Well done you're off the mark! 7 more clues to go...
This is the longest clue of the whole treasure hunt, good luck!
Clue 1 Facts & Stories
(You can also find these at the end)
The Monastic Republic of Mount Athos
This semi autonomous region of Greece brings together twenty monasteries and the different villages and houses that depend on them. They house around 2,000 Eastern Orthodox Greek, Bulgarian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian and other monks who lead a life of seclusion, introspection and prayer, in a landscape on the mountain, sometimes called "Christian Tibet". As part of an EU member state, Mount Athos is part of the European Union and, for the most part, subject to EU law.
Females are not allowed - the access of "any female creature" is strictly forbidden, so as not to tempt the monks; however, it is understood that this edict only concerns domestic vertebrate creatures, with two exceptions: hens for eggs (used in cooking and in sacred paintings) and cats (to hunt rodents).
A Brief History of Greece
The ancient and modern name of the country is Hellas and its official name is the Hellenic Republic "Helliniki Dimokratia". In English however, the country is usually called Greece, which comes from the Latin Graecia (as used by the Romans) and literally means 'the land of the Greeks'.
Greece is considered the cradle of Western civilisation, being the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, Western literature, historiography, political science and major scientific and mathematical principles. From the eighth century B.C, the Greeks were organised into various independent city-states, known as poleis, which spanned the entire Mediterranean region and the Black Sea. Philip of Macedon united most of the Greek mainland in the fourth century B.C, with his son Alexander the Great rapidly conquering much of the ancient world, from the Eastern Mediterranean to India. Greece was annexed by Rome in the second century B.C, becoming an integral part of the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine Empire, which adopted the Greek language and culture. After falling under Ottoman dominion in the mid-15th century, Greece emerged as a modern nation state in 1830 following a war of independence. The country's rich historical legacy is reflected in part by its 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sties.
Below, map of the Greek Empire conquered by Alexander the Great (if you are viewing on a mobile device turn your screen sideways).
Clue 2
1.
- Put your screen into aerial view (if you are in a photo click on the arrow to exit it).
- Make sure you are in 2D mode by by clicking the 2D icon
in the bottom right corner just once. DON'T GET CONFUSED - when you are in 2D mode the 3D button will be visible and vice versa.
- Ensure your screen is aligned to north by clicking on the compass icon
once (located in the bottom right corner). - Move your view so you are above the highest point in this semi autonomous region with this point positioned in the centre of your screen.
- This point will have a green marker make a mental note of what it looks like, this will be referred to as Point A.
- Zoom out to a height of roughly 100km. This is how to set the height:
- Scan west until you reach the next point of interest which shares the same green marker symbol as Point A.
What is the name of this point?
Enter answer exactly as it appears on Google Earth with same spaces between words.
2.
- Zoom into 5000m / 5km height above this green marker.
- Switch to street view by clicking once on the man icon
(located in the bottom right corner).
- This brings up a series of blue lines (routes you can virtually walk down) and small blue circles (pictures you can view).
- Your screen should now look like the picture below.
Did you know?
The 12 major Greek gods/goddesses are known as the Olympians because they are said to resided on Mt Olympus?
- Below each of these blue circles has been assigned a Greek god/goddess.
- Study them and click into the one which is represented by the god/goddess of the hunt.
- Check you are in the right photo - spin around and look at the rocks at your feet, graffiti'd on one are the words 'Dynamo Dresden'. If you can see this you are in the right photo, if you can't then re-do the previous steps until you can.
Did you know?
The name Dynamo commonly used for sport clubs from the former USSR has Greek origins? It's taken to mean "Power in Motion", from the Greek δύναμις; dynamis -power. It's this meaning which is why electrical generators are also called dynamos.
3.
Which direction is the Greek flag pointing? (Use the direction the of the compass in the corner to check this).
This will be referred to as Direction A.
Did you know - what the Greek flag symbolises?
The flag was officially adopted on January 13, 1822. There are a few different meanings but according to popular tradition, the nine stripes represent the nine syllables of the phrase "Freedom or Death". White and blue have been interpreted as symbolising the colours of the sky and sea and the cross symbolises Eastern Orthodox Christianity, the established religion of the Greek people.
4.
- Exit the photo (click on the arrow in the top left corner).
- Align your view to north (click one on the compass in the bottom right corner).
- Zoom out to a height of 50km and scan in the direction of Direction A.
- Move past the southern tip of a body of water.
- Find the orange road which looks like this:
- Check you are at the right road by entering its European road number (you can find this by zooming into it and looking up and down it will be 'E' followed by 2 numbers).
Enter it as 'E' then the correct number without spaces :
Did you know - the European E-road network?
The international E-road network is a numbering system for roads in Europe developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) established in 1950. The network is numbered from E1 up and its roads cross national borders. It also reaches Central Asian countries like Kyrgzstan, since they are members of the UNECE.
In most countries the roads carry the European route designation alongside national designations however the UK does not show the European designations at all. The motorway E1 starts in Larne Northern Ireland, runs through Ireland and ends in Seville Spain.
5.
Follow this motorway south until you reach this spot:
6. Staying at the same height of 50km, identify the valley shown by the arrow here:
Scan south east down through the valley and beyond looking for the first marker showing a place of worship. The marker will look like this: 
What is the name of this place?
Check your answer here beginning using the English spelling:
7.
- There are 6 monasteries/convents on cliff tops in this area. These are shown in the picture below circled in red.
- Each of the ones you are interested in are named, have buildings and are situated on a cliff top. Anything you spot which doesn't fit this criteria you can ignore.
- A specific feature from 5 of them has been listed below.
- Inspect each one and work out which is the only one not listed.
- Do this by first switching into 3D mode by clicking once on the
button in the bottom right. - Then move around, zooming in and out and spinning your view.
- Enjoy the scenery as you search around this beautiful landscape!
- Spin your view by holding down shift + moving or by holding down the mouse scroll wheel and moving.
- Spin your view using 2 fingers in a rotating motion.
List of monasteries/convents - as you find them cross them off and you will be left with only one.
1. The monastery/convent with 3 red turrets (these have red roofs and red walls such as in the picture below).
2. The monastery/convent with 3 arched doorways on its north eastern side:
3. The monastery/convent which has a white chequered path in its garden:
4. The monastery/convent which has a single solar panel on its roof:
- Locate the only remaining monastery.
- Move your view so you are above this.
- Study this monastery and identify the access route up the side of the cliff.
- Imagine you are exiting the monastery and locate the closest building to the north. This is a rectangular shaped building.
- Switch into street view mode by clicking once on the man icon.
- You will notice there is 1 blue circle at the southern corner of this building, here it is shown at 1000m / 1km height:
- Click once on this so you enter the photo.
Check you are in the right photo - you should be positioned high up in the air with the sun setting to your east like this (if you cannot see this re-read the clue and try again until you are in the correct photo):
8.
Look all around this photo, how many flags are there?
Notice the wires spanning the gorge, find out what they are used for on the next page.
Use the answer in numerical form as the password to access the next clue:
Stuck? Try re-reading the question carefully picking up the key points.
Give up? Get the answers below.
Answers
