Developed as a hobby project in 2008 by Athens-based visual effects artist Dimitris Tsalkanis, the Ancient Athens 3D website presents a series of digital reconstructions of the city through time, from the Mycenaean Bronze Age (1600 BC) to the Early Modern period (AD 1833).
The project’s latest video, launched in November, showcases Classical Athens at the height its power in the late 5th century BC, in the years before its defeat by Sparta and their allies in the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC).
The 12-minute video, rendered in spectacular detail, takes the viewer on a fly-through of the city’s neighborhoods, circling its famous monuments, temples, civic buildings and marketplaces. Each monument is accompanied by a short description.
The 5th century BC was a time of unparalleled change in the history of Athens. Partly destroyed by the invading Persian army in the years 480-479 BC, the extensive rebuilding program that ensued, accelerated by the great statesman and general Pericles in the second half of the century, made it the center of the Greek world.
During this period, dubbed the “Golden Age of Pericles,” the arts, sciences and philosophy flourished in Athens, laying the cultural and political foundations of Western civilization.
Ancient Athens 3D was developed to present photorealistic digital reconstructions of the city and all of its monuments from 1600 BC to AD 1830. The project began with the first experimental 3D models of the Acropolis and the Ancient Agora, based on published archaeological and architectural data from scientific journals.
As the digital technology evolved, further reconstructions were added, and the site’s popularity grew. Great attention has been given to historical and archaeological accuracy in each of the videos, successfully communicating the development of urban planning through the ages.
In his work, Dimitris Tsalkanis has collaborated on projects with the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports, as well as museums and local municipalities. His 3D reconstructions offer a superb educational platform, bringing ancient Athens to life for a wide range of audiences, from school children to academic researchers.
The European Commission on Tuesday adopted rules that will make the European Union COVID-19 certificate valid for travel nine months after the completion of the primary vaccination schedule.
The proposal comes as several EU states introduce additional requirements on travellers in a bid to reduce the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
The new rules will be binding on the 27 EU states from February 1. The rule can be blocked by a qualified majority of EU governments or a simple majority of European Parliament members, but officials have said there is sufficient support for it.
The rule replaces a non-binding recommendation the EU Commission put forward in November.
Once the rule is effective, EU states will be obliged to let fully vaccinated travellers with a valid pass access their territory. However, as an exception justified by a deteriorating situation, they could still impose further requirements, such as negative tests or quarantines, as long as they are proportionate.
Seven EU states are currently requiring fully vaccinated travellers from other EU countries to also show a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival, measures some see as damaging the credibility of the EU pass.
The states are Italy, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Latvia, Cyprus and Austria.
“We prefer to use for the free movement in Europe only the certificate without additional measures,” EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said.
He noted that the additional requirements could be justified by concerns caused by the spread of the Omicron variant, but governments had to prove they were proportionate and necessary.
The new rules apply only for international travel.
Governments will be able to have a different duration of the COVID-19 pass for access to events or indoor activities within their territories.
After a booster shot, the validity of the COVID-19 pass will be extended further without a set limit, because at the moment there is not enough information about the duration of protection from boosters, an EU official said.
A primary vaccination schedule for COVID-19 is currently composed in the EU of two shots of vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Moderna, or a single jab of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is one of the headline acts in tennis but, for some, simply saying his name is a challenge and he recently landed on a list of the most mispronounced words of 2021.
The list, compiled by the US Captioning Company and commissioned by language-learning platform Babbel, is based on a poll of captioning professionals.
They identified frequently used, topical words that newscasters and people on television struggled to pronounce correctly this year.
World number four Tsitsipas advanced to his first major final at June’s French Open, giving the 23-year-old Greek added exposure and sports commentators around the world a hard time.
Tsitsipas was not the only athlete to appear on the sixth edition of the list after Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce revealed in a radio interview that his team mates and the media had been mispronouncing his name for years.
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS (GRE)
The 11 other words that made the list included new Covid-19 strain Omicron and two cryptocurrencies – Dogecoin and Ethereum.
Slang term Cheugy, fast-food restaurant chain Chipotle, South Korean treat Dalgona, singer Billie Eilish and Suez Canal-blocking ship Ever Given also made the list.
Scottish city Glasgow, Chinese fashion company Shein and beauty filter trend Yassify rounded it out.
“Newscasters in the US have struggled with 2021’s new words and names while reporting on key sporting events, viral internet trends and emerging celebrities,” said Esteban Touma, a Babbel Live teacher.
“As a language teacher it’s always interesting to see that some of these terms are usually new colloquialisms, or are rooted or borrowed from another language.
