Daily Archives: August 17, 2015

Aμφιπρόσωπο τείχος πλάτους 3,20 μ. αποκάλυψαν η συστηματική ανασκαφική έρευνα και οι εκτεταμένες εργασίες αποψίλωσης κατά το πενταετές ερευνητικό πρόγραμμα συνεργασίας «Αρχαία Φενεός», που πραγματοποιήθηκε μεταξύ της Εφορείας Αρχαιοτήτων Κορινθίας και του Αυστριακού Αρχαιολογικού Ινστιτούτου στην Αθήνα και ολοκληρώθηκε αυτό το μήνα.

Το τείχος διατρέχει ολόκληρη τη βόρεια κλιτύ της Ακρόπολης σε συνολικό μήκος 230 μ. και σε μέγιστο σωζόμενο ύψος 4,50 μ. Η οχύρωση ενισχύεται με τέσσερις ημικυκλικούς πύργους, διαμέτρου 5,50 μ., όπως και έναν κάτοψης τριών τετάρτων του κύκλου, κυμαινόμενης διαμέτρου από 5,90 έως 6,00 μ. (Πύργοι Π1 – Π5).

Το τείχος φαίνεται πως ολοκληρώνει την πορεία του στο ανατολικό πέρας της βόρειας κλιτύος, διαμορφώνοντας πυλίδα. Στο δυτικότατο ορατό άκρο του βορείου σκέλους του τείχους, το διάσπαρτο οικοδομικό υλικό και τα λαξεύματα στο φυσικό βράχο, δεν αποτελούν επαρκή στοιχεία για τον προσδιορισμό της περαιτέρω πορείας του. Μοναδική ένδειξη για την οχύρωση στις υπόλοιπες πλευρές της Ακρόπολης αποτελούν οι 150 περίπου παρασυρμένες λιθόπλινθοι, που καταγράφηκαν και χαρτογραφήθηκαν κατά τη διάρκεια του ερευνητικού προγράμματος.

Το τείχος και οι πύργοι ακολουθούν συνδυασμό τραπεζοειδούς και πολυγωνικού συστήματος τειχοδομίας σε σειρές, με εξαίρεση μικρό μόνο τμήμα στην ανατολική απόληξη της κλιτύος, όπου έχει χτιστεί με βάση το κανονικό πολυγωνικό. Η στρωματογραφική ανάλυση των ανασκαφικών τομών και η έως τώρα μελέτη των κινητών ευρημάτων, κυρίως όμως ο εντοπισμός χάλκινου νομίσματος Σικυώνας σε στρώμα που διαταράχθηκε από την ανέγερση του τείχους, τοποθετούν με ασφάλεια την κατασκευή του μετά το 345 π.Χ.

Από την ανασκαφική έρευνα στο τμήμα της οχύρωσης που περικλείει το φυσικά διαμορφωμένο πλάτωμα του Αγίου Κωνσταντίνου προέκυψε ότι η κατασκευή της παραβίασε τμήμα εγκατάστασης της Μεσοελλαδικής περιόδου. Τα οικιστικά κατάλοιπα κατατάσσονται σε τρεις διαφορετικές φάσεις (ΠΕ ΙΙΙ/ΜΕ Ι, ΜΕ ΙΙ και ΜΕ ΙΙI/ΥΕ Ι), καλύπτοντας ευρύ χρονολογικό φάσμα από τον 21ο έως τον 16ο αι. π.Χ. Επιπλέον, στις ίδιες ανασκαφικές τομές, κάτωθεν των μεσοελλαδικών καταλοίπων, εντοπίστηκαν για πρώτη φορά στη Φενεό ίχνη κατοίκησης και κατά τη Νεολιθική περίοδο.

