The Return of Epimenides – On the Nature of Things at the Idaean Cave

Presentation by Giorgis Kalomoiris, 23/08/2023

It is, at the very least, awkward to stand and speak at an event like today’s, while the country faces difficult times—from the borderlands of Evros and Thrace to the Attica Basin.

It is not in our nature to offer trivial expressions of support or encouragement to the people and the land under trial. Yet at the core of our theme is the understanding that awakening is a necessary response to the widespread slumber that lashes societies into apathy and inertia, and peoples into blindness.

Good evening. On behalf of our team at the Idaean Cave and Epimenides II – On the Nature of Things, I welcome you.

For the second time, we retrieve from a blurred past—between myth, legend, and history—Epimenides, the inspired and influential “man” of his era. Entering the Idaean Cave as a young shepherd, he was “awakened” by the wisdom of the gods, becoming a seer, purifier, and philosopher, changing the “nature of things” in his own time and world.

This timeless yet contemporary reflection on the nature of things comes this year as a reminder of the essential coexistence between humans and nature, as expressed in the works of Epicurus, Lucretius, and even the Cretan Vincenzo Cornaro in Erotokritos, and in the renewed understanding of the nature of things.

Epimenides II – On the Nature of Things was conceived and curated by the cultural organization Androidus, with the support of the Municipality of Anogeia, as part of the Cultural Program All Greece is One Culture 2023 of the Ministry of Culture, focusing on climate change.

In this Cultural Meeting, primary attention is given to art and the original creation of works through multiple forms—as forces for re-approaching and rekindling the relationship between Humans and Nature.

A relationship of intimacy between humans and nature, which has been lost with seemingly catastrophic consequences for humanity and the environment.

The 297 years traditionally attributed to the life and work of Epimenides may, in essence, span a period during which human collectives, led by our hero, acted over three centuries as Idaean Epimenides, grounded in pioneering ideas from the mountains of the gods.

These ideas, with their deep roots, acted locally and spread globally, elevating Epimenides as a symbol of initiation into knowledge, civic participation, and fearless expression—shaping the course of history.

This year also marks 20 years since the signing of the UNESCO Convention for the Intangible Cultural Heritage, establishing a “new standard” for its protection and preservation.

Heritage here refers to ideas, traditions, and culture, encompassing communities and cultural elements—from a culinary recipe, a festival, or a custom to entire groups preserving unique traits across generations.

During this twenty-year span, Psiloritis was recognized as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2015, while the shepherd, who from ancient Ida to modern Psiloritis has wandered these lands, naming places with stories, legends, and traditions, was recognized as a cultural heir and benefactor, with his own entry in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2021.

This timeless guardian of our mountain forms a link between the natural and cultural environment, lived experience and popular wisdom, persisting in Ida as a contemporary Epimenides.