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Greece to reclaim ancient horse from US after court ruling

The Greek Herald
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Greece to reclaim ancient horse from US after court ruling

The Greek Culture Ministry said Wednesday it would seek the repatriation from New York of a 2,700-year-old bronze horse statuette which it says was illegally exported from Greece, after a US court rejected an auction house’s bid to proceed with the sale of the artifact.

A ministry statement said the appeals court’s decision was of “enormous legal importance” and would have broad implications for works of cultural heritage from other countries, too.

Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said the outcome was a major victory in the fight against the illegal trade in antiquities, a lucrative but brutal business that strips ancient artifacts of key cultural and historical information that a proper excavation would reveal.

“The ministry will proceed with every legal process to repatriate the statuette, stressing that when stolen and illegally exported monuments are returned … (the country of origin) regains a segment of its history,” Mendoni said.

Sotheby’s auction house in the US attracts large crowds. Source: Instagram.

The ministry said the New York court ruled that in disputes concerning artifacts up for auction in the United States, or sought by US museums, the laws of the works’ country of origin will be applicable.

The ministry said the ruling published Tuesday rejected a bid by Sotheby’s to proceed with the auction of the 14-centimeter tall work from the 8th century BC that was part of a private US collection.

The highly stylised figurine of a horse from the so-called Geometric period of ancient Greek art, a type highly popular with collectors, was listed for auction in New York in May 2018 , with an estimated price of $150,000-$250,000.

Greek officials wrote to the auction house asking for the lot to be withdrawn and repatriated, arguing that it was of Greek origin and had never been declared or granted an export license.

Under Greek law, all antiquities found in the country are state property. The country has a profusion of ancient sites spanning several thousand years of civilisation, but lacks the means to adequately police them all from looters.

The ministry said that while Sotheby’s did withdraw the statuette from auction, the house took legal action against Greece, seeking recognition that Greece had no rights to the work. It said Sotheby’s won a first court case but Greece appealed, resulting in the decision published Tuesday.

In a statement, a Sotheby’s spokesperson said: “While we are disappointed with yesterday’s decision, it does not impact what is at the heart of this matter—there is, and remains, no evidence to support Greece’s claim to ownership of the bronze sculpture. We, together with our client, are reviewing next steps.”

TGH Exclusive: Evros border guards empowered by support of Greek diaspora

The Greek Herald
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TGH Exclusive: Evros border guards empowered by support of Greek diaspora

By Panagiotis Dalatariof

“The love of the Greek diaspora strengthens our resilience at the border”

Panagiotis Harelas has been guarding the Greek border for more than 20 years. Mainly serving in the Immigration Management Service in Central Macedonia, he also serves in Evros, the Aegean and in the wider island country. He is also the President of the Hellenic Federation of Border Police Officers, since 2008.

Speaking to The Greek Herald, Harelas spoke about the current situation at the Evros border in Greece. Standing opposite the Turkish provocation, he thanks the Greeks abroad for their love and support.

How is the situation at the border right now?

“The situation has been manageable lately and after the events in March (latest illegal immigration wave from Turkey), we are also strengthened in numbers. There is flow and mobility on the border but not to the extent that would worry us. At this stage, with the forces we have, we can prevent the existing pressure so no one can  enter the country illegally.

How many border guards are there in Evros?

“Apart from the permanent ones, 400 guards since 2002, we also have monthly police officer deployments from all over the country, who come here to strengthen the border guard. Recently, another 400 were recruited, but have not yet arrived due to COVID-19. We are waiting for them in the coming days to be trained and ready to support us.”

“We are going through one of the most critical periods”

Based on all that you have experienced, is this period the most difficult you are going through?

“Clearly this period is a critical one, as we can see that there are fronts of pressure around the islands as well as in the Evros region . However, the situation is under control by the police. Political will is always needed as well.”

“This is how we prevented the ‘migrant’ invasion”

What was the secret to success in preventing this migrant influx?

