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Welcome to the Greece portal

Introduction

Greece /ˈɡriːs/ (Greek: Ελλάδα, Ellada), officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία, Elliniki Dimokratia), and historically Hellas (Ancient Greek: Ἑλλάς, Hellas; Modern Greek: Ελλάς, Ellas), is a country in the southeast of Europe on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula. Bounded on land by Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Albania to the north, to the east by Turkey and the waters of the Aegean Sea and to the west and south by the Ionian and Mediterranean Seas. Regarded by many as the cradle of Western civilisation, Greece has a long and rich history during which it spread its influence over three continents. Read more...

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Satellite image of Thera, November 21, 2000. The bay in the center of the island is the caldera created by the Minoan eruption.

The Minoan eruption was a catastrophic volcanic eruption that devastated the Aegean island of Thera (also called Santorini) circa 1600 BCE. It destroyed the Minoan settlement at Akrotiri, as well as communities and agricultural areas on nearby islands and the coast of Crete with subsequent earthquakes and paleotsunamis. With a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of between 6 and 7, it resulted in the ejection of approximately 28–41 km³ (6.7–9.8 cu mi) of dense-rock equivalent (DRE), the eruption was one of the largest volcanic events in human history. Since tephra from the Minoan eruption serves as a marker horizon in nearly all archaeological sites in the Eastern Mediterranean, its precise date is of high importance and has been fiercely debated among archaeologists and volcanologists for decades, without coming to a definite conclusion.

