In Search of Byzantium

stratg — Tue, 02 Oct 2018 19:50:17 +0000

Theodore Christou

As an educational historian, my search for Byzantium (330-1453) led me to the remote monastic communities of Mount Athos. Since the 9th century, 20 Orthodox Christian communities have developed and currently reside there. These monasteries have preserved libraries, with holdings between 15,000 and 60,000 monographs. While access to Athos is highly restricted, typically to four days, I spent 12 days here working in five monastic libraries. I held and photographed several dozen texts that were otherwise ‘lost to the world’, and I lived the monastic life throughout my time spent there. Here is the monastery of Simonopetra. The library is in the lower level, near the promontory’s edge.

Location of photograph:

Simonopetra Monastery, Mount Athos

Prize name:

Honourable mention

Submission Year:

2015-16

Amphibian from the Inside

stratg — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 20:35:46 +0000

Rute Clemente Carvalho

The evolutionary process called miniaturization can lead to morphological changes in body structures. The internal morphology of tiny specimens can be seen/observed using a special staining technique. This method digests the muscles, making them transparent, and colours the bones and cartilages. In the case of this froglet, it has a body size of around 18mm, and features like osteoderms in the skin and hyperossification on the skeleton can be observed. The knowledge of morphological structures can help researchers understand the evolution of the species’ behaviour and ecology of the species, and its phylogenetic relationships with related species.

Location of photograph:

Zeiss stereomicroscope in the laboratory

Prize name:

Honourable mention

Submission Year:

2016-17