magnets, jewelry, and home decorations.
43. There is a certain process of casting away the evil eye, called “xematiasma”, during which someone who knows, a healer, silently recites a prayer. This “secret” prayer healing someone from the evil eye has several regional versions and different ways are used to check if it is gone, most of them including water and oil. In a glass full of water, the “healer” drops oil, If the oil drops dissolve completely in the water there is an evil eye and when after repeating the prayer many times, they finally remain separated from water in small circles, (as it should according to physics), it is gone!
During this process, both victim and healer then start yawning since the bad energy passes from one to the other before it disappears. The words of this secret prayer are passed over from generation to generation usually from older relatives who must be of the opposite sex, for example from a grandmother to the grandson.
44. Do not be offended if after you get a nice compliment, the very same person then spits at you saying “ftou-ftou”! This is only to protect you from receiving the evil eye!
45. When you sneeze, it is believed that someone is thinking or talking about you. If you want to find out who that someone is, ask whoever is close at the moment, to give you a number of at least three or more digits. Adding the digits together, you’ll get a new number for example 2345 (2+3+4+5=14 or 1+4=5) So, the name of the person who is talking about you, begins with the fourteenth or the fifth letter of the alphabet!
46. In most villages of the Peloponnese, even today, you can’t borrow your neighbor’s oil and salt for dinner. Oil and salt never leave the house after sunset!
47. You have someone visiting you and he/she is staying much more than you wish: don’t worry, the Greeks have the solution! Throw a pinch of salt behind their back without noticing you and you’ll see them on their way pretty soon!
48. When you give perfume to a friend as a gift, make sure you get a coin from him, otherwise sometime soon you’ll have an argument!
49. If you say the same thing, at the same time it is considered a bad sign! If this happens, Greeks, to be protected from the omen, must say “piase kokkino” and touch something red.
50. Almost everyone respects the Greek Orthodox priests but if you see one of them in the street, it’s a bad omen especially if you can’t avoid him by changing the sidewalk! You have two options, if you are walking with someone you know, you touch him and tell him “take the priest” or if you are alone you just look away, spit on your clothes, and whisper “skorda” (garlic)!
51. When you are in Greece, try to avoid waving with the palm opened as you do at home, we always wave with the palm closed. An open palm with extended fingers is an insulting gesture in Greece, in a traffic jam you might even see the gesture with both hands between drivers honking to their front cars for missing the green light for a few milliseconds!
52. If you visit Greece in March, you will perhaps notice little red and white string bracelets on some people’s wrists. On the first day of March, the Greeks used to wear these red and white thread or strings called “Martis” and kept them on till the end of the month. For centuries the bracelet was used mostly for children in the countryside villages as protection from the first strong, spring sun after the winter period. This tradition is still practiced today by a lot of people even in the big cities.
53. Greeks believe that Tuesday the 13th is an unlucky day, not Friday the 13th.
54. We celebrate our name day, (which is actually the feast day of the saint whose name we have), perhaps more than our birthday. So, when it comes to very common names like George or John or Maria or Helen, etc. almost half of the homes in Greece celebrate having someone in the family with that name!
55. When visiting Greece, you must have in mind that most of the times we talk loudly and quickly and use our hands a lot. Sometimes if you see two or three Greeks talking it looks like they are arguing but more likely, is they are talking about where they should go for a coffee and what time to meet!
56. Everyone knows that Greece has a very long and rich history. Apart from the countless archeological sites of different periods, in Greece, there are more than 130 archeological museums – more than any other country in the world, and about 300 more (Byzantine Art, Ecclesiastic, Numismatic, Folk Art, Ethnographic, Cycladic Art, Industry, Maritime, Military, Anthropology, Natural History, Geology, Paleontology, Natural History, etc.).
57. Athens has the most theatrical stages in the world, more than the stages of much bigger cities like New York or London. There are more than 150 theatrical stages in Athens and just to get an idea in 2015 for example, there were given 1.228 play performances for adults, 314 for children, 104 monologues, 168 musicals and 40 stand-up comedies.
58. Athens’s origins go back as far as 3,500 years ago placing it among the 10 oldest cities in the world, and at the same time, it is Europe’s oldest capital city.
59. The capital of Greece is named after the goddess Athena. According to the myth, when the king of the city was Cecrops, (a mythical creature half man and half snake), and the area was known as Cecropia after his name, the twelve Gods of Olympus decided to have a city named after them, to protect it and in exchange to be offered sacrifices from the citizens. Goddess Athena and god Poseidon were the two contestants for the right to name the city after presenting a gift to the people who were the ones to vote and decide. First Poseidon, the God of the seas came up, stroke the ground with his trident and a splash of salted water appeared! He explained to the citizens that with his gift, they were going to become the most important naval power, it would bring them glory and victories in wars. When Athena’s turn came, she hit her spear on a rock and the first-ever olive tree appeared… and she explained that this evergreen tree was the symbol of peace, glory, and prosperity. It could provide oil that would feed people, clean, heal, they could use it in oil lamps during the night, with its hardwood they could build boats and it would eventually make them rich through peace. The vote was for Athena, the goddess of wisdom, so the city was named after her, she always had Athens under her protection and this legend became the theme of the sculpture on the West pediment of the Parthenon, Athena’s temple!