Although there are no clear ancient records of the eruption, its plume and volcanic lightning may have been described in the Egyptian Tempest Stele. The Chinese Bamboo Annals reported unusual yellow skies and summer frost at the beginning of the Shang dynasty, which may have been a consequence of volcanic winter (similar to 1816, the Year Without a Summer, after the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora). (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Greece-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Dormition of the Virgin by El Greco, an example of the Cretan School (from Culture of Greece)
Image 2Greece's cities, main towns, main rivers, islands and selected archaeological sites. (from Geography of Greece)
Image 3Nafplio, the first capital of independent Greece during the governance of Ioannis Kapodistrias (from History of Greece)
Image 4Late 4th century AD "Mosaic of the Musicians" with hydraulis, aulos, and lyre from a Byzantine villa in Maryamin, Syria (from Culture of Greece)
Image 5Greek cavalry attacking during the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922). (from History of Greece)
Image 6Peplos Kore at the Acropolis Museum. Relics of the polychromy are visible. (from Culture of Greece)
Image 7The Parthenon is an enduring symbol of ancient Greece and the Athenian democracy. It is regarded as one of the world's greatest cultural monuments. (from Culture of Greece)
Image 8The territorial evolution of Kingdom of Greece until 1947 (from History of Greece)
Image 9Organization and military bases of the Communist led "Democratic Army", as well as entry routes to Greece. (from History of Greece)
Image 10Mikis Theodorakis, popular composer and songwriter, introduced the bouzouki into the mainstream culture. (from Culture of Greece)
Image 11Terracotta kylix that depicts a man holding a lyre, circa 480 BC, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City) (from Culture of Greece)
Image 12Proclamation of the Second Hellenic Republic in 1924. Crowds holding placards depicting Alexandros Papanastasiou, Georgios Kondylis and Alexandros Hatzikyriakos (from History of Greece)
Image 13Part of the Byzantine Walls of Thessaloniki (from History of Greece)
Image 14A bottle of retsina (from Culture of Greece)
Image 15Crete (NASA photograph) (from Geography of Greece)
Image 16Carols by Nikiforos Lytras (from Culture of Greece)
Image 17A map of Greater Greece after the Treaty of Sèvres, when the Megali Idea seemed close to fulfillment, featuring Eleftherios Venizelos. (from History of Greece)
Image 18The I Battalion of the Army of National Defence marches on its way to the front, 1916. Greece joined united with the Allies side in summer 1917. (from History of Greece)
Image 19Mosaic from Daphni Monastery (ca. 1100) (from Culture of Greece)
Image 20Our Lady of Tinos, the major Marian shrine in Greece (from Culture of Greece)
Image 21The National Library of Greece (Athens), 1888, by Theophil Hansen (from Culture of Greece)
Image 22The Stag Hunt Mosaic at the Archaeological Museum of Pella (3rd century BC) (from History of Greece)
Image 23Olympion Theatre in Thessaloniki, seat of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. (from Culture of Greece)
Image 24The most famous artist born in Greece was probably Doménikos Theotokópoulos, better known as El Greco (The Greek) in Spain. He did most of his painting there during the late 1500s and early 1600s. (from Culture of Greece)
Image 25The Temple of Hephaestus in Athens is the best-preserved of all ancient Greek temples. (from Culture of Greece)
Image 26Apollon Theatre (Patras), designed by Ernst Ziller (from Culture of Greece)
Image 27Members of the National Organisation of Youth (EON) salute in presence of dictator Metaxas (1938) (from History of Greece)
Image 28A page from a 16th-century edition of the 10th century Byzantine encyclopaedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, the Suda. (from Culture of Greece)
Image 29Bust of Herodotus in Stoa of Attalus, one of the earliest nameable historians whose work survives. (from History of Greece)
Image 30Leonidas at Thermopylae by Jacques-Louis David. (from History of Greece)
Image 31Greek Resistance cavalry during the Axis occupation (from History of Greece)
Image 32Topographic map of Greece (from Geography of Greece)
Image 33Clashes in Athens during the Dekemvriana events (from History of Greece)
Image 34Archery matches in Panathenaic Stadium during the 2004 Olympics. (from Culture of Greece)
Image 35Protest against the junta by Greek political exiles in Germany, 1967 (from History of Greece)
Image 36The major Hellenistic realms included the Diadoch kingdoms:
  Kingdom of Ptolemy I Soter
  Kingdom of Cassander
  Kingdom of Lysimachus
  Kingdom of Seleucus I Nicator
  Epirus
Also shown on the map:
  Greek colonies
  Carthage (non-Greek)
  Rome (non-Greek)
The orange areas were often in dispute after 281 BC. The Attalid kingdom occupied some of this area. Not shown: Indo-Greek Kingdom. (from History of Greece)
Image 37Map of the Delian League ("Athenian Empire or Alliance") in 431 BC, just prior to the Peloponnesian War. (from History of Greece)
Image 38The Temple of Hephaestus on the Agoraios Kolonos Hill (Athens, Greece), circa 449 BC, unknown architect (from Culture of Greece)
Image 39Depiction of the Greek fire in John Skylitzes' Madrid Skylitzes (late 11th century). (from History of Greece)
Image 40Adamantios Korais, major figure of the Modern Greek Enlightenment (from Culture of Greece)
Image 41Ancient Greek Ostracon bearing the name of Cimon. Museum of the Ancient Agora, Athens. (from Culture of Greece)
Image 42Traditional flag used from 1769 to the War of Independence (from Culture of Greece)
Image 43Manuel Chrysoloras, Greek scholar in the Renaissance (from Culture of Greece)
Image 44Nikos Kazantzakis, one of the most prominent modern Greek writers (from Culture of Greece)
Image 45Mosaic in the Hosios Loukas (Distomo-Arachova-Antikyra, Greece), circa 10th century AD (from Culture of Greece)
Image 46The landing of Greek troops in Kavala during the Balkan Wars (from History of Greece)
Image 47The Battle of Navarino, in October 1827, marked the effective end of Ottoman rule in Greece. (from History of Greece)
Image 48The division of the Byzantine Empire after the Fourth Crusade. (from History of Greece)
Image 49Restored North Entrance with charging bull fresco of the Palace of Knossos (Crete), with some Minoan colourful columns (from Culture of Greece)
Image 50Greek salad (from Culture of Greece)
Image 51Proto-Greek linguistic area according to linguist Vladimir I. Georgiev. (from History of Greece)
Image 52Shards of pottery vases on the street, after being thrown from the windows of nearby houses. A Holy Saturday tradition in Corfu. (from Culture of Greece)
Image 53The ancient theatre of Epidaurus continues to be used for staging ancient Greek plays. (from Culture of Greece)
Image 54Georgios Tsolakoglou with Wehrmacht officers arrives at Macedonia Hall of Anatolia College in Thessaloniki, to sign the surrender (April 1941) (from History of Greece)
Image 55Constantin Carathéodory, who introduced several mathematical theorems. (from Culture of Greece)
Image 56Traditional Greek taverna, integral part of Greek culture and cuisine. (from Culture of Greece)
Image 57Gemistus Pletho (from Culture of Greece)
Image 58Climate regions of Greece according to Köppen climate classification (from Geography of Greece)
Image 59"Discobolus" statue by Konstantinos Dimitriadis, outside the Panathenaic Stadium (from Culture of Greece)
Image 60View of the Roman Odeon of Patras (from History of Greece)
Image 61Exterior view of Hosios Loukas monastery, artistic example of the Macedonian Renaissance (from History of Greece)
Image 62Mycenaean Greece, c. 1400–1100 BC. (from History of Greece)
Image 63Aristarchus of Samos was the first known individual to propose a heliocentric system, in the 3rd century BC (from Culture of Greece)
Image 64Poet Constantine P. Cavafy (from Culture of Greece)
Image 65Map of earthquakes in Greece and adjacent countries 1900–2017 (from Geography of Greece)
Image 66Depiction of the Battle of Corinth (146 BC) on the last day before Roman legions looted and burned the city of Corinth. The last day on Corinth, Tony Robert-Fleury, 1870. (from History of Greece)
Image 67Overview of the campus of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the largest university in Greece and the Balkans (from Culture of Greece)
Image 68Alexander the Great also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon, was one of the most successful military commanders in history. (from Culture of Greece)
Image 69The Temple of Hephaestus in Athens (from History of Greece)
Image 70George I was King of the Hellenes from 1862 to 1913 (from History of Greece)
Image 71The ancient theatre of Dodona (from History of Greece)
Image 72The Little Metropolis (Athens), 9th–13th century, unknown architect (from Culture of Greece)
Image 73Idealized portrait of Homer, British Museum (from Culture of Greece)
Image 74The socialist prime minister Andreas Papandreou (from History of Greece)

