13rd Primary School of Heraklion - Crete

European project ERASMUS+ “A tale of many cities”

The Phaistos Disc (also spelled Phaestos Disk) is a disk of fired clay from the Minoanpalace of Phaistos on the Greek island of Crete, possibly dating to the middle or late Minoan Bronze Age (1700 BC).

It is about 15 cm (5.9 in) in diameter and covered on both sides with a spiral of stamped symbols. Its purpose and meaning remain disputed, making it one of the most famous mysteries of archaeology. This unique object is now on display at the archaeological museum of Heraklion.

The Phaistos disc Ο δίσκος της Φαιστού

The disc was discovered in 1908 by the Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier in the Minoan palace-site of Phaistos, and features 241 tokens, comprising 45 unique signs, which were apparently made by pressing hieroglyphic "seals" into a disc of soft clay, in a clockwise sequence spiraling toward the disc's center.

The Phaistos Disc captured the imagination of amateur and professional archeologists, and many attempts have been made to decipher the code behind the disc's signs. Historically, almost anything has been proposed, including prayers, a narrative or an adventure story, a "psalterion", a call to arms and a geometric theorem.

The Acropolis and the Parthenon Η Ακρόπολη και ο Παρθενώνας

The greatest and finest sanctuary of ancient Athens, dedicated primarily to its patron, the goddess Athena, dominates the centre of the modern city from the rocky crag known as the Acropolis. The monuments of the Acropolis stand in harmony with their natural setting. These unique masterpieces of ancient architecture combine different orders and styles of Classical art in a most innovative manner and have influenced art and culture for many centuries.

The most important buildings visible on the Acropolis today -that is, the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the temple of Athena Nike, were erected during this period under the supervision of the greatest architects, sculptors and artists of their time. The Parthenon, dedicated by the Athenians to Athena Parthenos, the patron of their city, is the most magnificent creation of Athenian democracy at the height of its power. It is also the finest monument on the Acropolis in terms of both conception and execution, built between 447 and 438 BC. The Periclean Parthenon was designed by architects Iktinos and Kallikrates, while the sculptor Pheidias supervised the entire building program and conceived the temple's sculptural decoration and chryselephantine statue of Athena.

Τhe kotinos Ο κότινος

The kotinos (=Olive wreath), is an olive branch, originally of wild olive-tree, intertwined toform a circle, introduced by Heracles. In the ancient Olympic Games there were no gold, silver, or bronze medals. There was only one winner per event, crowned with an olive wreath made of wild olive leaves from a sacred tree near

the temple of Zeus at Olympia. The victorious athletes were honoured, feted, and praised. Their deeds were heralded and chronicled, so that future generations could appreciate their accomplishments.

Olympia – Olympic torch Ολυμπία – Ολυμπιακή φλόγα

In western Peloponnese, in the beautiful valley of the Alpheios river, lies the most celebrated sanctuary of ancient Greece, which was dedicated to Zeus, the father of the gods.

Olympia was the most important religious and athletic centre in Greece. Its fame rests upon the Olympic Games, the greatest national festival and a highly prestigious one world-wide, which was held every four years to honour Zeus.Today, several months before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, at the site of the ancient Olympics in Olympia, eleven women, representing the Vestal Virgins, perform a celebration at the Temple of Hera in which the torch is kindled by the light of the Sun, its rays concentrated by a parabolic mirror. The torch briefly travels around Greece via short relay, and then starts its transfer to the host city after a ceremony in the Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens.

The Pythagorean cup Η κούπα του Πυθαγόρα

A Pythagorean cup (also known as a Pythagoras cup) is a form of drinking cup which allows the user to fill the cup with wine up to a certain level. If the user fills the cup no further than that level, he may enjoy his drink in peace. If he exhibits gluttony however, the cup

wreaks instant retribution by spilling its contents out through the bottom. A Pythagoras cup looks exactly like a normal drinking cup, except that the bowl has a central column in it. The central column of the bowl is positioned directly over the stem of the cup and over the hole at the bottom of the stem. A small, open pipe runs from this hole almost to the top of the central column, where there is an open chamber.