60. Olivewood logs are extremely dense firewood, burning with an aroma and because of their density, they burn much longer than most woods. The slow growth and relatively small size of the olive tree, and of course its commercial importance, make olive wood items relatively expensive.
61. In ancient times, the olive was sacred to Athena and appeared on the Athenian coinage. The winners of the Olympic Games were crowned with a wreath made of an olive branch and the athletes were rubbing with oil which helped to warm up and limber the muscles before exercise or covered their bodies with oil during the games. It was burnt in the sacred lamps of temples and was the “eternal flame” of the original Olympic games but even today, olive oil is still used in many religious ceremonies of the Greek Orthodox Church. Of course, the olive branch has often been a symbol around the world, let’s not forget that an olive branch was brought back to Noah by a dove to show that the flood was over (Book of Genesis, 8:11) or that since the Great Seal of the United States was approved in 1782, the eagle in the seal is shown clutching an olive branch in one of its talons!
62. Did you know that there is a Greek island you can go to by car? Lefkada is the only Greek island that can be accessed by car, without the use of a ferry. The island is connected to mainland Greece by a floating bridge as well as by the Aktion tunnel which goes under the sea, allowing Lefkada the advantages of visiting and saving time from taking a ferryboat or airplane.
63. The island of Alonissos in the Aegean Sea is part of the National Marine Park, the largest marine protected area in Europe. It’s a diver’s paradise since they can come across several species of dolphin, sperm whales, loggerhead turtles, and over 300 species of fish, not to mention the park’s most important residents, the Mediterranean monk seals.
64. Greece is the leading producer of sea sponges. Especially Kalimnos island is famous for producing sea sponges. The most sponge that we use today are synthetic, but in the old days, the sponge was collected from the seabed, some of the finest-quality sea sponge can be found in the waters of the southeastern Mediterranean. The ancient Greeks knew about sponges and how useful they could be in scrubbing and cleaning and they were also used for filtering water. Almost the entire Greek sponge industry was centered around the island of Kalimnos where the sponge was gathered from the ocean floor by ‘skin diving’, or without clothes and without using any breathing apparatus. Sponge divers would dive to the bottom of the sea on a single breath of air, weighing their bodies down by a piece of flat stone that weighed up to 15 kg. A skilled diver could dive up to depths of 30 meters and stay underwater for 3 to 5 minutes. At about 1850 the first diving suits arrived but with no knowledge of decompression sickness or dive tables, the casualties were so many. Only between 1866 and 1895, on the island of Kalymnos, 800 young men died of the bends and 200 more were paralyzed.
65. Greeks love to dance! In Ancient Greece, dance was a form of ritual and it was included in ceremonies of marriage, and death, entertainment, dance festivals, and religious activities, as a way to educate children and at the same time it was essential for physical and emotional development. The Greek dance (choros) is referred to by authors such as Plato and Aristotle who recommended dancing as an essential part of the development of good citizens, men, and women, thanks to its constructive effects on the body and mind. Dancing figures, both mythical and historical, have many representations in ancient Greek literature and art and while it is not easy to trace the modern Greek dance all the way back to antiquity, the ancient Greek dance forms and movements can still be found in various traditional dances even today. Traditional Greek dancing today has a primarily social function. It brings the community together on certain days of the year, such as Easter, the grape harvest, saint protectors festivals, weddings, baptisms, name days, on every occasion! And please notice that there are over 10,000 traditional dances that come from all regions of Greece.
66. In Greece there is an area of 335,6 km² where, for more than 1000 years women are not allowed, nor within 500m (1,640ft) of the coastline, and this gender ban refers also to all female animals, except cats. The area is actually a collection of 20 different monasteries, cells, and smaller monastic settlements which represent various aspects of the Eastern Orthodox Church called the Monastic Republic of Mount Athos, and enjoying autonomous self-government. They house around 2,000 Eastern Orthodox Greek, Bulgarian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, and other monks who lead a life of seclusion and prayer, in a unique landscape.
67. If you have a tour around the city but especially if you travel away from Athens following one of the national highways, you can’t miss the small roadside shrines. They are usually small metal or concrete boxes elevated from the ground and some of them look like miniature churches. They are there for two reasons, in memory of those who lost their lives in road accidents at the exact spot or placed as offerings thanking God for saving a driver from a fatal accident. They have small glass doors, and a burning lamp is placed inside, usually with a bottle of extra oil and matches so that anyone who stops there can light the lamp.
68. You can see the first meteorological station in the world in the center of Athens, a marble octagonal building, known as the “Tower of the Winds”. The precise date of the tower’s construction is not recorded but most scholars suggest the 2nd century BCE. Each one of the eight sides was corresponding to the eight wind deities presented as winged figures, the names of which are indicated with inscriptions. It was topped by a weathervane, a bronze Triton, which, turning by the wind was pointing to the section that corresponded to the wind direction. There were nine sundials around it and in its interior, there was a hydraulic (water) clock to indicate time at night and on days with not enough sunlight.
