Here follow the events scheduled for 2003, as announced by the Cultural Olympiad organization. Greece Now will run the 2004 programme in upcoming updates.

EXHIBITIONS

* Minoan and Mycenaean Flavours: On its way to Stockholm (after Chicago and Birmingham), the exhibition combines archaeology with the natural sciences and presents the results of an international research programme that uncovered the diet of the Minoans and Mycenaeans. Through to June at the Stockholm Mediterranean Museum - Medelhavsmuseet.

* Costumes of the Greek National Theatre: The gowns, robes, dresses, capes and crowns that helped turn actors of the Greek National Theatre into mythical figures on show for the very first time. The exhibition includes costumes created by major Greek artists for landmark theatrical productions. Till end of March at the National Gallery

* Sea Routes: From Sidon To Huelva Athens: Archaeological exhibition focusing on the interaction amongst the peoples of the Mediterranean basin during the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages (1600-600 BCE). It documents the spread of products and ideas, as well as the interaction among peoples, via exhibits contributed by over 40 museums from Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, Italy, Spain, Malta, Turkey, and the Vatican. From May to September at the Museum of Cycladic Art .

* Alexander The Great: Archaeological exhibition in Japan on Alexander the Great's east-bound expeditions, the spread of ancient Greek culture and its impact on major Eastern civilizations. Artefacts from museums in 13 countries are on display. The exhibition is part of events marking the 50th anniversary of Japanese state television and focusing on cultural exchange between East and West. August through October at the Tokyo National Museum , October to December at the Hyogo Prefecture Museum of Modern Art in Kobe

* Under The Light Of Apollo: Exhibition documenting the influence of ancient Greece on the art of Renaissance Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries. On display are paintings, sketches, etchings, sculptures et al, illustrating the strong links between ancient Greece and the Italian Renaissance. October 2003 through to February 2004 at the National Gallery.

* Outlook: Some of the most important artists of the contemporary art scene will create installations, photographs, painting, environments, sculpture and video especially for this exhibition. October 2003 through to January 2004 at the Benaki Museum.

* Periples, Photographic Itineraries Into Contemporary Greece: Ten photographers, members of the international Magnum Photos Agency, travel through Greece capturing the essence of the contemporary country through stills of social, cultural and geographic landscape. October and November in Athens and Thessaloniki.

* The Art Of The Other: Exploring creativity in people forced to live under special conditions, such as inmates, the exhibition presents art works together with audiovisual presentations of how each work was produced. December 2003-March 2004, Athens.

MUSIC

* Two Centuries Of Art Music: Twelve CDs filled with previously unrecorded music - symphonic works, chamber music and opera by important Greek composers of the last two centuries - to be produced by the Greek Composers' Union . Release scheduled for May.

* Sacred Music: Forty Greek and international groups in a kaleidoscope of music and dance centred on ritual and religion. Events will highlight Greek sacred sites - ancient, Byzantine, or modern - as universal symbols of cultural exchange. The cycle's symbolic close comes with a series of concerts in Ancient Olympia . 5-11 July in Athens, Thessaloniki and 40 sites around Greece.

* Delos 2003: Italian composer Nicola Piovani commisioned work on the theme of Greek light. 13 September at the archeological site of Delos.

* Opera Of The Earth: All of the project's participating artists will be selected among past and present winners of the Dimitris Mitropoulos International Competition. Presentations of this brand new opera will culminate in the performance at the Ancient Stadium of Delphi in the summer of 2004. In December, Athens Concert Hall .

THEATRE

* Trojan Women - Hecuba: Actress Irene Papas will take on the direction and leading role of this Greek-Italian-Spanish co-production of two of Euripides' tragedies presented as a single work. The performance coincides with the end of the Greek and the start of the Italian Presidency of the EU. June 26, at the Tor Vergata University, Rome.

* Greek Theatrical Monologues: On the trail set by 11 productions staged in 2002, under the general title of The Actor and His Voice, this year's programme vows to be larger in scope. September, in Athens and Thessaloniki.

DANCE

* All Around Is Light: Filmmaker Costa-Gavras directs a production about Greek myth and music, while Lar Lubovitch choreographs the ballet Artemis, performed by the American Ballet Theater . May 20 at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, July 6-7 at the Irodion in Athens, July 10-11 in Thessaloniki

LITERATURE

* Cavafy (1863 -1933): Celebrating 140 years from the birth of Constantine Cavafy and 70 years since the poet's death, a series of conferences, musical events, publications and multimedia productions, as well as three exhibitions, seek to present Cavafy and his work in light of the Alexandria of his time. April, June and October in Thessaloniki, Athens, Alexandria and Istanbul.

* Global Novel: Ten leading authors from Greece and around the world meet in Greece to decide on the subject of the novel they will then be writing collectively. Read the story as it unfolds daily on the Internet and in the press.