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John Kittmer

@johnkittmer.bsky.social
359 followers 170 following 406 posts

Greek literature and culture | Christianity | Churches, abbeys, cathedrals | Poetry | Chair of school governors | Visiting professor | Ex-ambassador | Enthusiast for Yorkshire

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Reposted by John Kittmer
Dan Herbert @danherb10.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Glorious Wymondham Abbey
An exterior view of the abbey. A ruined tower stands in the forgeoundLooking down the nave from the alter to the organ. Heavy Romanesque arches on either sideA view of the nave looking towards the Rood screen A close view of the nave arches
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 10h
Paradise is Scarborough. 😉
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Reposted by John Kittmer
Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ @kathimerini.gr · 05/10/2026
Ακολουθήσαμε τους «Φίλους του Αγίου Όρους» και συμμετείχαμε στις ετήσιες εργασίες καθαρισμού και συντήρησης των πεζοπορικών διαδρομών της χερσονήσου.
kathimerini.gr
Στα Μονοπάτια του Αγίου Ορους
Ακολουθήσαμε τους «Φίλους του Αγίου Όρους» και συμμετείχαμε στις ετήσιες εργασίες καθαρισμού και συντήρησης των πεζοπορικών διαδρομών της χερσονήσου.
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Reposted by John Kittmer
John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
For my (slightly delayed) September post I serve up #Lepanto ( #Nafpaktos) and #Seferis as mezedakia to accompany a fine carafe of #ouzo. johnkittmer820172.substack.com/p/lepanto-na...
A photo of the mediaeval town of Nafpaktos (Lepanto) showing the harbour and Gulf of Corinth.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
@julianhoffman.bsky.social
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Bravo. The tower of the parish church appears here as a rather ghostly invitation to imagine the glorious central tower floating high above the broken crossing piers.
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Reposted by John Kittmer
Kalydnai @gemistosplethon.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
This is great @bjulianhoffman.bsky.social i hope they involve you. www.kathimerini.gr/culture/5644...
kathimerini.gr
Μεγάλη Πρέσπα: Συμμαχία με σκοπό να ενταχθεί στην UNESCO
Συμμαχία τριών χωρών για την ένταξη της λίμνης στην UNESCO.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
For my (slightly delayed) September post I serve up #Lepanto ( #Nafpaktos) and #Seferis as mezedakia to accompany a fine carafe of #ouzo. johnkittmer820172.substack.com/p/lepanto-na...
A photo of the mediaeval town of Nafpaktos (Lepanto) showing the harbour and Gulf of Corinth.
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Reposted by John Kittmer
History and Heritage Yorkshire @handhyorkshire.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Yorkshire is exceptionally important for British biodiversity, with around two-thirds of Britain’s species found in the county. However, this natural heritage is under increasing pressure. Nearly 2,000 species have been lost from Yorkshire over the last 200 years, while a further 3,000 are
Potteric Carr Nature Reserve, Doncaster  Johnson Cameraface CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
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Reposted by John Kittmer
ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ @tovimagr.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Foreign appetite for Greek feta and yogurt is creating new opportunities for the country's dairy producers. Exports are expected to reach 1.2 billion euros this year
ebx.sh
Greek Yogurt Is Booming Abroad, Pushing Producers to Expand - tovima.com
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Simon Knott @simonknott.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Little Gidding, Cambridgeshire. 'If you came by day not knowing what you came for, It would be the same, when you leave the rough road And turn behind the pig-sty to the dull facade And the tombstone.' from 'Little Gidding' by TS Eliot, who was born #OTD 26 September 1888. #SteepleSaturday
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Edith Hall @edithmayhall.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Blog on my new book, rather different from anything I've done before. edithorial.blogspot.com/2026/09/my-n...
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
“άνω ποταμών ἱερῶν χωροῦσι παγαί!” Congratulations on branching out into docufiction. Looks fascinating.
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Reposted by John Kittmer
Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
About 1,000 years ago, this ‘Tables’ game board was smashed up with an axe and thrown into a rubbish pit at Gloucester Castle! 🪓 😳 Ancient evidence perhaps of a sore loser!? 😂 Ironically it is the world’s oldest surviving complete tables set! Gloucester Museum 📷 by me #Archaeology
My photo shows the circa 1,000 year-old Gloucester 'Tables' game set. The set consists of 24 obelisk-shaped bone strips with pointed ends, and a bone panel border, which were originally inlaid onto a wooden base which has not survived, together with thirty disc-shaped bone counters (not all shown in my photo). The bone inlays are decorated with carved interlace and ring-and-dot patterns. Each game counter is intricately carved and decorated with a human or animal figure. The tables set is displayed on a sandy surface in a museum display case at Gloucester Museum. Tables is an early version of backgammon. It is the oldest complete tables set in the world
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Saddened by the death of Wendell Berry. I came to him later in life, but perhaps he is a poet for the later stages in life. AP’s obituary, carried by The Guardian, manages not to mention his faith. This poem, from his Sabbath poems, puts that right. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, it is a haunting tale.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
pallant.org.uk/whats-on/bar... Exciting. From November. #Hepworth #Pallant #Greece
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Approaching from Analipsi, your car drops slightly onto the bridge and the noise starts. Disconcerting! I like your photos of the Evinos. What sort of temperature was it?
