Free Republic

Recent archaeological research at the El Cerrón site in Illescas, Toledo, is reshaping traditional views of ancient Carpetania, a central Iberian region long considered culturally marginal. A study led by Universidad Autónoma de Madrid researcher Pablo Sánchez de Oro, published in the journal Antiquity, introduces firm evidence to propose that Carpetania's local elite were actively involved in Mediterranean trade and cultural networks throughout the Late Iron Age (4th–1st centuries BCE).At the center of this find is a stunning terracotta relief discovered in Structure 2, which has been interpreted by archaeologists as a sanctuary. The artifact depicts a procession that includes...

The dominant literary culture of the late 20th century loved to tear down the heroes of the past, focusing almost entirely on their flaws while belittling the virtues, beliefs, and deeds that made them worthy of admiration in the first place. I have written about this annoying tendency previously on several occasions, including here and here. In our own time, we are afflicted with a slightly different problem: cultural arbiters who know almost nothing about the great men and women who went before them, save the cherry-picked anecdotes that magically seem to support their political cause of the moment. It...

A former Fire Service chief and nine others have been convicted for their roles in managing a 2018 wildfire that killed more than 100 people outside Athens. Several former civil administrators on trial were acquitted at a hearing that was disrupted by protests from victims’ relatives. The fire, which broke out in the seaside area of Mati, east of Athens, spread rapidly due to strong winds. Many residents died trying to escape — either by car through a dense forest or fleeing into the sea. Advertisement According to Associated Press, senior officials from the Fire Service and civil protection agencies...

Greek authorities in Thessaloniki located and seized 1.6 mln euros worth of cocaine hidden inside a container of bananas from Ecuador. Greek authorities in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki located and seized a significant quantity of cocaine hidden inside a container of bananas from Ecuador, reports MEGA TV. During targeted inspections in the early morning hours of Tuesday at the container terminal (SEMBO), fifty plastic packages containing a total of 57.919 kilograms of the narcotic substance were discovered. The packages were carefully concealed within the container’s refrigeration units. Oddly enough, this is not the first time that a shipment...

A troupe of pole dancers have sparked fury in Greece after video emerged showing the half-naked performers staging a photoshoot in front of the Old Palace on Corfu. Greek media shared video showing British onlookers watching outside the Palace of St. Michael and St. George in the early hours of this morning. One of the clips shows two women balancing together on a pole in bright red underwear. In another, a woman in black thong leotard is cheered on by a British woman who shouts 'yes Shelly, nice!'.

One morning, a Greek woman makes coffee. By sunset, she decided to end her marriage because ChatGPT told her that her husband was cheating. Yes, you read that correctly, AI is now a marriage counsellor and has evidence while brewing drama. When AI meets coffee Forget therapy sessions and horoscopes. In 2025, you can snap a photo of leftover Greek coffee, upload it to ChatGPT, and let that machine spirit inform you of your fate—or, in this specific case, your husband’s supposed affair with a mystery woman whose name begins with “E.” According to Greek media, the woman in question...

In the seventh century BCE, the Greek poet Homer wrote the Odyssey. This fascinating tale of adventure and loss would captivate readers for centuries, even millennia. It tells the story of Odysseus attempting to travel home after the Trojan War. One of the most intriguing things about this lengthy poem is that there is significant controversy surrounding the locations mentioned throughout. Based on the best available evidence, where did Odysseus really travel to in the Odyssey? Does the Odyssey take place all over the Mediterranean? The most common belief is that the Odyssey takes place over a very large area....

For as long as there has been war, there has been a need to reveal what the enemy is planning. This was no less true in ancient Greece where generals and statesmen relied on espionage to reveal the intentions and capabilities of their adversaries. The philosopher Plato believed that the ancient Greek states were in a constant state of war, whether declared or undeclared. It was within this grey zone that the subtleties of espionage took place, a dimension of foreign affairs that remains true to this day. Like the practice of spying itself, the sources regarding espionage in ancient...

Discovered in the sandy countryside near Oxyrhynchus, the document offers a rare glimpse into the structured world of professional athletes during Roman rule. This Greek text, preserved by Egypt's arid climate, reveals the administrative side of ancient athletic organizations and highlights the enduring influence of Greek cultural practices in Roman Egypt.This small archaeological discovery from many years ago is a living piece of history that shows us the love for sports that people in Ancient Greece and Rome had. This is why they were so meticulous and organized, in a way very similar to today's gym memberships...The letter mentions someone...

If there is a single moment in time in which the fate of Western civilization was decided, it is the battle of Marathon, 490 BC. The Persians under their king Darius landed in Greece, only 26 miles from Athens itself. A vastly outnumbered Greek force marched out to meet them. The Persians had already conquered huge swathes of the Middle East and South Asia. A relative handful of quarrelsome Greeks seemed unlikely to pose much of a challenge to them. But they were. When the day was done, the Persians were vanquished. The idea of Persian invincibility was destroyed forever....