“And as a non-native speaker, I must confess it’s fun to see English speakers stumbling a bit for a change.”
The NSW Federation of Community Language schools, which represents 250 member schools teaching 87 different languages across the state, has welcomed the appointment of Mr Mark Coure as the new Minister for Multiculturalism.
The President of the Federation, Lucia Johns, said today: “Mr Coure has been an important supporter of the Federation during his time in Parliament where he represents the very multicultural electorate of Oatley in the St George district of southern Sydney.
“We look forward to working closely with him in his important new role in supporting language education.
“It will be valuable for the Federation to have such a strong supporter within the New South Wales Government.
“I welcome the Minister’s commitment to supporting the diverse range of multicultural communities across the state which the Federation serves, through its language schools.
“His acknowledgment that the Federation does a great job right across NSW through a powerful network of schools is most welcome, as is his expressed belief that it plays an important role in ensuring that culture and language are passed on to the next generation.”
The Chief Executive Officer of the Federation, Michael Christodoulou, said today: “I wish the Minister every success in his significant role in helping the Federation coordinate the teaching of community languages to our children so that our society does not lose this rich economic and cultural resource.
“The Federation was honoured by Mr Coure’s decision to visit our office as his first duty as Minister for Multiculturalism.”
The Acropolis and its monuments will become more accessible to people with vision disabilities as of June 2022, Culture Minister Lina Mendoni announced recently during a Scientific Conference on the Accessibility of Persons with Disabilities in Public Areas at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Athens.
According to Mendoni, the ministry collaborates with the “Lighthouse for the Blind of Greece” to create a four-language printed guide and signs to facilitate people with vision disabilities movement.
“We implement or participate in actions and projects aimed to encourage and facilitate the participation of people with disabilities in cultural activities,” said Mendoni.
According to the ministry, 300 people with disabilities (on average) visited the Acropolis daily from June to October.
“Culture contributes to eliminating stereotypes and prejudices, encourages tolerance and respect for individuality and diversity, and contributes to democratic dialogue. Ensuring free access to culture for all citizens without exceptions is a matter of social equality and justice – a matter of democracy,” she added.
Last year PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis inaugurated a new lift for people with disabilities at the Acropolis Hill, as part of a series of works to provide more inclusive access to the site.
Adults students who are taught Greek as a second or foreign language were recognised by the Greek Community of Melbourne during an event to mark the completion of the learning courses of 2021.
This event had a special character, as it aimed, among other things, to reward their effort and to praise their progress and commendable development, in terms of learning the Greek language.
For that reason, a competition took place in which the students participated via the production of a video expressing in Greek their learning experience, thoughts and feelings.
The participation was enthusiastic and at the end, five participants stood out the most.
Three students, from levels 1 through 3, were awarded, while a special award was given to another two students for their effort and achievements.
The event was attended the Vice President of the Greek Community of Melbourne, Mr. Theodoros Markos, the member of the educational committee, Dr Nikos Dallas, as well as the Principal of the GCM Greek Language and Culture School, Mrs. Maria Bakalidou, who awarded the certificates and awards.
The adult students who attended truly enjoyed this special night and promised that they will meet again in the classrooms in February 2022.
Indigenous Greek wines have lived in the shadows of it’s more famous European neighbours for too long. Greece has over 300 grape varieties and 153 wine regions so there is no shortage of wines to try. They deserve more attention and are unique.
So, this festive season, become an Ambassador for Greek wine, support your homeland and seek out some of these national treasures.
Assyrtiko
The star on the top of the wine Christmas tree is assyrtiko from Santorini. A fresh racy dry white wine it displays floral, green apple aromas with a seashell like minerality. This is ideally matched with seafood. Some riper wines display pear and apricot flavours and are better with white meats.
Assyrtiko can be matured in oak barrels as well and a richer style can use the traditional label term Nykteri (Nichteri). It can also be blended with other grapes such as Athiri and Aidani.
Try Argyros Atlantis, Gaia Thalassitis or Domaine Sigalas.
2. Moschofilero
If you like more of a fruity and aromatic white wine then choose moschofilero which has tropical fruit and floral aromas. It has pink skins so you might see it as a rose. This is lighter than assyrtiko with lower alcohol and is made in the high altitude Mantinia region in Peloponnese.
Try Troupis Winery TOHM Moschofilero.
3. Xinomavro
Greece has two top indigenous red/black grapes. Xinomavro from Naoussa is located on the foothills of Mount Vermio and is grown in a chilly semi continental climate. Other regions that grow xinomavro include Amyndeo, Rapsani and Goumenissa. So called the Barolo of Greece, it is similar to the Italian nebbiolo grape and has a light red colour.
