Greece Will Allow Pets at More Than 120 Archaeology Sites, But Not the Acropolis or Ancient Olympia

ARTnews ^ | April 28, 2023 | KAREN K. HO

[nickcarraway]

Pet owners who love to travel, as well those that live in Greece, will soon have a lot more places to take their beloved animal companions. This week, the country’s Culture Ministry announced that pets will soon be allowed into more than 120 archaeological sites—but not some of the most popular locations for tourists.

The policy change was unanimously approved by Greece’s Central Archaeological Council. But pet owners shouldn’t rush to make plans, as the organization did not specify an implementation date for the new regulations.

Pets still won’t be allowed at popular sites like the Acropolis in Athens, Knossos in Crete, Olympia, and Delphi due to their large annual populations of visitors, as well as as ancient theaters, temples, graves and monuments with mosaic floors.

Currently, only guide dogs for disabled visitors are allowed into the country’s archaeological sites.

The decision is “a first, but important, step toward harmonizing the framework of accessibility to monuments and archaeological sites with the standards of other European countries, where entry rules for pets already apply,” Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said in a statement.

The new policy stipulates that dogs need to be on a leash no more than 3 feet long. The animals can also be carried by their owners in a pouch or a pet carrying case. Larger dogs will be required to wear a muzzle.

The culture ministry said pet owners will also be required to show health certificates for the accompanying animal and carry the supplies needed for picking up poop in order to be allowed entry into the archaeological sites.

For pet owners who change their minds about visiting these historical areas with their furry friends, the ministry said there will be cages installed at the entrances to more than 110 archaeological sites.

[nickcarraway]

Trained dogs could be a great asset, but what about the ones that bury every bone they found?

[nickcarraway]

Ping

[Organic Panic]

I would rather see pets at these places than the current crop of illegal immigrant thieving Africans

[MikeSteelBe]

If Turkey attacked Iraq from the rear, would Greece help?

[GaltAdonis]

No dog poop allowed in the Acropolis.

Understandable...

?

[Wally_Kalbacken]

I think you mean on the Acropolis. Or in the Parthenon.

I visited there late last year - the museum is most impressive, but the site itself is a bit of a challenge. You have all these stone slabs and chunks that were either discarded or are the result of the major explosion that ruined the Parthenon in 1867 that spread things out a bit. I can understand the conflicting objectives of preserving the past and making things visitor friendly - but they need to carefully improve pedestrian access to the Acropolis. It's clear there is nothing like ADA-compliance in Greece!

[Vaduz]

People with pets shouldn’t be allowed at archaeology sites no reason for it period.

[LouAvul]

Heck, I don’t even think we should allow pets at Walmart, but, there they are. If you can’t leave home without your dog, then you shouldn’t leave home.

[BigJimSportCamper]

Acrapolis...

[GaltAdonis]

LOL!

[Ezekiel]

Acrapolis...

Here we go, another whizz kid! 🤣

[Ezekiel]

For pet owners who change their minds about visiting these historical areas with their furry friends, the ministry said there will be cages installed at the entrances to more than 110 archaeological sites.

That's got 'Far Side' written all over it!

[nicollo]

We visited Athens in ‘07, and there were stray dogs all over the historical sites, including nearly all the way up to the top of the Acropolis.

[GaltAdonis]

The hanging Gardens of Poopylon?

[Ezekiel]

The hanging Gardens of Poopylon?

That's really Badylon!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks nickcarraway. I just did the Digest, but this one is an add-not-ping topic.

I see the keyword troll (a real ***hole) has been active here. Must have gotten busted for his or her earlier spam and changed the words.

[SunkenCiv]

Selections from the Crete keyword, sorted:

