Sunday, May 26, 2013

The lost culture of Byzantine Europe: a critique by Stephen Smooker on "The Eagle has Two Faces: Journeys through Byzantine Europe", a book by a Greek Diaspora author, Alexander Billinis

http://neoskosmos.com/news/en/the-lost-culture-of-byzantine-europe

The lost culture of Byzantine Europe

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A blog located in New York City with an emphasis on the Greek-American Community

Photo: Athens Square in Astoria, NY - "Hellenic Psyche"("Greek Soul") is a blog that runs in New York and has an audience from all over the world serving anything related to the interactions of culture and the psyche (soul), as Carl Jung would say using this Greek word to describe something deeper than the mind or the brain. This blog serves not only the Greek culture or just the Greek-American culture, but anything related to the use of psychological and educational approaches to understand cultural, artistic, and social phenomena as well as news from the fields of culture, the arts, education, psychology, counseliing, healthcare, and disabilities, especially developmental and psychiatric disabilities. We believe that ancient wisdom, the world's soul or Anima Mundi has a lot more to give to us the moderns than most people usually believe.

"Archangel Michael" painted by Alexander Colombos - "Αρχάγγελος Μιχαήλ": χειρ Αλεξάνδρου Κολόμβου

Russo-Byzantine style, Novgorod School/Vladislav Andrejev's version. Special thanks to the Prosopon School of Iconology and its teachers Valerie Sokolova, Tatiana Berestova and Dmitri Berestov. Click on the icon to transfer to the school's website. - Ρωσοβυζαντινής τεχνοτροπίας της Σχολής του Νόβγκοροντ βάσει της μεθόδου του Βλαδισλάβου Αντρέγιεβ. Ιδιαίτερες ευχαριστίες στη Σχολή Αγιογραφίας "Πρόσωπον" (Μανχάταν) και στους καθηγητές της Βάλερυ Σοκόλοβα, Τατιάνα Μπερέστοβα και Δημήτρη Μπερέστοβ. Κάντε κλικ στην εικόνα για να μεταφερθείτε στον ιστότοπο της σχολής. - " Архангел Михаил " написана Александром Колумб. Русский / Византийская Иконка. Новгород / Владислав Андреев Cтиль . Особая благодарность к " просопон " иконописной школы и ее преподавателей Валерия Соколова , Татьяна Берестова и Дмитрий Берестов. Нажмите на иконку, чтобы передать на сайт школы.

Let's all advocate for the return of the Parthenon sculprures, known as "Elgin Marbles"

They were named after Lord Elgin, the Englishman who stole them. And of course they are far more just "marbles". That's why we better call them "The Parthenon Sculptures". They are symbols of Greece, they are samples of great art and culture, they are part and parcel of Classical Athens and they need to go back home where they belong to. Ας συμβάλλουμε όλοι στην επιστροφή των γλυπτών του Παρθενώνα γνωστών και ως "Ελγίνειων μαρμάρων". Δυστυχώς, πήραν το όνομα αυτού που τα έκλεψε, του άγγλου λόρδου Έλγιν, και σίγουρα δεν είναι απλώς μάρμαρα. Γιαυτό ας τα ονομάζουμε καλύτερα "Τα Γλυπτά του Παρθενώνα".

Βάσω Χαρακίδα, το αηδόνι της Ρούμελης

ΑΡΧΑΙΑ ΨΥΧΗ - ANCIENT PSYCHE

Ancient, Medieval,Band Comparative, and especially Hellenic & Hellenic (Greek)-American Psychopedagogy-Psychohistory-Psychoarchaeology & Archaeonaturopathy: psychoeducational approaches to culture and civilization, including language, religion, natural health, and the arts with an emphasis in the Greeks from prehistory to the present and Greek Orthodox Christianity. Also, besides the interdisciplinary approach, topics on psychology, counseling, education, mental/physical health & disabilities and natural health/traditional naturopathy/herbalism alone or general cultural studies & Greek Studies alone will be covered with an emphasis in Greek Diaspora and especially the Greek-American Community, as this is a NY blog Ελληνική Ψυχοϊστορία-Ψυχοαρχαιολογία: ψυχοπαιδαγωγικές προσεγγίσεις στον πολιτισμό με έμφαση τον ελληνικό, συμπεριλαμβανομένου της γλώσσας, της θρησκείας (Ορθοδοξία), των γραμμάτων και των τεχνών. Επίσης, εκτός από την διεπιστημονική προσέγγιση, θα καλύπτονται και θέματα που αφορούν ξεχωριστά την ψυχολογία, την συμβουλευτική, τα παιδαγωγικά, την ψυχική και σωματική υγεία και τις αναπηρίες, όπως ξεχωριστά θα καλύπτονται και θέματα των ελληνικών σπουδών, της Ορθοδοξίας και του πολιτισμού γενικότερα με έμφαση στον Απόδημο και ιδιαιτέρως της Αμερικής αφού το ιστολόγιο εδρεύει στην Νέα Υόρκη

Ζήτω η Ρωμιοσύνη!