“The Joint Border Surveillance Agency was first established in the fall of 2019. This constitutes the first institutional convergence of the police and the army on immigration issues. This means that we had joint army and police patrols.

Arriving at the great crisis of March, the army, police and border guards had to work together to defend the borders and prevent these migratory pressures on both the river and the Kastanies region. However, the communication and coordination we had with our colleagues in previous months was successful. The Army, Police and Fire Brigade in Kastanies, during the immigration pressure of March, worked in an excellent way.

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Were the migrants pushed to Greece by Turkey?

“What we saw from the first moments was that there was encouragement from the Turkish side for these immigrants to arrive. They were not Syrian refugees (although a small number of refugees was among them). They were initially told that Greece’s borders were open. So they wanted to send as many people as possible and break our borders, entering Greece and Europe.

It was not easy to prevent these pressures. It was clear to everyone – that this mass migration pressure, was not only intended for Greece but for Europe as well.

The messages of support we received from the Greek diaspora were overwhelming. We all gained more confidence and endurance to guard our country’s borders. We have stayed and we will stay in the front line to prevent any threat.

* Read this article in Greek in The Greek Herald’s Wednesday (10/6) edition

Opinion: Is it time for Greece to ditch summer tourism and explore other options?

The Greek Herald
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Opinion: Is it time for Greece to ditch summer tourism and explore other options?

Summer tourism is Greece’s golden flagpole. Upraised above their competition, flapping its incredible experiences, magnificent culture, and rich history for all foreign tourists to gaze upon.

An industry that has been built on a hundred years of development and expansion, billions of dollars have been fed into the tourism sector by the Greek government.

And this year, we watched it almost crumble under the might of a deadly virus.

The tourism industry accounts for around a fifth of Greece’s economy and more than a quarter of jobs, according to the London-based World Travel and Tourism Council. According to an OECD report, tourists spend an average of about $1,073 in Greece which ranks the country as the world’s 10th highest in tourist expenditure.

Psarou beach on teh Greek Island of Mykonos. Photo: Peter Oglos

Understandably, it’s the tourism sector that Greece relied upon heavily during the financial crisis, looking to attract strong visitor numbers to its resorts, beaches and ancient monuments. The number of tourists visiting from abroad reached 31.3 million people in 2019, almost triple the country’s population, spending 18.2 billion euros.

To no fault of its own, Greece’s summer tourism suffered a delayed start this year as a result of the coronavirus epidemic, with the ‘peak summer season’ being exponentially shortened.

Yet Greece’s repeated focus on a ‘peak summer season’ may be the country’s downfall.

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While Greece boasts a plethora of summer tourist attractions, it’s winter destinations provide just as much entertainment to tourists abroad.

The Parthenon glistened with snow is one of the world’s most beautiful sites, shared with the white-tipped beauty of Mount Pelion. For more exciting entertainment, Greece is home to some of the world’s biggest ski and snowboard centres, such as Arachova, or Kalavryta, in Peloponnese.

But with all these attractions, what’s missing? 365 days of tourism promotion.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Elena Kountoura, Greece’s former tourism minister, says that progress is being made to increase Greece’s winter tourism.

The fairytale village of Nymfaio where roofs are constructed with corrugated iron to keep the snow from setting. Photo: Olga Charami

“Overall we’ve seen a 40 per cent increase in winter tourism [in the past four years] — that means the period between November and the end of March,” she says. “Our aim is to become a 365-days-a-year destination.”

Yet Greece’s ‘aim’ of becoming a winter paradise for tourists wasn’t shown in the most recent winter period, with Eurostat recording a -8.3% loss of winter tourism in Greece.

If increased promotion of Greece’s winter destinations is not on the Tourism Ministry’s agenda, then something else must be done. In order for Greece to witness 10-20 years of economic progression, Greece’s summer tourism must not be at the forefront of the it’s economic growth.