• Ancient Rome: Sunken City Devastated by a Tsunami 1,600 Years Ago Discovered off Tunisian Coast [05/29/2023]
• Discovery of the temple of Poseidon located at the Kleidi site near Samikon in Greece [01/15/2023]
• Cretan Antiquing [12/23/2022]
• New Discoveries At The Temple Of Demeter In Crete [11/20/2022]
• Study Challenges Views On What Drove Major Changes In Ancient Greek Society On Crete [08/28/2022]
• Pathogens Detected in Bronze Age Remains in Greece [08/14/2022]
• Talos of Crete: A 2,000-Year-Old Tale of the First Robot God [05/23/2022]
• Age constraints for the Trachilos footprints from Crete [10/12/2021]
• Ancient Cemetery for Infants Found on Greek Island [05/03/2021]
• Greek Farmer Stumbles Upon Ancient Minoan Tomb Revealing Concealed Chamber [03/08/2021]
• 1656: The Chief Black and White Eunuchs of Topkapi Palace [03/04/2021]
• The Minoan island town of Pseira [02/27/2021]
• Earthquake strikes in Aegean Sea off coast of Turkey, Greece [10/30/2020]
• Earthquake in the Aegean rattles Greece and Turkey [10/30/2020]
• New Secrets Unearthed at Minoan Palace of Zominthos on Crete [10/19/2020]
• The mathematical values of Linear A fraction signs: Unravelling number enigmas on ancient Crete [09/17/2020]
• France sends jets and ships to tense east Mediterranean [08/13/2020]
• Smithfield plant in Crete now says it will stay open; workers briefly walk out in protest [04/28/2020]
• The mystery of the 'blue monkeys' in ancient Grecian frescoes, solved [04/27/2020]
• Tree rings could pin down Thera volcano eruption date [03/30/2020]
• Cyprus, Greece, Israel to sign pipeline deal on Jan. 2 [12/27/2019]
• Lost "Atlantean": Treasures Found in Crete [11/12/2019]
• Groundbreaking study: Ancient tin ingots found in Israel were mined in England [09/23/2019]
• Ancient Tablets May Reveal What Destroyed Minoan Civilization [09/16/2019]
• Biomolecular analyses of Roopkund skeletons show Mediterranean migrants in Indian Himalaya [08/22/2019]
• Greek Farmer Accidentally Discovers 3,400-Year-Old Minoan Tomb Hidden Under Olive Grove [08/10/2019]
• 3,200-Year-Old Cyclopean Masonry Fortress... Ancient Thrace Was Part of Mycenaean Civilization [tr] [10/27/2018]
• Minoan palace of Zominthos in Crete yields exciting Bronze Age finds [09/30/2018]
• Intact tomb of Bronze Age Minoan man discovered in Ierapetra, Crete [08/25/2018]
• Farmer Discovers Rare Tombstone from Late Minoan III Period on Crete [08/18/2018]
• Neandertals, Stone Age people may have voyaged the Mediterranean [05/05/2018]
• What Can an Ancient General Teach Us About Modern Leadership? [01/31/2018]
• Controversial footprint discovery suggests human-like creatures may have roamed Crete [09/01/2017]
• The Discovery that Revealed Ancient Humans Navigated the Seas 130,000 Years Ago [2013] [07/15/2016]
• 3600-year-old Swedish Axes Were Made With Copper From Cyprus [05/12/2016]
• Archaeological discovery yields surprising revelations about Europe's oldest city [01/08/2016]
• Archaeologist Claims to Have Unlocked Phaistos Disk Mystery [again] [12/20/2015]
• Grave of 'Griffin Warrior' at Pylos Could Be a Gateway to Civilizations [10/27/2015]
• The Minoans of Crete [05/07/2015]
• 10 Mysterious Underwater Cities You Haven't Heard Of [12/14/2014]
• 4000-Year-Old Phaistos Disk Decoded [10/29/2014]
• Mystery of 4,000-year-old 'CD-ROM' is solved [10/26/2014]
• Ancient Palace's Painted Floors Display Bronze-Age Creativity [01/06/2014]
• Eleutherna, the heart of Crete [09/28/2013]
• Akrotiri, Santorini: the Minoan Pompeii - part 6 [07/25/2013]
• Akrotiri, Santorini: the Minoan Pompeii - part 5 [07/22/2013]
• Akrotiri, Santorini: the Minoan Pompeii -- part 4 [07/21/2013]
• Akrotiri, Santorini: the Minoan Pompeii - part 3 [07/20/2013]