69. It is strange to have fur jackets and coats in a country with Greece’s climate and sunny days almost all year round, but there is a city in northern Greece, Kastoria, having fur trade as its primary factor of the economy. The fur industry in Kastoria has a tradition of more than 600 years, but it is very likely that the Kastorians have been processing fur skins and leather since ancient times, as the morphology of the area was rich in wildlife. The processing of fur in Kastoria is estimated to have begun around the 14th century when the city provided the ermine pelts for the lining of the robes of the Byzantines and it was during the same period that some traders from Kastoria settled in Russia, getting the technical skills and knowledge of processing fur, today there are about 300 small and big fur dealers in the city with 90 percent of the industry’s pelts coming from mink animals raised in farms.
70. In ancient times food and fruits like oranges, rice, corn, eggplants, okra, bananas, peaches, tomatoes and potatoes, peppers, or sugar were not known. Most of these fruits were introduced to the ancient Greeks after the expeditions of Alexander the Great to the East and later on after the discovery of America when new products were introduced to Europe. Dinner was and still is the most important meal of the day in Greece. In ancient times, it was during dinner when men (women and children normally ate separately), would gather with friends to eat, drink and mostly discuss simple daily facts but also about politics and things like philosophy and art.
71. Today, breakfast in Greece may include cereal with milk, bread with jam or honey, tea or orange juice but most Greeks just have coffee and grab something on their way to work such as a cheese or spinach pie, or a sesame bagel called “koulouri”. Lunch is often a light meal especially for those working, eaten usually around 14:00, and the main meal of the day is dinner. Usually starting after 21:00, even later during summer (restaurants serve until 00:00) and it may last for hours if you share it with friends.
72. In Athens and all the big cities and towns in Greece, one can find a coffee shop almost “in every corner,” others in traditional-like style and others in a modern design, but the original coffee shop or Kafeneio as it is called in Greek dates back many centuries and was the meeting place for men in the villages and small towns, found almost always in the main square of these places, sometimes a part of these kafeneia was also the village’s grocery store. For years, when the radio or television were not invented the kafeneia were the only entertainment they had, meeting friends and neighbors, having coffee or ouzo, play card games and Tavli (backgammon), and most of all having a lot of debates and heated conversations about politics, a journalist once called the kafeneia ‘small parliaments’ and he was absolutely right! The oldest kafeneion in Greece is 242 years old, located in Lafkos, a village in the region of Pilion. Kafeneia have been an essential feature of Athenian social life since the 1830s, they soon became meeting places for artists, politicians, and authors till a few decades ago.
73. The Greeks are very interested in politics and Greek citizens have no option, everyone over the age of 18 is required by law to vote every 4 years in the elections. As a matter of fact, all Greeks men and women, young and old, everyone separately has his own political opinion and all together are convinced that they have solutions for each one of the country’s problems and it’s a pity the government can’t listen and follow their advice!
74. The interest of Greeks in politics and public affairs has deep roots and goes back to the Classical period and the Athenian democracy. In ancient Athens the citizens — free, native, adult, and male had many opportunities for voting, making decisions, laws, and electing the people to represent them. They were aware of all the aspects of the political life of their city and valued civic participation, criticizing non-participants at the same time by calling them “ιδιώτες” (idiotes). The word was used to describe those only preoccupied with their own, selfish interests, concerned almost exclusively with themselves, as opposed to public affairs. They were seen, as having poor judgment and education, and this is the meaning that traveled through time to our days. In modern use, an idiot, is a stupid or foolish person but the word originally meant someone ignorant, with poor judgment.
75. During the years of the Athenian democracy an interesting procedure called “ostracismos” was taking place by the assembly of the Athenians. The results led the man to be voted into an exile for ten years and It was normally used to choose between rival political leaders so that the winner would stay in Athens without serious political opposition. When ostracism was held, there was no list, but each voter wrote on an ostrakon, a fragment of pottery, the name of the man he wanted to leave. At least 6,000 had to vote the man with the most votes had to be exiled. Some surely voted against private enemies, but men who attracted large numbers of votes were public figures. Most voters wrote simply a man’s name, sometimes adding his father’s name or the name or the area he came from. Several thousand of these ostraka survive and can be seen in the Museum of the Ancient Agora (Stoa of Attalos), a museum with very interesting exhibits, all closely connected with the Athenian Democracy and the Agora which was the “heart” of the city’s public life.
76. The Easter Holiday is of greater importance than Christmas. For the Orthodox Church, the resurrection of Christ is the biggest celebration of the year. The most important tradition begins on the morning of Holy Friday, when women and children go to church and decorate the Epitaph, (the symbolic funeral wood-engraved bier of Jesus Christ), placing hundreds of flowers all around the wooden arch and then kneel and go under it to receive God’s grace. In the evening, the “Epitaphios” procession takes place in the streets around the church and it happens often that 2-3 epitaphs from nearby churches are met. Hundreds of people are following, holding lit beeswax candles, while church bells ring mournfully during the whole day.
77. Going go to church on Resurrection night, people are holding white candles to receive the Holy Light and bring it back home, making the sign of the cross at the door with the smoke from the burning candle before they enter the house. The decorated white candle children are holding is an anticipated gift and itis given to them by their godfather or godmother, accompanied with other gifts and a big chocolate Easter egg. Every year the Holy Fire is lit at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, where Jesus was buried and resurrected, and the Light is brought to Athens directly from Jerusalem on a specially chartered flight.
