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Greek experts to excavate Alexander's colony in Kuwait
Middle East Times ^ | August 1, 2007 | unattributed

Posted on 08/03/2007 6:23:12 AM PDT by SunkenCiv

Greek archaeologists plan to excavate an ancient colony founded by Alexander the Great in the Gulf of Kuwait in the fourth century BC, officials said Wednesday. "The site on Failaka Island is of particular importance to [Greece] as it was founded by Macedonians and other Greeks on Alexander the Great's expeditionary force," said culture ministry general secretary Christos Zahopoulos. The agreement between Greece and Kuwait signed in July will enable the Greek team to excavate the ancient town of Icarus on the island, organize the site, and restore its finds, the ministry said in a statement... Prior excavation on Failaka Island by French archaeologists has partially unearthed the Greek outpost, believed to have been created by forces under the command of Alexander's admiral Nearchus in the fourth century BC. A temple to Artemis, the ancient Greek goddess of hunting, has been found on the site along with Greek coins, idols, vessels, and an inscription bearing 43 verses in Greek, Zahopoulos said. The inscription sustained damage in the Iraqi invasion of 1991, which also forced the evacuation of Failaka's inhabitants. Archaeologists from Denmark, the US, Italy, and Slovakia have also worked on the now-deserted island, whose name is believed to be descended from 'fylakio,' the Greek word for outpost.

(Excerpt) Read more at metimes.com ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: godsgravesglyphs
Alexander the Great was Macedonian, but as conqueror of Greece, he also relied on Greek troops, both from Greece and Anatolia, and from various parts of the former Persian Empire, as Greek mercenaries and other Greek forces had worked for the Persians. I'm only saying that as a "rapist of historical truth." ;')
Greek experts to excavate Alexanders colony in Kuwait

1 posted on 08/03/2007 6:23:16 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
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To: blam; FairOpinion; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 24Karet; 3AngelaD; 49th; ...
Archaeologica is cookin' this week. Anyway, this is the first really interesting development in the Gulf States in quite a long while, IMHO.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

2 posted on 08/03/2007 6:24:30 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Profile updated Thursday, August 2, 2007. https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: wazoo1031

Ping!


3 posted on 08/03/2007 6:55:14 AM PDT by Allegra (14)
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To: SunkenCiv

What you said, SC. In his day the Greeks didn’t consider Phillip and Alexander Greeks at all but heathen barbarians.


4 posted on 08/03/2007 7:14:27 AM PDT by metesky ("Brethren, leave us go amongst them." Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnston Clayton - Ward Bond- The Searchers)
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To: metesky

Thanks metesky.


5 posted on 08/03/2007 7:18:15 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Profile updated Thursday, August 2, 2007. https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: SunkenCiv

As I recall, when Alexander retreated from India he chose to march across a stretch of Persian desert while his fleet was to hug the coast and meet them somewhere along the Persian gulf. Many of the Greeks died because of this miscalculation.

I wonder if this site might have been a stopover for the fleet.


6 posted on 08/03/2007 10:01:30 AM PDT by wildbill
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To: wildbill

:’) The fleet and army was supposed to rendezvous along the Iranian coast, but one or the other didn’t make it, possibly the flotilla couldn’t find the right landfall, perhaps it was a weather problem. Alexander could indeed have taken a different route, but it could be he just wanted to check out part of his new realm that he’d not yet seen. They’d gone through some pretty nasty country before that.

It amazes me that anyone thought some of that country was worth conquering, yet from at least the Elamites, a lot of different groups thought so.

Probably the port was built to service military and commercial vessels plying the east-west monsoon route.


7 posted on 08/03/2007 10:24:46 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Profile updated Thursday, August 2, 2007. https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: metesky; SunkenCiv
"What you said, SC. In his day the Greeks didn’t consider Phillip and Alexander Greeks at all but heathen barbarians."

Not quite accurate there, King Philip participate in the Olympic games and every other event deemed for Greeks only. If ancient Greeks didn't consider Philip or Alexander as Greeks they would not have been allowed to participate in these events, and Macedonians have been by this time taking part in such Greek only events since before King Philips grandfather's grandfather grandfather many greats was even born. People mistakenly associate Demosthenes' speeches for Athens to that of all Greeks. Not so. For one Demosthenes was speaking only for Athens, he was very Athens-centric if you will. Secondly he was the only one who considered Philip a "barbarian" based upon the politic of the day, not that calling someone a 'barbarian' meant much when used in politics, it was a typical trick used by many of an ancient Greek against other Greeks a plotical ploy to undermind your opponent. Similar to how modern politicians play the "you're a not true [enter your nationality here] if you do not follow me" routine. There was a huge revelry going on between Athens and Macedonia during that time period, similar to the ones that were seen between Athens and Sparta on a number of times, which is why some Athenians like Demosthenes were hostile towards Philip and other Athenians like Aeschines and Isocrates, who applealed to King Philip to reconcile the Greeks and lead them against Persia, were not hostile towards Philip. Demosthenes never called the Macedonians barbarians, only Philip, neither did any other Greeks viewed the Macedonians as not Greeks. On the contrary one of the longest and most complete ancient Greek court documents that we have is between Aeschines against Demosthenes and Timarchos. Aeschines, like Isocrates, was in favor for King Philips plan to lead the Greeks against the Persians. Demosthenes and Timarchos were not, so they accused Aeschines of high treason and he counter-accused them the result being one of the most well perserved legal document we have from ancient Greece in regards to their laws. :-)