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Reposted by John Kittmer
John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
In my latest Substack: -Yorkshire as a site of commemoration of the #Dilessi murders of 1870 -remote archaeological sites in #Aetolia -Christopher Nolan’s The #Odyssey and an enjoyable cookbook from #Odysea johnkittmer820172.substack.com/p/yorkshire-...
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
In my latest Substack: -Yorkshire as a site of commemoration of the #Dilessi murders of 1870 -remote archaeological sites in #Aetolia -Christopher Nolan’s The #Odyssey and an enjoyable cookbook from #Odysea johnkittmer820172.substack.com/p/yorkshire-...
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History and Heritage Yorkshire @handhyorkshire.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
🧵What looks like a super exhibition at Scarborough's Old Parcel Office Artspace this September. I remember being fascinated when researching the tradition of dressing up in your Sunday Best to promenade in the so-called "church parade." From the elegance of the Victorian and Edwardian period to
This image is a promotional poster for the "Sunday Best" heritage exhibition held at the Old Parcels Office Artspace at Scarborough Railway Station, showcasing 19th-century seaside fashion and local history.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
A lovely tribute, Edith. She was a great scholar and a wonderful person, and a very skilful doctoral supervisor—as I knew at first hand.
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Reposted by John Kittmer
Edith Hall @edithmayhall.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Blog on my friend and mentor Professor Pat Easterling, who died this week edithorial.blogspot.com/2026/08/reme...
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Very sad to learn of the death, at 92, of Prof. P.E.Easterling, the first woman to hold the Regius Chair of Greek at Cambridge. She was a great scholar, particularly of tragedy, and a great model of scholarship, but she was also a wonderful person. She supervised my research. I owe her a lot. RIP.
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David Olusoga @davidolusoga.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
The new series of A House Through Time - on at 9pm tonight - on BBC Two.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
This is a gem. Wonderful historical story-telling. Bravo.
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Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ @kathimerini.gr · 18/08/2026
Η ομάδα της Βρετανικής Σχολής Αθηνών έφτασε το 1893 στη σκιά του Κιθαιρώνα, στην περιοχή της Δυτικής Αττικής που κάηκε πρόσφατα, με ένα σκοπό: να χαρτογραφήσει τα εντυπωσιακά, εξαιρετικά καλά διατηρημένα τείχη ενός οχυρού του 4ου αιώνα π.Χ.
kathimerini.gr
Στα τείχη του Πόρτο Γερμενού
Η ομάδα της Βρετανικής Σχολής Αθηνών έφτασε το 1893 στη σκιά του Κιθαιρώνα, στην περιοχή της Δυτικής Αττικής που κάηκε πρόσφατα, με ένα σκοπό: να χαρτογραφήσει τα εντυπωσιακά, εξαιρετικά καλά διατηρημένα τείχη ενός οχυρού του 4ου αιώνα π.Χ.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Corruption. War. Liberalism is dead. AI will kill us all. End of the world. Odysseus got home and then left. You know. Usual stuff.
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Reposted by John Kittmer
John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
In my latest post to Substack I take a look at the unusual Greek novels of E.F.Benson, the art of Vaso Katraki, and the glories of Greece cheese. Something for everyone. open.substack.com/pub/johnkitt...
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
In my latest post to Substack I take a look at the unusual Greek novels of E.F.Benson, the art of Vaso Katraki, and the glories of Greece cheese. Something for everyone. open.substack.com/pub/johnkitt...
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Thanks. Very helpful!