Poland has agreed to return to Greece 76 Greek Jewish artifacts to be displayed in the Jewish Museum of Greece in Athens, the Greek Culture Ministry has announced. The ministry had filed a formal request for the repatriation of the historical artifacts before Lina Mendoni, the Greek Minister of Culture who, while attending the Informal Council of EU Culture Ministers, met with her Polish counterpart Hanna Wroblewska in Warsaw to finalize the deal. The artifacts, currently housed at the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, Poland were discovered in Lower Silesia and hold deep historical and emotional significance for Greece’s Jewish...

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION On March 25, 1821, fueled by the rallying cry, “Freedom or Death,” Greek revolutionaries began a war for independence against the Ottoman Empire. The hard-fought victory established a sovereign Greek state and a national homeland for Greece. On the 204th anniversary of Greek Independence Day, we honor this heroic fight for freedom, and the enduring democratic ideals that continue to inspire the world. America is inextricably tied to both ancient and modern Greece. We are tethered by history and tradition, the struggle for self-governance, emancipation, and rebirth. Our Founding...

On March 25, 1821, fueled by the rallying cry, “Freedom or Death,” Greek revolutionaries began a war for independence against the Ottoman Empire. The hard-fought victory established a sovereign Greek state and a national homeland for Greece. On the 204th anniversary of Greek Independence Day, we honor this heroic fight for freedom, and the enduring democratic ideals that continue to inspire the world. America is inextricably tied to both ancient and modern Greece. We are tethered by history and tradition, the struggle for self-governance, emancipation, and rebirth. Our Founding Fathers drew inspiration from Greek philosophers and statesmen to form the...

The European Parliament has, once again, found itself at the heart of a corruption scandal, this time involving the Chinese tech giant Huawei. Police raids have been carried out across Belgium and Portugal amid suspicions of bribery, forgery, money laundering, and organized criminal activity. The European Parliament’s latest corruption scandal unfolds even as the previous one—the so-called ‘Qatargate’ affair—remains under investigation and litigation, further deepening preexisting concerns about foreign influence in EU institutions. The Qatargate scandal, which surfaced more than two years ago, involves allegations that Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), lobbyists, and their families accepted substantial sums of...

Buddhism, a religion, or according to some, a path towards experiencing ultimate reality, was founded by Siddhārtha Gautama, a man from India also referred to as “The Buddha”. Buddhism is practiced in various parts of the world and the Ancient Greeks played a significant role in the mission of spreading it. Buddha, after reaching the state of what is called “enlightenment”, remained under the Bodhi tree, a sacred fig tree under which Buddha is said to have gained such awareness, for another seven weeks. He then traveled to Sarnath and delivered his first sermon at Deer Park. This event is...

Various groups over the past two centuries have suggested that the people of Atlantis migrated to Europe after their civilization was destroyed and sank into the sea. This includes the Nazis, who used this belief as a basis for their ideas about racial superiority. What do the facts reveal about the argument that the inhabitants of ancient Atlantis migrated to Europe? Who were the Atlanteans? Atlantis was a mythical island described by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. Its inhabitants, the Atlanteans, were an advanced and powerful people, known for their wealth, technology, and military might. However, their growing arrogance and...

Clashes between riot police and protesters in Athens... Three federal inmates suing...medical care for transgender... A firing squad executing convicted double murderer... A British newspaper "The Telegraph" alleges that US President... Yemen's Houthi leader giving Israel a four-day deadline... Israel airstrikes in southern Lebanon... Actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy died of natural causes... A mission to rescue army troops in South Sudan failed when a UN helicopter was attacked... Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari resigning his post following controversy... President Donald Trump saying 250 percent tariffs could be imposed on Canadian... Federal grants to Columbia University...rescinded....

Two beaches in Greece are on the list of the places that have the whitest sand in the world, a recent study found. The research that was conducted recently by CV Villas has revealed some fascinating information about the world’s most pristine and white sand beaches. It is common knowledge that Greece is home to some of the most spectacular beaches in Europe if not the entire world, so it comes as no surprise that two Greek beaches made notable appearances on the list. This study was based on scientific color theory and therefore analyzed the RGB color codes of...

In many parts of Europe and beyond, the end of the First World War did not mean an end to the fighting. >Russian Civil War 1917-1923 ... >Finnish Civil War 1918 Finland was a Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire when the First World War broke out. The Russian Revolution in 1917 left a power vacuum in Finland and a struggle ensued between the conservative Whites who wanted independence from Soviet Russia and the socialist Reds who opposed the separation. >German Revolution 1918-1919 ... >Estonian-Soviet 1918-1920 Estonia was part of the Russian Empire when the First World War began. It...

The Balkan Peninsula... by the early 20th century, the Ottoman Empire was in steep decline. This decline fueled nationalist movements in the Balkans, where various ethnic groups sought independence or territorial expansion. Countries like Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria, and Montenegro, which had gained independence or autonomy in the previous century, aspired to expand their territories further, often at the expense of their neighbors and the Ottoman Empire. These aspirations were driven by both nationalistic fervor and the desire to control strategic territories like Macedonia, a region with a highly diverse population. In response to these growing tensions, the Balkan League—a coalition...