Cycladic Islands Research Articles

The Symmetry of Delphi

Apollo is the god of measure. “Captain of Sevens,” his cithara brought seven-stringed order to music and seven-walled order to Thebes. As god of measure, symmetry informs the myth describing his birth: amid the Cycladic islands (which the Greeks considered a circle surrounding Delos) four adamantine columns bore Delos above the foam as Leto gave birth to the shining god. And, as in the birth of the Greek god of measure, so also in the emergence of the Greek world: a strict symmetry prevails in the myth describing how the omphalos, the earth's navel stone, came to be at the locus of what was to become Apollo's sacred seat. Zeus, it was told, freed two eagles from the ends of the earth, their paths crossing at the earth's center, at Delphi. The symmetric image of this aerial encounter over the terrestrial center suggests schematically the Apolline triad: two tensional extremes and, at the point of balance, a mediating mean.

Minoan and Mycenaean Art

This survey describes and illustrates in detail all the significant works of art and architecture of ancient Crete and Mycenae and of the Cycladic Islands. An important event in the history of archaeology was the discovery by Heinrich Schliemann in 1876, of the treasures in the citadel of Mycenae - the home of the legendary King Agamemnon. The excavations of Sir Arthur Evans in 1900, at the palace of King Minos of Knossos was equally important archaeologically. Such treasures that were found are frescoes and gold funeral masks from the third and second millenia BC. This revised edition includes greater coverage of the frescoes from Akrotir, on the island of Thera. Other recent findings are described and illustrated in detail, such as the unique ivory figurine from Palaikastro, objects from the palace of Mallia and the intriguing discovery of Minoan-style frescoes in Egypt.

A Clinical Lecture ON A FURTHER SERIES OF CASES OF TOTAL EXTIRPATION OF THE PROSTATE FOR RADICAL CURE OF ENLARGEMENT OF THAT ORGAN: Delivered at the Medical Graduates' College and Polyclinic, January 15th, 1902

<h3>Abstract</h3> The present study investigated the presence of endo- and ecto-parasites, and vector-borne pathogens, in dogs from four islands of Greece. A total of 200 owned and sheltered dogs were examined with different microscopic, serological and molecular methods. Of the examined dogs, 130 (65%) were positive for one or more parasites and/or vector-borne pathogens. The most common zoonotic intestinal helminths recorded were Ancylostomatidae (12.5%) and <i>Toxocara canis</i> (3.5%). Ninety-three dogs (46.5%) seroreacted to <i>Rickettsia conorii</i>. Twenty-two (11%) of them were also PCR positive and 7 (3.5%) showed corpuscoles suggestive of <i>Rickettsia</i> spp. on the blood smears. Nineteen dogs (9.5%) were seropositive for <i>Ehrlichia canis</i>, three of them being also PCR positive. Dogs positive for <i>Anaplasma phagocytophilum-Anaplasma platys</i> (1%), <i>Dirofilaria immitis</i> (0.5%) and <i>Babesia canis</i> (0.5%) were also found. Fleas and ticks were recorded in 53 (26.5%) and 50 (25%) dogs and all specimens were identified as <i>Ctenocephalides felis felis</i> and <i>Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu latu</i>. Binary multiple univariate Generalized Linear Models were used to investigate factors and clinical signs related to the recorded positivity, while the association of specific signs with the pathogens was evaluated using tests of independence. Knowledge of occurrence and impact of zoonotic parasites and vector-borne pathogens in dog populations is crucial to prevent the infection in animals and people, and to control the risk of spreading of these pathogens in endemic and non-endemic areas. <h3>Author summary</h3> Both owned and sheltered dogs can harbor a variety of intestinal and extra-intestinal endoparasites, as well as vector-borne pathogens and ectoparasites, of zoonotic concern. Dog shelters and stray dogs are present in several touristic areas of Greece, including Sporades and Cyclades islands, where tourists often bring their pets with them, likely travelling from non-endemic to endemic areas. The present study has been carried out with the aim to evaluate the occurrence of the aforementioned pathogens. Data obtained showed that they are present in canine populations of Greece, with possibilities of infection for travelling dogs, which can also contribute to the spreading of zoonotic vector-borne diseases, introducing new pathogens in previously non-endemic areas. For these reasons, a constant monitoring of the epidemiological situation, improving control measures and correct diagnostic approaches are of primary importance for the prevention of canine and human infections, decreasing the spreading of potentially deadly pathogens.