Then she receives news from her estranged family in Rhodes. Called back to the beautiful Greek island of her birth, she realises how little she knows of the grandmother she has eluded for over a decade. Bubba has never spoken of the Nazi occupation during her youth, but there have always been whispers. What desperate measures did she take that terrible day in 1944 when her family was ripped apart? Can the rumour she had blood on her own hands really be true? But Bubba intends to take her secrets to the grave. However, as Rebecca arrives on Rhodes, bringing the promise of new life, this broken family must come together. The time has come to tell the truth about the darkest of days . . . What readers said about Island of Secrets:'Island of Secrets is a book full of raw emotions, family vendettas, hidden secrets and three very strong women. It's a book I enjoyed very much and one which fans of Victoria Hislop and Debbie Rix are sure to enjoy' (NetGalley Reviewer)'So well written and utterly heartbreaking . . . a story that needs to be told' (NetGalley Reviewer)'Page-turning, enthralling and heartbreaking by turns''Made me laugh and cry, just couldn't put this book down'Ready for your next incredible read from Patricia Wilson? Island of Secrets is available now. Search 9781785762789.

    This is their story.When Cyrus, brother to the Great King of Persia, attempts to overthrow his reckless sibling, he employs a Greek mercenary army of 10,000 soldiers. When this army becomes stranded as a result of the unexpected death of Cyrus, and then witnesses the treacherous murder of its entire officer corps, despair overtakes them. One man, Xenophon, rallies the Greeks. As he attempts to lead them to freedom across 1,500 miles of hostile territory seething with adversaries, 10,000 men set off on the long way home.

    Journalist Bronte McKnight is summoned to a hillside village in the wild and beautiful Mani region of Greece by her expat father Angus. She must help him solve a family mystery from the Second World War when his father disappeared in Greece during the disastrous Battle of Kalamata, known as ‘the Greek Dunkirk’. With the country gripped by economic crisis, and the clock ticking against them, their near-impossible quest takes them from Kalamata to a remote mountain village where its inhabitants are bound by old traditions and secrecy. As tensions rise, the pair are helped in their search by a cast of unforgettable characters, especially charismatic doctor Leonidas Papachristou. He has a pivotal role, not least in challenging Bronte’s assumption that she hasn’t the time or the courage to fall in love in Greece. The secrets unearthed by Angus and Bronte will be painful and astonishing and the heart-warming conclusion is one you'll never forget. “Marjory McGinn is a very gifted author.” (Peter Kerr, best-selling writer, Mallorcan Series) Why readers love A SAINT FOR THE SUMMER "An excellent book. I was hooked from the first page." "When I read this author's books, I walk the journeys and with this book, I am Bronte." "I loved the characters and found it all so moving." "A brilliant read … there is closure, reconciliation and the hope of new life." "Marjory is a wonderful author, very funny and entertaining."

    One dream...One chance to make it happen.Laurel hasn't taken a risk her whole life. Now as the summertime dawns, she's going to do something that nobody expects of her. As she and her grandmother, Marnie, always loved to, Laurel turns to her ABBA albums and her favourite film, Mamma Mia! She grabs her passport, dons her dungarees, and jets off to Skopelos for her own Meryl-inspired adventure...Laurel books into the faded but charming Villa Athena and befriends its eccentric owner. As she explores the island's famous sights, Laurel finds herself feeling strangely at home. So should she return to her life in London, or could this be where she truly belongs?This summer dust off your passport, pack your best dancing shoes, and escape to Greece on your own Mamma Mia adventure! The perfect summertime read for fans of Karen Swan, Holly Hepburn and Isabelle Broom.

