Lecture Series: Parthenon Sculptures (aka Elgin Marbles)

Join archaeologist/art historian Rolf Winkes for an interesting lecture on the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures.
Venue: Camden Opera House, Camden, Maine 

Date and Time: March 27 at 5:30 pm.

Presented by Eurynome Journeys and WanderWoman® Tours

This lecture is part of a series of events about the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures including Costal Senior College classes, other lectures, an educational tour to Greece in Spring 2019 and a public event in Midcoast with guests from Greece, which is planned for 2020.

Details:

Should the British Museum return the sculptures that Lord Elgin removed from the Parthenon, as requested by Greece? The Parthenon, its unique place in Greek art and architecture, its history, and the answer to this question will be the subject of the lecture and discussion.

The most precious possession of the British Museum is the Parthenon marble sculptures, which were removed from the temple by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century. In his poem “the Curse of Minerva,” Lord Byron attacks Elgin, a contemporary, for this act. For decades Greece has campaigned unsuccessfully to have the sculptures returned to Athens. In the context of the Brexit this has become the subject of renewed public discussion in Britain, Greece and the world. In this lecture the unique role of the Parthenon in Greek art and architecture, the removal of its sculptures by Elgin and the spirit of his time, and finally the question of the return the so-called Elgin marbles will be discussed.

Rolf Winkes has taught and published on a diverse number of subjects ranging from the early Greek period until the rise of Christianity, and the influence of the ancient world on later periods. He spent 12 seasons excavating in Corfu, Greece and later worked at the site of Tongobriga in Portugal. Rolf is now Professor Emeritus of Classical Archaeology, the History of Art and Architecture, and Old World Archaeology and Art at Brown University. He and his wife Mary, a painter, live in Damariscotta, Maine.

Event will take place in the Opera House Tucker Room just off the main lobby. Event is Free and open to the Public. Greek wine and appetizers will be served.

Traditional Greek Recipes from the island of Lesvos

Last October on our Greek Muse Tour we spent a lovely afternoon with Helen, at her outdoor kitchen in the harbor town of Molyvos.  During this fun hands-on cooking class, Helen shared with us the secrets of traditional Greek cooking.  After all was prepared, we feasted on an amazing meal complete with local wine!
Below are recipes for some of the dishes we learned to make. καλή όρεξη (good appetite in Greek)!
We'll be going back to visit Helen this fall, so if you'd like to learn Greek cooking hands-on, please join us!

Lamb of Lesvos

2 legs of lamb  [in our case they weren’t fresh; 20 days after the kill to ensure that they were soft]. 

Marinade for 24 hours in red wine (reserve marinade).

Place ingredients in a pressure cooker:

Lamb and onions

1/2 cup olive oil

1 onion chopped and sautée

Next add 1 cinnamon stick

Once onion is translucent add leg of Lamb

Add 1 onion studded with about 20 whole cloves

About 1 tsp. of cumin, paprika & chilli powder

2 bay leaves

Add marinate

500 gr tomato sauce

1 tbsp. tomato paste

3 tbsp. fig syrup (or sugar)

Add enough boiling water to cover

Add 1 cup washed rice

Stuffed Peppers

Cook on stovetop in a pressure cooker for 45 minutes or with normal boiling cook 2 hours.

Peppers stuffed with Feta cheese

Small sweet red and yellow peppers

Cut off the tops (keep for later) 

and remove seeds

Stuffing:
Feta mashed with a fork mixing in

One tsp of oregano, thyme sage, and mint

Finally chopped tomato

Finally chopped onion

¼ cup olive oil

Stuff peppers, place in a glass baking dish, and bake ¾ hour at 350-374 F

 

Stuffed Eggplant Lesbian Style

Cut off the tops and bottoms

Peel down 2 sides

3 or 4  cuts down each unpeeled sides so as to create squares at the top of long pieces but make sure to leave the last couple of centimeters of the narrowest end in tact/uncut.

Filling Eggplant with stuffing mixture

[Looking at from the bottom]

Stuffing:

Finely chopped red onions

Finely chopped tomato

Finely chopped zucchini

Parsley, garlic, cinnamon, paprika, cumin, mint

Add stuffing into the cuts and bake covered with water until cooked

Add olive oil towards the end

Stuffed onions- “savanya”

Peel and cut ½ way thru lengthwise

Boil until tender

Onion layers stuffed and ready to cook

Cool while preparing stuffing,

½ beef and  ½ pork 300 gr

Add mint, cumin, salt, and parsley

1/4 cup Raki - you may need to go the Greece for this one!

¼ cup uncooked rice

Once cooled remove hearts and chop up into the stuffing mixture

Before rolling meat into the onion layers, remove film from in between the  layers

With cut at bottom, place in saucepan

Add 1 cup of beef stock

Olive oil

Make sure they’re covered with liquid; add plate to keep them down; add saucepan lid

Boil for ½ hour

Reminder: January 15 is Greek Dinner Around the World Day!  

So, try one or two of these delicious dishes.  I recommend the Savanya (or stuffed onions) . And for a tasty Greek wine try Domaine Gerovassiliou 2012 White Wine from Epanomi, Greece.  καλή όρεξη!

 

New Year's Traditions!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Modern New Year's celebrations vary from place to place, but they all have roots in ancient beliefs and customs.  Below are a few you may want to incorperate into your celebration...

In Irish “Happy New Year” is Athbhlian faoi mhaise (Ah-vleen fwee wash-eh)
Traditional Celtic New Year: Samhain
Traditionally during the New Year, as the world transitioned from dark to light, it was a time for casting spells and incantations to ward off evil.  Today in Ireland this custom is still practiced by some, but rather than banishing misfortune with spells, a Christmas bread or cake is throw at the front door to out keep hunger and sorrows.  Also on New Year's Eve, to attract good luck, the Irish will enter through the front door and go out the back door.