Είμαστε Ρωμιοί. Δηλαδή Έλληνες Ορθόδοξοι Χριστιανοί. Είμαστε Έλληνες, απόγονοι των παππούδων μας αρχαίων Ελλήνων και των πατεράδων μας Βυζαντινών (σύγχρονος όρος), δηλαδή των Ελλήνων κατ' έθνος και νομότυπα/κατ' όνομα Ρωμαίων υπηκόων της Ανατολικής Ρωμαϊκής Αυτοκρατορίας. Την Ρωμιοσύνη μην την κλαις. Εκεί που πάει να σκύψει από το βάρβαρο ζυγό της Παγκοσμιοποίησης σηκώνεται και πάλι στα πόδια της και χτυπά το θεριό των πουλημένων ανθελλήνων, των ξένων κέντρων αποφάσεων, του πολιτιστικού ιμπεριαλισμού και του ιστορικού αναθεωρητισμού με το καμάκι του ήλιου! Live long Romeosine! That is the integration of Greek identity and Greek Orthodox Christianity, the religion of the Byzantine or originally called East Roman Empire. We are the offspring of our grandfathers the ancient Greeks and our parents the Byzantine Greeks, also known as Byzantines (modern term) or Eastern Romans (citizens of the East Roman Empire in the Middle Ages). Globalization, historical revisionism, and cultural imperialism may fight us, but never defeat us!

What is "Psychohistory-Psychoarchaeology-Classical & Byzantine Wisdom Studies"?

About:

A bilingual (English/Greek) blog on culture, its psychological interpretation and its educational applications, with emphasis on Hellenism (literally “Greekness” or Greek culture/identity) throughout the centuries to the present. That is because "Hellenism" should not necessarily mean "ancient Greek culture", but "Greekness" in general, from prehistory to the present and in its all diachronicity. there is a special emphasis in the Greek-American community and its unique cultural needs for the above services.

Ένας δίγλωσσος (ελληνικά/αγγλικά) διαδικτυακός τόπος αφιερωμένος στην δημοσίευση άρθρων σχετικών με τον πολιτισμό, την ψυχολογική του ερμηνεία και τις εκπαιδευτικές του εφαρμογές, με έμφαση κυρίως τον απανταχού ελληνισμό σε όλη τη διαχρονία του.

What is "Hellenic" or "Hellenism"?

The Greek or Hellenic culture and identity is very ancient. The Minoan Civilization of Crete used Linear A' as its writing system that is obviously the ancestral form of Linear B' , though there are still doubts in mainstream academia. However, if one compares Linear A' with Linear B' will instantly spot many similarities between those two writing systems. The Mycenean civilization was proved to use Linear B' which was proved by Michael Ventris to be an early form of Greek. Anthropological studies show that modern Greek DNA is similar to that of Paleolithic skeletons found in various places of Greece, including Macedonia, Thrace, Eperus, Peloponnese, Crete, the islands of the Aegean and the Ionian Sea and many more.

Greeks were always good in traveling, trading, and introducing new innovations as well as reproducing, reinventing, improving and redesigning older or foreign concepts, ideas, creations and inventions, thus promoting some Greek and non-Greek contributions that were previously undermined or underrated and making them well-known by spreading them everywhere. Same thing happened with math, science and technology. The Babylonians and the Mesopotamians had made achievements in this area, but they confused math and science with astrology, magic, occult and religion. The Greeks took those ideas and expanded them, built in them, added new discoveries and concepts and separated them from superstition and etiology (anthropological term for ancient people's tendency to create myths and stories to explain natural phenomena). Greek cosmopolitanism benefited actually those non-Greek nations as the same happened later on in the Hellenistic Times when poor villages of Western and Central Asia became major urban centers under the guidance of Alexander the Great and his Macedonian Army, which was often accompanied by crowds of scientists, philosophers, teachers, and artists. Without Alexander the Great and his fusion policy (fusing Greek culture with local cultures), Christianity would not have arisen, as Greek ("Koine" or Hellenistic/New Testament Greek) became the vehicle to spread the gospels around the world. However, none of the above ever appears in any textbook of USA or even Western European schools with a few exceptions only.

