The Battle of Navarino, painting by Ambroise Louis Garneray. In this key battle in the war for Greek independence, allied forces from Britain, France, and Russia decisively defeated Ottoman and Egyptian forces trying to suppress the Greeks, thereby helping the Greek cause. An Ottoman armada was destroyed by an Allied force of British, French and Russian warships. It was the last major naval battle in history to be fought entirely with sailing ships, although most ships fought at anchor.

Ivan Aivazovsky, Sea battle at Navarino on October 20 1827, 1846

Hellenistic Greek rock crystal amphora, dated to the 4th to 1st centuries BC. This little amphora (also known as an amphoriskos) would have held perfume or scented oil.

Human-faced Crab Carapace on a Greek Drachm from Akragas (Sicily), c. 420 BC.⁣
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The obverse shows two eagles perched on the carcass of a hare. This design may have been inspired by the omen presented to Agamemnon and Menelaus in Aeschylos’ Agamemnon, where two eagles, representing the two kings, devoured a pregnant hare, an allusion to the city of Troy. The reverse shows a crab seen from above with the carapace turned into the human face which remarkably resembles the Heikegani Crab, a species native to Japan. Beneath it is a crayfish with a barley-grain and a cicada on either side.⁣

Fossilized olive leaves, 50.000 BC. Museum of Prehistoric Thera island, Cyclades, Greece.

Blood-moon over the temple of Apollo in Corinth, Greece.

Skull of a crowned athlete with a gold wreath from Agios Nikolaos, Crete. The flesh melted with time, but the wreath stuck and remained on the skull.

The ancient Greek theatre of Taormina, Sicily, 3rd c.BC.

Gold ring with oval garnet gemstone engraved with an armed Aphrodite. Greek from Eretria, Euboea. Signed by Gelon, 3rd c.BC. Boston Museum.

Sunrise in Athens, Greece (1954).

Pair of gold earrings, 3rd c.BC. Greek from Apulia. Napoli Museum.

Arrian, Anabasis, 2.14.4

Alexander's letter to Darius III

Your ancestors invaded Macedonia and the rest of Greece and did us harm although we had not done you any previous injury. I have been appointed commander-in-chief of the Greeks and it is with the aim of punishing the Persians that I have crossed into Asia, since you are the aggressors.

In November 333, Alexander defeated the Persian king Darius III Codomannus. After this battle of Issus, Darius offered to surrender half of his empire. The Macedonian king considered this not enough.

Silver Coin of King Alexander the Great of Macedonia
Origin: Israel (Samaria)
Circa: 336 BC to 323 BC

Alexander the Great. Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece.

A Greek gold and carnelian finger ring with Nike, Hellenistic Period, circa 2nd century BC

White-ground terracotta lekythos (oil flask) depicting the winged goddess Nike on her way to crown a victor, ca. 460-450 BC.

Nike is the winged goddess of victory both in war & in peaceful competition. When Zeus was gathering allies at the start of the Titan War, Styx brought her four children Nike (Victory), Zelos (Rivalry), Kratos (Cratus Strength) & Bia (Force) into the god's service. Nike was appointed his charioteer & together the four became sentinels of Zeus' throne.

In scenes of the War of the Giants she appears as the charioteer of Zeus. In mosaic art and coins Nike is often shown holding a palm branch as a symbol of victory.
Nike was closely identified with the goddess Athena and at times was little more than an attribute of the goddess. Nike was sometimes multiplied into a host of Nikai (Victories).

The Temple of Athena Nike. View from the North-East,
Werner Carl-Friedrich (1808- 1894)

Greek Gold Earrings with Pendant Nike, dated late 3rd - early 2nd century BC