Zeus or Poseidon
This two meter high bronze statue of
Zeus or Poseidon dates from about 460 BC and was found in 1928 at the bottom of the sea north of the Greek island of Euboea. The god is throwing either a thunderbolt or a trident, giving reason for the debate about who is depicted in the sculpture.
Artemisian Jockey
This two meter high bronze statue of a horse and a young jockey, made about 140 BC, was retrieved in pieces from in the sea in 1928 and 1937. It depicts a young jockey, probably African in origin, that would have held the reins of the galloping horse in his left hand and a whip in his right.
Perseus or Paris
Found in 1990 in an ancient shipwreck on the sea floor off Antikythera, south of Peloponnese, this Bronze statue of a youth (340-330 BC) has been identified either as Perseus, who would have been holding the head of Medusa, or, more probably, as Paris, with the “apple of Strife”, ready to award it to the most beautiful goddess, Aphrodite.
Marathon Boy
This bronze statue of a young athlete (340-330BC) was found in the sea off Marathon, Attica. The statue probably depicts the winner of a contest, as is suggested by the band on his head which ends in an upright leaf above the forehead.
On Sunday, October 31, Vincenzo joined 20,000 runners in the Athens Classic Marathon. This year marked 2500 years since the 42km distance was first covered by a Greek messenger running from Marathon to Athens to spread word of victory in battle.
This is Vincenzo finishing the race in the Panathinaiko Stadium, used for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 - the Games that saw the introduction of the competitive marathon race. (Vincenzo’s time was 3:47:10.)
This two meter high bronze statue of Zeus or Poseidon dates from about 460 BC and was found in 1928 at the bottom of the sea north of the Greek island of Euboea. The god is throwing either a thunderbolt or a trident, giving reason for the debate about who is depicted in the sculpture.
Found in 1990 in an ancient shipwreck on the sea floor off Antikythera, south of Peloponnese, this Bronze statue of a youth (340-330 BC) has been identified either as Perseus, who would have been holding the head of Medusa, or, more probably, as Paris, with the “apple of Strife”, ready to award it to the most beautiful goddess, Aphrodite.
One of the first displays that a visitor sees at the National Archeological Museum are kouri.
The kouri are statues of naked youth that were made starting in the second half of the 7th century BC. These heroic statues, usually with the left leg forward and arms at the side, were often found at sacred sites as offerings to the gods and were found on graves as memorials of the dead, recalling the person’s past youthfulness of power.
On the first of numerous strolls through the neighborhood of Plaka we found a small shop with religious items. 
The owner, Anastasios Vobirakis, spoke English and, in addition to sharing his merchandise, he shared many stories about his Christian faith. We wanted to return to the shop to obtain an icon, but it took us the rest of the week to find the store again. It was not until our last night in Athens that we spotted it, but the shop was already closed.
We just returned from Athens where Vincenzo ran in the Athens Classic Marathon. It was his second full marathon race, and his time was 10 minutes better than his Rome Marathon in March, 2010.