On the palate it is dry, light bodied but tannic, with high acid. The wine has aromas of red wild berries, morello cherry, black olives and sun-dried tomatoes.
Try Kir-Yianni Kali Riza Amyndeon, Thymiopoulos Young Vines or Thymiopoulos Alta from Naoussa.
Photo L: Wine writer and educator Clive Hartley
4. Agiorgitiko
The other red grape is agiorgitiko and is similar to cabernet sauvignon. This is fruitier than xinomavro and displays black fruit, spicy notes and is medium to full bodied with fine tannins. The best expressions come from Nemea in the Peloponnese.
Try Gaia Estate Agiorgitiko.
5. Vinsanto
Finally, coming back to Santorini, the island produces a gorgeous, sweet wine called Vinsanto. The grapes are dried in the sun to enrich the sugar content then made into wine and aged for two years. It has Christmas written all over it with aromas of figs, fruit cake and raisins which all leap out of the glass to wrap you with seasonal joy.
Nikitas Kardoulias was born in 1951 on the Greek island of Kalymnos. He lived on the island with his mother as his father had migrated to Darwin in the Northern Territory and was working as a painter to support the family. But in 1965, at the tender age of 14, Nikitas joined his father in Darwin, quickly learnt English at night school and then began to work with him as well.
“Life was difficult when he came. He was a small kid. Australia wasn’t like it is now where it has all these amenities. At first, he would live in the homes of strangers with his dad, he would wash his own clothes… Darwin was like a village. It’s not like how it is now after 40 years,” Nikitas’ wife, Helen Kardoulias, tells The Greek Herald.
‘We will rebuild’:
It was during this time that Nikitas and his family also lived through Cyclone Tracy, which was a tropical cyclone that hit and devastated Darwin from December 24 – 26, 1974. Nikitas tells The Greek Herald it was one Christmas he will never forget.
“We didn’t expect the cyclone to be so big but as the days passed, things were getting worse. I was with my mum and dad at the time in our house… which was very close to the ocean, maybe 100 metres, and the wind was very strong,” Nikitas says.
Nikitas with his wife Helen. Photo: Georgia Politis Photography.
“At around 1am to 1.30am, our roof had completely blown away. I took my mother and father and we left to find a safer place to stay because it was dangerous. When I was driving, marinas were flying, wood was flying, rocks were flying, everything. We couldn’t even see.”
Eventually, Nikitas and his family reached a police station, where other people had also gathered, and stayed there until the morning after the cyclone had passed over Darwin.
“When I returned home, there was only the floor left and one standing wall. It was difficult [to see] but I had my parents with me and I didn’t want to show them I was scared. I told them, ‘Don’t be upset, we will rebuild it’.”
The family moved to Sydney for a while and stayed with some cousins before they returned to Darwin and started rebuilding their home.
Years later, Nikitas visited Kalymnos and married Helen. The couple returned to Australia after they married and had a daughter but eventually went back to Kalymnos and lived there for about ten years. Nikitas was ‘boomeranging’ between Greece and Australia at the time, as he was working to support the family.
The Kardoulias family. Photo by George Politis Photography.
“He was leaving and returning for the best of the children so maybe they would stay in their homeland. Australia is great, but every father wants their children to grow up in their homeland, to learn the language, culture and traditions.”
Living in the Congo during the dictatorship:
In the end, the Kardoulias family couldn’t stay in Kalymnos long term, but they still had an exciting stint overseas. In fact, Nikitas and Helen, along with their daughter and son, also lived in the Congo in Central Africa for a short time.
Helen says they opened a supermarket there for a few years, but life was difficult as they had to live under the Mobutu dictatorship.
“At some stage, people revolted against the government and they started to damage shops, they lit fires… we were impacted,” Helen explains.
“All the women and children had to leave so my brother, to save us, sent us away and we left the Congo at night-time, and we went to South Africa where it was quieter… Nikitas, my brother and my uncle stayed behind to see whether they could salvage any of our belongings.
Photo: Georgia Politis Photography.
“I was eight months pregnant at the time… It was difficult because we left and we didn’t know what would happen to the men.”
The women ended up staying in South Africa for a month before they, along with the men, returned to Kalymnos. After giving birth to another son and indulging in the Greek village life for a little bit longer, the family made their final journey back to Australia in 1993.
Helen says it was the right time to return and now they’re retired and happily reflecting on their incredible life.
“We’ve been together for 43 years now. We’re happy and fruitful. Two of our children are married, we have six grandchildren… so we are looking after our grandchildren now,” Helen concludes with a smile.