Στο ανατολικό πλάτωμα του λόφου της Ακρόπολης ήρθε στο φως ιερό αφιερωμένο σε γυναικεία θεότητα, ορθογώνιας κάτοψης και εσωτερικών διαστάσεων 15,50 μ. Χ 4,00 μ., εντός του οποίου ανιχνεύθηκαν δύο οικοδομικές φάσεις, η πρωιμότερη στην αρχαϊκή και η υστερότερη στην κλασική εποχή. Κατά την τελευταία προστέθηκαν μονολιθική βάση λατρευτικού αγάλματος και πήλινη εσχάρα. Και οι δυο φάσεις απέδωσαν πληθώρα αναθημάτων, όπως καλής ποιότητας κεραμική (κοτύλες, σκύφοι, πυξίδες, λήκυθοι, κρατήρες και μικκύλα αγγεία), πήλινα ειδώλια γυναικείων μορφών και προτομές, χάλκινες φιάλες, χάλκινες και σιδερένιες περόνες, χάλκινες και οστέινες πόρπες, χάλκινα επίρραπτα κοσμήματα ενδυμάτων, γυάλινες και οστέινες ψήφους.

Η αρκαδική πόλη Φενεός τοποθετείται στα νοτιοδυτικά όρια της σημερινής Περιφερειακής Ενότητας Κορινθίας, σε υψόμετρο 770 μ. περίπου. Τη διεύθυνση του προγράμματος είχαν οι καθηγητές Κλασικής Αρχαιολογίας του Πανεπιστημίου Karl-Franzens του Graz της Αυστρίας Κωνσταντίνος Κίσσας, Προϊστάμενος της ΕΦ.Α.ΚΟΡ. και Peter Scherrer, Διευθυντής του Ινστιτούτου Αρχαιολογίας του Παν/μίου.

Πηγή: zougla.gr

Brendan Rodgers is hoping Liverpool’s home form is “second to none” this season, ahead of Monday’s Barclays Premier League match with AFC Bournemouth.

Liverpool clinched a 1-0 victory at Stoke City on the opening weekend, thanks to a stunning, late goal by Philippe Coutinho, and kick off their home campaign by welcoming Eddie Howe’s top-flight newcomers to Anfield.

Rodgers saw his side struggle for form at home in the early part of last season, winning four of their first 11 matches in the league, and the manager is keen to build stronger foundations for a successful campaign this time around.

“Building confidence early on is important and building the vibrancy around the place,” he said. “Winning early on is important to that. Home form is so important if you are going to improve.

“The main attribute is confidence. If you have that, that will give you success. That confidence will come from working hard and getting results at home. We are a team who wants to dominate, that will always be the case particularly at home.

“We trained at Anfield last night [Friday]. It was important for the new players and staff to acquaint themselves. It’s important our home form is second to none this season.”

AFC Bournemouth began life in the Barclays Premier League with 1-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa, but Howe is relishing the prospect of pitting himself against his Liverpool counterpart.

“[Rodgers has] been a role model, really, for me,” Howe said. “Someone you look up to and admire. I admired watching his Swansea teams play.

“When you try and analyse games and analyse systems, and philosophies, he’s certainly someone that I’ve looked at. I respect the way he conducts himself as well.

“He’s now building another Liverpool team, a new Liverpool team, this year, so it’ll be interesting to see how they do.”

Discussing his opposite number, Rodgers, whose side beat AFC Bournemouth 3-1 in the League Cup last season, said: “Eddie Howe is a good guy who I’ve got to know over a number of years. He will find every game in the Premier League is like a cup final.

“He and the Bournemouth squad deserve to be in the Premier League. Anfield is one of football’s iconic grounds and they will enjoy it.”

Rodgers is set to select a similar squad to the one who beat Stoke, but says Roberto Firmino is progressing well in his push for a starting berth. Daniel Sturridge (hip), Joe Allen (hamstring) and John Flanagan (knee) all remain sidelined.

AFC Bournemouth have question marks over the fitness of Christian Atsu (back) and Shaun MacDonald (toe).

Liverpool (from): Bogdan, Mignolet, Clyne, Jose Enrique, Gomez, Lovren, Moreno, Sakho, Skrtel, Toure, Can, Coutinho, Henderson, Ibe, Lallana, Lucas, Markovic, Milner, Balotelli, Benteke, Borini, Firmino, Ings, Origi.

