Once a professor at a German university, Mr Simitis used to scorn the anti-American conspiracy theories many Greeks like to invent.

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Like the Greeks, we are here to talk about Ms Baburova.

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What the Germans really want to know is whether the Greeks and Italians can act like Germans.

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"In negotiating with the Greeks, what markets would like to see is some move toward further integration within the euro zone, " he said.

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What the Greeks and Italians want to know is when the Germans are going to stop acting like Germans.

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While common to the caste-like system of Persia, prostration was something the freedom-loving Greeks scorned.

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Humans have been laughing at versions of these gags since the Greeks started writing down plays, but we rarely have reason to remember that comedy like classical music, ballet and opera is rooted in centuries-old tradition.

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