 

New Year in Italy "Felice Anno Nuovo"

Patagonia Women's Print Paries Bottom

 

In Italy New Year’s is a family event with a dinner of pork and lentils (symbolizing wealth), after which the Italians take to the streets to enjoy firework displays at midnight.  Many Italians observe the New Year with traditions such as the wearing of RED underwear (the color of prosperity) and eating a spoonful of  lentil stew at each bell toll at midnight.  So, if spending New Year's Eve in Italy, be sure to pack your red Patagonia travel underwear!

New Year's Eve magic in Finland 
"Onnellista uutta vuotta”
Casting of tin
New Year's Eve has traditionally been the time for fortune telling and predicting of the future. People have tried to secure a good fortune for the coming year or get a glimpse of the future events by performing various magical tasks and tricks. Some of these tricks have remained until our times as an amusement and games practiced for fun in New Year's parties.

Tin horseshoes: One of the most popular tricks performed is the casting of tin. Everyone gets a small piece of tin, cast in the shape of a miniature horseshoe, a traditional symbol of good luck. The horseshoe is melted and poured quickly in a bucket of cold water, making it harden into a more or less irregular-shaped, solid clump.

The shape and shadow of the resulting cast is examined and interpreted to predict the various future events of the coming year. Different shapes have different meaning, promising good luck, health, wealth, happiness, travel, marriage, or sorrow, etc.

Source, where other methods of predicting the future can be found:
http://www.dlc.fi/~marianna/gourmet/season6a.htm

New Years Day Traditions in Greece “Kali Chronia!”  St. Basil's Day
On St. Basil's Day (January 1) the "renewal of waters" takes place, a ritual in which all water jugs in the house are emptied and refilled with new "St. Basil's Water." The ceremony is often accompanied by offerings to the naiads, spirits of springs and fountains. Also in Greece, on New Year's Day there is an ancient custom of breaking a pomegranate on the door for good luck. Gifts are also traditionally exchanged on this day.

Specail cakes, Vasilopites, with a flouri (coin) in it  are also baked on this day.  The cake is divided into pieces for each family member and/or designated to represent family, business, home, church, God, etc.  Whoever receives the coin in their piece of cake is given good fortune for the year. Click here for Vasilopita recipe


Traditions from other countries can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year's_Eve

To say "Happy New Year" in different languages visit Freelang at: http://www.freelang.net/expressions/newyear.html

In case you are wondering where to get the Patagonia New Year's Eve appropriate underwear, here is a link: Moosejaws

Art, Archaeology & Greek Culture!

-->

Archaeology & ancient history enthusiasts and Hellenophiles! 

Join Eurynome Journeys on a rare opportunity to explore the Art, Archaeology & Culture of Greece

-->

with an archaeologist and art historian as your traveling companion. 

OCT 16-24 or with post-tour extension OCT 28, 2013

Fully escorted small group tour - only 15-22 participants (women & men)

Please reserve your space early to avoid disappointment.

Email or call 207.236.0110 for tour details and information packet

Rolf Winkes, Professor Emeritus at Brown University, will share his knowledge and passion for the ancient world, as you tour with him not only the iconic "must see" sites, but also lesser-known ones.  As we travel through Greece, you will enjoy informative talks in preparation for museum and site visits. Throughout the journey Rolf will focus on select artifacts, illuminating important aspects of Greek culture.  The highlight of the tour will be a visit to the archaeological site that Rolf himself excavated for more than a decade.  Join us on this special journey, a valuable and fascinating opportunity for the first time traveler to Greece or those returning for another look!

In Athens :
Tour the archaeological site & museum of the Kerameikos, the ancient cemetery; the Agora, the ancient marketplace, & the Agora Museum; the Acropolis & the Acropolis Museum; the National Museum of Archaeology; the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art; and the Melina Mercouri Cultural Center. 

Delphi: A full day excursion visiting the ancient site of the Oracle of Apollo and museum.

On the Island of Corfu: 

Tour the site Rolf himself spent twelve summers excavating, at the Palaiopolis with its Mon Repos Museum; tour the island’s scenic countryside and traditional villages; visit the National Gallery Annex and Byzantine Museum; and experience the monuments of Corfu’s rich contemporary history as well as the beautiful 19^th century Achilleion palace.

An optional extension:

Travel to mainland Greece, through the rugged mountains of Epirus to its capital Ioannina, with its rich and unique history, on to Metsovo, famed for its cheese and wine, and ending with the incredible cloisters of Metéora, suspended high in the cliffs above!

More about our Archaeologist: Professor Rolf Winkes grew up in Germany, where he did his graduate study in Classical Archaeology, Ancient Greek, Ancient and Prehistoric Archaeology, as well as Egyptology and Early Christian Art and Philosophy. In 1969, he was invited to Brown University, where he taught art and archaeology until 2008.  He co-founded the Center for Old World Archaeology and Art, which was renamed the Joukowsky Institute and today is one of the leading archaeological institutes in the world; and has traveled to two dozen countries on three continents. Rolf spent 12 seasons excavating the Palaipolis of Corfu, beginning in 1986, and later worked at the site of Tongobriga in Portugal. He has taught and published on a diverse number of subjects ranging from the early Greek period until the rise of Christianity, and the influence of the ancient world on later periods. He is now Professor Emeritus of Classical Archaeology, the History of Art and Architecture, and Old World Archaeology and Art at Brown University. He and his wife Mary, a painter, live in Damariscotta, Maine, where he volunteers his time teaching courses at Coastal Senior College.

Click here for tour details