Taking Refuge in Athens
A charming but I backward Balkan capital was transformed in the 1920s into a modern, forward-looking metropolis by the enterprise and talents of those who fled from Asia Minor Catastrophe
Article Selection
Corcyra Illuminata: Isle of Enlightenment
The most aristocratic Greek island has a flourishing literary club which proudly claims to be built on a liberal tradition. Ear from the maddening crowds of Athens, it is an oasis today where Greek intellectuals not only talk, but read
Born-Again Hellenes
Evangelicalism in Greece is served by two parallel but independent organizations, differing in origin and structure
Growing Pains at the Benaki
The Museum’s deputy director, Amalia Yeroulanou, talks about the rearrangements and extension which will make it the only institution in Athens which displays the whole sweep of Hellenism under one expanded roof. Unfortunately, the neighbors are complaining.
The Foreign Archaeological Community in Athens
“We lay our city open to all and never keep the stranger from learning” Pericles said, and it is still true. Fourteen countries have archaeological institutes in Athens and in December they reveal the fruits of their summer’s excavations at public lectures and seminars.
Sacred Portraits
Religious icons are life companions for many Greeks, and the legends that surround them reveal their importance in the ethnic consciousness.
The Reptiles of Greece
In ancient times snakes played an important role in rituals and healing. In modern folklore, however, they are seen as a ‘repulsive vermin’. Reptiles are in fact, a precious national heritage.
A Three-Museum Family
The Demetris Z. Pierides Collection in Glyfada is one of the most important centres of contemporary art in the country. Pierides is the scion of a Cypriot family, the first of whose three museums was begun a century and a half ago
From Victory to Victory
The Greek offensive against the Italians in Albania just 50 years ago this month was the first military success of the Allies in World War II. Beyond the bravery and endurance of the Hellenes and the gallantry with which they threw back a far greater power, the Albanian campaign had an incalculable impact on the world by proving that the Axis was not invincible
Wearing Silver
The traditional jewellery in the possession of Katerina Korre-Zografou may be the richest private collection of this craft in Greece. The silver costume pieces alone are a stunning historical display of three centuries’ achievement in a superb folk art.
