Lessons from Myths of Ancient Greece

10/08/2026

10/08/2026

Medusa

10/08/2026

Hercules

10/08/2026

ARTEMIS

04/08/2026

The Statue of Zeus (Dias in Greek) at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Created by the master Greek sculptor Phidias around 435 BC, it represented the pinnacle of ancient Greek sculptural achievement and served as the focal point for pilgrims attending the ancient Olympic Games.

03/08/2026

The golden statue of goodness AthinaThe monumental golden statue of the goddess Athena—known to history as the Athena Parthenos (Athena the Virgin)—is one of the most legendary lost masterpieces of the ancient world. Housed in the heart of the Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis, it was a breathtaking symbol of the city’s wealth, power, and devotion to its patron deity.
​Here is a breakdown of the history, construction, and mythology surrounding this incredible artifact.
​The Masterpiece of Phidias
​Created by the renowned sculptor Phidias and dedicated around 438 BCE, the statue was a marvel of classical engineering and artistry.
​Chryselephantine Construction: The statue was built using a wooden core covered in carved ivory (for the goddess's flesh) and shimmering gold (for her armor and clothing).
​Colossal Scale: She stood approximately 11.5 meters (nearly 38 feet) tall, dominating the dim interior of the Parthenon.
​The Gold: The statue functioned as a physical treasury for Athens. The gold plates weighed over 1,000 kilograms (more than a ton) and were designed to be removable in times of severe financial crisis or war.
​Symbolism and Iconography
​Every element of the Athena Parthenos was rich with mythological meaning, designed to tell the story of Athenian triumph over chaos.
​Nike (Victory): In her extended right hand, Athena held a life-sized statue of Nike, the winged goddess of victory, symbolizing Athens' triumph in the Greco-Persian Wars.
​The Aegis and Medusa: Across her chest, she wore the aegis (a protective cloak or breastplate), centered with the terrifying head of the Gorgon Medusa, given to her by the hero Perseus.
​The Shield and Spear: Her left hand rested on a massive shield, supporting a spear. The shield itself was a canvas of myth: the exterior depicted the Amazonomachy (the mythical battle against the Amazons), while the interior showed the Gigantomachy (the battle between the Olympian gods and the Giants).
​The Serpent: Curled behind her shield was a giant snake, representing Erichthonius, the legendary early king of Athens who was born from the soil itself.
​The Base: Even the platform she stood upon was carved with the story of the birth of Pandora, the first woman in Greek mythology.
​The Fate of the Statue
​The original Athena Parthenos is lost to time. It survived for nearly a thousand years, though it suffered fires and was eventually stripped of its gold. It is believed to have been removed from the Parthenon in the 5th century CE and taken to Constantinople, where it likely perished in a fire or was completely dismantled during the Crusades.
​Today, we only know what she looked like thanks to ancient descriptions by historians like Pausanias and smaller Roman replicas, such as the Varvakeion Athena, which survived into the modern era.

03/08/2026

Join us as we explore the incredible architectural secrets of the Parthenon in Athens! From optical illusions to lightning-fast construction, learn how ancient Greek engineers built this timeless masterpiece. Have you visited the Parthenon? Share your experience!

31/07/2026

Ancient Pella was the capital of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon from the late 5th century BC until the Roman conquest in 168 BC. Located in Central Macedonia, Greece, it is most famous as the birthplace and ruling seat of both King Philip II and his son, Alexander the Great.

King Archelaus I moved the Macedonian capital from Aigai (Vergina) to Pella around 400 BC.
Archelaus chose Pella because it was a strategic seaport at the time, connected via a navigable inlet to the Thermaic Gulf. This opened up massive trade routes.

Under Philip II and Alexander the Great, Pella exploded in size and wealth, transforming into the largest, richest, and most important political hub in Greece.

The city featured streets up to 9 meters wide arranged in a highly organized rectangular grid plan.

The Agora: Pella featured a massive central marketplace and public square that served as the heartbeat of commercial and civic life.

Wealthy citizens lived in massive houses featuring central courtyards surrounded by grand columns.
Famous Pebble Mosaics: The floors of these mansions were decorated with world-renowned, intricate pebble mosaics. Famous examples include the Lion Hunt, the Stag Hunt, and Dionysus Riding a Leopard.
The city was highly advanced, featuring sophisticated water supply systems and built-in drainage network
In 168 BC, the Romans defeated the Macedonians and brutally sacked Pella.
Eclipsed by a Neighbor: The Romans shifted administrative power away from Pella, making nearby Thessaloniki the new regional capital.
A massive earthquake struck Pella in the early 1st century BC, causing destruction from which the city never fully recovered. Over the centuries, the harbour silted up, leaving the ruins completely landlocked.

Visiting Today
If you visit northern Greece today, you can explore the expansive Archaeological Site of Pella. Right next to the ruins sits the modern Archaeological Museum of Pella, which houses the original masterwork mosaics, a famous marble head of Alexander the Great, and thousands of everyday artifacts. The site is a popular day trip, located just about a 45-minute to an hour's drive west of Thessaloniki.

30/07/2026

The Parthenon in Athens contains architectural secrets rooted in precise engineering, hidden optical illusions, and rapid construction without mortar
The building has almost no straight horizontal or vertical lines; the stylobate (base) curves upward in the middle to prevent the optical illusion of sagging
Every column tilts slightly inward; if extended upward, they would meet about a mile in the sky.Entasis (swelling): Columns bulge slightly in the middle so they do not look thin or pinched when viewed from afar.
The corner columns are wider and set closer to neighboring columns to absorb brighter background light and maintain uniform appearance

The main marble structure was assembled in just nine years (447–438 BC), with sculptural decoration finishing six years later

Over 70,000 marble blocks from Mount Penteli were cut to fit one specific position only, locked together with iron clamps without using mortar.