Dr. Enrico Mattievich, a retired Professor of Physics from the

In his book, Journey to the Mythological Inferno, which is a historical non-Fiction winners’ book, Mattievich exposes his thesis on ancient contacts between the Old World and America, based on Greek and Roman classical texts, leading to new ideas about America that many historians and geographers have been reluctant to consider until now.

Some time ago, the writer and archaeologist Henriette Mertz suggested that the legendary voyage of Odysseus and his ship’s crew, after the Trojan War – narrated in Homer’s Odyssey – would be a trip across the Atlantic, from the Gibraltar Straits to North America. She also suggested that the Argonauts could have navigated down to the South Atlantic Ocean, passed the mouth of the Amazon River to Rio de la Plata, and, following it upstream, reached Bolivian Altiplano and Thiaguanaco. Dr. Christine Pellech also suggested that Odyssey’s voyage to the Kingdom of the Dead was a real trip to America.

The thesis presented in the Journey to the Mythological Inferno claims that Greek and Roman myths related to the Underworld, the House of Hades, the Kingdom of the Dead or the Inferno, originated in South America, specifically in the Andean region of Peru, where the ruins of the Palace of Hades and Persephone, mentioned in Hesiod’s Theogony – written around 700 B.C. – still stand, known as Chavín de Huántar. This theory took form after Mattievich’s first visit to the archaeological site of Chavín de Huántar, in 1981.

In his book, Mattievich presents classical literature texts, such as Ovid’s Metamorphosis, that relate to the knowledge of America. The Cadmus myth, written by Ovid, for example, is estimated to be a myth immortalizing the heroic feat of the discovery and conquest of the Amazon River by the Phoenicians. The prehistoric presence of Phoenician navigators along the coast and rivers of Brazil, could be confirmed by hundreds of engraved inscriptions on rocks– called itacoatiaras – by natives of Brazil, where it’s often possible to recognize archaic Semitic and proto-Greek characters. The same name Brazil, according to Professor Cyrus Gordon, comes from the vocable brzl, used by Canaanites to denote iron.

The book has been published in English, Portuguese and Greek. For more information visit phoenicia.org

]]> http://usa.greekreporter.com/2013/06/02/did-ancient-greeks-discover-america/feed/ 0 http://usa.greekreporter.com/2013/04/24/memorial-for-first-greek-u-s-congressman/ http://usa.greekreporter.com/2013/04/24/memorial-for-first-greek-u-s-congressman/#comments Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:05:44 +0000 Maria Arkouli http://usa.greekreporter.com/?p=23577 On Saturday, April 20, in a modest and moving ceremony in the city of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a memorial dedicated to the Philhellene Colonel Jonathan Peckham Miller and to his adopted son, Lucas Miltiadis Miller, who was the first Greek American U.S. Congressman, was unveiled.

The memorial was erected by the American Philhellenes Society, who pursues to discover and highlight the American Philhellenes, who have offered practical assistance to Greeks during the 1821 Revolution. The effort was supported by two families from Chicago: By Erica and Theodoros Spyropoulos and Dimitris and Eleni Bousi. The event was attended by several U.S officials and among them was the Department of Veterans Affairs, Secretary John A. Scocos, who spoke about the timeless friendship and cooperation of the two countries.

The story of Jonathan Miller and Lucas Miltiadis Miller

As it was highlighted by the speakers in the event, the course of the two men, is one of those recorded in the history of Ecumenical Hellenism and has its particular value in the friendship between Greece and the U.S.A. Colonel Jonathan Peckham Miller, one of the most ardent supporters of the Struggle for the Greek Independence, set off from the U.S.A. on 15 September 1824 to reach the revolutionary Greece, carrying with two sailboats, he himself had rented, large quantities of medicines and food. On the same date had taken place the birth of Lucas Miltiadis. The child was born in Livadia and his parents were farmers.

Upon his departure from the U.S.A., Jonathan Miller, leaving behind his comfortable and wealthy life in order to join the revolutionary Greeks, said to his family: “I feel as a Greek and I’m ready to suffer for Faith and Freedom by their side.”

