Sigma Publications

27/08/2026

From our pocketbook "The ": https://www.sigmapublications.com/book/the-odyssey.html

An extensive summary of the Homeric poem which focuses on its poetic highlights, the most gripping episodes in ' ten-year voyage home, and the age-old wisdom of this ancient masterpiece which has enthralled readers young and old for the past three thousand years with its message that "there is nothing sweeter in the world than one's homeland and one's loved ones".

12/08/2026

For the first time in roughly 220 years, the western facade of the Parthenon has been returned to what the Culture Ministry described as its fullest possible form, free of external scaffolding.

The milestone marks the completion of a painstaking restoration effort that combined contemporary scientific expertise with respect for the techniques of the monument’s original builders.

The project focused on the iconic western pediment, where two upright architectural elements were installed in long-empty positions, and on the restoration of the supporting anti-seismic wall.

According to the ministry, these interventions restore the pediment’s architectural unity. Officials emphasized the precision of the work. In a statement accompanying a newly released photograph, they noted that the new marble was not simply added but fitted with exceptional accuracy into surviving fragments and existing sections of the pediment.

The restoration, they said, reflects a detailed and careful process aimed at preserving a monument that has influenced civilizations, inspired artistic creation, and endured damage and looting over centuries.

Source: https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1307082/parthenon-unbound-after-two-centuries/

06/08/2026

"Oedipus - The Tragedies": https://www.sigmapublications.com/book/oedipus-the-tragedies.html
Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/9604250744/

The whole tragic story of , seen through the prism of the four great classical tragedies (chiefly by ), each taking up where the previous one leaves off: King Oedipus, Oedipus at Colonus, The Seven Against and . These are followed by the war of the Epigoni. This last volume in the series closes with one final myth, that of the , after which the curtain falls suddenly and unexpectedly on Greek mythology.

31/07/2026

What survives, and what is lost, from the poetic magic of the ancient poem? Five people share their views on ‘The Odyssey’: https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1310790/what-nolan-did-and-didnt-achieve/

Legendary British classicist Mary Beard's take:

❝Look, if Nolan is making a three-hour movie, he can’t possibly include everything. Adaptors change things and omit things – they have to. It’s part of their trade. My question is: What difference do those losses or omissions make? What else do you lose with them? I thought the loss of Phaeacia removed two key women, and it also removed all those nuances and questions surrounding the relationship with Nausicaa and Arete.

I didn’t much like the modern moralizing imposed on the plot. I missed the wit and humor of the original. And all the fighting did not capture the magical domesticity that characterizes so much of the poem.

I loved some of the clever visuals. Modeling Polyphemus on Goya’s monstrous figure of Saturn (referring to “Saturn Devouring His Son,” one of the Spanish painter’s 14 so-called Black Paintings) was a stroke of genius. The transformation of Circe’s men into pigs was brilliant, too.❞

The epic of endless reinvention Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster summer movie “The Odyssey” is cause for celebration for those who care about the literature and culture of ancient Greece.

27/07/2026

Explore the real in English, French and German! - https://sigmapublications.com/book/the-odyssey.html

14/07/2026

Duncan Howitt-Marshall suggests 7 archaeological sites to visit perfect for combining culture with a swim: https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1309441/explore-ancient-greece-before-the-beach-7-easy-sites-to-visit/

27/06/2026

"The Iliad - The Trojan War": http://sigmapublications.com/mth_en_en6.html
Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/9604250590/

All that mythology tells us of the history of , from its founding until its final destruction in the famous war. Why the quarrel started, the sacrifice of Iphigenia, the nine years of fighting, the last days of Troy, the . A special chapter is devoted to the Iliad, the fifty days of war described by which takes the anger of as its theme. This great epic poem is presented in an extended summary, with some of its finest passages given in full. For the poetry of Homer's language often rises to heights of incomparable beauty, as in the parting of from , or the scene at the end of the 'Iliad' in which asks Achilles for the body of his son.

19/06/2026

The Athens Festival will mark the closure of the ancient Herod Atticus Theater for restoration with a June program spanning classical to avant-garde. Highlights include a centenary tribute to Manos Hadjidakis, featuring the State Orchestra of Athens conducting his American film work, and a concert honoring composer Arvo Part, performed by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Tallinn Chamber Orchestra under Tonu Kaljuste. [Thodoris Manolopoulos/AMNA]

www.aefestival.gr

10/06/2026

"Jason and the Argonauts": http://sigmapublications.com/mth_en_en5.html
Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/9604250663/

, heir to the kingdom of , has been pushed aside by the usurper . To win the throne, he agrees to voyage across unknown seas to and carry off the , which brings men wealth and happiness...

"Jason and the ” is the first surviving account of a voyage by fearless seafarers, and it differs from other stories of its kind in that it comes to us from a time before recorded history. We are fortunate that this is so, for thus we hear it from the mouths of poets and story-tellers who were expert in their art. With their soaring imagination, they have wrought a tale which has held readers down the centuries with the same breathless delight which surely captivated those who first heard it from some minstrel’s lips, almost three thousand years ago.

04/06/2026

Athens is reimagining its National Archaeological Museum with a sweeping redesign that will transform how visitors experience ancient civilization.

The newly approved museological study, developed by the Atelier Bruckner firm alongside architects David Chipperfield and Tombazis, calls for roughly 300 iconic artifacts to serve as navigational “magnets” along a main visitor route organized around 13 thematic sections.

Star exhibits – including the Kouros of Anavyssos, the Bronze Statue of Zeus from Artemision, and the Youth of Antikythera – will be displayed in the round, allowing 360-degree viewing for the first time. An earthy color palette inspired by the ‘rammed earth’ material planned for the museum’s Patission Street expansion will unify the aesthetic throughout.

A dedicated prologue gallery will introduce five core values of ancient Greek civilization: humanism, democracy, creativity, reason, and innovation.

The adjoining Epigraphic Museum will display up to 650 inscriptions across 1,400 square meters.

“The overall redesign will deliver a world-class modern museum,” said Culture Minister Lina Mendoni.

Source: https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1300882/a-path-through-antiquity-paved-with-magnetic-light/