     Every year, Miriam, her daughter, Heather, and young granddaughter Amy would spend the long summer holidays enjoying the picturesque scenery, visiting local landmarks and integrating with the local community. However, life had moved on, and now with Amy having grown up, married and set up her own business, Miriam suddenly decided to take her family back to this idyllic holiday location. This news brought back poignant memories for all three of them. Thoughts of love and romance combined with dilemmas, choices and a cocktail of emotions would force life to never be quite the same again. Is it always wise to revisit memorable locations? Should the past remain in the past? Learn how Miriam, Heather and Amy all confront their secret fears. Discover whether previous friendships and relationships stand the test of time. Add in the intriguing stories of newcomers whose lives intertwine with the family trio. and how events of the past, present and future merge to form unexpected outcomes.. A subtle blend of engaging, interesting characters, thoughtful life dilemmas with lessons learned makes ‘Secrets we left in Greece’ a compelling summer read.

    King uncovered some of the strangest—and most hypnotic—sounds he had ever heard. The 78s were immensely moving, seeming to tap into a primal well of emotion inaccessible through contemporary music. The songs, King learned, were from Epirus, an area straddling southern Albania and northwestern Greece and boasting a folk tradition extending back to the pre-Homeric era. To hear this music is to hear the past.Lament from Epirus is an unforgettable journey into a musical obsession, which traces a unique genre back to the roots of song itself. As King hunts for two long-lost virtuosos—one of whom may have committed a murder—he also tells the story of the Roma people who pioneered Epirotic folk music and their descendants who continue the tradition today.King discovers clues to his most profound questions about the function of music in the history of humanity: What is the relationship between music and language? Why do we organize sound as music? Is music superfluous, a mere form of entertainment, or could it be a tool for survival? King’s journey becomes an investigation into song and dance’s role as a means of spiritual healing—and what that may reveal about music’s evolutionary origins.

    He doesn’t think much of his nosy neighbours or telemarketers. All he wants to do is live in peace. Cleaning out a box belonging to his late wife, he finds something which triggers the memories of a childhood he’s hidden, not just from his overprotective middle-aged daughter, Helen, but from himself. When Jim has a stroke and begins speaking another language, Helen is shocked to find out her father is not who she thinks he is. Jim’s suppressed memories surface in the most unimaginable way when he finally confronts what happened when, as a ten-year-old, he was forced at gunpoint to leave his family and trek barefoot through the mountains to escape the Greek Civil War in 1948. A Perfect Stone is a sweeping tale of survival, loss and love.

    Agreeing to act as driver for Bastounis, the young man finds himself on a hectic, adventurous and always challenging tour of Greece’s wonders – an apprentice in how to live life to the fullest.As the road trip progresses, the questions arise. Is Bastounis still an addict? Who is following him and why? Is he researching his final, much-anticipated novel? Who are the people he’s meeting along the way? And how far will one young man ultimately go in the name of experience?A Collar for Cerberus is a story about time, life, pleasure and the decisions we make.

    His adventure begins with a prayer to Athena Parthenos, who appears to him bearing gifts: his armor, his famous bow, a mysterious leather pouch, and seven unusual arrows. She then sends him on a quest through the Underworld along with Diomedes, his friend from the Trojan War who had been sharing in his eternal punishment. To complete their escape, the goddess warns them, they must recover their squandered honor and learn to use "the eighth arrow."At turns exciting, humorous, and edifying, this action-packed epic follows Odysseus and Diomedes as they journey through all the circles of Dante's Hell, where they encounter various characters from Greek mythology, ancient history, and Renaissance literature, including Helen of Troy, Cerberus, Penelope, Homer, Harpies, Centaurs, and eventually Satan himself. With witty banter and wily stratagems, the two Greek warriors fight their way through the obstacles that stand between them and redemption.The Eighth Arrow is a thoroughly entertaining jailbreak story. Full of allusions to great works of old, it is also gently educational, and as such it can be read as a guide or a companion to Dante's Inferno and the works of Homer.