Fiona Martin MP welcomes essential ‘toolkit’ for safe return to community sport

The Greek Herald
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Fiona Martin MP welcomes essential ‘toolkit’ for safe return to community sport

Member for Reid, Dr Fiona Martin MP, has welcomed the launch of Sport Australia’s ‘Return to Sport Toolkit‘ ensuring community sporting clubs and associations have a clear path to competition as COVID-19 restrictions are eased.

The practical resources focus on giving grassroots organisations a roadmap for the safe return to sport at all levels and is a comprehensive checklist for sports clubs and community organisations.

The toolkit will complement the National Principles for the Resumption of Sport and Recreation Activities, endorsed by the National Cabinet on 1 May 2020.

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“As sporting groups prepare for the return of community sport competitions, the Sport Australia toolkit provides the resources and guidance local clubs need to ensure a streamlined process,” Dr Martin said.

“The safe return of competition relies on a responsible rollout where everybody follows advice and takes precautions.”

The Return to Sport Toolkit guides clubs and associations at every level to document their own COVID-19 Safety Plan and appoint a COVID Safety Co-ordinator to implement and oversee it.  

As part of the Toolkit, checklists provide practical and progressive steps such as relevant government and national sporting organisation approvals, facility management, training behaviours, hygiene protocols and appropriate communication with members. 

The National Principles, along with the Australian Institute of Sport’s framework, will be used to guide the staged return of activity as efforts to stop the spread of the virus continue.

The NSW Government has announced that From Wednesday 1 July 2020, all community sport competitions can recommence.

The States and Territories are responsible for sport and recreation resumption decisions, both at the professional and community level and will determine progression through the phases, taking account of local epidemiology, risk mitigation strategies and public health capability.

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 “I’ve been speaking with sporting groups that are itching to get back on the field and this toolkit will give players, parents and the clubs the confidence they need to play in a COVID-Safe environment,” Dr Martin said.

Minister for Youth and Sport, Richard Colbeck, said sporting clubs and organisations would play an enormous part in getting Reid back on track as the recovery from the impact of COVID-19 continues.

“We have a big challenge ahead of us – but together the National Principles, the AIS framework and Sport Australia’s toolkit offer tangible advice to ensure community sporting groups are prepared to control and deal with the virus in this new era,” Minister Colbeck said.

Jenny Mikakos urges people not to neglect health during pandemic

The Greek Herald
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Jenny Mikakos urges people not to neglect health during pandemic

Jenny Mikakos has urged Victorians to keep their health in check during the coronavirus pandemic by continuing to seek medical treatment and general healthcare checks.

Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos today visited Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, which reported a fall in referrals of up to 40 per cent at the start of the pandemic, as potentially unwell people delay visiting their doctor or going to hospital.

The health minister warns that putting off a visit to the doctor or hospital after experiencing any lumps or unusual symptoms, could lead to more severe illness and added strain on hospitals’ critical and intensive care resources.

The Peter Mac Cancer Centre in Melbourne. Photo: Google

“Whether it’s a regular screening appointment or you have a concerning symptom, coronavirus shouldn’t put you off seeking treatment for any health concerns,” Jenny Mikakos said in a statement.

“Our hospitals and GP clinics are open and ready to help all patients, with the strictest infection control guidelines to keep everyone safe.”

Many hospitals and GPs are offering telehealth appointments for both check-ups and ongoing conditions, to ensure more vulnerable groups have access to healthcare when they need it.

Royal Melbourne Hospital. Photo: Google

“Telehealth is an extremely important tool in the fight against coronavirus – allowing patients to receive the very best care from the comfort of their home, while keeping doctors and medical staff safe.”

Before the coronavirus pandemic, telehealth was widely used in regional and rural Victoria to help people living in remote locations get the care they needed without driving long distances. It’s now become a vital tool across the state – protecting doctors and their patients from the virus and removing wait times to see a doctor in person.

Cancer screening programs also continue to operate throughout Victoria, with strict infection control measures in place to make sure staff and patients are safe.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos celebrates 32nd birthday with heartwarming virtual messages

The Greek Herald
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Sokratis Papastathopoulos celebrates 32nd birthday with heartwarming virtual messages

The living Greek legend celebrated his 32nd birthday on Tuesday, with Sokratis Papastathopoulos being surprised with a compilation of birthday wishes from current and former football teammates.

