Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Kouros

Crete, the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, is located about 100 km south of the Peloponnese. Crete was the center of Europe's first advanced civilization, the Minoans, from 3000 to 1400 BC. The Minoan civilization was overrun by the Mycenaean civilization from mainland Greece. Crete was later ruled by Rome, then successively by the Byzantine Empire, Andalusian Arabs, the Byzantine Empire again, the Venetian Republic, and the Ottoman Empire. In 1898 Crete, whose people had for some time wanted to join the Greek state, achieved independence from the Ottomans, formally becoming the Cretan State. Crete became part of Greece in December 1913. Heraklion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete. With a municipal population of about 180.000 it is the fourth largest city in Greece. The greater area of Heraklion has been continuously inhabited since at least 7000 BCE, making it one of the oldest inhabited regions in Europe. As a major center of the Minoan civilization it often considered Europe's oldest city. The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is one of the largest museums in Greeceand the best in the world for Minoan art, as it contains by far the most important and complete collection of artefacts of the Minoan civilization of Crete. The museum began in 1883 as a simple collection of antiquities; it was about the time when the Minoan civilization was beginning to be rediscovered, and shortly before the first excavations using proper scientific methods. It was also during the period when Crete was a virtually autonomous part of the Ottoman Empire, after the Pact of Halepa of 1878, later followed by the independent Cretan State (1898-1913). The political situation helped to keep Cretan finds on the island during a crucial period of discoveries. The museum is located in the town centre. It was built between 1937 and 1940 on a site previously occupied by the Roman Catholic monastery of Saint-Francis which was destroyed by earthquake in 1856. Kouros, a young man, the personification of ideal and aesthetics of Archaic Crete, clay Praisos 575 - 550 BC

Reggio Calabria is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated population of nearly 200,000. Reggio is the oldest city in the region, and during ancient times, it was an important and flourishing colony of Magna Graecia. It is separated from the island of Sicily by the Strait of Messina. Today Reggio has a modern urban system, set up after the catastrophic earthquake of 1908, which destroyed most of the city. The seismicity is caused by Reggio being on the Eurasian Plate near the faultline where it meets the African Plate that runs through the strait, dividing the two European regions of Calabria and Sicily into two different tectonic regions. Reggio, located opposite Messina, always had strategic importance. Invasions by the Vandals, the Lombards, and the Goths occurred in the 5th–6th centuries. Then, under Byzantine rule, it became a metropolis of Byzantine possessions in Italy. Until the 15th century, Reggio was one of the most important Greek-rite Bishoprics in Italy. The Arabs occupied Reggio in 918. For brief periods in the 10th–11th centuries, the city was ruled by the Arabs and it became part of the Emirate of Sicily. In 1005, a Christian fleet coming from Pisa sacked the city and massacred all the Saracens to the great jubilation of the local population. In 1060 the Normans, under Robert Guiscard and Roger I of Sicily, captured Reggio. In 1194 Reggio and the whole of southern Italy went to the Hohenstaufen, who held it until 1266. In 1234 the town fair was established by decree of King Frederick II. The Palazzo Piacentini houses the fantastic "Museo Archeologico Nazionale Di Reggio Calabria" aka "Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia". The two most famous inhabitants of the museum are the "Riace Bronzes" aka "Riace Warriors". These are two full-size Greek bronzes of naked bearded warriors, cast about 460–450 BC that were found in the sea in 1972 near Riace. Although the bronzes were rediscovered in 1972, they did not emerge from conservation until 1981. Considered one of the symbols of Calabria, the bronzes were commemorated even by a pair of Italian postage stamps. Both sculptures were made using the lost wax casting technique. There is still debate on who found the statues. Either Roman Stefano Mariottini chanced upon the bronzes while snorkeling some 200 meters from the coast of Riace. Or they were found by four young teenagers from Riacef. Having found the statues underwater, they went to the government finances office and declared their find. At the time the sculptures were made much of Calabria was part of Magna Graecia. The Riace bronzes are surviving examples of ancient Greek sculpture. Their musculature is clear, yet not incised, and looks soft enough to be visible and realistic. The bronzes' turned heads add life to the figures. Their lips and nipples are made of copper. At one time, they held spears and shields, but those have not been found.