    And he might have added further common features, such as clothing, foodways, and political institutions. But if the Greeks knew that they were kin, why did many of them side with the Persians against fellow Greeks, and why, more generally, is ancient Greek history so often the history of internecine wars and other forms of competition with one another? This is the question acclaimed historian Robin Waterfield sets out to explore in this magisterial history of ancient Greece. With more information, more engagingly presented, than any similar work, this is the best single-volume account of ancient Greece in more than a generation. Waterfield gives a comprehensive narrative of seven hundred years of history, from the emergence of the Greeks around 750 BCE to the Roman conquest of the last of the Greco-Macedonian kingdoms in 30 BCE. Equal weight is given to all phases of Greek history-the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods. But history is not just facts; it is also a matter of how we interpret the evidence. Without compromising the readability of the book, Waterfield incorporates the most recent scholarship by classical historians and archaeologists and asks his readers to think critically about Greek history. A brilliant, up-to-date account of ancient Greece, suitable for history buffs and university students alike, Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens presents a compelling and comprehensive story of this remarkable civilization's disunity, underlying cultural solidarity, and eventual political unification.

    In this rousing book, he charts the absurdities that underpin calls for austerity, as well as his own battles with a bureaucracy bent on ignoring the human cost of its every action. Passionately outspoken and tuned to the voices of the oppressed, Varoufakis presents a guide to modern economics, and its threat to democracy, like no other.Selected from the books And the Weak Suffer What They Must? and Adults in the Room

    When the Turkish Army occupies Smyrna, Zoë Haggitiris escapes with her family, only to lose everything. Alone in a sea of desperate strangers, her life is touched, for a moment, by a young English boy, Tom Collyer, also lost, before the compassion of a stranger leads her into a new life. Years later when war breaks out, Tom finds himself in Greece and in the chaos of the British retreat, fate will lead him back to Zoë. But he will discover that the war will not end so easily for either of them.

    

    . . .Whether they are shutting down racist speakers, or protesting a news program for providing them an unchecked platform elsewhere, anti-fascists [have] made it impossible for the media to ignore them.” The left and its anti-authoritarian variants were fighting far-right populism and neo-Nazis long before the mainstreammedia became aware of such groups. Strickland provides on-the-ground profiles of the unique characters involved in anti-fascist struggles in countries across Europe, offering historical context, explaining the roots and growth of the far-right, as well as the history of European anti-fascism and how it informs struggles around the world today.The remarkable individuals Strickland introduces us to provide windows into the broader anti-fascist movement in each country, highlighting the creative tactics employed to fight hatred and white supremacy from Germany and Greece to Croatia and Slovakia. He interviews activists from many generations and walks of life—some of whom have been fighting fascists since World War II. Whether young or old, these heroes can be found “doxxing” neo-Nazis (exposing them publicly on the Internet), eradicating right-wing graffiti from public spaces, confronting fascists directly on the streets, and much more.

    What went wrong? Was the fall of Sparta inevitable? Philip Matyszak examines the political blunders and failures of leadership which combined with unresolved social issues to bring down the nation - even as its warriors remained invincible on the battlefield. The Spartans believed their constitution and society above the changes sweeping their world, and in resisting change, they were eventually overwhelmed by it. Yet this is also a story of defiance, for the Spartans refused to accept their humiliation and - although never more than a tiny and underpopulated city-state - for many years their city exercised influence far beyond its size and population. This is a chronicle of political failure, but also a lesson in how to go down fighting. Even with the Roman legions set to overwhelm their city, the Spartans never gave up. Sparta: Fall of a Warrior Nation tells a seldom-told tale, yet one rich in heroes and villains, epic battles and political skulduggery.

    But lesser known is the wide and varied scope of old Athenian influence on the English language, which extends to some of our most mundane, run-of-the-mill words—words like purse, sketch, and marmalade. This book offers a word-by-word look at the influence of Greek on everyday words in English, telling the stories behind the etymological developments of each example and tracing their routes into modern English via Latin and European languages. It also explains connections with ancient Greek culture, in particular mythology, politics, and warfare, and includes proverbs and quotations from Greek literature. Revealing how deeply indebted we are to the language spoken in Athens 2,500 years ago, this book is the perfect gift for any logophile.

    Over in Astakos a crazed love starved stalker starts squatting, cleaning the houses she breaks into and setting up creepy shrines. Bald Yannis suffers a phantom pregnancy and cooks up a scam to lure Doomsday trippers to the village, while Mail order Masha turns into a sugar binging glutton. Fotis takes Nitsa home to meet his ancient mother, Quentin invests in a guard goat, and Deirdre flashes a randy old goat herder. How long before Prosperous Pedros realises he’s attracted an admirer? Will Pappas Iraklis turn his back on the celibate life and will a rare blood donor be found in time to save one villager from certain death? The humorous antics of life in the fictional Greek fishing village of Astakos continue in this laugh-out-loud sequel to Goat In The Meze, Rampaging Roosters and Olive Virgins.

    After several troubled years as a refugee in Turkey, he arrived in Greece by sea, on the route taken by hundreds of thousands of his fellow Syrians seeking a safe haven in Europe. But as borders closed across the Balkans in early 2016, Juwan and his fellow Syrians found themselves blocked from travelling any further.Teresa Thornhill volunteered at Hara Hotel, a makeshift camp on the Greece–Macedonia border. An Arabic speaker, she met Syrians from all walks of life as she distributed clothing and organized activities for children. One of the Syrians was Juwan, who would later walk through the mountains of Macedonia to safety in Austria.In Hara Hotel, Thornhill interweaves a narrative of daily life at the camp with Juwan’s extraordinary story, the recent history of the revolution in Syria, and an account of the ensuing civil war, painting a vivid picture of the predicament of Syrians trapped on Europe’s borders.

    This was a rich period for philosophy, with the birth of Epicureanism and Stoicism, alongside the activities of Platonists, Aristotelians, and Cynics. Sellars offers accessible coverage of all areas from epistemology to ethics and politics.

    Drawing on the latest archaeological research and textual evidence, award-winning teacher and scholar Jeremy McInerney shows that many of the issues that concerned the ancient Greeks--justice and inequality, nationalism and xenophobia, medicine and science--are relevant today.Key features include more than 200 color images; chapter-opening timelines, detailed maps and plans; chapter-ending illustrated "Spotlight" features; and instructor and student resources.

    She has provided for us a glimpse of the world of archaic Greece. – James A. Arieti Gloriously described in the Iliad, Achilles’ shield is ingeniously crafted by Hephaestus, ancient Greek god of the forge. Visiting him on Olympos, the sea nymph goddess, Thetis, petitions new armor for her son. Hephaistos replies, “Have courage, my Lady, please trust me! Good gear I can make, but to hide him from death? Now, that is another matter. I only wish I could help him with that, as I can with the making of arms, for I am an expert. No eyes have beheld such gear as I shall provide him!” True to Hephaistos’ word, Achilles’ divine armor offers the hero a path to revenge, the fulfillment of his destiny, and his key to immortal glory. But as he prepares for battle, Achilles is not blazing with heroic fervor. He’s burning with unrestrained grief, mourning for his beloved Patroklos, trusted chariot driver, brother in arms, his friend with whom he shares everything, especially his heart. Lost to the heat of battle, laid low at the hand of Hektor, slain of life and stripped of armor, his beloved is lost to the ravages of war. Filled with passionate hatred of war, Achilles swears he will fight the whole Trojan Army single-handed until he takes revenge and brings the Trojan War to its epic end. Donning his new armor, Achilles shines from head to toe in blazing bronze, his body emitting a halo of flames. Homer brings it all together, right here. Life and death, revenge and hate, righteousness and evil, glory and fate. The voices of the muses strain to the point of breaking as their song empowers Achilles with supernatural fire. Lifting his shield and charging into war, the epic weight of Achilles’ fate tips the scale of Justice in favor of Peace, ushering in the closing act of the Trojan War. (From the Foreword by Dr. James A. Arieti, Grave H. Tompson Professor of Classics, Hampden-Syndey College, Virginia:) The arms are presumably lost, but fortunately for us, Kathleen Vail has reconstructed it. Using her Homer the way Schliemann used his, she has excavated from the text the shape and composition of the shield of Achilles. In so doing she has confounded some of the critics, who claimed it could never be done. “Detailed reconstruction of the shield is impossible,” writes Webster. “…nothing so comprehensive and detailed as this could ever have been seen by Homer or his audience,” says Hogan. “It is not to be supposed that the poet had ever seen such a shield as he describes,” claims Gardner. (1) Finding artworks of roughly contemporary handiwork, she documents the illustrations and shows that indeed they could have been found on a shield such as Homer describes. It took a god one night to construct the shield; it has taken Ms. Vail–a mere mortal–five years of work and study to complete hers. Reading Homer’s description of the shield while looking at the illustrations will compel one to read slowly, savoring the details. A humorless Platonist–the kind who took Plato literally and failed to see the smile behind the dialogues–might think that these images take us even further away from the reality of the ideas. Homer, the Platonist would say, imitated in words the shield Achilles used; Ms. Vail altered the medium and put the words into pictures, moving still more distant from the original idea of a shield.

