One of the most idealistic figures of the Greek revolution.He died very early during the struggle at the battle of Alamana (essentially he was once more defending the pass at Thermoplylae were Alamana is situated) buying valuable time for the forces of the revolution to grow and consolidate some gains in the main theatre of Pelloponesos.Diakos in Greek means novice monk and this is what he was up to the commencement of the revolution.Story has it that one fatefull night an Ottoman Pasha was lodging at the monastery where Athanasios was training to be a monk-the monks being obliged by law to offer lodgings to Turkish officials-when his handsome physique caught the eye of the somewhat over-fond-of boys Pasha who started making overtures towards him.At some point when Athanasios (in Greek this name means immortal) leaned over to pour a coup of water or wine to the Ottoman official,the Pasha actually tried to kiss him!!!!Athanasios repelled him,went back in his cell, returned with a pistol and shot the Turk dead at pont blank.Of course from that moment on he was an outlaw and so he took to the mountains and became member of a warband.At the beginning of the revolution when the Ottoman empire dispatched one of its most capable generals in the face of Omer Bryonis (an Albanian brave and competent soldier) in order to quell the uprising,it fell first to Diakos in Alamana and then to Androutsos in Gravia to stop or delay him before reaching the main theatre of operations in Pelloponesos.That is what Athanasios did by organising an ambitious ambush with his numerical inferior warband in the area of Thermopylae.Like their ancestors they fell to the last man.Athanasios kept on fighting with the blade of his scimitar broken in two until he was captured.The Turks reserved a particularly gruesome fate for him.They impaled him with a roasting spit and laid him over the fire!!!!Athanasios in order to stand the ordeal without loosing dignity kept on singing to his last breath lest he be tempted to cry in anguish.
It is a lovely bust the one you have started Phil.One doubtfull detail which is of course not your fault,is the cape that the sculptor has incorporated.Such an item was never part of Greek traditional men's attire.It is all the more curious because the sculptor has done some serious research as evidenced by his other works in this series.That aside,you are off to a great start and I am looking forward to seeing this completed and in line with the other busts of the series in your collection.
Oda.
. That being said, it's been so fun painting these busts, I'm not sure why we don't see more of them here on the forums...
