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A recent analysis of classical medical texts suggests dementia was extremely rare in ancient Greece and Rome 2,000 to 2,500 years ago. The USC-led research, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, bolsters the idea that Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are diseases of modern environments and lifestyles, with sedentary behavior and exposure to air pollution largely to blame. “The ancient Greeks had very, very few—but we found them—mentions of something that would be like mild cognitive impairment,” said first author Caleb Finch, a University Professor at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. “When we got to the Romans,...

The Centauromachy was a mythical battle between the Lapith people, who were members of the ancient Greek tribe of Aeolians who lived in Thessaly, and the mythical centaurs—half-horse, half-man creatures in Greek mythology. Who were the Centaurs and the Lapiths? The Lapiths and the centaurs of ancient Greece were said to be related in that the clans supposedly descended—and acquired their names—from two mythical brothers: Lapithes and Centaurus. Centaurus, according to ancient Greek mythology, was the first being to group the stars into constellations, and taught others how to read them. It is said he formulated a picture of himself...

Dittany of Crete is an ancient Greek herb known for its “magical” healing properties which was mentioned in the world of Harry Potter. Dittany, known as Dictamo in Greek (Δίκταμο), is one of the symbols of Crete. It captivated ancient minds, with notable ancient Greek scholars praising its healing traits. Even to this day, it remains a part of Greek medical and culinary traditions. Dittany ancient Greek healing herb known since Minoan times Dittany of Crete is steeped in ancient legends, leading to the adoption of multiple names reflecting its use in Greek culture. Researchers suggest that this slender, small-leaved...

In 2003 and 2004, ESAG, in collaboration with Greek authorities, conducted a geophysical survey around Paleoekklisies Hill to identify traces of buried ancient buildings. In 2006, they received a permit to dig in the area of their survey that seemed to have the greatest potential. The team uncovered ancient building material, houses, and graves; however, they were from the wrong time period. There was a long history of settlement on Paleoekklisies Hill dating back to the third millennium b.c. In fact, in the second millennium b.c., the site appears to have been called Amarynthos. A clay tablet found in the...

Yemen’s Houthi group has agreed to allow tugboats and rescue ships to reach a damaged crude oil tanker in the Red Sea, Iran’s mission to the United Nations said on Wednesday, after the Iran-aligned militants attacked the Greek-flagged vessel last week.

Feta cheese is the “white gold” for Greece, said President of the National Union of Agricultural Cooperatives (NUAC) Pavlos Satolias. Satolias said in an interview with Peloponnisos newspaper that exports of the famous Greek cheese increase each year. At the moment, 65 percent of feta produced in the country is exported. The king of Greek cheeses has opened many markets around the world and can be found in every European country and Australia, as well as others in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. “In the balance of current transactions in the agri-food sector, feta has contributed 1 billion euros to...

Three fires have been observed on board a Greek-flagged oil tanker in the Red Sea, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Friday, one day after it was evacuated by its crew after being attacked by Yemeni Houthi militants.

Ah, olive oil. The golden elixir that has graced everything from the most luxurious Mediterranean feasts to the humble kitchen counters of suburban America. It’s been hailed as the heart-healthy darling of the culinary world, the so-called “nectar of the gods,” worshipped almost as fervently as the wine it accompanies. But is this liquid gold as divine as we’ve been led to believe, or is there something more nefarious lurking beneath its glossy surface? Let’s start with the basics. Olive oil is one of those pantry staples that’s been given an almost holy status. We’re told it can do no...

Both Buddhism and Stoicism emphasize self-control, ethical living, and the attainment of a passionless state. However, the Indian philosophy predated Stoicism by about 500 years. Did Buddhism influence Greek Stoicism and thought, and, if so, how did it do so a continent away? Similarities between Stoicism and Buddhism: A shared path to inner peace Practitioners of Stoicism and Buddhism deeply understand life’s impermanence and the need to overcome desires. The philosophies teach mental discipline and detachment from external circumstances as paths to inner peace. In Stoicism, “apatheia” means freedom from emotional disturbance, closely mirroring Buddhism’s “nirvana,” the liberation from suffering....

Newsweek reports that a water pipeline project on the Greek island of Evia has uncovered traces of a settlement dated to the fourth century B.C. A mosaic floor made with colored pebbles in white, black, red, and yellow has been found in a dwelling situated in the middle of the settlement. The center image of the mosaic features two satyrs, the male nature spirit companions of Dionysus, the Greek god of winemaking and fertility. One of the yellow-haired satyrs has a beard and appears to be dancing to music played by the other on a double flute. The square room...