    Halton also writes as Lucy Coleman, the top ten bestselling author of Snowflakes Over Holly Cove! More than just a holiday romance? Her daughter, her job and divorcing her untrustworthy ex are Leah’s main priorities. She isn’t really bothered that her life might be missing a few things. But after winning a prestigious travel blogger award, she’s inundated with offers to review glamorous holiday destinations.Lying around drinking exotic cocktails and being paid for it … what could be better? Perhaps a romantic trip to idyllic Greece to find the one man who might make Leah risk her heart again… Readers love Linn B. Halton! ‘Perfect escapism … A superb book’ Karen, Netgalley‘Not quite what I expected, but better. Five stars’ Barbara, Netgalley

    Twenty sights for the lost visitor'You can find a lot of books about ancient Athens. If you get there, a guided tour will give you all the information you will need. But what about Athens in the centuries that followed? What about the old houses, old churches, mosques and other obscure sights you stumble upon everywhere? This book, written by a specialist of Athens and including a large number of photos and detailed maps, will help you understand the city of today and not feel lost as a visitor.

    With a strong emphasis on sharing a feast of small dishes, Christina Mouratoglou and Adrien Carré bring a trendy tapas vibe to recipes exploding with flavour yet relying only on the finest fresh ingredients and simple techniques to achieve the best results. Introducing authentic flavours with a modern twist, Mazi is innovative Greek food at its best. Whether it's the Spicy tiropita with broken filo pastry, leeks & chillis, Crispy lamb belly with miso aubergine, chickpea & tahini purée or Loukoumades with lavender honey & crushed walnuts (Greek doughnuts soaked in honey), Mazi's food is intrisically edgy, cool and completely delicious.

    Tasos Theofilou gives testimony on the brutality of prison life, and its centrality in contemporary capitalism, through a blur of memoir, social commentary, free verse, and a glossary of the idiom used by inmates in Greek prisons.

    It also brings together in one place an integrated survey of his reception and interpretation in contemporaneous neighbouring cultures in antiquity as well as discussion of his reception in the post-classical periods up to the present day. This volume is an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to explore the many facets of Hermes' myth, worship and reception.

    Now it’s time that his wife, Joan Leigh Fermor (1912–2003), gets her due—as one of the greatest photographers of her generation.             In her lifetime, Leigh Fermor was hailed—and hired—by John Betjemen and Cyril Connelly, and she was recognized as a powerful recorder of the London Blitz. But the true scale of her achievement was only realized after her death, when a treasure trove of photographs was discovered documenting the landscape and culture of Greece between 1945 and 1960. Through Leigh Fermor’s fundamentally democratic lens, we meet Cretan shepherds, Meteoran monastics, and Macedonian bear tamers. She brings the same intimate eye to architecture, while showing just as much facility in the panoramas of landscape—all clearly animated by a love of Greece. This book, drawn from a collection of five thousand images held by the National Library of Scotland, offers our first chance to see Leigh Fermor for what she was: a twentieth-century master.