78. Easter Sunday is the most important for the Greek Orthodox Church, a day of feast for the Greeks. The traditional meal of the day is a whole lamb roasted in a spit outdoors. Greeks spend Easter Sunday morning with all the necessary preparations for the slow-roasting lamb, with the whole family and friends gathered, cracking the Easter red eggs with each other. The origin of eating lamb on Easter comes from the Jewish Passover and is associated with the exodus from Egypt, while Easter eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Christ, with the hard shell of the egg symbolizing the sealed Tomb of Christ and the cracking to symbolize his resurrection from the dead.
79. Apart from Christmas of course, another important day for the Greek Orthodox church is the 6th of January when we celebrate the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. It is called Epiphany and people gather at the sea, or a lake or river and the priest throws a cross into the waters that are now blessed. Young men jump into the water to find it and the one who does and returns it to the priest is said to be blessed for the whole year.
80. There are certain days in Greece that one cannot get married. The first two weeks of August (1-15) because they are devoted to the Virgin Mary. Lent, the 40 days before Easter. August 29, which marks the death of Saint John the Baptist. September 14, which is the celebration of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the days before and after Christmas (Dec,18-25, and Jan,5- 6). In ancient Athens, they used to get married mostly in winter and especially during the month of Gamelion, which is January. Gamelion can be translated as the “Wedding-Month” in honor of the goddess of marriage, Hera, wife of Zeus.
81. In an Orthodox marriage ceremony, the couple does not exchange vows and does not face each other but forward to the altar, showing that their commitment is to God to care and love each other. The couple is crowned with two crowns joined by a white ribbon, symbolizing their unity and the best man swaps the crowns on their heads three times and the priest leads them in a ceremonial walk called the Dance of Isaiah, celebrating their first steps as husband and wife.
82. After the end of an ancient marriage, the couple was showered with dried fruits and nuts in order to bless them with fertility and prosperity. Something similar happened in Rome where after the wedding ceremony, hazelnuts, almonds, and walnuts were eaten with dried fruit and given to guests as a gift to take home. It was during the 13th century that almonds were first covered with sugar and through the centuries this became the most popular gift for the guests. The white sugar-coated almonds (Jordan Almonds) wrapped or in small bags are given to the guests, they are called bonboniera and they are always in odd numbers which are indivisible, so it symbolizes that the couple will remain undivided. Another habit is to write all the unmarried bridesmaids names on the soles of the bride’s shoes, and at the end of the wedding day, the names worn off are going to be married soon.
83. In ancient Athens the age of marriage for Athenian women was around the age of fourteen usually to men much older than them, while Spartan women seem to have married relatively late in comparison not only to the Athenians but the rest of the ancient cities-states. They normally married between the ages of eighteen and twenty to men close to them in age.
84. Spartan women were famous in ancient Greece for having more freedom than women elsewhere in the Greek world. They even had a bad reputation for promiscuity and controlling their husbands. Unlike the Athenians, Spartan women could legally own and inherit property and they were better educated. They were taught not only reading and writing but also poetry, dance, and music and how to play musical instruments and the unmarried girls regularly participated in sports. Running and wrestling, throwing the javelin and discus, boxing, and how to ride on a horse. Their clothing was simple and notoriously short, they were allowed to mingle amongst the Spartan men and take part in political conversations, things that were very radical, and the rest of the Greeks of course, greatly disapproved. Though Sparta was a powerful military state it had a very progressive educational system and constitution that allowed women to have more freedom and almost equal rights than any other women in ancient times. As a matter of fact, it took many centuries for most women, not only in Greece, to get an active position in society, and reduce the gap between males and females.
85. The national flag of Greece has nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white and a small square in the upper left corner bearing a white cross. The cross symbolizes Eastern Orthodox Christianity, the prevailing religion of Greece. The nine stripes represent the nine syllables of the phrase Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος (“Freedom or Death”), the five blue stripes for the syllables Ελευθερία and the four white stripes ή Θάνατος. The nine stripes are also said to represent the letters of the word “freedom” (Greek: ελευθερία) while the white and blue are symbolizing the colors of the sky and sea. On 7 February 1828 the Greek flag was internationally recognized for the first time by receiving an official salutation from British, French, and Russian forces in Nafplio, then the capital of Greece.
