President Lennart Meri conferred the Pytheas Medal designed by sculptor Margus Kadarik on Jaan Unt, Lecturer of Tartu University, the receiver of the first Pytheas Scholarship, in Kadriorg today. Jaan Unt received the scholarship named thus in honour of Pytheas, the Greek explorer, geographer, astronomer and mathematician from 4th century BC, for the translation of fragments of the work of Pytheas. Jaan Unt hopes to complete this work by the end of this year.

Also Basil Patsikakis, the Greek Ambassador to Estonia, attended the ceremony. The founding of the Pytheas Medal was first discussed on President Lennart Meri’s state visit to the Republic of Greece, where the matter was raised on the Estonian President’s meeting with Apostolos Kaklamanis, the Chairman of the Greek Parliament, on May 25, 1999. During the state visit of the Greek President Konstantinos Stephanopoulos to Estonia, it was decided to found the Pytheas Scholarship in order to strengthen cultural relations between Estonia and Greece.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, May 16, 2001

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