AFC Bournemouth (from): Allsop, Boruc, Federici, Cargill, Cook, Daniels, Distin, Elphick, Francis, Mings, Smith, Ward, Atsu, Gosling, MacDonald, O’Kane, Pugh, Ritchie, Stanislas, Surman, Gradel, Kermorgant, King, Rantie, Tomlin, Wilson.

source:premierleague.com

A tribute to the work of the many members and supporters of Lemnos-Gallipoli commemorative committee.

Last Saturday 8 August witnessed the unveiling of the first memorial erected in Australia commemorating Lemnos’ role in Australia’s Anzac story – 100 years to the day since Australia’s nurses arrived on Lemnos during the Gallipoli campaign.

The unveiling was attended by over 400 people, including many dignitaries and descendents of diggers and nurses who served on Lemnos in 1915. The event commenced with a re-enactment of the arrival of the nurses, to the sound of the bagpipes of Warrant Officer Archibald Monk – played by Piper Alan Leggett, with Faye Theyfall and her nurse and digger re-enactors.

The launch was accompanied by the release of a commemorative booklet detailing the Lemnos link to Anzac and Port Philip and the story of the creation of the memorial.

The new memorial is the work of the Melbourne-based Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee Inc. The committee was formed in 2011 to promote awareness of Lemnos’ link to Anzac as well as Greece’s link to Anzac across both the First and Second World Wars.

Mr Lee Tarlamis, president of the committee, said it was one of the proudest moments of his life:

“Our committee has worked over the past four years to build awareness of Lemnos and its role in Anzac. Our priority project was to create a lasting legacy for the future. The unveiling of the memorial has been our signature achievement, building on our Lemnos Gallipoli Photographic Exhibition. As both a son of a Lemnian and a descendent of a digger who served, this is a very proud moment for me and my family.”

Lee’s father was born on Lemnos and migrated to Australia in 1968. His mother is descended from Private Edward Tozer, an Anzac who served on Lemnos in 1915.

The MC for the event was Mr Ross Alatsas, acting chairperson of the Victorian Multicultural Commission and general manager of the Greek Media Group. The Royal Australian Navy Band performed the Greek and Australian national anthems for the unveiling.

The memorial is designed and created by Mr Peter Corlett, OAM, one of Australia’s most well-respected commemorative sculptors. Committee secretary and historian Mr Jim Claven shared with Peter the results of his research into the Lemnos link to Anzac, the role of Australia’s nurses and their hospitals during the Gallipoli campaign, documented in the hundreds of photographs and writings of the Anzacs themselves.

Peter was able to combine these key features of Lemnos’ Anzac link with his appreciation of Classical Greek sculpture and mythology, and produce a memorial that speaks of this vital Hellenic connection to Australia’s Gallipoli story. And as the sculpture’s green hue echoes Classical sculpture, so is the memorial’s stone plinth a reminder of the stones of Lemnos’ ancient amphitheatre at Hephaestia. Describing his creation, Peter spoke of the memorial’s debt to women:

“A key aspect of the Lemnos story is the story of women – the nurses who served here in war and healed the sick and injured diggers, and Lemnos’ mythic Queen Hypsipyle and real warrior Princess Maroula.”

The memorial was financially supported by many organisations and individuals as well as by all levels of government, including the City of Port Phillip, which has generously allowed the memorial to be erected in Albert Park, not far from Princes Pier where the Anzacs departed for Lemnos and Gallipoli.

Cr Amanda Stevens, mayor of Port Phillip, said that the city was proud to support the Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial, given its strong links to the local community:

“Nearly 5,000 diggers and nurses who served in the First World War came from Port Phillip. Many of these served at Gallipoli and would have known Lemnos, such as Albert Park’s Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Mitchell Wilson and Elwood’s Nurse Clarice Daley, who both served at the 3rd Australian General Hospital. And of course, Matron Grace Wilson, who returned from the war to be matron of our local hospital, the Alfred. This new memorial commemorates the service of nurses and soldiers such as these.”

