Greek medals at Astronomy Olympiad in Poland

Greek students won two bronze medals, and three honorary distinctions at the 5th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics held in Poland (August 25-September 3). The contest was held among 140 high-school students from 26 countries from all over the world. This year’s Olympiad was said to be one of the most competitive, since the academic level was higher and more contenders for less awards.
For Greece in particular, the success had a female scent, as Despina Pazouli from the town of Drama (North Greece) became the first Greek girl to receive a medal in the competition. Two of the five winners were at their senior high-school year and the Olympiad coincided with the announcement of their university entry examination. Both of them made it to the Department of Physics of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

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New Onassis Prize: Environment Protection

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)    The President of the Onassis Public Benefit Foundation Antonis Papadimitriou and Hamburg Mayor Ole von Beust announced in the German city’s Town Hall on Thursday (28.5) the establishment of a new International Onassis Prize which would bear the name “Aristotle Onassis Prize for the Protection of the Environment.”   The Prize will be awarded every two years for “outstanding contributions towards protecting and improving the environment, including the long-term economical use of energy.”  The first award will be handed out in autumn 2010 in Hamburg and will be accompanied by a cash prize amounting to €250,000.

Archaeological Park in Athens

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Culture Minister Antonis Samaras recently announced  the creation of a unique archaeological park – approximately 3.4 hectares – in downtown Athens. The park will unify the famed Lyceum established by the philosopher Aristotle with the Byzantine and Christian Museum. According to Culture Minister, a translucent protective roof is to be erected over the antiquities of the Lyceum’s area. Work on the project, which will cost €4.5 million, is to begin soon and to be completed by 2011 and it will be funded by the partly state-owned company OPAP. Aristotle opened the Lyceum- also known as “the Peripatetic School” – in 335 BC upon his return to Athens following a period during which he taught Alexander the Great. Foundation of the Hellenic World: Aristotle & Education; (Photo:Plato and Aristotle in Raphael’s masterpiece “The School of Athens”)

Romans Return to Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  An international archaeological conference, titled “Classical Tradition and Innovative Elements in the Sculpture of Roman Greece,” opens its doors today (May 7) at the Teloglion Foundation of Art in Thessaloniki. The conference is organized by the Department of History and Archaeology of Aristotle University, aiming to examine the extent of Roman influence on Greek art during the Roman occupation of Greece.  Greek and foreign scientists and archaeologists will elaborate on the issue – through the study of several sculptures and monuments. The conference runs until May 9. (Photo: The Palatial Complex of Galerius in Thessaloniki – Greek News Agenda: Monument Conservation Award)

Greece, France, Italy: Master’s in European Culture

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Strengthening European identity through higher education, a consortium of three universities in Greece, France and Italy join forces offering a master’s course in European literary cultures. Supported by EU’s ‘Erasmus Mundus” programme -a project aiming at engaging students and scholars in cooperation and mobility in the field of higher education- the “European literary cultures” course focuses on the study of European languages and literature. The universities participating are the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the University of Bologna, the University of Haute-Alsace and the University Marc Bloch in Strasburg. The course foresees a study period of two years in two or three participating universities, with lessons taught in French, Italian and Greek. European Commission-Education & Culture DG: Master’s Course in European Literary Cultures

Greece: Exceptional Find Unearthed

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Archaeologists apparently uncovered one of most fascinating finds to date at the archaeological site of Vergina, northern Greece, earlier this week, namely, an immense cylindrical copper vessel inside of which was a slightly smaller, similar vessel. The exquisite artefact contained an oak wreath crafted in gold, lying atop human bones and immersed in water amid roots. The find is considered exceptional, as the wreath is almost equal in quality and dimensions to those found at the Royal Tombs at Vergina (Modern name of the city Aigai, the ancient first capital of the kingdom of Macedonia). The city of Aigai was discovered during the 19th century and is included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The most important remains are the monumental palace, lavishly decorated with mosaics and painted stuccoes, and the burial ground with more than 300 tumuli, some of which date from the 11th century B.C. One of the royal tombs in the Great Tumulus (photo) is identified as that of Philip II, who conquered all the Greek cities, paving the way for his son Alexander and the expansion of the Hellenistic world.  It remains a mystery for the archaeologists of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki who run the excavations why such a complete find was found outside the limits of the extensive cemetery of the royal necropolis. Athens News Agency: Exceptional find in Vergina; Ministry of Culture: Building for the protection of the royal tombs of Vergina; UNESCO: Archaeological site of Aigai

Acropolis Exhibit in Berlin

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) An exhibition titled “The Restoration of the Acropolis and the New Acropolis Museum” at the Berlin Pergamon Museum presents: the restoration and preservation works carried out on the monuments of the Acropolis, the new Museum created in Athens to house the exhibits, and representative finds of the excavations in the area of construction of the new museum. The display includes original ancient works found at the site of the new museum, such as portrait busts of Aristotle and Plato, statues of Isis Panthea as well as Zeus. The display runs from March 6 to May 25, and will then travel to other international cities, including London, Vienna, and Washington.