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The essay "Burying the Heroes: Identifying the Archaeological Background of the Homeric Burial" by Antonis Kourkoulakos discusses the historical and cultural significance of Homeric burial customs. The author argues that Homeric burial customs are the result of a mixture of traditions, contemporary customs, and collective memory. By examining archaeological findings and written sources, possible origins of Homeric burial customs are proposed. It is noted that burial practices in Anatolia show similarities to Homeric traditions, particularly regarding cremation and the use of urns. There are also similarities between the burial tradition in the Iliad and archaeological findings in Greece, the Aegean, and the Balkans. It is speculated that these similarities could indicate a connection between the Mediterranean and Central European regions. The western Balkan region appears to have been the area where the tumulus tradition originated and spread over a large area in the following centuries. Therefore, the epics are not only a marvel of early Greek poetry, but rather an example of the first truly "European" (and indeed Anatolian) literary work. [Extracted from the article]

In the presented contribution there are discussed some aspects of ancient medicine, especially those which are associated with slaves as patients and slaves as doctors. There are mentioned several facts about slavery in ancient Greece and Rome as well as the facts about medical profession and status of doctors in the society. Partial focus is paid to slaves as a social class and the existence of slave-doctors in Greece is under discussion. The particular group of physicians in Rome - servi medici - as specific phenomenon of Roman is described in detail. The ancient medical works and also some documents and papers in history of medicine were used as sources. We would like to note that epigraphic evidence and archeological artifacts have not been taken into consideration when writing the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper intends to describe the new social and economic conditions that emerge from the recent economic crisis and the austerity policy in Greece and affect the social integration of young people in Greek society. Social inequality has sharpened, one third of the population lives below the poverty line, and the number of homeless has increased considerably. The deteriorating situation in the Greek labor market is presented and the position of young people which is seriously affected by unemployment, low wages, job uncertainty, deterioration of labor conditions is documented. Due to these circumstances many young people marry late (after 30 years of age) and about one third is forced to stay ii their parents household. Although working conditions had already been difficult before the crisis, they sharpened considerably after 2009 so that one of two young people up to 24 years of age and one of four between 24-34 years of age are unemployed. Young women and persons with a university degree face special difficulties to find a job. The prospects for a future amelioration of this situation are very dark. Under these conditions the question for the young generation in Greece whether to stay in the country or go abroad and find a job, is becoming crucial. Taking these into consideration the future prospects are rather disappointing. A whole generation cannot live and ameliorate its living conditions in comparison to the previous generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the conference "Weiter- und Wiederverwendungen von Weihestatuen in griechischen Heiligtümern," held at the Archaeological Institute of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, on January 21-22, 2011. The papers presented various perspectives on the re-utilization and refurbishment of consecrated statues in ancient Greece, from the Minoan to the Roman periods, including legal aspects, memory culture, and archaeological discoveries.