The Ancient Greek world was a world of fantasy, myth, and reality that even with today’s technological achievements, we cannot approach. [All cities were built
automatically only through musical harmony, because the stones, wood, and other building materials automatically came to their places, attracted and moved by the melodies. The trees danced, the mountains rose, the rivers stood still, the beasts were tamed, the vultures were attracted by the harmony and melody of the Muses. Thus, all of Greece was beautified, civilized and governed like a beautiful garden and like a sacred temple and like a city of indescribable beauty, with works of art, just laws for humanity and the citizens enjoyed the rights of humanity and sweet equality, equality and freedom. He who became heavier or exceeded the limits of equality was considered a tyrant and the strongest became hated]. Pausanias writes: The beautification of Greece reached such a height that it was not compared to the most beautiful garden in Europe. Five hundred (700) bronze statues were stolen by Nero from the oracle of Delphi and more than five thousand (5,000) works of the glorious artisans remained. Where are such cultural works being done today? Eunomia was so good that the Elis passed a law that women should not cross the Alpheus during the Olympic Games. If anyone was found crossing the river, she would be thrown off the cliff according to the law. For seven hundred (700) years, the law was faithfully observed without guards to control its execution. No woman was found to violate it. And other similar things are worthy of wonder and admiration of eunomia and equality, without any violence, tyranny and despotism being exercised, but only the collective and common will and predestination. Few societies today observe the law voluntarily without the presence of organs of order and control through cameras. But again, the laws are violated. This is also a significant difference between the Greek world in relation to the rest of the world, even the so-called civilized world of today. The legislator did not dogmatize the laws with the tyrannical sword or the whip, but the citizens with their will voted the laws and ratified them through the oracle according to the will of the god Because violence and unlawful necessity cause disobedience, disobedience, anger and opposite results. Where the violent and unjust enforcement of laws prevails, there are robberies, endless murders, anarchy, polyarchy, parastatalism, disorder, unrest in the world and incurable misery. Neither the most severe punishments, nor the barbaric prisons and tortures stopped the evil. The citizen is educated from a child in the family and at school and when he grows up in society to conscientiously obey the laws That society was different from today’s, which I characterize as barbaric. Back then, the citizen was the one who voted for the laws and decided for his life. It was the soldier who protected his freedom and security and did not have representatives to represent him. The citizen was elected to the positions by lot (κληροτας έρεισται τας άρχας). Only the generals were elected. Because they must be physically fit, have courage and strength, have increased spiritual qualifications, patience, endurance in labor, in the hardships and sufferings of war, know the use of weapons and obey the state. All of them, without exception, were Priests, soothsayers, preachers, craftsmen, farmers, soldiers, it was everyone’s common concern to protect the city. They all had the same responsibility but also the same rights and obligations in the State. They constituted the strength of the Republic. The citizen must take care of the improvement of his life and the nutrition of his children. The oracle provided that children should exercise in honor of the Gods and Heroes. Sports therefore became a law protected by God, and this habit became a school lesson and a custom together, so that all children and young people exercised willingly and diligently at a specified time of day. Gymnastics was mandatory in schools. Games were also held during the holidays and ceremonies and festivals, in which the boys and girls led the way in order and marching in step with the rhythm of the music, they sang party hymns and to the gods. In this way, the children and young people were accustomed to acting rhythmically with the sounds of the music, but also to suffer fatigue, to have patience, order and to appear in society.
They also organized athletic games with prizes and awards for the winners laurel wreaths or olive trees The citizens marched armed on foot and the horsemen with their horses to the sound of trumpets as happened in the campaign, to draw courage from the marches. The Greek women followed the procession well-dressed, adorned with their most beautiful dresses and jewelry to give a more formal character to the ceremony and for reasons of demonstrating female beauty, elegance, but also vanity, arrogance and deafness. Because the female sex with its beauty thrilled men and young men and motivated them to become better, stronger and more powerful. After the ceremony, a great feast and a universal feast followed, for pleasure, joy, joy, exultation, with dancing, music in open spaces and in tents in camps. After the euochia, there followed a demonstration of virtue and lessons in martial arts, foot races, wrestling, pankration, oschophoria, torch relays and others in honor of the god. Finally, a naval battle of triremes took place at Sounion in honor of Poseidon Commentary: 1/ The representative government is NOT a Democracy. Today, technology can organize the Government of Direct Democracy, as it was in Athens. Direct Democracy is the regime that brings complete balance to society 2/If anyone visits archaeological sites and sees ancient huge pieces of carved arches and propylaea supports as well as huge blocks of “Cyclopean walls”, he certainly wonders how they lifted these enormous objects in weight and size and how they transported them over great distances to the places where they were found? On the other hand, he is amazed and troubled by what he reads in ancient texts about their unimaginable abilities, without having left traces of their technological infrastructure, except for vague hints about invisible forces that acted on their behalf, as mentioned above 3/ The beautification of Greece was so excessive that even today, when we have all the technical means, we have not been able to approach it. The taste of those ordinary citizens is also an enigma 4/ The universal conscientiousness, discipline and responsibility of the citizens, who respected the laws, is admirable. They considered them divine and oracles of the gods and no one could think of violating them 5/ Sports and Music were elements of the education of our race from time immemorial. 6/ Love for the homeland was done in practice and not as the so-called “progressives” want today to abolish parades, national holidays, symbols of heroes, etc. Our wise ancestors gave the way of celebration to all civilized peoples. Several of the ancestral elements passed into our national anniversaries 7/ The training for war of the young was universal and continuous. Every citizen was at the same time a soldier and constantly received training to be ready for war. Today all this has been forgotten as anachronistic and this creates the greatest weakness of Greece and not inadequate equipment or the small number of our race. What is missing in principle is the political will of the leadership and the indifference of the citizens that others are responsible for the defense of their country. 8/Oschophoria was the lighting of the fire and the dance around it. Fire has been ancient. symbolized transformation, renewal and purification and was considered the source of life. Plato associated it with the immortality of the soul. Aristotle and the Stoics considered it the “First Cause” of creation. Heraclitus (5th century BC) considered Fire a symbol of change. He said “everything flows” and that the only constant is “Being”, that is, Fire, which is not the manifested flame, but the one from which everything originates. He identified the flame with the restless Spirit and characterized the flame as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge. Closer to the ancient Greek world in terms of morals and customs is Greece, while in terms of democracy, Britain. (1/8/25)
*Amphiktyon, Major General (retd) Konstantinos Konstantinidis Author, Member of the Society of Greek Writers amphiktyon@gmail.com http://amphiktyon.blogspot.com/ http://amphiktyon.org Anyone who wishes to be deleted should return this with the indication “deletion” “in accordance with article 14 of law 2672/98