Hello everybody,

I am a greek freelance journalist. I mostrly write on science issues and greek nautical tradition...

What brought me to this forum is an effort to save an ancient monument in my country. I have started an international petition for this and so I want to invite everybody to look at this matter and sign - if they want, of course.

The monument, Diolkos, is a paved "road" constructed in 600 BC. It was used to transport ships over land.

Although famous among scholars and rich in history, the monument - which is a registered arcaheological site - was never protected. A part of the vestiges excavated in 1960 has almost disappeared as it was swept over by erosion without anyone caring. On the contrary, the authorities supposedly in charge of its protection even facilitated its destruction...

The authorities were saying that they wanted to have the monument restored, But they were keeping themselves totally umprepared for any action. It was the perfect way for the monument to disappear completely!!!

So I invite everybody at

www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/870477005

I would very much like to see signatures from Bahrain. There already are signatures from many arabic countries, and I feel very good about this, since it shows that the cultural heritage is important to everybody. It does not belong to anybody to destroy...

I am looking forward to receiving your messages.

Yesterday the most popular portal in Greece, in.gr, presented the Diolkos case.

It is a good thing to see the veil of silence about Diolkos begin to fall and a kind of "greek tradegy", complete with an innocent victim, which is no other than the monument itself, slowly come to light...

For those interested, the link (in greek BUT with photos) is Åéêüíåò ôçò ÅëëÜäáò êáé ôçò Êýðñïõ

More damage for Diolkos as one more block has recently fallen... Although the Archeological Service knew that this particular block was half in air, the stone was not secured.

This part of the monument, which one can see at their right before crossing the moving bridge on the Corinth-Loutraki road, is the smaller part of Diolkos found on the Peloponnese side of the Canal. The erosion reached this part of the monument around 1992; there is a report by an antiquities guard about this - BUT no action was undertaken. This part was left at the mercy of the erosion although rescue operations - at least temporary ones - would have been rather childish...

As the long sufferings of the excavated Diolkos come to light, various internet portals have presented the problem.

In one of these, there is also an image of the 2006 report by the General Secretary of the Ministry "informing" the Prime Minister (!!!) that the waves "have by now begun to erode the monument's substrate"...

Áñ÷áßïò Äßïëêïò, Ýíá ìíçìåßï óå áðüãíùóç - HotStation.gr Greek Radio online

Thanks for supporting the Diolkos cause...

Hello, is anybody there???

Ok, I am talking by myself but I know you listen.... So please enter this site:

www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/870477005

and sign (if you want) my petition for saving a greek monument against abbandonment and dishonesty...

For your information, I would be very glad to participate in an issue that would have to do with your country's heritage!