History of Greece questions

Diana is a Roman goddess of the hunt, the Moon, and nature, associated with wild animals and woodland. She is equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, and absorbed much of Artemis' mythology early in Roman history, including a birth on the island of Delos to parents Jupiter and Latona, and a twin brother, Apollo, though she had an independent origin in Italy. Diana was known as the virgin goddess of childbirth and women. She was one of the three maiden goddesses, along with Minerva and Vesta, who swore never to marry. Oak groves and deer were especially sacred to her.

The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek sun-god Helios, erected in the city of Rhodes, on the Greek island of the same name, by Chares of Lindos in 280 BC. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it was constructed to celebrate Rhodes' victory over the ruler of Cyprus, Antigonus I Monophthalmus. It collapsed during the earthquake of 226 BC; although parts of it were preserved, it was never rebuilt.

Socrates was born in Alopeke, and belonged to the tribe Antiochis. His father was Sophroniscus, a sculptor, or stonemason. His mother was a midwife named Phaenarete. Socrates married Xanthippe, who is especially remembered for having an undesirable temperament. She bore for him three sons, Lamprocles, Sophroniscus and Menexenus.

The primary language used in the eastern Roman provinces even before the decline of the Western Empire was Greek, having been spoken in the region for centuries before Latin. The use of Latin as the language of administration persisted until formally abolished (in favour of Greek) by Heraclius in the 7th century.

According to Herodotus, an Athenian runner named Pheidippides was sent to run from Athens to Sparta (225 km, 140 miles) to ask for assistance before the battle. Then, following the battle, the Athenian army marched quickly the 40 km (25 miles) to Athens, in order to head off the Persian forces. Later these two events became confused with each other, leading to a legendary but inaccurate story (first recorded by Plutarch in 1st century AD) of Pheidippides running from Marathon to Athens after the battle, to announce the Greek victory.

The Greek Civil War, was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek government army—backed by the UK and US — and the communist Democratic Army of Greece, backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania. It is estimated that 158,000 people were killed.

Corfu is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, west of Greek Peninsula. It was long controlled by Venice, which repulsed several Turkish sieges, before falling under British rule following the Napoleonic Wars. Corfu was eventually ceded by the British Empire and unified with the modern Greece in 1864.

There is a long and still continued history of conflicts and tensions between Greece and Turkey. Between 1974-2002, Greece was in the state of general mobilization due to the crisis in Cyprus.