Halva

I can't remember whether it was in Greece or Turkey that I first tasted Halva - an Arabic/Middle Eastern confection made from tahini (sesame). It tends to be eaten with a cup of coffee rather than having a biscuit, but I also recall seeing it at some hotels in Turkey served on the 'help yourself buffet table' at breakfast time. It is delicious but the flavour and texture are both difficult to describe, and although it is a confection it is not overly sweet. The Halva I like is filled with nuts - pistachio or almonds, but it comes in many different flavours.  
I had been unable to track it down in the UK, that is, until I noticed that Lidl were having a "Greek Week" and there on the shelves blocks of Halva appeared. They had three types: chocolate flavoured, Macedonian honey, and roasted almonds. I noticed that they still have some blocks left this week as I suspect that many people do not know what it is. I am just enjoying the last slice of halva with a cup of coffee, but will be watching out for it again during their next "Greek Week".
p.s By the way I am not in cohoots with Lidl 

The Wind Brought Wealth to Troy

The ancient city of Troy engaged in extensive trade as far back as the Bronze Age. The city commanded a strategic point at the southern entrance to the Dardanelles, a narrow strait linking the Black Sea with the Aegean Sea via the Sea of Marmara. It also commanded a land route that ran north along the West Anatolian coast and crossed the narrowest point of the Dardanelles to the European shore. However, what made Troy's position so powerful was the wind. At the entrance to the Dardanelles, a strong wind prevails from the northeast; in addition, a powerful 5-knot surface current flows from the Sea of Marmara into the Aegean Sea. The flat bottom, square rigged ships of the Bronze Age had to lay up at Troy and wait for favourable southerly winds, which blow for only a short period during the summer. The Trojans were able to charge not only tolls for passage through the Dardenelles but also mooring fees. Due to the citys location much business was transacted; goods were exchanged, ships unloaded and reloaded making the city an important trading center between east and west and, in the late Bronze Age between the north and south.

On this picture it is possible to see just how far away the sea has receded from what was the ancient city of Troy

A continual stream of vessels passes through the Dardenelles Straits today predominately travelling to and from Russia 

The Legend of the Wooden Horse

The war between the Greeks and the Trojans was in its tenth year. The Trojans rejoiced when they awoke one morning to find that the Greek army had sailed away, but they had left behind a strange gift - a giant wooden horse. The Trojans were divided - should they set fire to the statue or should they honour and worship it? Some wise old men realised there was something not quite right and advised setting fire to it. Others warned that if they did so the gods would be angry as the horse is dedicated to Athena, the great goddess of wisdom, and they did not wish to feel her wrath.

Thinking it must be a sacrifice the Trojans opened up the city gates and brought the horse inside and then began to celebrate. The Trojans did not realise that it was a ploy and that Greek soldiers, hidden inside the horse, were now amongst them in the city. After all their celebrations the exhausted Trojans slept, and then quietly a trapdoor hidden within the horse opened enabling the Greek soldiers to creep out. They opened the city gates to admit their colleagues, who had not sailed away, but had concealed themselves in the countryside. They set fire to the city and by dawn the once splendid city of Troy was nothing but a smoking, silent, ruin, and all the Trojans were dead.

There are 9 historical layers of different cities built one on top of another at Troy dating back over 5000 years -  from a Bronze Age settlement to the Greco-Roman metropolis that disappeared around 400 AD.

The walls of the acropolis have now been identified as the site of the Trojan war which took place during the late Bronze Age. The siege of Troy by Spartan and Achaean warriors from Greece has fired the imagination of writers and poets for thousands of years, probably the most familiar being that of Homer. After intensive reading of Homer's Iliad, wealthy German merchant Heinrich Schliemann, an amateur archaeologist, became convinced that Troy was to be found in the south of the Dardanelles, and he began excavation work there in 1871. Two years later he succeeded in making one of his most important discoveries - a discovery which he hid from the Turkish authorities - he had discovered the 'gold of Priam' consisting of more than 1,200 pieces of gold jewellery and ornaments. In 1880 he presented them as a gift to Emperor Wilhelm l, but in 1945, the 'Gold of Troy' was brought from Berlin to the Soviet Union as part of the spoils of war. It was believed to be lost until it turned up in the 1990s in Moscow's Pushkin Museum. Soon after, it was exhibited and made accessible to the public for the first time.

 

Sophia, Schliemann's wife, adorned in some of the gold he excavated in Troy. 

The citadel's ring of walls stretches out on both sides of this ramp

It was not easy for me to understand the different city layers and remains of 5,000 years of habitation but nevertheless there is an overwhelming sense of Troy's long history as you view these massive walls.   

The Roman Odeion, a small theatre principally for musical performances 

The South Gate leads into the 6th historical layer of Troy which was probably the principal entrance to the citadel. Only the roadway survives today. It ran in a straight line up into Troy being entirely paved with stone slabs. In the middle of the road a drainage channel, thought to be from the 7th historical layer, runs beneath the paving stones.

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Should you arrive here, as Alexander the Great did, carrying a copy of Homer in your hand, you will surely hear the echo of battle cries from Agamemnon's fleet across the Trojan plains. 

Footnote - Schliemann also discovered this golden funeral mask of Agamenmonon at Mycenae, Greece, three years after he found the Gold of Priam

Petralona Cave & An Abandoned Turkish Mountain Village

Petralona Cave lies on the west side of Mount Katsika in Chalkidiki, Greece, and it is where the oldest European hominid was found. The consensus of opinion puts the date of the skull at around 700,000 years old.

