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Greece Private tours |
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Greece General info:
Greece is situated in Southeastern Europe, with an area of
131,957 sq.km. and a population of 10,964,020.
Athens is the capital of Greece with a population of
3,192,606.
Local time is GMT +2 hours.
The Hellenic Republic is a Presidential Parliamentary
Democracy.
President of the Hellenic Republic: Mr Karolos Papoulias.
Prime Minister: Mr Constantinos Karamanlis
Parliament: Three hundred elected members with elections
held every four years
Greece is a member state of E.U. since 1981.
The currency is Euro.
The Greek economy adopts the principles of free
enterprise and is bound by the regulations of international
organizations such as ECOFIN and WTO, of which it is a
member
History of Greece
The
earliest traces of human habitation in
Greece date from the Palaeolithic period
(120,000 – 10,000 B.C. approximately).
During the subsequent Neolithic period
(7,000 - 3,000 B.C. approximately),
civilisation flourishes in Greece. A
plethora of Neolithic settlements and
cemeteries have been discovered in Thessaly
(Sesklo, Dimini), Macedonia, the Peloponnese
et al.
The beginning of the Bronze Age (3000 - 1100
B.C. approx.) is marked by the appearance of
the first urban centres in the Aegean (Poliochni
on the island of Limnos). Flourishing
settlements are found on Crete, the Greek
mainland, the Cyclades and in the
Northeastern Aegean, regions where
characteristic cultural patterns develop.
At the beginning of the 2nd millennium B.C.
organised palatial societies appear on
Minoan Crete, resulting in the development
of the first scripts. Using the palace of
Knossos as their centre, the Minoans create
a communication network with peoples of the
Eastern Mediterranean, adopt elements of
their cultures, and in turn have a decisive
influence on the cultures of the Greek
mainland and the Aegean islands.
On the Greek mainland, the Mycenaeans,
taking advantage of the destructions caused
on Crete by the eruption of the volcano on
Santorini (around 1500 B.C.), step forward
and become the leading force in the Aegean
during the last centuries of the 2nd
millennium B.C. The Mycenaean citadels in
Mycenae, Tiryns, Pylos, Thebes, Gla, Athens
and Iolkós constitute the centres of
bureaucratically organised kingdoms. The
extensive destruction of the Mycenaean
centres around 1200 B.C. led to the decline
of the Mycenaean civilisation and the
migration of large parts of the population
to the coasts of Asia Minor and Cyprus (1st
Greek colonisation).
After approximately two centuries of
economic and cultural inactivity, known as
the Dark Ages (1150 – 900 B.C.), the
Geometric period follows (9th – 8th
centuries B.C.), the beginning of the Greek
renaissance. It is marked by the formation
of the Greek city-states, the creation of
the Greek alphabet and the composition of
the Homeric epics (end of the 8th century
B.C.). The subsequent Archaic Period (7th-
6th centuries B.C.) is an era of major
social and political changes. The Greek
city-states establish colonies as far as
Spain to the West, the Black Sea to the
North, and North Africa to the South (2nd
Greek colonisation) and lay the foundation
for the peak of the classical period. The
hallmark of the classical period (5th – 4th
centuries B.C.) is the cultural and
political predominance of Athens; so much so
that the second half of the 5th century B.C.
is called the “Golden Age” of Pericles.
With the end of the Peloponnesian War, in
404 B.C., Athens loses its dominance.
New forces emerge during the 4th century
B.C. With Philip II and his son, Alexander,
Macedonians start playing a leading role in
Greece. Alexander’s expedition to the East
and the conquest of regions as far as the
Indus River radically change the situation
in the then-known world. With the death of
Alexander, the vast empire that he created
is divided among his generals, leading to
the creation of the kingdoms that will
prevail during the Hellenistic times (3rd
-1st centuries B.C.). During this period,
the Greek cities remain more or less
autonomous, but they have lost much of their
old power and prestige. The complete and
final conquest of Greece by the Romans in
146 B.C. incorporates the country into the
vast Roman Empire. During Roman occupation
(1st century B.C. – 3rd century A.D.), most
of the Roman emperors, who are admirers of
the Greek culture, are friendly towards the
Greek cities, and especially Athens.
Through the travels of Apostle Paul during
the 1st century B.C., Christianity, the new
religion that will gradually dethrone the
worship of the Dodecatheon (the Twelve
Gods), is spread all over Greece.
Nowadays visitors of the country can see the
“fingerprints” of Greek history from the
Palaeolithic period to the Roman era at the
hundreds of
archaeological sites,
as well as in the
archaeological museums and collections
scattered all over the country (the Greek
mainland and the islands).
The decision of Constantine the Great to
move the empire’s capital from Rome to
Constantinople (324 A.D.) shifted the focus
to the eastern part of the empire. This
move marks the beginning of the Byzantine
era during which Greece is part of the
Byzantine Empire. After 1204, when
Constantinople is seized by Western
crusaders, parts of Greece are given away to
Western leaders, while the Venetians occupy
strategic positions in the Aegean (islands
or coastal cities), in order to control
trade routes. The reoccupation of
Constantinople by the Byzantines in 1262
marks the last phase in the empire’s
existence. The Ottomans gradually start
seizing parts of the empire from the 14th
century A.D. and complete its destruction
with the conquest of Constantinople in
1453. Crete was the last part of Greece to
be occupied by the Ottomans in 1669.
Approximately four centuries of
Ottoman occupation
follow until the beginning of the Greek War
of Independence in 1821.
Numerous monuments from the Byzantine period
and the Ottoman occupation still subsist,
such as Byzantine and Post-Byzantine
churches and monasteries,
Ottoman buildings, enchanting
Byzantine and
Frankish castles,
various
other monuments as
well as
traditional settlements
, many of which retain their Ottoman and,
partly, Byzantine structure.
The result of the Greek War of Independence
was the formation of an independent Greek
kingdom in 1830, which, however, covered
only a restricted territory. During the
19th and the beginning of the 20th
centuries, new areas with Greek populations
are gradually integrated into the Greek
state. Greece’s territory reaches a maximum
after the end of World War I, in 1920, with
the substantial contribution of prime
minister Eleftherios Venizelos. The Greek
state takes its contemporary form after the
end of World War II with the incorporation
of the Dodecanese Islands.
In 1974, after a seven-year dictatorship, a
referendum was held and the system of
government changed from a constitutional
monarchy to a Presidential Parliamentary
Democracy; Greece has been a member of the
European Community/Union since 1981.
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Booking manager for
Greece private tours is Nikos Sirigos.
Tel: + 30 22860
28115 - Fax: + 30 22860 28116
Mob: + 30
6944803339
info@greeceprivatetours.com
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Greece private tours, Minibuses,
Luxury car, Limos, guide drivers and licenses tour guides are
available. |
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