Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-06-18

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Sofia authorities arrest three Bulgarians involved in ring 'selling' infants to Greeks

[02] Gov't, SEB memo on consumers' protection

[03] ELA defendant Agapiou dies

[04] Fulbright event on Tuesday

[05] Tour of the permanent collections of the New Acropolis Museum continues

[01] Sofia authorities arrest three Bulgarians involved in ring 'selling' infants to Greeks

A lawyer, his female assistant and another woman, all Bulgarian nationals, were arrested on orders of the Sofia prosecutor bygents of the Bulgarian national security authority.

The three suspects are charged with participation in a crime ring that located pregnant Bulgarian women with financial difficulties and convinced the women to sell the infants to them after they gave birth, for 1,500-2,500 euros per infant, and then sought "buyers".

The infants were then sold to families in Greece for 30,000-40,000 euros each, with the ring members assuring the families that the 'adoptions' were legal and effected through the legal process of international adoptions, according to the Bulgarian police's organised crime unit.

The ring scouted out candidate parents in Greece, then would seek the pregnant women. The Greek 'fathers' would formally recognise the infants as their own biological children through a legal process at the Bulgarian clinic where the births took place.

The operation was completed with the issue of birth certificates and passports for the newborn infants, which were then taken back to Greece by the Greek parents.

Bulgarian police said that the ring had sold 13 infants in Greece and two in Bulgaria in one year.

[02] Gov't, SEB memo on consumers' protection

The MoC will contain actions regarding the smooth operation of markets and consumers' protection and information.

Answering press questions, Minister Costis Hatzidakis said food prices in the country mostly fell over the recent period.

[03] ELA defendant Agapiou dies

Agapiou had been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment in the ELA trial in 2004. Due to deteriorating health, he had been unable to attend the appeals hearings over the past three months.

[04] Fulbright event on Tuesday

Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and Deputy Education Minister Andreas Lykourentzos are expected to address the event.

A total of 50 scholarships will be offered to Greek and US students, scholars, artists for the academic year 2009-10 in the fields of archaeology, architecture, environmental studies, journalism, law, fine arts, engineering, finance and others.

Eight scholarships will be given to Greek professors/researchers from several local universities and 18 scholarships to honor students, allowing them to immediately begin their post-graduate studies at noted US universities, such as Stanford, Columbia, Harvard, etc.

For further information on the Fulbright Institution you may visit its website: www.fulbright.gr

[05] Tour of the permanent collections of the New Acropolis Museum continues

OTHER MONUMENTS OF THE CLASSICAL ACROPOLIS

The main monuments that constitute the Classical Acropolis are the Propylaia, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Erechtheion. The Propylaia, the monumental entrance to the Acropolis, were built in 437-432 BC, following designs by the architect Mnesikles, in order to replace the earlier gateway. In 427-423 BC, the Temple of Athena Nike was built, perhaps by the architect Kallikrates, on the bastion southwest of the Propylaia, to replace an earlier small temple on the same site. The Erechtheion is the last of the Periclean buildings. Construction began during the Peace of Nicias (421-415 BC) and ended after 410 BC.

The Propylaia

In the Propylaia stood works of art made by great sculptors, like the statue of the Hermes Propylaios by Alkamenes.

The building consisted of a central section flanked by two wings. The main building featured five openings. The central opening was the widest to accommodate the passing of the Panathenaic procession and sacrificial animals.

The north wing had an anteroom and a spacious hall known as the Pinakotheke. This was probably a recreation area with paintings on the walls and couches with tables, where visitors could rest. The south wing had to be reduced due to the Temple of Athena Nike.

The Temple of Athena Nike

The Temple of Athena Nike is an exquisitely proportioned temple in the Ionic order, with four monolithic columns at the east and west fronts.

As the epithet Nike (victory) implies, here Athena was worshipped as the goddess who stands by the Athenians in time of war. The Temple housed a wooden cult statue of the Goddess, who held a helmet in one hand, symbol of war, and a branch of pomegranate tree in the other, symbol of peace. The temple had sculptures on the pediments and the frieze. Only a few fragments of the pediment sculptures are preserved. The east frieze represents the Olympian Gods and the other three sides of the frieze picture battle scenes.

The Erechtheion

The area around the Erechtheion was considered the most sacred of the Acropolis. The Erechtheion was a complex marble building in the Ionic order, an exceptional artwork. The eastern part of the Temple was dedicated to Athena, whilst the western part was dedicated to local hero Boutes, Hephaistos and other gods and heroes. Thus, the Erechtheion was a temple with multiple functions, housing older and newer cults, and the site of the 'Sacred Tokens', the marks made by Poseidon's trident and the olive tree of Athena.

A building inscription of the Erechtheion refers to the Caryatids simply as Korai (maidens), while the name Caryatids was assigned at a later time. The second Korai from the western section was removed by Lord Elgin in 1801 and is today located in the British Museum.

OTHER COLLECTIONS

The Other Collections of the Acropolis Museum include the Sanctuary of Artemis Vravronia, the votives of the Classical and Hellenistic Periods and the votives of the Roman Period.

The Sanctuary of Artemis Vravronia

Artemis Brauronia (Vravronia) was the goddess protecting expectant mothers and women in confinement. Her main sanctuary was located in Brauron, in Attica. The sanctuary on the Acropolis was founded at the time of the tyrant Peisistratos, who originated from Brauron (modern-day Vravronas). The cella housed the wooden statue (xoanon) of the Goddess, similar to the one in her Brauron temple. According to Pausanias, a second statue of Artemis, carved by Praxiteles, was added in 346 BC. The colossal head of that statue is on display in the Museum.

The Votives of the Classical & Hellenistic Periods

Exquisite sculptures of the Classical Period are mostly made out of copper. Most of the votives on the Acropolis of the Classical Period and of subsequent periods have disappeared. Several sculptures are identified with original works that were found on the Rock of the Acropolis. Amongst them stands the statue of Prokne and Itys, a work attributed to the famous sculptor Alkamenes. Other statues have survived in a fragmentary state, like the statue of Io or Kallisto, another work by Alkamenes, or the fragment of the statue of the so-called Aphrodite-Sosandra by Kalamis. Another exquisite work is the portrait of Alexander, possibly ascribed to the sculptor Leochares.

The Votives of the Roman Period

Throughout the Roman period, the Acropolis retained the appearance it had in its heyday. It also preserved most of its dedications, unlike other Greek cities and sanctuaries, whose artistic treasures were plundered and transferred to Italy, mostly in order to adorn public buildings. At the same time, a series of new dedications were added to the earlier ones. These were portraits of emperors, generals and other officials, portraits of philosophers, orators and priests, as well as images of individuals who benefited the city or distinguished themselves in athletic and other contests.

Caption: Caryatids illuminated by spotlights in the Erechtheion on the Acropolis hill in Athens, Greece. The second Caryatide from the western section was removed by Lord Elgin in 1801 and is today located in the British Museum.ANA-MPA/MARIA MAROYANNI

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