Reggio Calabria is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated population of nearly 200,000. Reggio is the oldest city in the region, and during ancient times, it was an important and flourishing colony of Magna Graecia. It is separated from the island of Sicily by the Strait of Messina. Today Reggio has a modern urban system, set up after the catastrophic earthquake of 1908, which destroyed most of the city. The seismicity is caused by Reggio being on the Eurasian Plate near the faultline where it meets the African Plate that runs through the strait, dividing the two European regions of Calabria and Sicily into two different tectonic regions. Reggio, located opposite Messina, always had strategic importance. Invasions by the Vandals, the Lombards, and the Goths occurred in the 5th–6th centuries. Then, under Byzantine rule, it became a metropolis of Byzantine possessions in Italy. Until the 15th century, Reggio was one of the most important Greek-rite Bishoprics in Italy. The Arabs occupied Reggio in 918. For brief periods in the 10th–11th centuries, the city was ruled by the Arabs and it became part of the Emirate of Sicily. In 1005, a Christian fleet coming from Pisa sacked the city and massacred all the Saracens to the great jubilation of the local population. In 1060 the Normans, under Robert Guiscard and Roger I of Sicily, captured Reggio. In 1194 Reggio and the whole of southern Italy went to the Hohenstaufen, who held it until 1266. In 1234 the town fair was established by decree of King Frederick II. The Palazzo Piacentini houses the fantastic "Museo Archeologico Nazionale Di Reggio Calabria" aka "Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia". The two most famous inhabitants of the museum are the "Riace Bronzes" aka "Riace Warriors". These are two full-size Greek bronzes of naked bearded warriors, cast about 460–450 BC that were found in the sea in 1972 near Riace. Although the bronzes were rediscovered in 1972, they did not emerge from conservation until 1981. Considered one of the symbols of Calabria, the bronzes were commemorated even by a pair of Italian postage stamps. Both sculptures were made using the lost wax casting technique. There is still debate on who found the statues. Either Roman Stefano Mariottini chanced upon the bronzes while snorkeling some 200 meters from the coast of Riace. Or they were found by four young teenagers from Riacef. Having found the statues underwater, they went to the government finances office and declared their find. At the time the sculptures were made much of Calabria was part of Magna Graecia. The Riace bronzes are surviving examples of ancient Greek sculpture. Their musculature is clear, yet not incised, and looks soft enough to be visible and realistic. The bronzes' turned heads add life to the figures. Their lips and nipples are made of copper. At one time, they held spears and shields, but those have not been found.

Reggio Calabria is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated population of nearly 200,000. Reggio is the oldest city in the region, and during ancient times, it was an important and flourishing colony of Magna Graecia. It is separated from the island of Sicily by the Strait of Messina. Today Reggio has a modern urban system, set up after the catastrophic earthquake of 1908, which destroyed most of the city. The seismicity is caused by Reggio being on the Eurasian Plate near the faultline where it meets the African Plate that runs through the strait, dividing the two European regions of Calabria and Sicily into two different tectonic regions. Reggio, located opposite Messina, always had strategic importance. Invasions by the Vandals, the Lombards, and the Goths occurred in the 5th–6th centuries. Then, under Byzantine rule, it became a metropolis of Byzantine possessions in Italy. Until the 15th century, Reggio was one of the most important Greek-rite Bishoprics in Italy. The Arabs occupied Reggio in 918. For brief periods in the 10th–11th centuries, the city was ruled by the Arabs and it became part of the Emirate of Sicily. In 1005, a Christian fleet coming from Pisa sacked the city and massacred all the Saracens to the great jubilation of the local population. In 1060 the Normans, under Robert Guiscard and Roger I of Sicily, captured Reggio. In 1194 Reggio and the whole of southern Italy went to the Hohenstaufen, who held it until 1266. In 1234 the town fair was established by decree of King Frederick II. The Palazzo Piacentini houses the fantastic "Museo Archeologico Nazionale Di Reggio Calabria" aka "Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia". The "Kouros of Reggio Calabria" would have stood originally some 1,30m tall. It is dated to 500 BC and was produced by a local master. The marble he used was brought in from the Greek island of Pharos.