The video opened up with birthday wishes from former Borussia Dortmund, Genoa and Werder Bremen teammates and coaching staff.

View this post on Instagram

Thank you for all your birthday messages 🙏

A post shared by Sokratis Papastathopoulos (@sokratispapa.official) on

Some of Sokratis’ teammates, including former Italian international Giandomenico Mesto, even managed to send a few heartfelt words in Greek. Teammates that weren’t as bilingual, including Marc Bartra and Manuel Akanji, simply wished the ‘malaka’ a happy birthday.

The Greek international also received many Xronia Polla’s from Greek teammates including Panos Retsos, Giorgios Karagounis, Avraam Papadopoulos, Kostas Manolas, Vasilis Torosidis and Dinos Mavropanos.

Sokratis currently plays as a centre back for English Premier League club Arsenal. Photo: Sokratis Papastathopoulos Instagram

The Arsenal player posted the compiled video to Instagram with the caption “what a surprise”, thanking everyone for their birthday wishes.

Sokratis currently plays as a centre back for English Premier League club Arsenal and the Greece national team, making 90 international caps since his debut in 2008.

Panathinaikos BC to be sold for 25 million euros

The Greek Herald
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Panathinaikos BC to be sold for 25 million euros

Dimitris Giannakopoulos revealed on Tuesday that Panathinaikos BC is up for sale for 25 million euros, while also stepping down from the club’s board.

As part of the announcement, Giannakopoulos expressed his desire for the club’s new management to leave the EuroLeague in favour of the FIBA Basketball Champions League.

“From this moment and onward, Panathinaikos is for sale for 25 million euros, like I wrongly committed last year,” Giannakopoulos said.

“We hadn’t taken into account the value of this brand. According to estimators, just the value of the commercial brand reached 75 million euros. I’m not changing a single word. 25 million.” 

Giannakopoulos solemnly began the press conference by stating that his family has spent almost $373 million euros from 1987 to 2012 for Panathinaikos.

“EuroLeague is a black box. Teams don’t know what will happen with their money. They learn their revenues 15 days before the launch for the season without knowing the ‘from where’ and ‘why,’” Giannakopoulos added.

“In 2002 we threatened to not play in the Final in Bologna because Bertomeu wasn’t telling us the sums. Since 2009 everyone was talking about the revenues of the competition. But we suffered more than anyone else in fines and ‘slaughters’. Maccabi, Panathinaikos and Olympiacos sustain EuroLeague with half of their television rights money going to the League”.

Greek basketball team Panathinaikos, one of the most important representatives of Europe, was put up for sale for 25 million euros. Photo: Twitter

While Giannakopoulos is leaving the club, he added that he hopes to see the Basketball Champions League evolve into a dominant competition in Europe.

“I see that FIBA works with a plan. In the last couple of years, they have made some joint ventures with NBA, Oceania, Asia. Watching the plan and the money they intend to invest and the longterm plan about basketball, I believe that very soon they will be the sole powerful competition in Europe.”

Greece and Italy sign historic accord for Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

The Greek Herald
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Greece and Italy sign historic accord for Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

Greece and Italy signed an agreement on maritime boundaries on Tuesday during a visit by Italy’s foreign minister to Athens, the Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

The agreement is an extension of a 1977 accord, paving the way for Greece and Italy to explore for and exploit marine resources.

“The delimitation of maritime zones with all of our neighbours in the context of international law is a consistent objective for this country,” Dendias said in comments after signing the agreement.

The deal follows months of tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean region over natural resources. Turkey, Greece and Cyprus have been caught in a complex diplomatic standoff over the issue.

In a regular press briefing earlier in the day, government spokesman Stelios Petsas hailed the agreement as “a development of historical significance.”

At a meeting in Rome in February, the two ministers discussed ways of cooperating in the energy sector in the eastern Mediterranean.

