Natural beauties of Greece

Holy Monastery of Iviron or Iveron, an Eastern Orthodox monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece

Greece is a very diverse land full of surprises. Most of Greece consists of mountains, making our country one of the most mountainous in Europe. Mount Olympus, the mythical abode of the Greek Gods, culminates at Mytikas peak 2,917 m (9,570 ft), the highest in…

Oak in Greek Mythology

The oak was the dominant tree of the ancient Greek landscape. In fact the ancient Greek word for oak, 'drys', was also the word for tree. The two main commonly found in the region are the evergreen holm oak and the deciduous Valonian. Both range in size from thick low shrub (forming the basis of the modern-day Meditteranean scrub forests) to large trees. They were valued for their wood and for the autumn-ripening acorns. Tanin was also extracted from the acorn cups of the Valonian oak. This substance was a vital component employed in the tanning of leather hides. In Greek lore, the primitive, pre-agrarian tribes of Arkadia were said to have lived on a stable diet of acorns

Oak, Holm, Valonia… Also: Evergreen oak, prickly-cupped oak and ilex (alternative names for the holm) Greek : Drys { ἡ δρῦς } Species: Quercus Ilex, Quercus Ithaburensis Macrolepis and Quercus Aegilops Description: The oak was the dominant tree of the ancient Greek landscape. In fact the…

The shrine of Dodona in Epirus

The shrine of Dodona was regarded as the oldest Hellenic oracle and is located in Epirus, Greece

Worth mentioning, even though not within the region but close to the two National Parks of Vikos-Aoos and Pindus, in Epirus, Northwestern Greece, lays Dodona (Doric Greek: Δωδώνᾱ, Dōdṓnā, Ionic and Attic Greek: Δωδώνη), which was an oracle devoted to a Mother Goddess identified…