According to historical data, Jonathan Miller arrived at Galaxidi and for the next four years, with the rank of colonel, he fought alongside the Greeks at Mesologgi, Nafpaktos, Naplio and Athens. Before his return to America, he went to Livadia, where he met the grandmother of a  four-year old boy, Lucas Miltiadis, who was orphaned, as his parents were killed by the Turks. Miller adopted the child and took him to the U.S.A.

Lucas showed that he was charismatic, since he was a child. He graduated from Law School, while he specialized on issues relating to agricultural claims in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Then, the Spanish-American War started. Following in his father’s steps, he fought with the American army, with the rank of colonel. The retirement of Lucas Miltiadis Miller coincided with the decision of the governor of Wisconsin to cede large areas of land to those who chose to live there. The Greek boy settled there, along with the thousands of immigrants, especially from Central and Northern Europe. At the age of 29 he had managed to be elected to the local Parliament in 1953.

Three cities of the State of Wisconsin owe their names to Lucas Miltiadis Miller: Athens, Arkadia and Marathonas, created in the 1950’s by immigrants. He never stopped feeling Greek, as he used to say, and he never forgot his birthplace. Lucas Miltiadis Miller was repeatedly awarded for his contribution to Wisconsin. Even today, he is considered one of the major politicians who achieved the institutionalization of progressive principles. For ten years he served as Commissioner of Public Works in Wisconsin and as chairman of the commissions, gaining great recognition in the state. In 1891 elections, he was elected under the Democratic Party and served as a member of the 52nd U.S. Congress, with a two-year term.

Lucas Miltiades Miller passed away on 4 December 1902. He donated all his fortune to Wisconsin, which was distributed to the University, the Medical School and the National Park of Milwaukee, which bears his name.

The Embassy of Greece will present an extraordinary collection of works made by  award-winning Greek American visual artist Annee Spileos Scott. The exhibition, Smyrna: Longings for a Lost Motherland, will be hosted until May 9 in the Embassy’s showroom and is open to the public.

For the creation of these art works, the artist used the technique of multi-media collage by creating drawings, photographs, paintings and hagiographies.The theme of the exhibition is the Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1922 and the Lausanne Treaty of 1923, to mark the ninetieth anniversary of both historical events.

Annie Scott Spileos, is a first generation descendant of the Asia Minor Catastrophe. Her work delves deep into her mother’s ancestral background as she says. Her grandmother was a Greek domestic servant living in Smyrna, Asia Minor (present day Izmir,Turkey), whose employers sponsored her emigration to the United States.

Since 1988 when her parents passed away, she committed to sharing the Hellenic voice of the Asia Minor Catastrophe events.

The exhibition was also attended by Eva Papageorgiou, 94, who is also a survivor of the Asia Minor Catastrophe as she managed to escape at the very last moment before boarding along with her family a French Navy ship that headed to Athens.

Consul of Greece Evangelos Kyriakopoulos and filmmaker Elena Maroulleti (Photo by ETA Press)

The history and culture of the Neolithic settlement of Khirokitia, one of the most important prehistoric sites of Cyprus and of the eastern Mediterranean was revived on March 8, during a screening of an original documentary by filmmaker Elena Maroulleti at the Stathakion Cultural Center in Astoria, NY.

Organized by CYPRECO of America from its ongoing folk art series which highlight during each new production different aspects of the rich heritage, folklore, culture and history of Cyprus, the successful event was attended by Greek and Greek-Cypriot Americans and members of the general audience of all ages, including dignitaries and representatives from the Greek and Cypriot governments.

The evening’s program also included a performance of traditional Cypriot dances and songs from the youth division of the Lampousa Cyprus Association.  The participating children whose ages range from 5 to 12,  traveled to New York from Bergenfield New Jersey to participate in the event and their performance truly enthused the audience. The youth division of Lampousa, is part of the association’s mission of educating younger generations about the culture, history and folklore of Cyprus so that they can continue the association’s mission when they grow up, explained Stavros Kamilaris, President of Lampousa. Kamilaris also thanked the organizers for inviting the children and congratulated them on their ongoing commitment of producing “such unique programs which promote Cyprus and the island’s rich cultural heritage.”