The committee’s secretary, historian Mr Jim Claven, addressed the crowd, explaining the historical link between Lemnos, Anzac and the local Port Phillip community. He pointed to the great archive of photographs and words written by the Anzacs themselves which lie in museums and libraries across Australia and overseas, which provided the inspiration for the committee’s work. He pointed to the small selection featured in the special commemorative booklet he prepared for the event as an example of the richness of this archive.

Mr Claven bemoaned the way that Lemnos has often been left out of the Anzac story and expressed his desire that the memorial will go a long way to expanding awareness of Lemnos’ part in the experience of the Anzacs 100 years ago.

The Hon Michael Danby, MP for Melbourne Ports, said that the memorial was one of the most important funded under the federal government’s Anzac Centenary Community Grants Program, and one that he was proud to support.

The event was addressed by the Hon. Gavin Jennings MP, Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council, representing the premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, and Ms Christina Simantiraki, consul-general of Greece. Ms Simantiraki said that the memorial was a symbol of the long history of the connection between Greece and Australia and one that deserved to be commemorated with its own dedicated sculptures.

The committee read out a message of congratulations from Brigadier General Kaperonis Panagiotis, director of Athens War Museum, who announced the museum’s decision to mount a permanent section of the museum dedicated to telling the Lemnos Gallipoli story and that he looked forward to working with the committee on future commemorative activities. During the Anzac Centenary commemorations in Greece, the committee gifted a copy of its photographic exhibition to the Athens War Museum.

One of the highlights of the event was the participation of many descendents of the actual diggers and nurses who served on Lemnos, with many attending the event from interstate. Dr David Weedon, a descendent of Matron Grace Wilson, addressed the event and shared some personal memories of Grace, who was well respected by the nurses she served with. Dr Weedon was a major financial supporter of the project.

Dr Weedon concluded his address by assisting the president of the committee, Mr Lee Tarlamis, in pulling the cord to unveil the new memorial.

The unveiling was followed by a special cultural and commemorative event, combining Greek refreshments, traditional Greek music and dance and reminiscences by the descendents of the nurses and diggers who served on Lemnos and others.

These included speeches by Ms Judith Gunnarson, the daughter of Nurse Evelyn Hutt, who served with Grace Wilson at the 3rd Australian General Hospital on Lemnos, Ms Helen O’Connor, a descendent of St Kilda’s Trooper Albert Bent, Nick Dwyer, a descendent of Grace Wilson, and the Reverend Richard Hall, who addressed the assembly on behalf of the families of Nurse Clarice Daley and Sergeant Ernest Lawrence, who were famously married on Lemnos during the Gallipoli campaign.

Former Victorian Anzac Student Prize winner Mr Michael Manoussakis recounted the story of how he visited the grave of Private Peter Rados, a Hellenic Anzac from Asia Minor, who was one of the 12 Anzacs of Greek birth or background who served at Gallipoli.

Two students from Albert Park College also addressed the crowd, recounting the stories of Corporal Albert Jacka VC, who would return to be mayor of St Kilda, and that of Albert Park’s Corporal George Finlay Knight, who is buried in Lemnos’ East Mudros Military Cemetery.

The memorial also honours those ordinary men and women who served – such as Elwood’s Nurse Clarice Daley, St Kilda builder’s labourer Trooper Albert Bent and electrician Corporal George Knight. This is one of the reasons that three trade unions – the Electrical Trade Union, the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation have been strong financial supporters of the creation of this memorial.

A feature of the cultural event were performances by three dance groups – the Hellenic Cultural Association of Melbourne (A Periklis) Dance Group, the Cretan Brotherhood Dance Group and the Pontiaki Estia Melbourne Victoria Dance Group. These traditional performances were in honour of the Greek contribution to Anzac – by the Lemnians who supported the Anzacs on Lemnos, by the Cretan and Asia Minor volunteers – as well as Private Peter Rados – who fought alongside their Anzac allies all those years ago.