86. Perhaps the second most photographed sight in Athens, after the Parthenon are the soldiers of the Greek President Guard, the Evzones, (or Tsoliás, as they are known as well), in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It takes a very difficult training in the army, both physically and mentally, to become a member of the Guard, being able to stand without moving for many hours while one shouldn’t even move his eyeballs and under all the different weather conditions. Every move that an Evzone makes is symbolic and has its meaning and each part of their uniforms has symbolism as well. There are three different uniforms, the winter uniform, which is from Macedonia, the summer uniform, which is from Balkans wars, and the official uniform, all of them handmade in a difficult process, taking more than six months to complete. The kilt-like garment (Fustanella) of the official white uniform is made up of 30m of fabric and has exactly 400 pleats, each one representing one year under Ottoman occupation while the red hat symbolizes the blood of the dead, and its long black tassel symbolizes the relatives’ tears shed during the war. The hand-embroidered waistcoat, known as femeli, has on the back the alpha and omega embroidered, as well as crosses representing Christ, and the symbol that represents infinity. On their feet, you’ll see red clogs (tsarouhi), with black pompoms. Each pair is weighing about 3.5 kilos, and each of them has 60 nails in their soles, that helped soldiers overcome the rough terrains, but they are also creating the sound you hear every time they take a step. The sound is symbolic, it’s made so that our ancestors can hear that we Greeks are alive and free. The evzones guard the Presidential Palace and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier around the clock and they raise the Greek flag at the Acropolis right after sunrise every Sunday and lower it at sundown. They accompany the president on all his official visits abroad, welcome foreign leaders, and participate in two annual parades.
THE GREEK LANGUAGE-ANCIENT GREEK SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY-MYTHOLOGY
You speak Greek and you don’t know it! Greek is considered to be one of the oldest written languages that still exist, widely considered to be the richest language and of the greatest influence on Latin-based languages.
87. The Greek language used today originates directly from the language of Homer and the literature of classical Greece, but it has also radically changed throughout the centuries adapting to the progress of historical conditions. The most ancient written monuments of the Greek language date back to the 15th century BC and are records of Linear B’ – the syllabary writing system used in Mycenaean Greece from the 15th up to the 13th century BC. The percentage of the English vocabulary deriving from the Greek language is 12%. The Greek language is the basis for thousands of terms used in science, mathematics, and technology.
88. The modern word ‘alphabet’ is actually derived from the first two letter of the Greek alphabet: ‘alpha’ and ‘beta’.
89. A barbarian is a human who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive but where the term comes from? The origin of the word comes from the Greek barbaroi, which literally meant someone who doesn’t speak Greek, because they sounded like a sound going “bar – bar – bar”.
90. Even the word Dinosaur comes from the ancient Greeks and translates to “terrible lizard”.
91. Music literally means the art of the Muses, the nine Greek goddesses protecting the arts and sciences. As a matter of fact, the concept of a museum was originally intended to be a shrine for the Muses.
92. According to Ancient Greek mythology, Europe was a princess with big, beautiful eyes (as reflected in her name: evrys (ευρύς — “broad”) and ops (ωψ — “eye”). When the god Zeus laid his own eyes on her, it was love at first sight so, he quickly transformed himself into a white bull and took her off to the lands we now call Europe. Greece has immortalized the story on its national version of the 2-euro coin, an image inspired by a mosaic of the Roman period presenting the myth, found in Sparta.
93 Democracy, philosophy, medicine and geometry, theater and arts, politics and mathematics, astronomy and geography, are just a few of the many Greek inventions that have formed the world we live in today.
94. Since theatre itself was invented in Greece, it is natural that many theatre-related words find their origins in Greek. Words such as Chorus, which was an essential part of any Greek play. The group of Chorus were the ones taking the story forward, tell the audience what happened backstage, and give details that were never shown on stage and even have dialogue with the actors. Also, so many other words in use today in many different languages, words as tragedy, comedy, monologue, protagonist, antagonist, pantomime, scene, amphitheater, crypt, orchestra, hypocrite (the actor), poetry, lyre and lyric (Ancient Greece, recitations of lyric poetry and dramatic performances were accompanied by lyre playing).
95. There are so many words used in English that start with tele, an ancient Greek prefix denoting distance meaning far, from far away. A telephone (tele+phoni meaning voice) carries your voice across distances, a telescope helps you see far-off places and a telegraph lets you send long-distance messages, a television but also telepathy and telekinesis.
96. Everyone using a computer today is familiar with the Trojans, a type of malware that is often disguised as legitimate software, trying to gain access to users’ systems. The term is derived from the Ancient Greek history of the deceptive wooden Trojan Horse that led to the fall of the city of Troy as described in Homer’s Iliad.
97. Mathematics begins with a remarkable Greek philosopher and mathematician named Thales, and his attempt to measure the height of the Great Pyramid in Egypt at about 600 B.C. It is said that he had stuck a stick in the ground and waited for the moment in the day when the shadow of that stick was equal in length to the stick. At that precise time, the length of the pyramid’s shadow should be equal to the pyramid’s height. He could then measure the observable shadow, and add half the base size of the pyramid! His conclusion was that the height was about 481 feet, or 146,5 m. (The contemporary height with the most accurate instruments we have today is 138.5 m or 454 ft).
98. The oldest written sources of western medicine are the Hippocratic writings from the 5th and 4th centuries bC, covering all aspects of medicine at that time and containing numerous medical terms. The Hippocratic Oath, one of the most widely known Greek medical texts, requires a new physician to swear, by a number of healing gods, to uphold specific ethical standards. The oath is the earliest expression of medical ethics in the Western world, establishing several principles which remain significant today, such as medical confidentiality and non-maleficence.
