From mnemonician@hotmail.com Sun Sep 30 15:33:19 2001 Received: from mailscan2.cac.washington.edu (mailscan2.cac.washington.edu [140.142.33.16]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.11.6+UW01.08/8.11.6+UW01.08) with SMTP id f8UMXIN99226 for ; Sun, 30 Sep 2001 15:33:18 -0700 Received: FROM mxu4.u.washington.edu BY mailscan2.cac.washington.edu ; Sun Sep 30 15:33:18 2001 -0700 Received: from hotmail.com (f57.law11.hotmail.com [64.4.17.57]) by mxu4.u.washington.edu (8.11.6+UW01.08/8.11.6+UW01.08) with ESMTP id f8UMXIQ17431 for ; Sun, 30 Sep 2001 15:33:18 -0700 Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Sun, 30 Sep 2001 15:33:14 -0700 Received: from 172.156.89.164 by lw11fd.law11.hotmail.msn.com with HTTP; Sun, 30 Sep 2001 22:33:14 GMT X-Originating-IP: [172.156.89.164] From: "S S" To: classics@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: On the Dispilio (mystery) tablets ... (sigh) Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2001 22:33:14 +0000 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 30 Sep 2001 22:33:14.0912 (UTC) FILETIME=[E4EA1A00:01C149FF] >From: "J. S. Philobiblos" >Reply-To: classics@u.washington.edu >To: classics@u.washington.edu >Subject: On the Dispilio (mystery) tablets ... (sigh) >Date: Mon, 01 Oct 2001 00:02:05 +0300 > >This string has gone on a bit too long, however something interesting for >scholars does emerge. Note that the sources for this "information" include >publications that cannot be accused of being overly rigorous in terms of >mundane >scholarship. > >In Greece at this time these publications have a relatively large and >emotionally >committed readership. "Davlos," for example, sells about 15,000-20,000 >copies per >issue and I assume "Trito Mati" (=Third Eye) also has a high enough >circulation >so that it can afford relatively expensive four color production values. > >The readers of these magazines also are stimulated by a variety of >Pelasgocentric >television talk shows, the most noteworthy of which was by a certain Mr. >Constantine Plevris, formerly a extreme right wing ideologue. Mr. Plevris >and >others promote the view of the autochthonous origins of Greek language and >culture (hence the hostility to ideas about Indo European linguistic >relationships or the Phoenician origins of the alphabet). Others in this >intellectual constellation also promote the uniqueness of Greek >civilization, >only they prefer to seek its origins in the astral domains (I believe the >constellation of Orion is most favored according to this thesis). > >Many of the readers of these publications can be characterized as Greek New >Age / >Pagan Revivalists. Their movement has many adherents, especially among what >would >be called in the US generation X, yuppies and some disheartened former >leftists. >A couple of weeks ago hundreds of "Dodekatheists" (I do no think I need >translate) attempted to commune with nature's spirits (or was it the >Muses?), in >Macedonia draped in their chlamydes. They were rudely disrupted by >Christians >from the nearby farming villages who broadcast prayers over loudspeakers >and >probably frightened away those spirits. > >George Gemisthus Pletho where are you now that we need you? (Though there >are >probably fewer neo-pagans in the Peloponnese than there apparently were in >the >15th century). Hmm... yes, well, I suppose it must be galling to some (who reside in the purported "land of liberty") to know that there are still places where people can believe, read, write, and accept what they choose, as opposed to what others would have them swallow without question. Yes, it's disturbing to think that such behaviour abounds in the very cradle of democracy (I hope we're still in agreement that the Greeks did at least invent democracy)... BTW, where did the Phoenicians take "their" writing system from? Has anyone done a "rigorous" study? Oh, I should mention that I recently read the following book and found it to be quite interesting: "The Bible Unearthed : Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts" by Israel Finkelstein, Neil Asher Silberman (January 2001)Free Press; ISBN: 0684869128 Seems some people actually believed in the "historiographic nature" of the Old Testament... (sigh) Sincerely, Sotiris Sotiropoulos _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp .