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This study traces and analyzes the itinerary followed by Argo and her crew, according to the unknown author of Argonautica Orphica: The voyage of the Argonauts from Iolcos to Colchis and their return following a different path, from Phasis River through central Europe to the Atlantic Ocean and then through the Mediterranean Sea. Conclusions are drawn about whether such a voyage could be possible in the remote antiquity and the "problematic" points of the description are pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stone die of the Minoan period, discovered near Palaikastro in Crete, Greece, in 1899, was selected for this study as bearer of astronomical significance. Strong evidence is presented in favor of its use (especially of the "ray-bearing" disc on its right-hand side) as a die for the construction of a device that could determine eclipse dates during the Minoan period (circa 15th century BC); additionally, two more practical uses for it are examined: as a sundial and as an instrument for the determination of the geographical latitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The views of the Enlightenment in European countries are in general well known, while the attempts to introduce the Enlightenment to countries in the periphery of Europe, like Greece, are not known in the same degree. How did the scientific revolution migrate to the Greek-speaking regions occupied by the Ottoman Empire? How did the Greeks accept the truly revolutionary ideas of the French Revolution and liberalism? What were the reactions of the conservative Greek Orthodox Church and who sacrificed their lives in the cause of their ideas? Theophilos Kairis (1784-1853), a scholar, philosopher, and priest, wits the tragic victim of clerical bigotry. The creator of Theosebism in Greece, Kairis suffered the tragic end reserved by fate for those who, being pioneers, tried to introduce to Greece the liberal ideas of Western Europe and the Enlightenment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]