The Greek Conference 2011
New Horizons in Law, Medicine and Science
Rhodes, Greece - 17 September 2011 to 23 September 2011
Under the auspices of the Association of Greek and Affiliated Panhellenic Interests, Rhodes 2011 addressed current issues in law, medicine and science in the pursuit of a just society with a wide ranging program developed in conjunction with our co-hosting colleagues in Athens.
The venue for Rhodes 2011 was Ixia's magnificent Sheraton Resort Hotel, a wonderful venue with magnificent vistas and spectacular facilities. The Resort provided excellent conference facilities, with a wide range of recreational activities in superb surrounds overlooking the magnificent sea views.
In the Hellenistic period Rhodes was considered one of the most beautiful and best organized cities in the then known world, as well as an important maritime and commercial center, strategically situated at the meeting point of three continents. Part of our scientific program covered the influence of Rhodes on the Law of the Seas.
In his book on Rhodes, Reflections on a Marine Venus, Lawrence Durrell wrote "In Rhodes the days drop as softly as fruit from trees. Some belong to the dazzling ages of Cleobulus and the tyrants, some to the gloomy Tiberius, some to the Crusaders". Indeed, Rhodes has been shaped by the many civilizations that have left their imprint on the island, though always retaining the predominance of its Greek language and culture. Every corner of the town, every stone on the island hides a small part of its 3,500-year history from the ancient Greeks and the Romans, followed by the Byzantines and the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, to the Ottomans and the Italians.
Apart from its great achievements in commerce and shipping, Rhodes also enjoyed prominence in the arts, letters and philosophy. Its School of Rhetoric was attended by students from all over the Mediterranean and in later years by distinguished Romans, among them Cicero, Julius Caesar, Pompey, Tiberius and Cassius. Rhodians also excelled in sculpture, painting and ceramic art. Many well-known sculptures found in museums throughout the world are the works of Rhodian sculptors, such as the Victory of Samothrace in the Louvre in Paris, the Laocoon Group in the Vatican Museum and the Sleeping Eros in the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
Rhodes played a lesser role as a province in the Roman and Byzantine Empires, which followed. However, at the beginning of the 14th century it became the seat of the Knights of St. John. The Knights renovated and enlarged the Byzantine city and by the end of the 15th century Rhodes had regained the status it once held in Hellenistic times as one of the loveliest and mightiest cities in the Eastern Mediterranean, and its harbor was one of Western Europe's gateways to the East. Through the defeat of the Knights by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1522, Rhodes became a part of the Ottoman Empire. In 1912 Rhodes came under Italian rule and was finally reunified with Greece in 1948.
Many are the monuments, which are evidence of our rich and varied past. Although the ancient Greek civilization influenced critically the culture of the island, the most well-known monument of Rhodes is its Medieval Town. It is one of the best preserved Medieval Towns in Europe. With the Palace of the Grand Master, originally a 7th century Byzantine fortress, the Great Hospital of the Knights, which now houses the Archaeological Museum, and the Street of the Knights, the Upper Town is considered one of the most beautiful urban ensembles of the Gothic period. For this, and for the juxtaposition in the Lower Town of Gothic architecture with buildings from other historic periods as well as its imposing fortifications, the Medieval City was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988.
A stimulating and diverse program was prepared with help from our main organizing committee of Professor Loane Skene, Dr Magdelena Simonis, Dr Jim Vadolas, David Roylance, Associate-Professor Louis Doukas and Associate-Professor Andrew Alston, in conjunction with our Greek organizing committee, with guidance from Judge Konstantinos Vardakavis and Dr Takis Vidalis.