New Zealand codifies forced injections in martial law ‘Pandemic Plan’.. Under the skin is the final authoritarian frontier; as many have noted before, if you don’t have control over what is injected into your body, you don’t have freedom in any meaningful sense of the word. If the Kiwis aren’t rioting in the streets of Auckland at this very moment, if this isn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back — either because the information space in New Zealand is so tightly controlled that they don’t know what their government is doing to them or because they are too psychologically/spiritually...

Bulgarian archaeologists stumbled upon unexpected treasure this week during a dig in an ancient Roman sewer - a well-preserved, marble statue depicting the Greek god Hermes.The discovery of the 6.8-foot (2-metre) tall statue was made during excavation work at the site of the ancient city of Heraclea Sintica in southwestern Bulgaria, which lies close to the Greek border.Archaeologists leading the work said that after an earthquake devastated the sprawling city in about A.D. 388, the statue had been carefully placed in the sewers and covered with soil, explaining its good condition."Its head is preserved. (It's in a) very good condition....

Archaeologists have carried out new excavations at the site of the ship that was carrying one of the world’s oldest scientific instruments among its valuable cargo of marble sculptures, ceramic vessels, and other items from the east to Greece, according to a statement released by the Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece (ESAG). The most extraordinary discovery the underwater team made was a portion of the ship’s hull preserved in excellent condition still in its original position from when the vessel sank in the first century B.C. “This allows us to better understand the ship’s construction characteristics that had remained...

According to a statement released by Public Library of Science, researchers have applied updated radiocarbon calibration techniques to revise the dating of the wreck of the Kyrenia, an ancient ship that was discovered and excavated off the coast of Cyprus in the late 1960s. Based on coins and ceramics recovered from the wreck, researchers had dated the ship to the late fourth or early third century B.C., which did not align with the radiocarbon dates from decades ago. Tree-ring dating is crucial in obtaining accurate radiocarbon dates because it helps correct errors caused by variations over time in atmospheric carbon....

More than 40 years ago, a Turkish sponge diver named Mehmet Çakir caused a stir among Anatolian archaeologists when he showed them sketches of objects that he had seen lying 150 feet deep on the seafloor off the coast of Kas, in southwestern Turkey. He described them as "metal biscuits with ears," but experts immediately recognized them as a type of metal bar known as an oxhide ingot that was commonly traded during the Bronze Age, 3,500 years ago.Authorities immediately began to search for the site, and soon came across the artifacts that Çakir had spotted not far offshore of...

US Capitol Building, which was inspired by ancient Greek and Roman architecture. Ancient Greece and the ideals we celebrate on Fourth of July greatly influenced the push for American independence. Credit: Public domain Greek Americans have one more reason to be proud on the Fourth of July each year because they don’t only celebrate America’s Independence Day, but also the great influence of Hellenism on the birth of the American nation. The ideas and practices that are celebrated on Fourth of July and that led to the development of the American democratic republic after 1776 owe a debt to the...

Greece has controversially introduced a six-day working week for some businesses in a bid to boost productivity and employment in the southern European country. The regulation, which came into force on July 1, bucks a global trend of companies exploring a shorter working week. Under the new legislation, which was passed as part of a broader set of labor laws last year, employees of private businesses that provide round-the-clock services will reportedly have the option of working an additional two hours per day or an extra eight-hour shift. The change means a traditional 40-hour workweek could be extended to 48...

When Hunter Biden was plotting with one of his business partners early in his career to score business with wealthy Greek businessmen, he immediately identified as key leverage a policy position his father took as vice president. “I'd like you there, but this is a preliminary meeting to introductions into Greek money. If you'd rather sleep in no problem," Hunter Biden wrote his associate Devon Archer on Jan. 26, 2011. "I think he will connect us to the top 10 wealthiest Greeks in the world - who by the way as a community think my Dad is a candidate for...

New insights into the function of the world's oldest analog computer, the famous Antikythera mechanism, have been made with help from an unlikely source: technology developed for the study of gravitational waves...Roughly the size of a shoebox, the device features an array of intricately tooled gears that are surprisingly complex for any innovation from the second century BCE. Over the decades, studies of the device have revealed that it likely functioned as a hand-operated computer that would have allowed its operator to predict the arrival of eclipses, as well as calculate the positions of planets over time.Fast forward to 2020,...

A 750ft cargo ship has sunk in the Red Sea days after Yemen's Houthi rebels said they launched a blistering drone attack on the vessel, reportedly killing one mariner on board. Dramatic footage released by the group shows the moment a barrage of rockets slammed into the MV Tutor, with a direct hit triggering a huge explosion after striking the centre of the defenceless coal carrier. It would be the second ship sunk as part of the rebels' campaign targeting Red Sea shipping after the Rubymar, which was carrying more than 41,000 tonnes of fertiliser, went down in March around...