    This is done mainly through a hike from the capital Apollonia to the medieval settlement of Kastro, the island's old capital, one of the best preserved fortified towns of the Aegean Sea. Also, another hike to the island's main pilgrimage, Panaghia Chryssopighi. Two wonderful trails next to chapels of astonishing aesthetic sensitivity and in a nature of incomparable beauty. But also those who don't hike can see all this since these sights are also accessible by car. This book, based mainly on a large number of colour photos, with concise historical and architectural explanations, endeavours to make this island more known and give a glimpse of it to the visitor who desires to discover it.

    Egyptian, Greek, and Roman craftsmen imitated one another’s work, creating cultural and artistic hybrids that transcended a single tradition. Yet in spite of the remarkable artistic production that resulted from these interchanges, the complex vicissitudes of exchange between Egypt and the Classical world over the course of nearly 2500 years have not been comprehensively explored in a major exhibition or publication in the United States. It is precisely this aspect of Egypt’s history, however, that Beyond the Nile uncovers.   Renowned scholars have come together to provide compelling analyses of the constantly evolving dynamics of cultural exchange, first between Egyptians and Greeks—during the Bronze Age, then the Archaic and Classical periods of Greece, and finally Ptolemaic Egypt—and later, when Egypt passed to Roman rule with the defeat of Cleopatra.  Beyond the Nile, a milestone publication issued on the occasion of a major international exhibition, will become an indispensable contribution to the field. With gorgeous photographs of more than two hundred rare objects, including frescoes, statues, obelisks, jewelry, papyri, pottery, and coins, this volume offers an essential and inter-disciplinary approach to the rich world of artistic cross-pollination during antiquity.

    This landmark event set a legal precedent for population management on the basis of religious or ethnic difference. Similar segregative policies--such as creating walls, partitions, and apartheids--have followed in its wake. Strikingly, the exchange was purportedly enacted as a means to achieve peace.Humanism in Ruins maps the links between liberal discourses on peace and the legacies of this forced migration. Aslı Iğsız weaves together past and present, making visible the effects in Turkey across the ensuing century, of the 1923 exchange. Liberal humanism has responded to segregative policies by calling for coexistence and the acceptance of cultural diversity. Yet, as Iğsız makes clear, liberal humanism itself, with its ahistorical emphasis on a shared humanity, fails to confront an underlying racialized logic. This far-reaching and multilayered cultural history investigates what it means to be human--historically, socially, and politically. It delivers an urgent message about the politics of difference at a time when the reincarnation of fascism in different parts of the world invites citizens to participate in perpetuating a racialized and unequal world.

     Pelion, a mountain surrounded by sea, is a dreamlike combination of nature and human creations. This book endeavours to present this unique beauty to the visitor who desires to discover it. Among other things, it presents fairy-tale landscapes, villages containing some of the best samples of Greek traditional architecture, post-Byzantine churches, perhaps the most beautiful railway route in Europe and some of the most beautiful beaches in Greece.

