Didn't an Oracle say This was a BAD IDEA?!

Towering over the ancient city like a watchful giant, the Colossus of Rhodes statue was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Now, over two millennia after it was felled by an earthquake, a group of architects and engineers hope to build its modern successor.

We don't know exactly what the Colossus of Rhodes looked like, nor its location in the town, but accounts describe a huge bronze statue depicting the Greek god Helios that rose over 30 m (98 ft) high, supported on a plinth. Constructed to honor the city's relief from a siege, the statue was completed in 280 BCE and fell in 226 BCE.

The Colossus Rhodes team imagines its modern successor to be even bigger. Bringing to mind the fictional Titan of Braavos from Game of Thrones, it would rise 150 m (492 ft) high and straddle Rhodes' Mandraki Harbour. Inside, the concept depicts a cultural center, library, an open-air observation point, and a revolving restaurant. It would be topped by a lighthouse.

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Ten European Union Members Send Letter Stating Russo-German NordStream Gas Pipeline NOT in European Interests

Russia's plans to extend its gas link to Germany run counter to EU interests and risk further destabilizing Ukraine, 10 European governments said in a letter to the European Commission that called for a summit-level debate on the issue.

A group of European companies signed an agreement with Gazprom in September to expand its Nord Stream pipeline to Germany, bypassing Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Gazprom said it would halt gas deliveries to Ukraine while Kiev said it could find cheaper supplies elsewhere.

The letter, written on Thursday and signed by Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, says the project should come under the closest regulatory scrutiny and called for "an inclusive debate" at next month's EU summit.

"The position of the European Commission on the Nord Stream II project will also essentially influence the perception of the EU's common foreign and security policy among its core allies and traditional partners," the letter, seen by Reuters, said.

World leaders have been urging Moscow and Ankara to avoid any escalation of tensions following the shooting down of a Russian jet by NATO member Turkey.

Russia's relationships with the European Union and Ukraine have been volatile since the annexation of Crimea in March last year.

The Nord Stream extension to deliver increased volumes of gas straight to Germany could have serious consequences for Kiev and EU nations, the letter said.

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Ancient Greeks Were Sorta Right: Peuce Island Existed, but as the Dunavat Peninsula

The ancient legendary island of PEUCE – myth or reality?

Authors:

Romanescu et al

Abstract:

The testimonies left by the ancient Greeks indicate the existence of the legendary Peuce Island at the mouth of the Danube. Several locations for the island have been proposed throughout history: the pre-continental inland of Chilia, the fluvio-maritime levee of Letea, the initial alluvial fan of the Danube, the Dobroudjan inland between the Danube, the Black Sea and the valley of the Telita River and the Dunavat Peninsula, and others. All of these hypotheses have been proven wrong, except for that regarding the Dunavat Peninsula; but for the Dunavat Peninsula to have represented an island, there must have been a fluvial or maritime corridor separating it from the rest of the Dobroudjan inland. The Beibugeac corridor represented the last link in deciphering this enigma. Interdisciplinary research has been conducted to confirm or refute the theory of the existence of an arm. The overall morphology is favourable to the existence of a fluvial arm. Nonetheless, analysis of the geologic boreholes demonstrates that the nature of the sediments is purely continental and that they originate in the superficial erosion of the calcareous slopes belonging to the Dunavat Hills and Bestepe Hills. The position of Peuce Island in the south of the most important Danubian arm makes possible its location between the Halmyris Gulf, the Danube Delta and the continental inland of Dobroudja. The ancient Greeks were interested only in the exploitation of the sea and the coastal area. For this reason, they built cities only within reach of the sea (Orgame [Argamum], Histria, Tomis and Callatis). When viewed from the sea or the surrounding swamp areas, the Dunavat Peninsula – given that it is elongated and narrow – seemed like an island covered by pine forests. Because it was mistaken for an island, its misleading name was ascribed and transmitted throughout history.

