Chalkis or Halkida is the capital of the island of Evia (Euboea) in Greece. It’s situated on the strait of the Evripos (Euripus) at its narrowest point. This straight connects two gulfs and it is the place where a strange natural phenomenon occurs. Particularly in this place, the tide gives the viewer the impression that there is a river, the water of which flows sometimes to the north and sometimes to the south. One has the impression that the one gulf empties its water to the other one. This phenomenon attracted the curiosity of many scientists from the ancient years until today. The Evripos Strait which separates the city and the island from the mainland was bridged in 1962 with sliding bridge.
Pictures of the Sliding Bridge and the port of Halkida
(click for full-size image)
Kevrekidis Photography 2007
24 October, 2007
18 October, 2007
Archeological Eretria
The earliest surviving mention of Eretria was by Homer (Iliad), who listed Eretria as one of the Greek cities which sent ships to the Trojan War. In the 8th century BC, Eretria and her near neighbour and rival, Chalcis, were both powerful and prosperous trading cities, and the Eretrians controlled the Aegean islands of Andros, Tenos and Ceos. They also held lands in Boeotia on the Greek mainland. At the end of the 8th century, however, Eretria and Chalcis fought the Lelantine War. Little is known of the details of this war, but it is clear that Eretria was defeated, and lost her lands in Boeotia and her Aegean dependencies. Neither Eretria nor Chalcis ever again counted for much in Greek politics. As a result of this defeat, Eretria turned to colonisation. She planted colonies in the northern Aegean, on the coast of Macedon (Macedonia – Northern Greece), and also in Italy and Sicily. The Eretreans were Ionians, and were thus natural allies of Athens. When the Ionian Greeks in Asia Minor rebelled against Persia in 499, Eretria joined Athens in sending aid to the rebels. As a result, Darius made a point of punishing Eretria during his invasion of Greece. In 490 the city was sacked and burned by the Persians.
During the 5th century the whole of Euboea became part of the Delian League, which later became the Athenian Empire. During the Peloponnesian War Eretria was an Athenian ally against her Dorian rivals Sparta and Corinth. But soon the Eretrians, along with the rest of the Empire, found Athenian domination oppressive. When the Spartans defeated the Athenians at the battle of Eretria in 411, the Euboian cities all rebelled. After her eventual defeat by Sparta, Athens soon recovered, and re-established her hegemony over Euboea, which was an essential source of grain for the urban population. The Eretrians rebelled again in 349, and this time the Athenians could not recover control. In 343 supporters of Philip II of Macedon gained control of the city, but the Athenians under Demosthenes recaptured it in 341. The Battle of Chaeronea in 338, in which Philip defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes, securing Macedonian hegemony, and Eretria dwindled to become a provincial town. In 198 it was plundered by the Romans. In 87 it was finally destroyed in the Mithridatic Wars and abandoned.
Archeological Museum of Eretria, Greece.
Terracotta Gorgoneion, 4th century BC.
Funerary Stele with Rams on either side of a vase.
The inscription on it reads "Pantauchos son of Theodoros".
Kevrekidis Photography on deviantART
During the 5th century the whole of Euboea became part of the Delian League, which later became the Athenian Empire. During the Peloponnesian War Eretria was an Athenian ally against her Dorian rivals Sparta and Corinth. But soon the Eretrians, along with the rest of the Empire, found Athenian domination oppressive. When the Spartans defeated the Athenians at the battle of Eretria in 411, the Euboian cities all rebelled. After her eventual defeat by Sparta, Athens soon recovered, and re-established her hegemony over Euboea, which was an essential source of grain for the urban population. The Eretrians rebelled again in 349, and this time the Athenians could not recover control. In 343 supporters of Philip II of Macedon gained control of the city, but the Athenians under Demosthenes recaptured it in 341. The Battle of Chaeronea in 338, in which Philip defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes, securing Macedonian hegemony, and Eretria dwindled to become a provincial town. In 198 it was plundered by the Romans. In 87 it was finally destroyed in the Mithridatic Wars and abandoned.
Archeological Museum of Eretria, Greece.
Terracotta Gorgoneion, 4th century BC.
Funerary Stele with Rams on either side of a vase.
The inscription on it reads "Pantauchos son of Theodoros".
Kevrekidis Photography on deviantART
Labels:
Archeology,
Eretria,
Evia,
Greece,
Greek,
History,
Kevrekidis,
Macedonia,
Mythology,
photography
The Acropolis of Athens, Greece
The Parthenon
The Parthenon is the most important and characteristic monument of the ancient Greek civilization and still remains its international symbol. It was dedicated to Athena Parthenos, the patron goddess of Athens. It was built between 447 and 438 B.C. The construction of the monument was initiated by Perikles; the supervisor of the whole work was Pheidias, the famous Athenian sculptor, while Iktinos and Kallikrates were the architects of the building. The temple is built in the Doric order and almost exclusively of Pentelic marble.