Italy and Greece are already partners in the EastMed gas pipeline project intended to transport 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year from off-shore gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean to Greece, Italy and other southeastern European countries.

The accord between the two countries comes months after a deal on maritime boundaries between Turkey and Libya’s Tripoli-based internationally recognised government. That agreement angered Greece, which views the move as infringing its own sovereign rights.

“The delimitation of maritime zones is accomplished with valid agreements, not with invalid ones like that signed by Turkey and [the Libyan government of Fayez] al-Sarraj and with maps unilaterally submitted to the United Nations,” Dendias said on Tuesday.

Sourced By: Reuters

Rare manuscript of Plato’s greatest works to be sold in online auction

Andriana Simos
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Rare manuscript of Plato’s greatest works to be sold in online auction

A rare early Renaissance manuscript of two of Plato’s greatest dialogues, Phaedo and Gorgias, will be sold at an online auction for an estimated $200,000.

This is the first Plato manuscript of comparable quality to be offered at the ‘Bonhams Important Manuscript’ auction in the past 50 years.

Written around 1420, the compilation of essential works begins with Plato’s arguments for the immortality of the soul from the point-of-view of Socrates’ death-bed, and includes Bruni’s influential Cicero Novus, as well as a series of important Bruni translations of Demosthenes and Aeschines.

A look at the inside of the rare Plato manuscript. Source: Bonhams.

Book and Manuscript specialist at Bonhams New York, Darren Sutherland, said such an early Renaissance manuscript of Plato is very rare today.

“Early Renaissance manuscripts of Plato are very rare. His works were essentially lost during the Middle Ages, and their rediscovery at the beginning of the Renaissance sparked a revolution in thought that transformed the arts and sciences and continues unfolding today.”

Plato is well-known for his emphasis on the importance of mathematics to philosophy, and his thought was eagerly embraced by Renaissance scientists, laying the foundation for modern understanding of number and science.

Phaedo is one of Plato’s best-known dialogues and sits alongside the philosopher’s Republic and Symposium as the master works of his middle period.

The Important Manuscript auction offers a curated collection of 10 world-class manuscripts celebrating the thinkers and ideas that have transformed the world.

Spanning 600 years of history, these manuscripts highlight critical moments in the evolution of western culture. Individually and collectively, they speak to the sensibility and needs of the modern age.

Public seminar series on Greek history and culture to resume online

Andriana Simos
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Public seminar series on Greek history and culture to resume online

The Greek Community of Melbourne’s Greek History and Culture Public Seminar Series, which was suspended due to COVID-19, will now resume on June 25 and is set to be delivered online fortnightly.

The series has been running for ten years and its restart means Community members can now commemorate a decade of intellectual debate, academic visits, captivating presentations and stimulating discussions.

According to the convenor, Dr Nick Dallas, online delivery may not be an ideal situation, but it’s a step towards normalcy.

“It doesn’t cover the coming together and interaction of people at the Greek Centre nor the social dimension the seminars provided but it’s a first step towards the return to normalcy,” Dr Dallas said.

“Whether towards the end of the series we allow audience attendance to the Centre, even on a limited basis, remains to be seen.”

The series will recommence with the University of Melbourne’s Louise Hitchcock, Professor of Aegean Archaeology. Her topic, ‘What the Covid-19 Pandemic Can Tell Us About the Bronze Age (12th century) Collapse in Greece,’ is particularly fitting during this time.

The aim of the talk is to re-examine theories of events and mythologies surrounding the end of Bronze Age in the Mediterranean, which resulted in collapse, depopulation in Greece, and the destruction of the Mycenaean civilisation as well as of many sites around the Mediterranean.

The seminars will be broadcast via the video-conferencing platform Zoom, but will also be simultaneously streamed on the Community’s Facebook and YouTube channels.

Registration will not be mandatory for participants but for those who would like the potential to ask questions using the chat function of Zoom, prior registration is necessary.

More information about the event will be released in the weeks ahead.

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