Two Words, One Answer.
piraeus
 Greece, Piraeus mouse pad $7.99 This is a brand new custom made high quality mouse pad imprinted using the latest sublimation technology. This process embeds the image permanently and gives it a smooth surface with a crisp and vivid image. It is 8 1/2" x 7" in size and 1/8 thick. It has a non skid backing to prevent slipping. It will work with any type of mouse: ball, optical, laser.  The Piraeus (Bcpaperbacks Series) $29.00 The Piraeus was one of the largest and most impressive ancient ports in the Mediterranean. During the fifth century BC it was laid out on a grid pattern by the urban planner Hippodamos and linked by the Long Walls with the city of Athens, some 8km away. It served as headquarters for the Athenian navy during the time of Athens' Aegean empire. Its emporion or commercial sector handled the bulk of Athenian imports, especially the grain on which the Athenians were wholly dependent. In conventional histories the story of the Piraeus is mostly hidden amidst material centred almost exclusively on Athens herself. Here Garland treats the Piraeus in its own right as an integral yet idiosyncratic component of Attika - one which exercised a decisive influence on Athenian history: its demographic profile linked it indissolubly with radical democracy; its Long Walls enabled Athenian leaders to pursue a policy which abandoned the Attic countryside in favour of a predominantly maritime strategy; later its Macedonian garrison could exercise control over Athens by threatening to cut off her essential imports. Garland analyses the demography of the Piraeus, its separate administrative organisation, its crucial economic and commercial importance, its key strategic and naval role, and its distinctive religious identity. He also traces the layout of the ancient town which lies largely buried beneath its no less vital modern successor.  Heirs Of The Greek Catastrophe: The Social Life of Asia Minor Refugees in Piraeus $19.95 Hirschon's book gives an account of the social life of the Asia Minor refugees. As a student of the classics I was impressed by the parallels with ancient Greek culture (although I won't make any grand claims about continuity over the millenia because I don't know very much about the intermediate history). A very good book if you're interested in learning about the traditional Greek lifestyle. Challenges the notion that urban/modern life and traditional/religious life are necessarily opposed. Because the population of Greece was so radically increased by the influx of refugees from Asia Minor (which destroyed continuity of Greek inhabitation of Asia Minor going back to antiquity) it is one of the most important events in modern Greek history. One of the strongest points of the book, I think, is the extensive quoting of phrases Hirschon heard uttered by the people on the street, often with the modern greek alongside her translation. These little sayings give a lot of insight into how the refugees made sense of their world, and are often pithy and enjoyable in their own right. |
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