Kevin Elliott

We need Jensen to pull this with his wife for the sake of the US economy

Take it from me. Don’t waste your life: Learn three chords. Start a band.

Greece and Bulgaria have reached a historic agreement for the reciprocal transfer of cultural and religious treasures, paving the way for the return of 48 ecclesiastical artifacts removed from Greek monasteries during World War I in exchange for the remains of Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria.... On September 29, 2026, the two countries’ Ministers of Culture, Lina Mendoni and Evtim Miloshev, signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the reciprocal deposit of historical relics. Greece is set to hand over to Bulgaria the remains identified as those of Tsar Samuel, while 48 ecclesiastical and historical artefacts from Macedonia will return to Greece. These objects had been transferred to Sofia in 1917, during the Bulgarian occupation of parts of Eastern Macedonia in the First World War. The agreement brings to a close an issue that had remained unresolved for decades. Greek and Bulgarian media report that it was preceded by lengthy negotiations, while Bulgaria had sought the transfer of Samuel’s remains since their discovery. The relevant protocols are expected to be signed on October 3 at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki. The 48 artefacts will remain on display there until November 5, after which they will be returned, according to their provenance, to the Monastery of Panagia Eikosifoinissa, the Monastery of St John the Baptist in Serres, and the Holy Metropolis of Serres and Nigrita. Samuel was one of the most important figures of medieval Bulgaria. He ruled as tsar from 997 to 1014, during a period of prolonged and bitter conflict between the Bulgarian state and the Byzantine Empire of Basil II. The political and military centre of his realm had shifted toward the southwestern Balkans, with Prespa and later Ohrid acquiring exceptional importance. At various times, his realm encompassed extensive territories within present-day Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania, Greece and Serbia. The long conflict reached its climax in the early 11th century. In 1014, Samuel’s forces suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of Basil II at the Battle of Kleidion. Samuel died a few months later, on October 6, 1014. Bulgarian resistance continued under his successors until 1018, when the state was incorporated into the Byzantine Empire. The remains attributed to Samuel were discovered much later on Greek territory. In 1965, archaeologist and professor Nikolaos Moutsopoulos, while excavating the Basilica of St Achillios on the island of the same name in Lake Prespa, uncovered four sarcophagi. One of the skeletal assemblages was identified by the excavator as most probably belonging to Samuel, an identification that has subsequently been officially adopted by the two countries for the purposes of the present agreement. The remaining anthropological material from the four sarcophagi will also be transferred to Bulgaria. The other side of the agreement touches upon one of the most painful periods in Greek-Bulgarian relations. During the First World War, Bulgarian forces occupied parts of Eastern Macedonia. Within this context, ecclesiastical and cultural treasures were removed from monasteries and churches in the region, alongside episodes of destruction. In the case of the Monastery of Panagia Eikosifoinissa in particular, the raid of March 27, 1917, is documented, during which relics and valuable manuscript codices were removed. #archaeohistories

San Diego

New ai psychosis just dropped: return of the pre Bronze Age bicameral mind