The chamber is connected by a second pipe to the bottom of the central column, where a hole in the column exposes the pipe to the contents of the bowl of the cup. When the cup is filled, liquid rises through the second pipe up to the chamber at the top of the central column.As long as the level of the liquid does not rise beyond the level of the chamber, everything is all right. If the level rises further however, the liquid spills through the chamber into the first pipe and out through the bottom. Hydrostatic pressure then creates a siphon through the central column causing the entire contents of the cup to be emptied through the hole at the bottom of the stem. By this way the avid is punished.

With a simple example of hydrostatic pressure, Pythagoras teaches us to accept those we already have

and not ask for more and more.

Theatre - theatrical masks Θέατρο – θεατρικές μάσκες

Theatre was born about 2,500 years ago in Ancient Greece. Great tragedies by Aeschylus (Oresteia) , Sophocles

(Antigone) and Euripides (Medea) and great comedies by Aristophanes (Peace, Lysistrata) were written at that time.One of the best- known theatres is the ancient theatre of Epidaurus, which has excellent acoustics.The theatre was considerade as “the school of the people” and that’s why the city paid for the tickets of the poor.Theatrical masks were an important ‘tool’ for the actors. The masks were made out of light weight, organic materials like stiffened linen, leather, wood, or cork. There were only male actors, but masks allowed them to play female characters.

Cretan music and the instrument lyra - Κρητική μουσική και λύρα

The music of Crete is a traditional form of Greek folk music, also called kritika. Cretan music, like most traditional Greek music, began as product of ancient, Byzantine and western inspirations. The Cretan lyra is a Greek pear-shaped, three-stringed bowed musical instrument,

central to the traditional music of Crete and other islands in the Dodecanese and the Aegean Archipelago, in Greece. It is considered as the most popular surviving form of the medieval Byzantine lyra, an ancestor of most European bowed instruments.The body and neck are carved out of one piece of aged wood (minimum 10 years old). Traditionally the body's wood was sourced from trees growing in Crete, such as walnut or mulberry.The Cretan lyra is still widely used in Crete and it accompanies traditional Cretan songs and dances.

The evzonas Ο εύζωνας

The Evzonas (plural Evzones) is the name of several historical elite light infantry and mountain units of the Greek Army. Today, it refers to the members of the Presidential Guard, an elite ceremonial unit that guards the Greek Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Presidential Mansion and the gate of Evzones camp in Athens.

The unit is famous around the world for its unique traditional uniform. The most visible item of this uniform is the fustanella, a kilt-like garment. Their proven valour and peculiar dress turned them into a popular image for the Greek soldier, especially among foreigners.

Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and has been a key element of Greek economic activity since ancient times.The Greeks, more than any other people in

the world, have remained, during their entire, very long history, mariners without interruption, they have loved the sea, they have thought of it as a beautiful element, and they believed it had godlike powers.The landscape is mountainous and as the farming area is limited, it can only offer a poor harvest. Thus, the sea was a way out. The endless coastline forms closed inlets, natural harbours, deep bays, golden beaches and hundreds of picturesque islands. It was natural, that such beautiful surroundings would inspire the Greeks and would also instill in them a love for the sea and the ships.

The ship το καράβι

The sponge το σφουγγάρι

They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through them.Until the invention of synthetic sponges, they were used as cleaning tools and applicators for paints. Sponge diving is the oldest known form of the original art of underwater diving, in order to find natural sponges for human use. In Kalymnos, an island in the Aegean sea, sponge fishing was the oldest profession on the island. Diving for sponges brought social and economical development to the island. Other Greek islands where people dived for sponges were Symi, Hydra and Aegina.

olive oil ελαιόλαδο

Olive oil is the oil obtained from the fruit of olive. It comes from olives that are crushed in special machines in mills, after the farmers gather them before their final maturity. Olive oil is a key element of the Mediterranean diet, is very healthy and extremely tasty. The Mediterranean countries are among the major oil producers in the world, as Spain, Italy and Greece produce the largest amounts of oil. Indeed, the Greek olive oil is considered to be very good in quality and is exported abroad. In Greece, there have been found oil presses which existed since prehistoric times. Olive oil is very important for our country and is considered to be the gold of the Greek land!

spinning top σβούρα

A top (also called spinning top or spintop) is a toy designed to be spun rapidly on the ground, the motion of which causes it to remain precisely balanced on its tip because of inertia. Such toys have existed since antiquity. Traditionally tops were constructed of wood, decorated with colourful patterns. Today they are often built of plastic.