Colonization and trade are seen in modern lenses and unfairly compared το early modern European imperialism or Nazi fascism; exaggerations on slavery and the position of women in ancient Greek society; Alexander the Great is often compared to Hitler and presented as a butcher of the nations and a gay as if that's the only thing that is important about him; obsession with homosexuality & Greece, association of female homosexuality with the island of Lesbos to the point its inhabitants think of changing the island's name to "Mytilene"; the place name for the capital of the island; Afrocentric agenda presents Cleopatra and even Socrates as black and claim that Greeks stole everything from Africa and the Near East, etc.

Greeks continued living in the Roman Empire after the Romans took over Greece in 146 BC and they continued keeping their language and culture. It really helped that Greeks (also called "Hellenes") shared almost the same religion with the Romans. Greeks profoundly contributed to the shaping of the Roman civilization. It is said that Romans conquered the Greeks by using their weapons, but the Greeks conquered the Romans by their culture. Romans copied most of Greek art and oratory and they built on Greek achievements in moral, political & natural philosophy, laws and constitutions (e.g Athenian, Spartan, Chian, etc.), science, medicine,engineering, and technology by adding their discoveries and innovations in architecture, law, engineering, and technology.

When the Roman Empire became Christian, Greeks gradually became Christians and continued living and prospering in the Byzantine Empire or rather Eastern Roman Empire. The last Pagan Greeks existed in the Peloponnese, in particular in Mani, until the 7th century AD. The conversion of Greeks to Christianity was not always at free will. Sometimes, it was quite bloody and painful. However, after the 7th century AD, Greeks identified themselves with the Roman Empire and Christianity, though they knew they were different in language, culture, customs and mentality than the rest of the Empire. Since the 4th century AD, it was a taboo to say you are Greek, because it was synonymous to Paganism. That was because the ancient Greeks did not have any name for their religion and they just called it Greek.

The term "Ethnic/National ("Εθνικός-ή-΄ο") is an adjective that was used by the first Christians as a derogatory term for the members of the ancient Greek Religion. Ancient Greeks never used this term for themselves. Let's, please, make a short parenthesis here to clarify something important. Modern neopagan movements, especially of Greek origin that use this term are amusingly anachronistic proving they cannot escape their Christian identity and cannot break apart from their own truth, that they are part of their modern Greek/Greek Orthodox culture that has evolved from the byzantine Greek culture that was evolved from the ancient Greek culture. Such modern movements are nothing more than an unnatural artificial social construct and not a natural formation that resulted from a continuous flow of history. Modern Neopaganism is nothing more than a New Age subculture that mixes up selectively bits of modern knowledge about the ancient past with modern practices and worldviews and frequently there are anachronisms and elements from different neopagan movements than the Greek one, such as Wicca, satanism, occultism and neopaganism of different cultures, such as Celtic, Near Eastern and so on that are mixed up with Greek/Hellenic Neopagan elements. Those who use the term "Ethnic" just to call themselves followers of the ancient Greek religion just make fools out of themselves and they just prove that they know very little about ancient Greek culture. If one seeks to find historical continuity of the Greeks, that will be in the natural unbroken historical sequence: ancient Greek-Byzantine Greek-Modern Greek. The last two of them are identified with the Orthodox Christian culture/religion so taking this part away could create a paradox and it won't fly. It is not an accident that the best way for a modern Greek to get in touch with the language of his/her ancestors, the ancient Greeks, is to frequently attend Greek Orthodox church and gain a basic understanding of Liturgical, Patristic & New Testament Greek that is "Koine" or the Hellenistic dialect, the Greek that Alexander the Great spoke.

Greek Orthodox Churches are time capsules, so to speak, where one may experience the intact and prospering living Byzantine tradition in the Post-Byzantine era, even in the 21st century, even outside the boarders of Greece! It is so touching to see young Greek-Americans to have such a passion for rediscovering their roots through getting involved in the church. We are not talking here about merely getting actively involved in the commuity or just being good Christians, but it is also about getting the "entire package", as a chain reaction: first, early in their lives they serve as altar boys, then inspired by the music that works miracles and talks directly to the heart, they want to learn to chant, and then eventually they want to become priests. And so they go through a journey that requires them to learn history, byzatine music and the arts amd classics, including biblical Greek which along with studying history and Byzantine theology, soon it leads them to ancient Greek philosophy, ancient Greek culture and classical Greek. Unfortunately not all chanters and priests complete successfully this journey and many of them do that just for money and power or merely because of their faith or just because of their Christian identity or culture. However, still the church is the most accessible means to bring Greek-Americans to Hellenism. Not those unrealistic and phony New Age movements that eventually lead to a dead end.