Decorated pine trees, flamboyant light displays, annual Santa family photos at Grace Brothers in downtown Sydney, family gatherings with free flow of homemade flaounes (Cypriot cheese pies) and festive delicacies are some of the Christmas memories Helen Koutulakis Chrysanthou will cherish forever.
Born and raised in Five Dock, Sydney in the late 1950s to Andrea and Galatia who had migrated to Australia from Cyprus some years earlier, Helen remembers with nostalgia her childhood Christmas memories.
“A couple of days before Christmas dad would go and buy a real pine tree. He would bring it home and we [Helen and her three brothers] would decorate it. I still remember the smell of the pine throughout the house,” Helen tells The Greek Herald.
“We visited Santa Claus at Broadway to take photos and Grace Brothers in the city to see the window displays. They were made up with puppets and lights and you could even walk around the shop at night to admire all the displays.”
“When you are young everything looks so big,” she says.
Helen talks with affection about her family and remembers fondly the memories she created alongside her three siblings over the years.
“Growing up, being the only girl, I was playing cops and robbers and cowboys and Indians. Mum made sure I had dolls and all the girls’ things but I was still playing with the toy soldiers and tanks.
“Our mum made sure that we all got plenty of presents for Christmas and birthdays. She always dressed us up nicely to look presentable and she did a great job in that. I was very happy growing up!”
Her father Andreas (nicknamed ψαράς) who was a well-known tailor and two of her brothers all have now passed on. But Helen is determined to keep her family traditions alive.
“It’s been difficult to deal with the losses over the years and I feel I have lost my 90-year-old mother too as her memory has degraded due to dementia. But I still have my little brother and his wife who live in Cyprus and my daughter,” she says.
“I have a lot of mum’s recipes which I use regularly and I am also teaching my daughter how to make them.
“She’s married to and English man who loves Greek food and she’s hoping when she has children one day that she’ll be able to introduce the Greek language and culture to her own family,” Helen says proudly.
The Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) hosted deputy opposition leader, Richard Miles, and the Opposition Minister for Multiculturalism, Andrew Giles, at its Greek Centre in Melbourne on Monday, December 20.
In a meeting scheduled for an hour, the conversation and analysis of issues relating to the Greek Community ended up lasting over two hours.
Bill Papastergiadis along with Chris Sikavitsas, Vasso Zangalis, Tass Sgardelis and Leo Vlahakis took the two senior labour members of the Federal Parliament on a tour of the 15-storey Greek Centre.
Richard Marles was amazed at the breadth of language services offered by the Greek Community and expressed an interest in how the language programs could be further developed noting that the majority of students were now born in Australia.
Mr Marles and Mr Giles were shown the education wing, library facilities, meeting rooms and rooftop restaurant.
Mr Papastergiadis referred to the long history of the Greek Community of Melbourne noting it was formed in 1897. He noted the role it originally played in the ecumenical needs of the then-Greek population to a more diverse offering that is now related to a vibrant and cosmopolitan community. Equally Mr Papastergiadis emphasised the extensive relationships the GCM has with numerous other ethnic organisations in Victoria.
Mr Marles inquired as to the importance of the relationship between the Greek community of Melbourne and Greece.
Mr Papastergiadis responded that it is a relationship born of heritage but effected by the strong connection people of Greek background have with language and culture. In any given year, over 100 events are organised by the Greek community of Melbourne and although COVID affected its cultural output, importantly student numbers did not decline to a significant degree.
Mr Marles emphasised how important it was for him to be on the ground having a conversation with the Greek community of Melbourne.
Mr Marles said: “Celebrating Greek culture from the Greek Australian community is about as Australian as it gets and its what makes the tapestry of our nation so rich and so wonderful and we all experience that in the festival every year in Lonsdale Street… The Centre is so impressive for what it does and you can definitely get a sense that the Greek Australian community is in good hands through the Greek Centre here in Melbourne.”
We emphasised that the Centre was used as a community hub for all forms of cultural activity. This included lectures, film, theatre, comedy and music. We noted that the Community plays an advocacy role and noted the collaboration we had with Government on vaccination hubs. We noted how the model of the Greek Centre has attracted the interest of other ethnic communities in Victoria.
Mr Giles, as Minister for Multiculturalism, emphasised that a national curriculum on languages would be an important part of any Labor government.
“It really is impossible to understand Melbourne in 2021 without thinking about the enormous contribution of the Greek Australian community but what is exciting to me about our visit today is that its not something about our past. It is something about our future… and to see the energy that you and your board have for the future of this physical place and the new initiatives you’ve got planned and your commitment to culture, language, to the identity of this diasporic community is something that I’m excited about and hope to be an effective partner in.”