Shovel-tusker Proboscidean Konobelodon Present in Miocene Neogene Greece

The Eurasian occurrence of the shovel-tusker Konobelodon (Mammalia, Proboscidea) as illuminated by its presence in the late Miocene of Pikermi (Greece)

Authors:

Konidaris et al

Abstract:

Presented here are the tetralophodont proboscidean remains from the late Miocene locality Pikermi (Attica, Greece). The study of the Pikermi tetralophodons and their comparison with other relevant specimens revealed that the late Miocene species ‘Tetralophodon’ atticus and ‘Mastodon’ grandincisivus are synonymous. The morphological characters of the Pikermi specimens, as well as of those attributed to ‘Mastodon’ grandincisivus, are consistent with the North American shovel-tusker Amebelodon (Konobelodon). However, generic rank revision of Konobelodon at generic rank is deemed appropriate. The observed differences between the type species Konobelodon britti and the Pikermi tetralophodon indicate that the latter belongs to a distinct species, Konobelodon atticus. This species encompasses the Turolian tetralophodont shovel-tuskers from eastern Europe–western Asia. The paleogeographic distribution and biostratigraphy of Konobelodon atticus are discussed, as well as the evolution and the possible migrational scenarios of Konobelodon.

Dating the End of the Greek Bronze Age

Dating the End of the Greek Bronze Age: A Robust Radiocarbon-Based Chronology from Assiros Toumba

Authors:

Wardle et al

Abstract:

Over 60 recent analyses of animal bones, plant remains, and building timbers from Assiros in northern Greece form an unique series from the 14th to the 10th century BC. With the exception of Thera, the number of 14C determinations from other Late Bronze Age sites in Greece has been small and their contribution to chronologies minimal. The absolute dates determined for Assiros through Bayesian modelling are both consistent and unexpected, since they are systematically earlier than the conventional chronologies of southern Greece by between 70 and 100 years. They have not been skewed by reference to assumed historical dates used as priors. They support high rather than low Iron Age chronologies from Spain to Israel where the merits of each are fiercely debated but remain unresolved.

Increased Hunting Pressure Evidence from Paleolithic/Aurignacian Greece

Optimal Foraging, Dietary Change, and Site Use during the Paleolithic at Klissoura Cave 1 (Southern Greece)

Author:

Starkovich

Abstract:

This paper evaluates a long sequence of zooarchaeological remains from Klissoura Cave 1 (southern Greece) within the paradigm of evolutionary ecology. The prey choice, central place foraging, and patch choice models are applied to the dataset in order to understand subsistence shifts related to local resource depression and changes in the intensity of site use from the Middle Paleolithic through Mesolithic. Major trends in prey choice indicate that Middle Paleolithic hominins tended to focus on high-ranked large game resources, while Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic occupants shifted to lower-ranked small game, fast-moving animals in particular. Overarching shifts in prey use do not correspond to environmental change, so they likely reflect human impacts on local prey populations. Reconstructions of body part profiles indicate that hunters exploited large game animals locally, possibly as they passed through the gorge or drank at a nearby stream. Occupation intensity at the site was highest at the beginning of the Aurignacian, which is reflected by an increase in material culture such as lithics and hearth features, as well as different subsistence strategies. Specifically, bone marrow processing is more important, evidenced by ungulate transport decisions that focus on marrow-rich elements, and an overall increase in marrow processing intensity. Environmental data indicate that conditions in southern Greece were particularly favorable at the beginning of the Aurignacian, which supported rich ungulate faunas and larger populations of their hominin predators in the area. In general, faunal data from Klissoura Cave 1 fit within larger trends found in the Mediterranean over the course of the Late Pleistocene, which indicate that human hunting pressures were on the rise. However, many aspects of prey use are specific to Klissoura Cave 1, reflecting unique environmental and cultural circumstances of southern Greece at various phases in the occupation of the site.