Congratulations were also extended to the organizers by the Consul of Greece to New York,  Evangelos Kyriakopoulos, who also stressed that it was an exceptional pleasure for him to participate in yet another successful event by CYPRECO.  Kyriakopoulos noted that he had the opportunity to visit Khirokitia which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List.  The presence of UNESCO in Cyprus he stressed is extremely important because the organization also keeps an eye on the many other historical sites on the island which are under Turkish occupation. Kyriakopoulos also congratulated the filmmaker and producer of the documentary for her true commitment to promoting Cyprus’ rich history and culture.

A written message from the Consul General of Cyprus to New York, Koula Sofianou, who was present earlier at the event was also read. In her greeting message Sofianou conveyed her most heartfelt wishes and congratulated CYPRECO for “enriching once more the cultural life of the diaspora.” Referring to the screening of the documentary dedicated to Khirokitia, an archeological site of such importance as to be listed in the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List, Sofianou praised Maroulleti for her talent stressing that it is another example of her efforts to enlighten her loyal audience on the rich history and culture of Cyprus.

Filmed on location and based on research of the archeological findings at the site from ongoing excavations, the documentary highlights step-by-step with video and narration the history and establishment of the Neolithic Settlement of Khirokitia which dates back to the 7^th millennium BC.  The unique architecture of this Aceramic village, the methods and materials used to build it is explained in the beginning of the documentary. The Khirokitia complex, unique to Cyprus and the near east, as further explained in the documentary shows the full extent of the exceptional skills of its first inhabitants who built this village with unique circular houses with flat roofs in comparison to most villages of that period in the Near East which feature rectangular units.

The documentary also provides an in-depth look into the customs, traditions, beliefs and the way of life of the first inhabitants of Khirokitia which are revealed from the discovery of important artifacts such as pottery, tools, jewelry, utensils, rocks of various origins and human remains among others.

Stavros Kamilaris, Pres. Lampousa (Photo by ETA Press)

In the last part of her documentary, Maroulleti brings attention to some remarkable archaeological discoveries during the last decade of the 20^th century which challenged Khirokitia as one of the oldest prehistoric settlements of Cyprus.  As explained, excavations at the rock-shelter known as Aetokremnos on the Akrotiri Peninsula brought to light archaeological findings dating back to around 10,000 BC while excavations at Pareklissia Shillourokampos brought to light what appeared to be a pre-Khirokitia type architectural remains dating back to the end of the 9^th millennium and to the second half of the 8^th millennium BC.

In Spring 2004, archaeologists digging at Shillourokampos also unearthed a 9,500-year old grave containing the remains of a human and a cat buried with seashells, polished stones, artifacts and other offerings. As stressed in the documentary,  despite these new discoveries, to this day the prehistoric site at Khirokitia boasts the largest exhibits of architectural remains and is one of the most comprehensively studied Aceramic Neolithic settlements in the eastern Mediterranean and one of the most popular archaeological sites on Cyprus visited by thousands of tourists each year. In recognition of its importance, UNESCO included Khirokitia in its World Heritage List in December of 1998, making it the third Cypriot site to be included in this prestigious list.

After the screening, Maroulleti also acknowledged the attendance of a family who comes from Khirokitia, Among them, Louis Andreou who was invited to the podium to share his thoughts about the documentary. Very moved Andreou said that the screening revived some of his childhood memories growing up so closely to the ancient site including the first excavations that took place. Thanking and congratulating the filmmaker for this production and presentation, he stressed that the documentary truly highlights the importance of this prehistoric site and “enriches our knowledge about the history of Khirokitia,” He further stressed that although he comes from Khirokitia he was not very familiar with the historical facts surrounding the ancient site. The film helped him appreciate even more his village and his rich heritage.

The event dedicated to Khirokitia, with free admission as a public service, was under the auspices of the Cyprus Federation of America and supported by the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York.  It was made in part by Arch Capital Services, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cyprus Federation of America.

(Press Release)

Hialeah Police Lt. Leo Thalassites is the oldest active police officer in the country. Here, the Gree-American holds an honorary plaque outside Hialeah City Hall (Credit: Theo Karantsalis/ Greek Reporter)

Barrel-chested Leo Thalassites squints like Clint Eastwood, hops like Jackie Chan and has been an active cop for nearly six decades. He is 86 years old.

