That symposium thing...

[marcus]

From all I've read so far about this symposium that Yiannis has told us about, I cannot help thinking that people are running out of research ideas. This is from The Times today:"Was Alexander the Great's father gay? The merest hint by a British academic was enough to make hundreds of Greek nationalists protest in the streets of Salonika. Daniel Ogden, a Classics lecturer at Swansea University, said that Philip II of Macedon may have been murdered by a jealous gay lover."OK, so this is a pithy newspaper piece, but if this is actually the thrust of Ogden's paper at the symposium, then I am truly worried! :-)Yiannis - hurry up with collecting some more helpful information on what's happening at the conference, to put our minds at rest!All the bestMarcus

[yiannis]

http://www.imxa.gr/index.htm
This is the organization that organizes this symposium. So far only the program of the symposium and the researchers that take part in it are mentioned but later on the results of the meeting will be published as well.
Demonstration by ultra-right fanatics because a researcher announced that Phillip was gay!!!???
This is hilarious!
I watched the news last night and checked it again over the internet today but there's no such report in local Greek news. And believe me, it's such a catchy issue that it would be all over the http://news:-). Are you sure that it's a fact? In any case Marcus, can you please send me this article? I want to keep it and show it to my grandchildren (if I ever have any!).regards,
Yiannis

[marcus]

Well, Yiannis, on the one hand I would say "it's The Times, so it must be true"; but on the other hand it wasn't a big article, so they might have heard 'something' and blown it out of proportion.Anyway, as we know from the discussions on this forum, I cannot believe that an academic would seriously go to a conference like that and say something as crass as "Philip was gay" because he would be laughed out of the hall.So let's see, when the proceedings are published!As for the 'article', I'd be happy to send a copy if you'd like to give me an address (or a fax number I can fax it to) - but it comprises only what I transcribed in the original posting... do you *really* want to bother with it?All the bestMarcus

[George]

Yanni,I assume you're greek - so am I.
Do you know who is THE Alexander the Great Guru at the University of athens.
I live in the states but I'll be going to Greece for X-Mas and would like to talk to him/her.
I'm working on a project so I need help!!!
thx.
g.

[george]

marcus and Yannis,can you guys post the link to the Times article?
thanks.

[marcus]

I tried to find the piece on The Times website, but I couldn't find it.But as I said to Yiannis in another post, what I quoted in my original message is *all* there was - there wasn't a big article, no pictures etc.All the bestMarcus

[ruthaki]

Well there's a classic example of how people put today's moral standards on those of people in the ancient times.

[pavlos_melas]

This is from the English edition of the well respected Kathimerini newspaper. Historians blast Salonica protest Archaeologists and historians participating at an international conference in Thessaloniki yesterday condemned the GÇ£barbarousGÇ¥ disruption of the proceedings on Wednesday by an angry mob aghast at papers discussing homosexuality and witchcraft among the ancient Macedonians.GÇ£This was a barbarous breach of the rules of hospitality that blemishes GreeceGÇÖs name,GÇ¥ participants said in a joint statement. GÇ£The truth can only be approached through the free exchange of ideas.GÇ¥Members of a 400-strong crowd incensed by two papers presented by British and US historians invaded the conference venue and heckled participants. More than the issue of witchcraft practiced by Macedonian noblewomen, what most angered protesters was the discussion of homosexuality in the court of King Philip II, father of Alexander the Great GÇö whose fondness for the same sex is well documented.While Greek historians blasted the GÇ£ignorant demagoguesGÇ¥ who led the protest, some noted that the paper on homosexuality used unreliable ancient sources.

[yiannis]

Hi all,Marcus, when I read your posting I thought it was a joke. Well it seems that it wasn't! I read "Eleftherotypia" newspaper (a serious Greek newspaper, No1 in circulation in our country) yesterday and in its culture section it verified your story. In short it condemns the episode and describes it as such (in my own words):
After the speech of a ultra right nationalist politician in Thessaloniki where he referred to the Symposium as a bunch of paid lackeys, a crowd of approximately 300 people gathered out of the venue and booed the Greek and foreign participants. And continues "where were they been hiding, how were they produced and reside in this country, this angry mob of ignorants that in the name of Greece (an unwanted and horrible Greece that is "ideal" only in their ignorant dreams) acts in the most barbarian and anti-greek way. Is this the first time that these people hear of love amongst men in ancient Greece? Why before they began shouting they didn't take the time to read our own ancient writers and see what they have to say about this phenomenon? And concludes: It is a sign of our times, to make ignorance a banner of patriotism"
I'd like to subscribe to the paper's comment. This person who had the hate speech in Thessaloniki is a well known political idiot. But this kind of idiots that we once laughed about are now in power in some countries (see Austria) and gaining more and more power in others (France-Lepen, Nederlands, Sweden etc...) so we all better watch out and face them with determination. George, I don't know the name of the head of archaeology in the Athens univ but you can check for contacts in the address of the org that hosts the symposium. There are many prominent archaeologists listed there. http://www.imxa.gr/index.htm You can also search the internet for his name. University of Athens site is http://www.uoa.grregards from a very triste person,
YiannisPS
Susa, wasn't it Oscar Wilde who once said "the stupidity of people never seizes to amaze me"?

[susa]

Dear YiannisDon't you get sad [you know, ' triste' is a
portuguese word too].....And , yes, i think it was Oscar who said that. He
was surrounded by philistines, you know. Many
of them, and some were really really deadly
philistines. This is one point that matches
Oscar with Alexander, i think. For me, at least.Hey, cheer up!

;)susa

[maciek]

Hi Yannis!!!
I have to say that I know exactly what You are talking about because exept mentioned by You countries in my country we have also such a politic - he shouts all the time, bloks the parlament to stop the geatherings, he like to be in TV and newspapers and he is saying all what simple people wants to hear - slogans used in streets. It's a shame but his gaining the populerity and I'm really afraid what will be in the future. Of course he is strongly against the EU because he states that they wants to steal everything from Poland and use the people like slaves. His name i Lepper so even name is similar to that one from France. I think Marcus we spoke about this subiect some time ago.Maciek

[marcus]

Hi Maciek,Yes, I think we have discussed that before.All I can say is that every country has them, and they collectively manage to give their country a bad name whenever they appear in the news. Fortunately, the more educated amongst us don't judge everyone by their antics (at least I hope not!) :-)It would be an interesting forum if we all stopped speaking to each other just because of a few bad apples in our respective countries.All the bestMarcus

[maciek]

Ok Marcus I will not speak about politic anymore. You are right.

[marcus]

Hey, Maciek, I have no problems with discussions about politics! So long as we all discuss it objectively (which I think we all tend to do on this forum now that the FYROM rants have dried up!)All the bestMarcus