The Erechtheion
The Erechtheion was built in 420 B.C. in the Ionic order. It has a prostasis on the east side, a monumental propylon on the north, and the famous porch of the Caryatids on the south. The main temple was divided into two sections, dedicated to the worship of the two principal gods of Attica, Athena and Poseidon - Erechtheus.
The Caryatids
Statues of young women clad in peplos. They supported the roof of the south porch of the Erechtheion (420 B.C.), and probably were the work of Alkamenes, a student of the great sculptor Pheidias.
The Propylaea
The monumental gateway of the Acropolis was designed by the architect Mnesikles and constructed in 437-432 B.C. It comprises a central building and two lateral wings. The colonnades along the west and east sides had a row of Doric columns while two rows of Ionic columns divided the central corridor into three parts.
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a stone theatre structure located on the south slope of the Acropolis of Athens. It was built in 161 AD by Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife, Regilla. It was originally a steep-sloped amphitheater wide with a three-storey stone front wall and a wooden roof, and was used as a venue for music concerts and had a capacity of 5,000. The audience stands and the orchestra (stage) were restored in the 1950s. Since then it has been hosting the theatrical, musical, and dance performances of the Athens Festival, which runs from June through September each year.
Kevrekidis Photography
Greece - Archeology & History
The Parthenon is the most important and characteristic monument of the ancient Greek civilization and still remains its international symbol. It was dedicated to Athena Parthenos, the patron goddess of Athens. It was built between 447 and 438 B.C. The construction of the monument was initiated by Perikles; the supervisor of the whole work was Pheidias, the famous Athenian sculptor, while Iktinos and Kallikrates were the architects of the building. The temple is built in the Doric order and almost exclusively of Pentelic marble.
The Erechtheion
The Erechtheion was built in 420 B.C. in the Ionic order. It has a prostasis on the east side, a monumental propylon on the north, and the famous porch of the Caryatids on the south. The main temple was divided into two sections, dedicated to the worship of the two principal gods of Attica, Athena and Poseidon - Erechtheus.
The Caryatids
Statues of young women clad in peplos. They supported the roof of the south porch of the Erechtheion (420 B.C.), and probably were the work of Alkamenes, a student of the great sculptor Pheidias.
The Propylaea
The monumental gateway of the Acropolis was designed by the architect Mnesikles and constructed in 437-432 B.C. It comprises a central building and two lateral wings. The colonnades along the west and east sides had a row of Doric columns while two rows of Ionic columns divided the central corridor into three parts.
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a stone theatre structure located on the south slope of the Acropolis of Athens. It was built in 161 AD by Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife, Regilla. It was originally a steep-sloped amphitheater wide with a three-storey stone front wall and a wooden roof, and was used as a venue for music concerts and had a capacity of 5,000. The audience stands and the orchestra (stage) were restored in the 1950s. Since then it has been hosting the theatrical, musical, and dance performances of the Athens Festival, which runs from June through September each year.
Kevrekidis Photography
Greece - Archeology & History
Firefighting in Greece
Dozens of villages have burned down while hundreds of thousands of acres of forest have been destroyed in the fires that broke out across central and southern Greece in August 2007.
After Greece declared a nationwide state of emergency, many European Union and Mediterranean countries such as Cyprus, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Israel began sending firefighting aircraft to Greece.
Greek firefighters and Army aided by foreign volunteers, fought blazes on the island of Evia and on the Peloponnesian prefectures of Ileia, Arcadia and Messinia. It is estimated that more than 100,000 people have been affected by the wildfires while 67 people have lost their lives.
The fires are also responsible for the destruction of a large number of homes, damage to communications, electric, and water infrastructure.
Fire-fighting pictures from Evia, Greece (on deviantART):
After Greece declared a nationwide state of emergency, many European Union and Mediterranean countries such as Cyprus, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Israel began sending firefighting aircraft to Greece.
Greek firefighters and Army aided by foreign volunteers, fought blazes on the island of Evia and on the Peloponnesian prefectures of Ileia, Arcadia and Messinia. It is estimated that more than 100,000 people have been affected by the wildfires while 67 people have lost their lives.
The fires are also responsible for the destruction of a large number of homes, damage to communications, electric, and water infrastructure.
Fire-fighting pictures from Evia, Greece (on deviantART):
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