99. With Hippocrates, “the father of medicine,” Greek medicine departed from the divine and mystical and moved toward observation and logical reasoning. Much of the medical terminology we use today is attributed to Hippocrates and Claudius Galen, one of the most legendary doctors in the Roman Empire. The Greek language dominates any medical etymological dictionary with thousands of terms, using dozens of prefixes and suffixes that can describe precisely a disease or a treatment in one single word. Words that are pronounced almost the same, such as: diabetes, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, Rheumatism, Arteriosclerosis, asthma, Bronchitis, esophagus, stomach, diarrhea, epilepsy, Anatomy, Diagnosis, Epidermic, Pharmacology, Hemorrhoid, hyperthermia, paranoia, phobia and so many more.
100. The word astronomy literally means “law of the stars” and is derived from the Greek word astronomia, from the words άστρον (astron), “star” and νόμος (nomos, law. In the 3rd century BC, Aristarchus estimated the size and distance of the Moon and Sun, and he proposed a model of the Solar System where the Earth and planets rotated around the Sun, now called the heliocentric model. A century later Hipparchus invented the earliest known astronomical devices such as the astrolabe and he also created a list of 1020 stars, so most of the constellations of the northern hemisphere derive from Greek astronomy. The Antikythera mechanism (c. 150–80 BC) was an early computer designed to calculate the location of the Sun, Moon, and planets for a given date. Technological artifacts of similar complexity did not reappear until the 14th century when mechanical astronomical clocks appeared in Europe.
In ancient Greece, the signs of the Greek zodiac were identified with twelve groups of stars (constellations) seen in the night sky at different times during the year. They were also associated with one of the four elements – Earth, Air, Fire and Water – and behind each one of them lies a fascinating story. As a matter of fact, the word itself, “zodiac”, comes from a Greek word meaning “the circle of animals” – “animals” referring to all living creatures. And indeed, with the exception of Libra, each one of the myths is associated with living beings, either animals or humans.
THE FASCINATING GREEK MYTHS OF THE STAR SIGNS.
101. The story of Aries is linked with the myth of the Golden Ram, which saved a brother and a sister, Frixos (Φρίξος) and Helle (Έλλη) children of King Athamantas (Αθάμαντας) of Viotia. Their mother Nefeli died and The king was remarried to Ino (Ινώ) who was a very jealous person and secretly hated her stepchildren. She poisoned the seeds so that nothing would grow and then convinced her husband that the Delphi oracle said that the only way for the people to survive was to sacrifice Frixos and Helle. At the last minute, when they were about to be sacrificed, their mother Nefeli, who upon dying was made a goddess, picked them up and placed them on a ram. This ram had a golden fleece and great big wings and was a gift to Nefeli from Hermes. The ram flew them far away and across the sea. At a narrow spot in the water, never having seen the sea before, Helle bent over to get a better look and fell off. This waterway was called the Hellespont after her. Bonus tip: It was this golden fleece that Jason and the Argonauts brought back to Greece with the help of Medea.
102. The star sign of Taurus comes from the myth of gods Zeus and Europa. He appeared to her as a beautiful, white bull and took her off on his back to the lands we now call Europe, and then it was Zeus himself who placed the image of the bull in the heavens.
103. The constellation of Gemini is the next sign, and it is linked with the story of the twin brothers Castor and Polydeuces (Pollux in Latin). Actually, they were not twins in the ordinary sense, since they had different fathers. Their story starts when Zeus wanted to have an affair with Leda, the queen of Sparta and in order to fool her, he transformed himself into a beautiful swan. Leda then bore two eggs: One of them contained a baby girl named Helen (Helen of Troy) and a boy called Pollux. These two were the divine children of Zeus, while the other egg opened up to reveal another girl and boy, Clytemnestra (who later became the wife of Agamemnon, the military leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War) and Castor, and these were the mortal children of the legitimate husband of Leda.
Despite the fact that one brother was divine and the other mortal, the twins’ Castor and Pollux grew to be inseparable and because they were so close, they were called by one name: the Dioscuri. During a battle, Castor was killed, being mortal, and was summoned to the Underworld and Pollux prayed to his father Zeus to take his life as well, for he could not bear to live without his brother. Zeus was very touched by the twin’s love and affection, so he set their images among the stars as the constellation of Gemini, so that they would never be again separated. They stand eternally in the sky as two equally bright stars in a constellation of weaker stars.
104. The constellation of the zodiac known as Cancer (Crab), is linked with the second labor of the famous hero Hercules when he was assigned to kill Lerna Hydra, a horrible water snake with a hundred heads. During Hercules’ struggle, goddess Hera, who was the hero’s worst enemy, ordered a giant crab to go and help the Hydra by digging its claws into Hercules’ foot but the hero managed to kill it. Hera honored the crab for its help and placed it in the sky as the constellation of Cancer. If you visit the Acropolis Museum, you can see the pediment of an unidentified small building of the 6th cent. BC, presenting Hercules defeating the Lernaian Hydra with the crab, the Hydra’s ally, depicted in the corner.