He first joined the Miami-Dade Police Department in 1956. He moved to the Hialeah Police Department in 1963, where he has been on active duty ever since. And now, according to the International Police Association, he is the oldest active police officer.

He might have started his police career sooner but he was busy serving in all five branches of the military during World War II and Korea. Thalassites earned three Purple Hearts — two in WWII and one in Korea — and competed in the Olympics trials for the 1964 Toyko Games, representing the U.S. in Greco-Roman wrestling.

Starting in 1963, he won the police Olympics seven years in a row. At 170 pounds, he benched 340, squatted 500 and dead-lifted 540 pounds. Thalassites was named last year to the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame. He has trained fighters including Hector “Macho” Camacho, “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran.

Thalassites moved to Tampa in 1995 to be closer to the Greek community in Tarpon Springs. He frequently drives 300 miles to Hialeah – from Tampa – to train officers and make sure that they are physically fit and ready for action.

Thalassites turns 87 on April 24. But his 177-pound, five-foot-eight inch frame is nearly as strong as it was 50 years ago. For nearly his entire life, he has combined a strict regimen of daily prayer, exercise and diet. He has not had a soda in decades, shuns sugar and fat, and eats small meals throughout the day. “I put protein in a blender along with broccoli, celery, garlic and some other stuff,” said Thalassites, who noted that when he shuts off the blender, he watches the mixture bubble up. “That means it’s ready.”

Thalassites had a chapel custom-built inside his home. It is ornately decorated with 30 Byzantine icons. There are stained-glass windows in memory of his parents. His father, George, was a seventh-generation priest who served Miami’s Greek community in the 1940′s. Before that, his father taught combat fighting to elite Greek soldiers.

“The first thing I do when I wake up is pray,” said Thalassites. He then prays for exactly one hour and 33 minutes each morning. The 33 extra minutes signify the age of Jesus Christ when he died. “It is compulsory.”

After, he runs four miles around his Palm Harbor neighborhood, then returns to his home gym, where he jumps rope, lifts free weights, and does speed and heavy bag work.

He is also ready when it comes to police work. “The history of this police department cannot be written without mentioning” Thalassites, said Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez, who once trained as a police officer under Thalassites. Last year, Hernandez proclaimed Feb. 28 as Lt. Leo Thalassites Day.

Though Thalassites still carries the Colt .45 issued to him in the Korean War, he has never had to use it. Rather, he relies on something far more dangerous. “His fists are weapons of mass destruction,” said Hialeah Police Lt. Carl Zogby.

Stories about Thalassites over the years include the time he jumped into a boxing ring – on live TV – to knock out a Korean trainer after he disrespected the U.S. flag. He also is said to have fractured the skull of a would-be mugger outside a Greek restaurant.

In 1967, Thalassites responded to a Liberty City bar fight where two of his coworkers had been shot dead. “He pulled a gun on me,” Thalassites said of the suspect. He quickly disarmed then nearly beat the suspect to death with his baseball-mitt-sized fists. “I defended myself.”

Over the years, he has preferred to fight “big guys” for one simple reason: “I bring them down to me, see, then I break their wrists, ribs and shoulders,” said Thalassites, who still trains officers in the Hialeah police gym named after him in 2002.

Next month marks Thalassites’ 50th year as a Hialeah policeman, and he noted some changes with the department since its Wild West years.

“We did real police work back then,” said Thalassites, who feels that guns and Tasers are overused to compensate for overweight and lazy cops who can’t fight or control a situation. Even worse, the cops he describes as having counterfeit muscles. “They come into training with big arms and small waists and think they’re something until I put them in a headlock and they can’t get out,” said Thalassites, who added that annual physical fitness exams should be mandatory for all officers. “They have no real strength, run out of breath fast and can’t even run.”

Out-of-shape cops, he says, present the biggest hazard to the public. “They are quick to pull a gun because they can’t use their fists,” said Thalassites. “I may have broken a lot of bones but at least they lived.”

Scores of thousands of people of every age, hundreds of Greek institutions (schools, federations, communities, associations, student organizations), as well as dozens of floats and bands will participate in the march through Manhattan.