The event concluded with a special performance by renowned Melbourne mezzo soprano Karen van Spall singing the Grace Wilson aria, written by Mr Kevin O’Flaherty and accompanied by composer Mr David Kram.

Mr Tarlamis said that the unveiling of the memorial was a tribute to the work of the many members and supporters of the committee.

“The memorial builds on the work of our committee in raising awareness of Lemnos’ role in Anzac both in Australia and in Greece over the past four years and our landmark Lemnos Gallipoli Photographic Exhibition, which has been launched in Athens and Melbourne and will soon tour Australia.”

He looked forward to the realisation of the next project in the New Year – the publication of a major new authoritative publication telling the Lemnos Anzac story, featuring many of the photographs taken by the Anzacs themselves and the words of the Anzacs from their diaries, letters and memoirs telling of their experience of Lemnos. This will be another major achievement for the committee and a legacy for future generations.

Mr Tarlamis and Mr Claven thanked all the participants who contributed to the success of the event. They believe that the new memorial will be a place of commemoration for future generations, a pointer for further learning and appreciation of the service of these thousands of young Australians, those who remain in its war graves and the Lemnians and other Hellenes who supported them.

source:Neos Kosmos

A policeman hits a migrant with a truncheon on Kos on August 11, 2015. (AFP: Angelos Tzortziniz)

Cruise liner, extra riot police sent to Kos as tensions mount.

Greece has sent a cruise liner and extra riot police to the resort island of Kos as tensions mount over an influx of migrants and refugees.

Greek minister of state Alekos Flabouraris said a ship with a capacity for at least 2,500 people was dispatched to Kos, which has seen a spike in refugees in recent weeks.

The cruise liner was converted into a reception centre to process arrivals and would dock in the main port of the island, the minister said.

Two riot police units were dispatched to Kos from Athens and police reinforcements from nearby islands were also drafted in, police said.

The extra police deployment came after the island’s mayor, Giorgos Kiritsis, warned of “bloodshed” if the situation on the island of 33,000 people – where around 7,000 migrants are waiting to apply for immigration papers – worsened.

“Two units, or 40 men, have arrived in Kos. Other reinforcements are being sent from other eastern Aegean islands,” a police spokesman said.

Earlier this week, police beat back migrants with truncheons and sprayed them with fire extinguishers to prevent a stampede as mostly Afghan and Syrian asylum seekers were being relocated to a local football stadium after camping along roads and beaches for weeks.

Mayor Kiritsis said the situation had “calmed” but was still tense as thousands of migrants await registration.

Greece is broke but now has to deal with a flood of migrants fleeing war and poverty.

“Since the beginning of the week extra immigration officials have been sent to Kos to speed up the administrative procedure,” said Mr Kiritsis.

“We hope that by the end of the week, the majority of the migrants can be registered and can leave the island.”

The island’s stadium and local gymnasium are being used to register the migrants, as well as the local police station.

Mr Kiritsis said the immigration officials were scheduled to leave the island by the end of the week.

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said its teams in Kos had seen “harassment of migrants and refugees in public spaces, including private security men forbidding them from sitting on park benches in the city centre”.

“MSF is very worried about how the situation is evolving in Kos,” MSF director of operations Brice de le Vingne said.

“What was previously a situation of state inaction is now one of state abuse, with police using increasing heavy-handed force against these vulnerable people.”

The UN refugee agency’s division for Europe said last week that 124,000 refugees and migrants had landed in Greece since the beginning of the year.

The agency said that Athens’ response to the problem had so far been “totally shameful”, with many of those landing on the eastern Aegean islands near Turkey forced to sleep in the open, without access to washing facilities and toilets.

Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras last week said the refugee crisis surpassed the crisis-hit nation’s resources and called for European Union assistance.

source: Neos Kosmos

The Greek government appears likely to call a confidence vote following a rebellion among lawmakers from the ruling Syriza party over the country’s new bailout deal, senior ministers said on Monday.