• Akrotiri, Santorini: the Minoan Pompeii - part 2 [07/07/2013]
• The Riddle Of The Labyrinth: The Quest To Break An Ancient Code [06/30/2013]
• Minoan civilization was made in Europe [05/14/2013]
• Which volcanoes impacted ancient climate? Sulphur tells the story [02/14/2013]
• Making Merry at Knossos or their's a sucker born every minute [01/03/2013]
• Ancient Mariners: Did Neanderthals Sail to Mediterranean? [11/24/2012]
• Anthropologist suggests Mediterranean islands inhabited much earlier than thought [11/16/2012]
• Crete, 3500-year-old Minoan building found: From same period as Knossos Palace, over 1,300 square m [10/08/2012]
• Atlantis: The Evidence [ Thera, Crete, the usual modern myths ] [05/20/2012]
• Neanderthals were ancient mariners [03/02/2012]
• Four Unknown Shipwrecks Found [ Crete ] [02/22/2012]
• Underwater archaeology: Hunt for the ancient mariner [01/26/2012]
• Earliest Sample of Minoan Hieroglyphics Found in Western Crete [11/18/2011]
• News from Finds at the Minoan Palace of Zakros [10/29/2011]
• Top 10 uncracked codes [02/03/2011]
• Cretan tools point to 130,000-year-old sea travel [01/03/2011]
• Archaeologists On Crete Find Skeleton Covered With Gold Foil In 2,700-year-old Grave [10/01/2010]
• Computers to translate world's 'lost' languages after program deciphers ancient text [07/21/2010]
• Fortifications on Gournia Debunk Myth of Peaceful Minoan Society [05/04/2010]
• Dynasty of Priestesses [ Iron Age necropolis of Orthi Petra at Eleutherna on Crete ] [03/02/2010]
• First Minoan Shipwreck: An unprecedented find off the coast of Crete [02/23/2010]
• On Crete, New Evidence of Very Ancient Mariners [02/17/2010]
• Ancient hominids may have been seafarers [01/14/2010]
• Akrotiri, Santorini: the Minoan Pompeii - part 1 [of 6] [11/01/2009]
• Crete quarry could be original site of ancient Greek Labyrinth [10/16/2009]
• Modernist minotaurs [06/25/2009]
• Phaistos Disk: Greek or Luwian? [06/25/2009]
• Decipherments of the Phaistos Disk: NOT! [06/18/2009]
• Decoding antiquity: Eight scripts that still can't be read [05/29/2009]
• Making merry at Knossos [05/15/2009]
• Ancient Greece's 'global warming' [05/08/2009]
• Grog of the Greeks [ barley beer, honey mead, retsina wine ] [10/20/2008]
• Phaistos Disc declared as fake by scholar [07/30/2008]
• DNA Sheds Light On Minoans [04/04/2008]
• Tsunami that devastated the ancient world could return [03/09/2008]
• Did a Tsunami Wipe Out a Cradle of Western Civilization? [01/15/2008]
• Image of Mythological Minotaur Labyrinth Unearthed in Bulgaria [06/16/2007]
• Santorini Eruption Much larger Than Originally Believed [08/23/2006]
• Crete: isle of the dead? [08/03/2006]
• Bulgaria Unearths Acropolis-Rivalling Ancient Sanctuary [07/21/2006]
• ARCHAEOLOGY: New Carbon Dates Support Revised History of Ancient Mediterranean [04/27/2006]
• Unprecedented mathematical knowledge found in (Minoan) Bronze Age wall paintings. [03/02/2006]
• Greek treasures unearthed (Minoans, Linear A, Linear B) [11/12/2005]
• Roman Theatre Goddesses Unearthed In Crete (Athena & Hera) [09/30/2005]
• The Phaistos Disk [09/22/2005]
• Protopalatial Sanctuary at Anemospilia (Archanes), More on the Peaceful Minoans [07/30/2005]
• Prehistoric Archaeology of the Aegean, Human Sacrifice [07/26/2005]
• Cretan Excavation Sheds New Light On Dark Ages Of Greek History [12/07/2004]
• The Linear B Tablets and Mycenaean Social, Political, and Economic Organization [08/29/2004]
• Ireland Is Lost Island of Atlantis, Says Scientist [08/06/2004]
• 50 Ancient Tombs Uncovered (1400BC, Crete) [07/18/2004]
• Debate Erupts Anew: Did Thera's Explosion Doom Minoan Crete? [10/23/2003]
• 'Cyclops' - Like Remains Found On Crete [02/01/2003]
• Who Really Discovered America? [07/14/2002]