This year’s parade will have the following slogan “Greeks will overcome the crisis with courage and determination.” Like every year, the contingent of Evzones of the Presidential Guard will open the parade, while for the first time there will not be a delegation from the Greek Parliament, because of the economic crisis. The governments of Greece and Cypriot Republic will be represented by diplomatic and consular authorities. US officials and the mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg.

The Greek Parade is organized every year by Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York. George Venizelos, the FBI’s Assistant Director in the city, will be the parade’s Grand Marshal. Athena Lazarides-Dimitriou will be the honorary master of ceremonies in commemoration of her husband, Dimitris Dimitriou,  who died recently. He was a well-known member of the Federation of Greek Associations of New York and for years was the parade’s announcer.

Earlier on Sunday, the doxology will be sung by the Archbishop Demetrios of America at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan.

“This years’ anniversary of our National Regeneration is an occasion to think, to contemplate and to be inspired for the future that we are building today. The celebration of this leading event in Greece’s modern history, coincides with the changeable and fluid international situation, in which our brothers in Greece and Cyprus are suffering serious economic as social problems, which are unknown to the younger generation of Greeks,” he said.

He added that, “The current situation requires that we join our forces to overpass the difficulties, no matter how insurmountable they seem, with the feeling of duty to the subsequent generations and with concern about motherland. Source of inspiration and motivation are the memories of heroism of the fighters of 1821, who lifted the banner of the indestructible values of Hellenism: the values of Dignity, Freedom and Independence.”

He also quoted General Makrigiannis, saying that we should remember that we have all together this homeland, that we are all equal and that we should think as a society and not as individuals.

Greek immigrants were found in America as early as the late 19th century, chasing the American Dream. Many of them managed to make their dreams come true by hard work and sometimes under very tough conditions. A lot of them started from scratch, became successful businessmen and made a fortune.

Many pages have been written about the history of modern Greek migration, especially to the other side of the Atlantic. However, the history of their social struggles is less known.

Louis Tikas, became hero of the labor movement and songs were written for him. He was killed in  the Ludlow Massacre, Colorado, during the mining strike of 1913.

Almost two decades later, in 1930, another Greek-American, worker Steve Katovis, participated in a picket line in New York, where he was murdered by a policeman. His last words according to a written account of his life (also in an article by Steve Frangos in the newspaper National Herald), were: “My comrade, I’m dying. Tell the others to continue the fight, to organize the workers.”

In the general strike of 1934 in San Francisco, social polarization lead to the murder of two workers. One of them was Nikos Kountourakis.  Greek-Americans organized a whole brigade and participated in the Spanish civil war, supporting the Democrats.

Texts, letters, songs, newspapers, photographs, interviews, as well as unique archival material from film recordings of the American labor movement, reconstruct the journey of the immigrant workers through the path of Taxisinidisia, class consciousness, in the language of Greek- Americans.

“The material and the story are not known and are impressive,” said the director of the film, Kostas Vakkas, to AMNA, adding that the audience makes direct comparisons to the past, especially to the Great Recession and Depression.

The non-profit company Apostolis Berdebes, producer of the documentary, Greek-American Radicals-The Untold Story, was created by a group of Greeks who lived for many years in America to commemorate Berdebes, whose presence was really felt in the Diaspora of New York, during the years of the junta, and who died young on September 18, 1979, one day before his 31st birthday.

The documentary will be screened at the 15th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, on March 21 at 17:30 p.m., at the Tonia Marketaki Hall, and on March 22, at 12:30 p.m., at the John Cassavetes Hall.

The Master of Ceremonies for this special marchpast was Theodore Spyropoulos, regional coordinator and alternative President of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad (S.A.E.). Spyropoulos stressed the need for Greek tradition to be reborn all around the world.

The Mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, expressed his happiness that his city, as its name implies, is fraternally connected with the Greeks. A central point of the parade was the march of the Cyprus Society of Greater Philadelphia, Makarios III.

As John Grossomanides, Supreme President of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), told the National Herald, “AHEPA was founded to help Greek immigrants integrate in the American society. But we are here to hellenize Americans and every time we celebrate the 25th of March, there is a chance of promoting Greek civilization and declaring that the Greek Spirit is immortal”.

Most of the Greek afternoon schools from Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware participated in the parade and the children were dressed in authentic Greek costumes.