Energy Minister Panos Skourletis described such a parliamentary vote as “self-evident” following Friday’s rebellion when almost a third of Syriza deputies abstained or voted against the agreement.

With Syriza’s left wing showing little sign of returning to the party fold, Skourletis also raised the possibility of early elections should Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras lose a confidence motion. Tsipras had to rely on opposition support to get the bailout deal through parliament, and another minister argued that elections would be a way of achieving political stability.

Greece’s political turmoil has raised uncertainty over how the government will implement the bailout deal, which demands profound economic reform and tough austerity policies, without a workable majority.

The government has said its priority is to secure a start to funding from international creditors under the bailout programme, Greece’s third in five years, so that Athens can make a 3.2 billion euro debt repayment to the European Central Bank on Thursday.

However, asked on Skai television about the possibility of a parliamentary confidence vote after this, Skourletis said: “I consider it self-evident after the deep wound in Syriza’s parliamentary group for there to be such a move.”

Tsipras was elected only in January, but since then has had to ditch his promises to reverse the budget cuts and tax increases that previous governments imposed to satisfy Greece’s euro zone and IMF creditors.

Health Minister Panagiotis Kouroublis suggested that only another election could calm the climate at a time of economic crisis and show that the people would accept the onerous bailout programme.

“Elections are not the best choice … but for the economy to pick up there must be political stability,” he told Skai TV. “To implement such a serious programme with painful measures, you cannot do that without a popular mandate.”

Slim chance

Tsipras fired his last energy minister Panagiotis Lafazanis for joining a previous rebellion. Lafazanis now leads Syriza members who oppose the conditions that Tsipras had to accept in return for the 86 billion euros ($95 billion) in loans.

Last week Lafazanis took a step towards breaking away from Syriza, a coalition of the radical left, by calling for a new anti-bailout movement.

The chances that the hard left wing will relent and rally behind Tsipras in a confidence vote look slim.

“The bailout cannot be a unifying basis for Syriza,” Stathis Leoutsakos, a lawmaker who joined the rebellion told Skai TV. “The bailout cannot be the programme of Syriza, it falls outside its values, these are incompatible notions.”

However, a group of Syriza lawmakers called for the party to hold together. “We recognise that unity has been dealt a serious blow, but we refuse to accept a split as a pre-ordained fact,” the 17 signatories said in a statement on the party’s website.

Alekos Flabouraris, minister of state and close adviser to Tsipras, said he wanted all 162 lawmakers of the ruling coalition to support a confidence vote. “It would be unfair for the government to be brought down by its own deputies,” he said.

On Sunday, Greece’s socialist PASOK party joined the main conservative opposition in saying it would not back Tsipras in any confidence vote. PASOK made clear that while it had backed the government over the bailout for the sake of saving Greece from financial ruin, that support would not continue.

Once the dominant force on the Greek left, PASOK now has just 13 members in the 300 seat parliament but Tsipras will need all the support he can get. Crucially, it did not say whether it would vote against the government, or merely abstain.

On Friday, support for the government from within its own coalition parties fell below 120 votes, the minimum needed to survive a confidence vote if some others abstain.

The conservative New Democracy party, which has 76 seats, has also said it would not back the government.

Tsipras has presided over the closure of Greek banks for three weeks and severe limits on withdrawals from accounts remain, even though the financial system only narrowly avoided collapse when the bailout was agreed.

However, Tsipras is untainted by the corruption scandals that have touched Greece’s older parties and remains popular, although no opinion polls have been published since the capital controls were imposed at the end of June.

Tsipras’s standing has raised doubts about how much the opposition parties may want to force new elections.

Skourletis said that if Syriza opts for snap polls, the party would aim for an absolute majority.

“I think such a goal is attainable,” he said, playing down the possibility of post-election collaboration with the likes of New Democracy, PASOK or Potami, a pro-European centrist party.

source:ekathimerini.com