THE RE-EMERGING TRADITIONS-THE CULTURAL DIPLOMACY OF THE WEST

Abstract

‘The goddess Athena, and her symbol, the olive tree, were the ultimate protectors of the ancient city
of Athens, the strong rocky micro state on the edges of the Mediterranean Sea. The symbolic enemy of
the goddess was Poseidon, the God of the sea, with its strong waves, that was bringing sea storms. This
God was symbolizing the huge Mediterranean Sea, but also the Mediterranean region, strongly
multicultural and interconnected, and once the only known global reality. The heroic fight was between
the olive tree and the strong waves of the big Poseidon see.’