Hipparion phlegrae: a new Species of Miocene Neogene Horse From Greece

Hipparion phlegrae, sp. nov. (Mammalia, Perissodactyla): a new species from the Turolian locality of Kryopigi (Kassandra, Chalkidiki, Greece)

Authors:

Lazaridis et al

Abstract:

A new hipparion species, Hipparion phlegrae, sp. nov., is described on the basis of both morphological characters and metrical data as a member of Hipparion s.s. It is compared with H. dietrichi, H. prostylum, and similar forms of the Greco-Iranian province. The age of the Kryopigi fauna is discussed as Turolian on the basis of the hipparion assemblage, whereas the coexistence of a small Cremohipparion referred here as C. matthewi/nikosi indicates that H. phlegrae, sp. nov., is probably a derived species in respect to H. prostylum. The decreased size of the H. phlegrae and the short and wide muzzle are discussed for Hipparion s.s. during the Turolian period. Phylogenetic relationships of the new species and related taxa are reconstructed and also considered.

A new Species of Hipparion Horse Found in Miocene Neogene Greece

Hipparion phlegrae, sp. nov. (Mammalia, Perissodactyla): a new species from the Turolian locality of Kryopigi (Kassandra, Chalkidiki, Greece)

Authors:

Lazaridis et al

Abstract:

A new hipparion species, Hipparion phlegrae, sp. nov., is described on the basis of both morphological characters and metrical data as a member of Hipparion s.s. It is compared with H. dietrichi, H. prostylum, and similar forms of the Greco-Iranian province. The age of the Kryopigi fauna is discussed as Turolian on the basis of the hipparion assemblage, whereas the coexistence of a small Cremohipparion referred here as C. matthewi/nikosi indicates that H. phlegrae, sp. nov., is probably a derived species in respect to H. prostylum. The decreased size of the H. phlegrae and the short and wide muzzle are discussed for Hipparion s.s. during the Turolian period. Phylogenetic relationships of the new species and related taxa are reconstructed and also considered.

John Ma on the Evolution of the Greek Polis Between 800 BC to 600 AD

Ex Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou: a TedTalk on an United Europe

Archaelogists Find Gates of Hell

Was There a Guadelupean Mass Extinction?

CAPITANIAN (MIDDLE PERMIAN) MASS EXTINCTION AND RECOVERY IN WESTERN TETHYS: A FOSSIL, FACIES, AND δ13C STUDY FROM HUNGARY AND HYDRA ISLAND (GREECE)


Authors:

1. PAUL B. WIGNALL (a,*)
2. DAVID P. G. BOND (a)
3. JÁNOS HAAS (b)
4. WEI WANG (c)
5. HAISHUI JIANG (d)
6. XULONG LAI (d)
7. DEMIR ALTINER (e)
8. STÉPHANIE VÉDRINE (f)
9. KINGA HIPS (b)
10. NORBERT ZAJZON (g)
11. YADONG SUN (d)
12. ROBERT J. NEWTON (a)


Affiliations:

a. School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom

b. Geological Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary

c. Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China

d. Key Laboratory of Geobiology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, People's Republic of China

e.  Marine Micropalaeontology Research Unit, Department of Geological Engineering, Middle East Technical University, TR-06531 Ankara, Turkey

f.  7 rue Albert 1er, 45000 Orléans, France

g.  Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, University of Miskolc, Miskolc, Hungary

*. Corresponding author, Email: p.wignall@see.leeds.ac.uk


Abstract:

The Capitanian (middle Permian) extinction and recovery event is examined in carbonate platform settings from western Tethys (Hungary and Hydra, Greece). The age model for these sections is poorly resolved and we have constructed a δ13C chemostratigraphic correlation scheme, supported by conodont and foraminifer data, which attempts correlation with the well-dated events in China. This reveals the timing of events was similar in all Tethyan regions: extinction losses in the middle of the Capitanian produced late Capitanian assemblages in Hungary and Hydra with a distinctive late Permian character (for example, they lack large fusulinaceans). There is no evidence for an extinction event at the end of the Guadalupian (Capitanian) suggesting that previous claims for an end-Guadalupian mass extinction are based on poorly dated records of a mid-Capitanian event. Base level was stable through much of the middle–late Permian transition with the exception of a major regression within the Capitanian Stage. The subsequent transgression established widespread shallow-water carbonate deposition, such as the Episkopi Formation in Hydra and the Nagyvisnyó Limestone Formation in Hungary.

Missed this one a while back.  Timing is damned important here for this sort of thing.  The Guadalupean was a smaller mass extinction but an important one: the dinocephalians probably bit it then.