Covent Garden Opera House Visit 15-06-09
Newsletter of AOUG in London (01)
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Visit to the British Museum
The London lunch group met at the Trattoria Verdi restaurant on the 12th January 2010. Margaret Brett the organiser had arranged a visit to the British Museum following the lunch, which was featuring an exhibition on Greece. This tour was accompanied by a speaker, a contact Margaret had made whilst on holiday which made the exhibition even more interesting.
The following information about Greece is from the British museum website
The first farmers settled in Greece around 6,500B.C. Very little is known about these settlers. The Minoan and Mycenaean cultures dominated Greece during the Bronze Age. Very little is known about the few hundred years after these great civilizations collapsed.
In around 900B.C. Greece began to recover from this Dark Age. Writing was used once again. A number of independent city states developed on the mainland and islands of Greece. They traded with each other and other countries.
The Greek year was divided into twelve months. Each Greek city had a different calendar. Festivals were an important part of the year. In Athens almost half of the year was taken up with festivals to the gods. It was important to honour the correct gods at certain times of year.
The wars between Persia and Greece took place in the early part of the 5th century B.C. Persia had a huge empire and had every intention of adding Greece to it.
The Persian king Darius first attacked Greece in 490 B.C., but was defeated at the Battle of Marathon by a mainly Athenian force. This humiliation led to the attempt to conquer Greece in 480-479 B.C.
Eric McKinnon - Executive Representative - February 2010