105. The constellation of Leo is connected with Hercules’s first labor, the capture of the lion of the area called Nemea. According to the myth, Hercules finally managed to kill the lion by strangling it to death. Then, he skinned the lion and took its pelt to wear it. The skin could not be penetrated from any known weapon of the time whether made of iron or bronze, so he was always protected from his enemies dressed in its skin in such a way that his head peeked out of its gaping jaws, something which makes him easily recognizable on vases and other depictions. After its death, the famous lion was put in the sky by Zeus, to become the constellation of Leo.
106. The constellation of Virgo is associated with different myths, but generally, most of them view Virgo as a maiden associated with wheat so, In Greek and Roman mythology, they relate the constellation to Demeter, the goddess of grain, agriculture, and fertility, and is personified to her daughter Persephone According to the myth, eternal spring once reigned upon the Earth, until the day Hades, the god of the underworld abducted Persephone. Her mother Demeter was so sad over the loss of her only child that she abandoned her role as the goddess of fruitfulness and fertility, so the Earth did not bear fruit, all the grain was ruined, and people were starving. It was then that the king of the gods, Zeus intervened insisting that the god of the underworld should return Persephone back to Demeter. The final agreement was that Persephone would stay on earth with her mother but had to return to the underworld for four months every year. To this day, spring returns to the Northern Hemisphere when Persephone is reunited with Demeter, but the winter season reigns when Persephone dwells in the underworld. The other myth associated with the sign of Virgo is the one referring to Astraia who was the virgin goddess of justice, innocence, purity, and precision.
Her father was one of the Titans and lived during the Golden Age of mankind when there was peace and happiness, and men did not grow old. But, after a certain period, men became quarrelsome and began fighting each other and started neglecting the Gods. Virgo did her best to speak to humans and warn them, but they wouldn’t listen. Being the last of the immortals to live with humans during the Golden Age, she abandoned the earth and ascended to heaven to become the constellation Virgo.
107. The Libra sign represents balance, justice, and harmony and according to Greek Mythology is connected to Themis, the Goddess of Justice and divine law. She is usually seen as a woman who is blindfolded holding the scale in her hands. She is the mother of Astraea and the constellations of Virgo and Libra shine side by side in the sky, waiting to return with her daughter when the Golden Age comes again. She became the inspiration for modern depictions of Lady Justice, and Libra is the only zodiac constellation represented by an inanimate object while the other eleven signs are represented by either an animal or mythological character.
108. There are different variations of the basic myth about the sign of Scorpio, but they all involve Orion, the most famous hunter of ancient times. One version of the myth has Orion who was the son of Poseidon, the god of the Sea, held himself in high regard, bragging about his hunting skills, on hearing this, goddess of the hunt Artemis, sent a scorpion to kill him. Another version said he had partnered up with Artemis, something which drove her brother, Apollo, the sun god, crazy with jealousy, so he went to seek help from Gaia, Mother Earth, who created an enormous scorpion, which killed Orion. The basic myth is that Gaia had sent the scorpion to sting Orion, in order to punish him for claiming that he was so good a hunter that he could easily rid the whole earth of all beasts and creatures. The scorpion was set up on the sky by Gaia to mark her victory, while goddess Artemis, who had loved Orion, placed his image on the sky as well, forming his own constellation, visible throughout the world and one of the most recognizable in the sky. Orion had cared so much for his hunting dog, so Artemis also put up a star for his dog: This is Sirius, the brightest star in the heavens.
109. The constellation of Sagittarius (the archer) depicts a mythological creature called centaur, which had the body and head of a man and the hindquarters of a horse. He is named after Cheiron, the most famous and king of the centaurs who was semi-divine, as he was the son of god Poseidon. He lived in a cave at Mount Pelion, in the area of Thessaly and he was the oldest, strongest, and wisest of all the centaurs. Unlike other Centaurs, who were violent and savage, he was taught by god Apollo the art of medicine, herbs, music, archery, hunting, gymnastics, and prophecy and he was credited with the discovery of botany and pharmacy, the science of herbs and medicine. As a matter of fact, he was so famous for his skills and knowledge that many kings had trusted their sons to teach them. Among the most famous of his students were Hercules, Jason, and Achilles. When Hercules was returning home after one of his labors, he stopped at the mountain where the Cheiron lived but he had a violent fight with some drunken centaurs. It was during that fight that accidentally, one of the poisonous arrows that Hercules used, hit his old teacher. The problem was that Cheiron, being semi-divine, would not die, having to suffer all the pain because of the poison and it was Zeus himself who felt sorry for him and permitted him to give up his divine status and give it to Prometheus.(Prometheus, was a Titan god, whose punishment from Zeus, for stealing fire from the gods to give to the humans, was to be tied to a rock, where an eagle was to eat his liver over and over again, he could not be freed unless someone else took his place.)Chiron swapped places with Prometheus, who was then set free and Zeus allowed Chiron to die and placed his image among the stars.
110. The myth of Capricorn is associated with the birth of Zeus, and how he was secretly raised. The first gods to rule were Uranos and Gaia (the Sky and the Earth) but one of their children, Cronos, (Saturn) the leader and youngest of the first generation of Titans, overthrew his father and ruled himself with his wife Rhea. Cronos had devoured his children, all future gods, and goddesses, because of a prophecy that said that he would be overthrown by one of them just like he did with his own father. When the sixth child, Zeus, was born, Rhea sought Gaia to devise a plan to save them and to eventually get retribution on Cronus for his acts against his father, so she handed Cronus a stone wrapped in clothes like a newborn which he swallowed, thinking that it was his son. Rhea kept Zeus hidden in a cave in Crete where he was then raised by a goat named Amalthea, while Kouretes, armored male dancers, shouted and clapped their hands to make enough noise to cover the baby’s cries from his father.