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Is this an early Brodrick design for the Grand? It has a passing resemblance only to what was built and, subsequently, partly lost.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Expansive skies today above #Scalby Ness, north #Scarborough.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
I got back from Greece in time for #YorkshireDay today. In celebration of God’s Own Country here are some photos from this year’s York Mystery Plays: a glorious community production on wagons that happened on the streets of #York and in the shadow of the incomparable Minster.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
This is a great article, giving a broad survey of Greece’s craft beer producers, plus a little but of history too. No paywall.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
The Museum needs help. The swampy conditions of Aitoliko bring constant humidity into the museum, which has no effective climate-control. The art is slowly degrading: the rot and damp visible on many of the paper prints. It is controlled by the small municipality and needs (inter)national support.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
My great “find” of this trip to Greece is the Vaso Katraki Museum at #Aitoliko. #Katraki (1914-1988) was one of the greatest European print engravers (off wood and sandstone) of the 20th century. As a Leftist she was internally exiled by the Colonels and on Gyaros taught #Ritsos to paint on stone.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Gorgeous terracottas from the sanctuary buildings at #Thermon, #Aitolia.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Λίγη ευλάβεια σήμερα στην ιερά πόλη του #Μεσολογγίου μπροστά στον #Βύρωνα και τον #Άστιγγα. A little veneration today in #Mesolongi, a sacred place for Greeks because of the heroic and tragic history of the siege, in 1826. Statues of #Byron and #Hastings in the Garden of the Heroes.
A full-length marble statue of Byron, lifted on a high pedestal, between the British Union Flag and the Greek National Flag, in the Garden of the Heroes at Mesolongi. A marble bust of Frank Abney Hastings, lifted on a high stele, between the British Union Flag and the Greek National Flag, in the Garden of the Heroes at Mesolongi.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Απλώς μια καταιγίδα που πέρασε. Τίποτε το σημαντικό! Αίθριος ο καιρός σήμερα.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Το ελληνικό καλοκαίρι! Γύρισα στην αγαπημένη μου Ελλάδα. The Greek summer! Back in my beloved Greece.
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The International Hellenic Prize @ihellenicprize.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
We are absolutely delighted to announce the prizewinner for the 2025 International Hellenic Prize: Peter Jeffreys & Gregory Jusdanis' 'Alexandrian Sphinx: The Hidden Life of Constantine Cavafy'. An innovative, nuanced, and compelling biography - truly a must-read. Congratulations to the authors!
A poster with a light blue background and 'International Hellenic Prize Winner 2025' written across the top in gold lettering. The rest of the poster features the book's front cover, which has a slightly darker blue background upon which is laid a secondary smaller cream background. The title and author names are laid out across the top and bottom of this background, with the outermost lines in black font and the two innermost top and bottom lines in gold. At the centre is an image of Cavafy's face, which is set upon the right half of a gold sun with small rays emerging all the way around. Cavafy has dark hair and a moustache, and wears spectacles.This is a black and white headshot of one of the authors, Peter Jeffreys, smiling at the cameraThis is a headshot of one of the authors, Gregory Jusdanis, smiling at the camera
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ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ @tovimagr.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
The UK media outlet highlights the former prison island's remarkable transformation into one of the Mediterranean's most important sanctuaries for the endangered Mediterranean monk seal
ebx.sh
BBC Spotlight on Gyaros, an Isle of Exile That's Now a Haven for the Monk Seals - tovima.com
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Χαρά μου. 🤣
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Dive in. Not too much limbering up. It’s a language not a word puzzle.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
This must have been discussed and agreed with the Palace.
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
www.kathimerini.gr/politics/564... Ευχαριστούμε τον δημοσιογράφο Βασίλη Νέδο που έχει εξηγήσει στον ελληνικό λαό τον ρόλο του Κόμη Σκουπιδοτενεκόφατσα στη βρετανική εκλογική ζωή.
kathimerini.gr
Εντός και Εκτός: Τενεκέδες και πολιτική
Ο Κόμης Σκουπιδοτενεκόφατσας (ελεύθερη απόδοση του Count Binface) μπορεί στις 13 Αυγούστου να πετάξει εκτός Κοινοβουλίου τον Νάιτζελ Φάρατζ...
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John Kittmer @johnkittmer.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Thought-provoking discussion, Nick. Are there any signs that PASOK leaders are thinking about how to approach possible coalition talks differently from in 2012? A policy-led approach, in the continental fashion, might make a difference and limit some of the problems they had in 2012-14.
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Nick Malkoutzis @nickmalkoutzis.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Greece enters most fluid political moment since peak crisis. In The Agora, with @yiannismouzakis.bsky.social & @georgianakou.bsky.social we examine how Tsipras’s new party, ELAS, altered balance of power - challenging ND, destabilising SYRIZA & forcing PASOK rethink shows.acast.com/5ead72cc41f1...
shows.acast.com
Party time: Greek politics in flux ahead of next elections | The Agora
New entrants change dynamics as clear majority eludes Mitsotakis
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