Editorial
Hellas Acta page in the summer doldrums. Looks like the Greeks are foul weather friends. The posts have been scarce as hen's teeth around here. Now is the time for all good Greeks to come to the aid of the party. Support the Hellas world by posting even if it's just a hello. The Voice Of Hellas continues with the weekly news. If you have not heard the weekly news on The Voice Of Hellas, listen to it HERE. You can listen directly or it can be downloaded to the desktop for slower connections.
Birth of Democracy
Here in US we think about democracy in July and it was in Greece that the idea was developed. There is a big difference. In Attica, democracy was direct; that means that all the franchised citizems voted in the assembly. There were no senators of representitives, the people themslves voted and they voted 40 times a year. As no one made a living from politics, there was no need to worry about campaign contributions. Now that's an odd idea! Democracy only lasted about 200 years in Greece. After the battle of Chaeronea it became something of a sham and would not be seen again until the short lived Dutch Republic in the 17th century. It was reborn in the 18th century in US and then spread throughout the world.
Archaeological News
Artemis Statue Found In Greece - A marble torso of the goddess Artemis has been discovered in Thessaly. A beautifully carved marble torso only 31 inches high was unearthed near an ancient theatre last week. Read about it
HERE.
Greece vexed over artifact protection - Not all of Greece's immense wealth of antiquities are protected, not by a long shot. Much of it's archaeological sites are not even known to the public, instead they lie under modern structures or in unprotected spots throughout the Greek countryside. Because of this and the lack of funding, government officials are finding it harder and harder to keep a watchfull eye over the country's important heritage. Read more
HERE.
Featuring articles
This issue's featured article is not posted as an article. It is an unusually good post by member, Aurelin Junius of the group. Byzantium. There are many really fine posts which do not fit into any article category which should be highlighted, This is one, It is beautifully written and extremely entertaining. If you have written a post you feel deserves treatment as an article but do not have the article ability (a patron feature), you could always ask a patron to sponsor it for you or ask one of Hellas scribes. Wish to see Hellas other well done articles? Alerissa Nestor has done an excellent job of presenting all the articles of Hellas in a more accessible form. It includes back articles from Acta and creates a valuable data base in one spot. Access the article guide HERE.
Don't forget, any member of Ancient Worlds who authors an article on any Hellenic topic is considered a Hellas Article Writer and can display a plaque in their oikos. For more about this and a selection of plaques to choose from, visit the thread linked in the previous paragraph.