For some reason no photos were allowed inside the cave even without flash. These two pictures were taken from a poster which does not do justice to the caves cathedral like proportions. It takes about an hour to travel along the walkways - the interior roof is a mass of spectacular stalactites with stalagmites meeting them from the floor forming interesting sculptural shapes - similar to the photo below.

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Leaving the cave we headed off to a small mountain village beautifully situated 350 metres high on the Sithonia peninsular. An abandoned and forgotten Turkish village called Parthenónas, which was rediscovered in the 1970s. A programme of restoration was begun which is now almost completed. 

Sitting beneath the wisteria in the village taverna we could hear a nightingale singing its heart out 

This concludes our happy visit to Greece ♡

Two UNESCO churches in Thessaloniki

Dating from the 7th century Agios Dimítrios is the largest church in Greece which following a fire in 1917 had to be rebuilt. The fire destroyed the 7th and 13th century fabric of the basilica but the crypt dating back to the 3rd century and built over a Roman bath remained intact. According to legend the crypt is the site of the imprisonment, torture and murder in 305 AD of the city's patron saint Dimitrios - a Roman soldier who converted to Christianity and was martyred on the orders of Emperor Galerius. Six small mosaics dating from the 5th - 7th century survived the fire and rank among the finest in Greece.

St. Dimitrios with young children

Much of the original fabric was used in the rebuilding 

In the crypt there are still relics from when it was a Roman bath house

There has been a church since the 3rd century on the location of the current Agía Sofía. The present structure was erected in the 8th century and based on the design of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. In 1205 when the fourth Crusade captured the city it was converted into the cathedral of Thessaloniki. It was then converted to a mosque in 1430 after the capture of Thessaloniki by Ottoman Sultan Murad ll, and finally reconverted to a church during the liberation of Thessaloniki in 1912.

A fine Ascension fresco in the dome dating back to the 9th century

The imposing nature of the building is emphasised by its location in a partially sunken garden

Just a short stroll away is the arch of Galerius and Rotunda

In the 4th century Roman emperor Galerius commissioned these two structures as elements of an imperial precinct linked to his palace. The arch emphasised his power and was composed of a masonry core faced with marble sculptural panels celebrating a victory over the Sassanid Persians. Less than half of the arch is preserved. The Rotunda is a massive circular structure that had an oculus like the Pantheon in Rome. Originally built to be a mausoleum for Galerius it became a polytheist temple, a Christian basilica, a Muslim mosque and then again a Christian church. It is now empty with archaeological work being carried out within it. A minaret can be seen which was built when it was used as a mosque.

All that glitters ...........is gold

The White Tower built in the late 15th century is  regarded as the symbol of Thessaloniki, the second city of Greece. In the 19th century it was known as the Blood Tower as it served as a prison and place of execution for long term convicts. It is known as the White Tower following whitewashing by a convict in 1890 done in exchange for his freedom. It now hosts an exhibition showing the history of Thessaloniki, and it is possible to climb to the top of the tower to see the far reaching views. We had intended to do so, but that day weather systems carried in sands from the Sahara creating an overcast atmosphere.
The main focus for our visit was to see the exquisite gold from ancient Macedonia.

The 16 ray star covered the royal burial larnax of Philip ll of Macedonia 359 - 336 BC discovered in Vergina, Greece. Philip was King of Macedonia and conqueror of lllyria, Thrace, and Greece. To him is attributed the phrase divide et impera - divide and conquer. He was the father of Alexander the Great.

 King Philip ll's larnax made from pure gold

Gold was used in the ancient world by those who had power; mainly kings and the priesthood. 

It was also used by the aristocracy and classes who had economic power depending on the political, and social conditions prevailing at the time.

Gold medal of the athletic games that were held in Beroea in 225-250 AD in honour of Alexander the Great. It belongs to a hoard of medals found in Abukir, Egypt, depicting portraits of the family of Philip ll. Olympias is depicted on the obverse, she was the fourth wife of King Philip ll, and mother of Alexander the Great.  She was a devout member of the snake-worshiping cult of Dionysus.

Gold bracelet with animal heads from the Hellenistic cemetery at Europos - one of the highlights at the Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum together with the Derveni Krater below

In 1962 whilst widening Thessaloniki's Langada Street several tombs were discovered. Pride of place amongst the finds was this bronze Krater (wine vessel) with its unique workmanship depicting scenes from the Dionysian cycle. The tombs were dated to the last quarter of the 4th century BC.

A gold myrtle wreath, a religious symbol which also indicates the wearers social position. It was worn for public appearances, religious celebrations, and it accompanied the owner to the grave.

Bronze hydria, a vessel used to carry water. The vase was made in the 5th century BC - the area below the woman's head was repaired at the end of the 4th century BC. 

Tomb from cemetery of Ancient Aineia 350-325 BC. 

The bones of a young woman and her newborn infant were placed in a wooden box on top of a pedestal. 

The painted decoration of the tombs interior reflects and imitates the architectural details of the walls in the woman's home when she was alive. Objects from her everyday life were hung from nails or were placed on a shelf.

Whilst looking at the design running around the top of the female tomb I was reminded of Florentine paper inspired by traditional Renaissance patterns. However, the tomb's design was 1700 years old by the time the Renaissance commenced.

Gold necklace from a female burial at the cemetery of Pydna 5th and 4th century BC.

Sheets of gold were used as clothing decoration and frequently embellished burial garments, particularly in the Archaic and Hellenistic periods.

Generally women were buried with their heads facing east wearing all of their jewellery, whilst men were buried facing west wearing full armour. 

 Corinthian bronze helmet decorated in gold sheet

Ancient goldsmiths were considered artisans rather than artist. This is why they did not sign their work, and there are no names preserved. Furthermore, the written sources are especially vague in conveying information concerning the nature of the goldsmith's work and the social position of the profession.