    At the same time, the importance of such a library meant Alexandria was not the only city with one, which is why the Ptolemies carried their patronage of the arts and the desire for Alexandria to be the cultural center of the Hellenistic world to a whole new level when they banned the export of papyrus – the paper-like reed that was used to compose books in the ancient world – from Egypt (Erskine 1995, 46). At the time, the Ptolemies were not the only Greek kings with a great library in their capital, because the Attalid dynasty of Pergamon also built a library as a testament to Hellenism (Fox, 2001, 393). The Library of Pergamon was established slightly later than the Library of Alexandria, during the reign of king Eumenes II (197-158 BCE) (Thorton 1941, 12), but Eumenes embarked on a program to stock the Library of Pergamon with some of the greatest works of Greek literature in order to rival the Library of Alexandria (Canfora 1989, 46). For example, a complete set of Demosthenes’ works was among the classics that graced the shelves in the Pergamon collection (Canfora 1989, 45). This competition seems to have been the basis for the papyrus ban, as the Ptolemies intended to halt academic work in Pergamon, such as editing new editions of the classics. While the Ptolemaic ban on papyrus may have slowed operations at the Library of Pergamon, the introduction of parchment as a medium of writing helped re-stock Pergamon’s Library (Thorton 1941, 12). Ultimately, however, despite being considered a great institution of the ancient world in its own right, the Library of Pergamon never approached the size or influence of the Library of Alexandria, making it the loser in the heated competition for academic and cultural prestige. Pergamon (or Pergamum) was a rich and influential ancient city in Aeolis, a major and important district, located on the western coast of Asia Minor. Pergamon was located around 25 kilometers from the Aegean Sea in modern-day Bergama, located in the Izmir Province of Turkey. The city of Pergamon is located on a hilltop in the valley of the river Kaikos, 1,000 ft. above sea level. On the north, the city is surrounded by mountains, while on the east and west, it is surrounded by two major tributaries, the rivers Selinos to the east and Ketios to the west. According to many historians and archaeologists, the city of Pergamon had enormous strategic value, since it overlooked the Caicus River Valley (Bakırçay in modern Turkey), which provided essential access from Pergamon to the Aegean Coast. Pergamon reached the height of its power during the Hellenistic period, becoming the capital of the Attalid kings, which ruled during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE. During the Roman period, the city was the first capital of the Asian province, but it ultimately lost this status to its local rival, Ephesus. Thanks to its royalty-decreed monopoly on parchment fabrication (“pergamon” in the Ancient Greek language) and tissues and its transnational commercial activity, the city became an important multicultural center for the entire empire. Furthermore, the city was decorated with gigantic monuments which gave urbanism a new start, competing with the two other important Hellenic centers, Alexandria and Antioch.

    They grew up together, spending many joyous afternoons in each other’s company. They loved creating art, and Dimity and Nicki, with a little help from Maria, came first in an art project at school with a tapestry they made by hand, which depicted island life in Greece. They always believed nothing would separate them — but would sadly find that nothing was a tall order. When Nicki and Maria’s parents uproot them to move to Greece, leaving Dimity behind, they discover that even the strongest friendships can disintegrate.Now, almost twenty years later, each of them has their own life. Dimity lives in a designer house with her sexy husband, an industrial designer named Malcolm, and their two daughters. She loves Malcolm, but struggles to get along with his mother, and is tired of playing the accommodating wife. In need of change and inspiration, she sets off to Greece to see where an unplanned journey may take her.Maria has both the career and the family, but still feels the need to prove herself to her mother. After her mother hides invitations to her cousin’s wedding in Greece from her, Maria is spurred into action. She is sick of her mother’s interference and heads to Greece in search of answers.Nicki also has a successful career, but she and her husband, Marco, are unable to have what they really want — a child. This fills Nicki with constant sadness, and puts a lot of pressure on her relationship with Marco. Needing a change in life, she follows her sister to Greece, and stays in a peaceful, historic village outside the small city of Ioannina. Will Greece fill Nicki’s heart with light and hope again?As Maria, Nicki, and Dimity each try to untangle their complex lives, will they find their way home and weave their own beautiful reality?The Greek Tapestry (Julie & Friends, Book 2) can be read as a standalone or as part of a series, following on from the delightful Eventually Julie (Julie & Friends, Book 1). In this latest book, it’s Maria’s turn to take centre stage. Joining her are many exciting new characters, as well as some familiar and popular faces from Book 1. Fasten your seatbelts and get ready to join the fun in magical Greece!