Never the less, great article just the same, I haven't seen this one yet, thanks for posting. A few other recent ancient finds from Greece that are interesting:

Giant Prehistoric tusks found in Greece

3,000-year-old tomb from Mycenaean times discovered in Western Greece

Ancient Rome tombs found in Greece

8 posted on 08/04/2007 12:51:37 AM PDT by apro
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To: apro
Not quite accurate there.
:O)

As far as I can tell Phillip never paticipated personally in the Olympic Games, however after he was king for several years and recognized as a power to be dealt with, he did enter several of his horses in the races, one of which won his heat.

As for Demosthenes' Phillipics, while he was exhorting all the Greeks to resist Phillip, he was after all a citizen of Athens, which would indeed give him reason to be "Athens-centric".

Further, it's absurd to say that only Demosthenes considered the Macedonians barbarians:

These words echo the fact that the ancient Greeks regarded the ancient Macedonians as dangerous neighbors, never as kinsmen. They viewed them and their kings as barbarians (non-Greeks), a manner in which they treated all non-Greeks. Long before Philip II, the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, related how the Macedonian king Alexander I (498-454 BC), the Philhellene, that is "a friend of the Greeks" and naturally a non-Greek, wanted to take a part in the Olympic games. The Greek athletes protested, saying they would not run with a barbarian. Historian Thucydides also considered the Macedonians as barbarians and Thracymachus explicitly referred to the Macedonian king Archelaus (413-399 BC) as barbarian.

Thanks for the links to some good articles.

9 posted on 08/04/2007 3:25:03 AM PDT by metesky (Brought To You By Satriales Aerosol PorkChop Mist - The Finest New Jersey Has To Offer!)
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To: metesky
Apro was spot on. Also the sources that information is derived from should not come from biased sources who run Greek or modern Macedonian sites as this site does.
http://www.historyofmacedonia.org

Macedonians could participate in the Olympics centuries before King Philip was born. Historic accounts state King Philip participated and did win three events at three different Olympics: in 356 BCE the year Alexander was born, during the 106th Olympics he won the race riding his horse; 352 BCE during the 107th Olympicshe won the four-horse chariot race; and in 348 BCE during the the 108th Olympics he was the winner of the two colt chariot.
http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/olympics/journal2.shtml

As far as Demosthenes' Philippics goes he was hardly exhorting all the Greeks to resist Phillip, quite the opposite actually. He even reminds the Athenians that they fought with others against the Lacedaemonians(Spartans) for Greece so why don't they fight against Philip for Greece now, in other words Demosthenes makes their fight for Greece against Philip equivalent to their fight for Greece against Spartan, and Sparta is never called not Greek. In his condescending speech he makes it very clear that Athens has to fight by herself and not rely on anyone else or she will be taken down. He makes it very clear in his speech that there were Greeks who would side with Philip over Athens in this war. In other words a typical Hellenes vs Hellenes political war that we see often during the ancient Greek world.
"And let not this escape you, Athenians, that you have now the choice, whether you shall fight there, or he in your country. If Olynthus hold out, you will fight there and distress his dominions, enjoying your own home in peace. If Philip take that city, who shall then prevent his marching here? Thebans? I wish it be not too harsh to say, they will be ready to join in the invasion. Phocians? who can not defend their own country without your assistance. Or some other ally? But, good sir, he will not desire!"
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/lnppp10.txt

Another thing that apro stated which is spot on is the fact that Demosthenes' beef was with King Philip alone, he never stated anything about the Macedonians in general being 'barbarians' and in his second speech he makes himself clear that he does not believe the Macedonian subjects are to be blamed for their King's acts, in other words they are just as much "victims" of their King in Demosthenes' eyes:
"Think not, Athenians, that Philip and his subjects have the same likings. He desires glory, makes that his passion, is ready for any consequence of adventure and peril, preferring to a life of safety the honor of achieving what no Macedonian king ever did before. They have no share in the glorious result; ever harassed by these excursions up and down, they suffer and toil incessantly, allowed no leisure for their employments or private concerns, unable even to dispose of their hard earnings, the markets of the country being closed on account of the war. By this then may easily be seen, how the Macedonians in general are disposed to Philip. His mercenaries and guards, indeed, have the reputation of admirable and well-trained soldiers, but, as I heard from one who had been in the country, a man incapable of falsehood, they are no better than others. For if there be any among them experienced in battles and campaigns, Philip is jealous of such men and drives them away, he says, wishing to keep the glory of all actions to himself; his jealousy (among other failings) being excessive. Or if any man be generally good and virtuous, unable to bear Philip's daily intemperances, drunkenness, and indecencies."
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/lnppp10.txt

10 posted on 08/04/2007 2:12:48 PM PDT by peterpaul12345
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