Did you know?

...that the Greeks were the first to develop an alphabet with vowels?
...that the Greco-Buddhist art is an artistic manifestation of Greco-Buddhism, a cultural syncretism between the Greek culture and Buddhism, which developed in Central Asia after the conquests of Alexander the Great?
...that the Rio–Antirrio bridge between the Peloponnese and mainland Greece is the longest cable stayed-suspended deck in Europe?
...that the country's highest mountain, Mount Olympus was said to be the home of the Greek Gods in ancient Greek religion?
...that the Olympic Games, originated in Greece 3000 years ago, and that the 1st games of the modern Olympics were held in Greece in 1896, as a revival of the Games?
...that the Greek state comprises only the centre of the ancient Greek world, which comprised also Southern Italy, the coastal areas of modern Turkey and the Black Sea, as well as some colonies in North Africa, Southern France and Spain?
...that even though the modern Greek state was established in 1832, some areas of Greece were not liberated until after the Balkan Wars and WW2?

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Greek mythology	Ancient Greek philosophy	Ancient Olympic Games	Theatre of ancient Greece	Byzantine Empire	Greek Orthodox Church	Modern Greek art


Trojan War	Greco–Persian Wars	Hellenistic period	Greek War of Independence	Balkan Wars	Greece in World War II	Greek Culture	Flag of Greece

Recognized content

1896 Summer Olympics, Alcibiades, Archimedes, Aspasia, Attalus I, Basiliscus, Battle of Dyrrhachium (1081), Battle of Greece, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine navy, Cleomenean War, Corinthian War, Cretan War (205–200 BC), Demosthenes, Diocletian, El Greco, Epaminondas, Euclidean algorithm, George I of Greece, Greece runestones, Greek mythology, Hippocrates, Manuel I Komnenos, Macedonia (terminology), Orion (mythology), Pericles, Philitas of Cos, Problem of Apollonius, Stamata Revithi, Rhodes blood libel, Slavery in ancient Greece, The Battle of Alexander at Issus, The Penelopiad, Theramenes, Thrasybulus

Battle of Artemisium, Battle of Thermopylae, Battle of Kalavrye, Battle of Marathon, Battle of Salamis, Byzantine civil war of 1341–47, Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628, First Macedonian War, John Kourkouas, Yannis Makriyannis, Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria, Vikos–Aoös National Park

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Literature and philosophy

In Greece, from ancient times down to the present, has been produced countless world-famous poetry in addition to philosophers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle and historians like Herodotus and Thucydides. Notable figures of modern Greek literature include Odysseas Elytis and Constantine Cavafy.

Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Zeus fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another.
— Homer, Iliad

Art

Greek art began in the Cycladic and Minoan prehistorical civilization. The art of ancient Greece has exercised an enormous influence on the culture of many countries from ancient times until the present, particularly in the areas of sculpture and architecture. In the West, the art of the Roman Empire was largely derived from Greek models. In the East, Alexander the Great's conquests initiated several centuries of exchange between Greek, Central Asian and Indian cultures. During the Renaissance , the humanist aesthetic and the high technical standards of Greek art inspired generations of European artists.Read more...

Quotes

— Greek proverbs in Wikiquote —

— Ancient Macedonian quotes in Wikiquote —

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Ancient
- Sappho
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Featured video

A short video of the main sites at the ancient sanctuary of Delphi in Central Greece. Delphi was considered to be the center of the world by the Greeks and the most important oracle in the Greek world.