When Zeus later became the king of the gods, he did not forget his goat-mother, Amaltheia, who had nursed him. He took one of her horns and turned it into the horn of plenty, which is always filled and never empty, (Cornucopia), and set her image among the rest of the stars as
the constellation of Capricorn.
111. The constellation of Aquarius is depicted as a young man pouring water in the mouth of a fish, representing Pisces, the zodiac sign that follows Aquarius on the calendar. This young man pouring the jug is Ganymede who was the son of Tros, the founder of Troy. Ganymede who was very handsome was herding sheep when Zeus came down disguised as an eagle, being very impressed by the beauty of the young prince. Homer said Ganymede was the loveliest born of the race of mortals. Zeus took Ganymede to Mount Olympus, gave him immortality and eternal youth, and made him the cupbearer for the gods, serving them nectar.
(In classical mythology nectar was the life-giving drink of the gods, and ambrosia their food. The term was transferred to any delicious beverage in the sixteenth century.) His father Tros was not happy that Zeus took his son, but Zeus compensated for his loss by sending Hermes the messenger with some unique horses. Later on, it was Zeus himself to put him in the stars as the constellation of Aquarius. The myth is described by Homer in the Iliad and a terracotta statue of Zeus abducting Ganymedes of about 480 BC can be seen at the Museum of Olympia.
112. According to the myth, one of the sons of Gaia (Mother Earth), a terrible monster called Typhon headed toward Mount Olympus with the intention to destroy all gods. All gods transformed themselves into animals to run away and escape Typhon, but goddess Aphrodite (Venus) with her son Eros (Cupid) were on the banks of a river, so they turned into fish. They tied their tails together so they would not be separated, and they were helped and saved by the other fish of the river. As a token of gratitude. This was done to commemorate the day when the goddess of beauty and god of love was saved from being destroyed. As a token of gratitude, the fish were placed among the stars as the constellation of Pisces.
113. Sometimes the smaller, more practical inventions of the ancient Greeks used around the world are the ones that people forget most. Maybe not used as much today as some years ago, the lighthouse is still a staple invention that has served a purpose in society for hundreds of years.’ One of The Seven Wonders of the World, the lighthouse of Alexandria was one of the tallest man-made structures for centuries and was built by Sostratus of Cnidus between 280 and 247 BC.
114. The first robot in human history was created by Greeks in the 3rd Century BC in the form of a maid holding a wine jug, known today as the Automatic Servant of Philon. The robot had only one purpose, to fill a cup with wine and dilute it to the drinker’s desire.
115. The automatic holy water server with coin-collector, (the first slot machine in human history). An invention of Heron of Alexandria which allowed the believers to take holy water automatically after throwing a coin into a pot. The coin fell onto a balance which moved and opened a conic valve releasing a certain quantity of holy water.
116. A spiritual game, the predecessor of the puzzle, consisted of a square base divided into 14 geometric pieces. The aim of the game was to reshape, in as many ways possible, using all the pieces.
117. There is archeological and artistic evidence of ancient Greek boxing as early as the Minoan and Mycenaean periods. There are numerous legends about the origins of boxing in Greece and the earliest known evidence for the use of boxing gloves dates to 1500 BC, after a fresco at Knossos presenting young boys fighting. Unlike modern-day boxing, there was no distinction between weights and ages. The competition was not divided into rounds, but it ended when one of the competitors gave up or was killed, or both were exhausted and finished by mutual consent.
118. Cartography is the study and practice of making maps and It has played an important role in travel and navigation since ancient times. Anaximander was one of the first pioneer cartographers to create a map of the world. Born between 611 and 610 BC, he included all inhabited areas of the known world of his times in his map. The map appeared in tablet form and featured Ionia in the center in the east the Caspian Sea and stretched to the Pillars of Hercules in the west. Middle Europe borders in the north while Ethiopia and the Nile were shown in the south.
119. In general, ancient Greek technology developed mostly during the 5th century BC, and there are many Inventions that are credited to the ancient Greeks such as the gear, screw, water mills, bronze casting techniques, water clock, water organ, the catapult, crane, the use of steam to operate some experimental machines and toys, and a chart to find prime numbers.
120. The Parthenon shows how brilliantly the Greeks had mastered geometric principles. Minor geometric irregularities were incorporated by the architects to enhance the beauty of the building. In fact, there are virtually no straight lines or right angles in the Parthenon. The columns themselves are not straight along their vertical axes but swell in their middles. This phenomenon, called “entasis” intended to counteract another optical effect in which columns with straight sides appear to the eye to be slenderer in their middles. The columns are not precisely vertical, as they slope inwards. It has been estimated that if the building continued upwards, the columns of the narrow sides would meet at about 2200 meters above the Parthenon forming a pyramid.