    It’s true, the Acropolis is ever present and during summer the city thrums with schools of holidaymakers. But there’s much more to the Greek capital than temples and tourists.We’ve looked beyond the admittedly awe-inspiring Parthenon and explored the city’s modernist marvels, from circular school to colonnaded embassy. We’ve combed the cobbled streets for independent boutiques offering straw hats, hand-thrown ceramics and golden jewellery – all proudly “Made in Greece”. When you’re feeling peckish, choose between traditional family-run tavernas and contemporary restaurants spicing up classic Greek dishes.Attica is a region of riches and, of course, some of the nearby islands are simply too good to miss – so we’ve included a short and sharp list of our top stopovers. For now, though, strap up your sandals and allow us to introduce you to this chaotic but ever-so-charismatic city.

    He is remembered today for his astronomy, but his philosophy is almost entirely lost to history. This groundbreaking book is the first to reconstruct Ptolemy's general philosophical system--including his metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics--and to explore its relationship to astronomy, harmonics, element theory, astrology, cosmology, psychology, and theology.In this stimulating intellectual history, Jacqueline Feke uncovers references to a complex and sophisticated philosophical agenda scattered among Ptolemy's technical studies in the physical and mathematical sciences. She shows how he developed a philosophy that was radical and even subversive, appropriating ideas and turning them against the very philosophers from whom he drew influence. Feke reveals how Ptolemy's unique system is at once a critique of prevailing philosophical trends and a conception of the world in which mathematics reigns supreme.A compelling work of scholarship, Ptolemy's Philosophy demonstrates how Ptolemy situated mathematics at the very foundation of all philosophy--theoretical and practical--and advanced the mathematical way of life as the true path to human perfection.

    And indeed they were, stretching across the Aegean Sea from about 2700-1500 BCE, with trade routes extending all the way to Egypt. The Minoans may have been the first link in the “European chain”, leading to the Ancient Greeks and beyond, but questions persist over the origins of the civilization, the end of the civilization, and substantial parts of their history, including their religion and buildings. All of this is largely because their written language, known today as “Linear A,” remains undeciphered, and among the more enigmatic finds of this truly enigmatic culture was a small disk-shaped object excavated among the ruins of the Minoan city of Phaistos in 1908. The disc, which has since become known simply as the “Phaistos Disc,” contains a number of pictographic symbols that were unrecognized by the scholars who first laid eyes on the object and remain unknown in the more than 100 years since. The contents of the Phaistos Disc, like the Minoan language of Linear A, remain unclear, but that is not for lack of trying by a plethora of scholars, some more credible than others. Many different theories have been advanced, but there is still no consensus concerning its origins, or even if it was intended to be writing. Discovering ancient shipwrecks hasn’t been a novelty for thousands of years, but when artifacts were salvaged from a Roman shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera in 1900, the discovery of one set off one of the great mysteries of antiquity. When sponge divers investigated the shipwreck, they found the kind of items often associated with such discoveries, including marble statues, pottery, jewelry, and coins, but they also discovered a strange object, the likes of which nobody had ever seen before. Initially assumed to be pieces of rock, it turned out that the item, soon to be dubbed the Antikythera mechanism, consisted of dozens of pieces, many of which had gears. In fact, while scholars quickly deduced that it had an astronomical purpose, many believed the mechanism was too advanced to actually date back to antiquity. As it turned out, of course, the Antikythera mechanism did date back to the 1st or 2nd century BCE, and as scholars began to more fully comprehend its abilities, fascination over the device grew. In conjunction with the determination that the mechanism was an analog computer of sorts that could predict astronomical phenomena like the positions of stars and eclipses, conjecture over the origins of the device led to theories over what the Romans were going to do with it, and whether the device was created by the Greek genius Archimedes himself. To this day, debate continues over whether there were predecessors to the model, where the astronomical observations that went into creating the model were taken, and whether the ultimate origins of the device might even be Babylonian.