Information on the Intensive Course

Application deadline: May 30th, 2007 Scientific direction: As.Prof. Nickolas Zouros, University of the Aegean Information: nzour@aegean.gr, 0032- 2251036431, 2251047033

Registration

All participants are kindly requested to complete the Registration form and submit it electronically or by fax to the Organising Committee, to the following address:

Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest8th November 17, Str., Mytilene, Lesvos Isl., GR- 81100, GREECE Fax Number +30-22510-47033e-mail: lesvospf@otenet.gr

Registration Fee

Workshop:

Participants , 200 €.
Students and Post-graduate Students: 100 €.

The Registration Fee covers the right to attend the workshop, workshop bag abstract
volume and materials, and to participate in fieldtrip organized during the workshop.

Workshop and Intensive Course:

Participants , 450 €.
Students and Post-graduate Students: 350 €.

The Registration Fee covers the right to attend the Course and the Workshop including lessons by International staff, didactic material, food and housing during the course, travels during the course, workshop bag abstract volume and materials, and to participate in the workshop fieldtrip but not the travel to Lesvos Greece.
The reduced fee will be applied to post graduate students and to researchers working full time for an advanced degree (M.Sc., Ph.D.) at the time of registration. Those wishing to register at the student fee should attach to the registration form a photo copy of their current student card to prove the student status.
All payments related with the workshop must be made to the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest who will send a written confirmation to all the registered participants.

Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest

8th November 17, Str., Mytilene, Lesvos Isl.,
GR- 81100, GREECE
Fax Number +30-22510-47033

Registration fees can be paid in any of the following ways:

• Bank transfer Account number:IBAN GR29 0150 0580 0000 9800 2414 945, SWIFT:GHBAGRAAXXX Name of the bank: Geniki Bank / Mytilene Branch A copy of the bank transfer must be sent to the Natural History Museum by mail or fax. Unless you sent a copy of your bank transfer we will not be able to process your registration.

• Cheque

Information on Lesvos

Lesvos, renowned since antiquity, is a peaceful island rich in geographical features. The bright sunshine makes its land fertile with a vast range of vegetation, from the silver olive tothe dark green pine and its unique wild flowers. Lesvos' natural beauty, its mythology and history have inspired many poets and writers.Located in the north-east of the Aegean Sea, Lesvos is one of the biggest Greek islands. It lies to the north of Chios and close to the Asia Minor coast (Turkey) which is only 5-8 miles away. The island, which encompasses an area of 1.630 sq. km, a coastline of 370 km and a population of 92.000 inhabitants, belongs to the prefecture of Lesvos which also includes the islands of Lemnos and Agios Eustratios.The most important mountains are Mount Lepetymnos in the north with a height of 968m, a main volcanic centre activated during Miocene times, and Mount Olympus in the south with a height of 967m.There are no extensive plains on Lesvos. A multitude of headlands and the numerous gulfs and bays are what give the island its distinctive look, unique in the Greek archipelago. During the Cenozoic period Lesvos took its present impressive shape which the famous poet O. Elytis (Nobel prize 1980) likened to the leaf of a plane tree. The sea enters deeply into the southern portion of the island and forms the two enchanting gulfs of Kalloni and Gera. Small coves and fishing harbours ornament its shores and the headlands along the coast are most picturesque.The warm climate of the island, its fertile soil, and abundant water supply have created the lush green Lesvos that every visitor enjoys today. Olive groves and pine trees cover mountains and plains on the central and eastern part of the island while a wide variety of aromatic and medical herbs are also present. Eleven million olive trees produce more than 20.000 tons of olives per year. These ancient, boundless olive groves, the forests of pine, the thousands of varieties of plants and trees all make for an enchanting island landscape.

Mytilene, the capital of the island, is largely built on the ancient town. It spreads amphitheatrically around the harbour with extensions to the northern and western heights. To the north of Mytilene’s harbour the Venetian castle crowns a magnificent pinewood which reaches down to the shore. It is one of the largest mediaeval castles in the eastern Mediterranean. Places of special interest are the Ancient Theatre with its marvelous acoustics, the Archeological Museum, the Byzantine Museum, the Theofilos Museum, the Teriade Museum of Modern Art and some of the monumental churches, having both impressive architectural features and ecclesiastical articles.On the northern edge of the island stands the picturesque town of Mythimna (Molyvos) which has been declared a settlement subject to preservation. Its impressive castle crowns the town from Byzantine times. On the western edge of the island lie Sigri and Eressos, small villages in an area of incomparable wild and stark beauty, where visitors can encounter large accumulations of fossilised tree trunks comprising the well-known «Petrified Forest of Lesvos». The glossiness and the chromatic variety of the petrified pieces is fascinating. On Megalonisi, the island which protects the bay of Sigri, lie some marvellous trunks of petrified trees. The Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest, located in Sigri since 1994, undertakes scientific research on the natural monument, as well as the preservation and promotion of the petrified forest. In the village of Sigri, the small castle built by the Turks in 1757 to protect the fishermen's locale has been kept in good condition.

Southeast of Sigri lies the beautiful country town of Eressos, birthplace of the poet Sappho and the philosopher Theophrastus, who is considered the father of modern Ecology and Botanology. The outstanding beach of Eressos, almost 3km long and 70 m wide, was deemed the cleanest in Greece.