What do those self-proclaimed "ethnic/pure/national Greeks" or rather Neo-pagan scammers have to say when they go to Constantinople and visit Hagia Sophia? Will they not feel anything before the great Church of the Holy Wisdom of God? Do they say Istanbul instead of Constantinople? Do they care? Could they have the guts to look straight into the eyes of those remaining Greeks of Constantinople, those "living museums" and continuation of the Byzantine Greeks? What would they tell them? Would they reject them? Would they turn their backs to them? Would they consider them lesser Greeks? Could they have the audacity to tell their lies to those contemporary heroes who everyday face extinction and discrimination from the Turkish government, the Turkish military, and some of their neighbors who are Islamic extremists/muslim fanatics? If yes, then they are the traitors! They are the fake Greeks! They are the scammers and the crooks, the cowards and the slaves. And they will always find us going after them! The eyes of Truth will always be watching them! They do not deserve to be considered brothers of the Greeks of Constantinople and Smyrna (Izmir) and the Greeks of Cyprus, Imbros, and Tenedos (Greek islands since prehistory) who heroically are still enduring the Turkish attrocities in their own land! In the mind of those "living museums", those heroes, Hellenism and Orthodox Christianity ("Orthodoxy") are one and only one and their core is the Church and the Patriarchate, the reason they are still there. As Church's role in Greek Identity formation follows a natural process and it serves a higher purpose of existence, a spiritual one, people will continue to be involved in its maintenance and development and Greek Orthodox Church's role as a carrier of Diachronic (ancient/classical, Byzantine and modern) Hellenism ("Greekness"/Greek culture) and Orthodoxy (Orthodox Christianity) may last for eons and for many generations to come.

What ignites and fuels debates between ignoramuses who embrace such New Age movements as the neo-pagan, and the rest of the world is their misunderstanding of the patristic texts or writings of the Church Fathers, especially of the first eight centuries AD. There were many Fathers of the Church, who wrote against Paganism calling it Hellenism or against the Pagans calling them Hellenes (the Greek word for "Greeks"), including St Athanasius' "Against the Greeks". So "Greekness" eventually came to be identical to Paganism. The word "Paganism" is quite recent, since it came from the English word "peasant" in order to associate the ancient polytheistic religions with their agrarian and naturalistic identity. However, thanks to the Cappadocian theologians and Fathers of the Church, including the Three Hierarchs, Basil the Great (the modern Greek version of Santa Claus, instead of St Nicholas), Gregory of Nysa (or "The Theologian") and St John Chrysostom, Ancient Greek Philosophy was integrated to Christian Theology and ancient Greek (Attic) rhetoric was used to model after Ecclesiastical Oratory and Rhetoric or Homiletics. Therefore, through the Early Christian and Byzantine Church (from the New Testament that was originally written in Greek to the Byzantine Fathers), Greek culture and language were maintained and survived through the centuries to our days. However, only after the Fourth Crusade (1204-1261), the Greeks stopped exclusively identifying themselves with the Romans and started calling themselves Greeks again and that was because they were disgusted with the Latin West and the way the Latins looted Constantinople, by committing sacrilege in "Hagia Sophia" (The Church of the Holy Wisdom of God) and by raping, killing, stealing and ruling in utter tyranny, in a way, not less barbaric than the Barbarians, including the Ottoman Turks. Late Byzantine scholars became very enthusiastic about ancient Greek culture to the point of Neo-Paganism, as in the case of the great scholar George Gemistos or "Plethon", which caused the wrath of the Church and as a result he lived in exile in what is called today South Italy and his great work "The Laws" was burned.

The term "Byzantine" came from the 17th century historian Hieronymus Wolf. Byzantines called themselves Romans, including the Byzantine Greeks as they were Roman citizens and they did not want to use the Greek word "Hellene" which stands for "Greek" and was synonymous to "Pagan". Therefore it was very stigmatizing and a great source of embarrassment for Byzantine Greeks to call themselves Hellenes/Greeks. Although, few Greeks today know what "Hellene" and "Hellenism" meant in the Byzantine times, it's not an accident that even today Greeks call themselves "Romios" (Romans) and they call their "Greekness" "Romiosyni". Those words became popular during the Ottoman period in Greece (1453-1821) among Greeks and are still used quite often, though most Greeks do not associate them with Roman identity. Although, they know they are Greek, they use the words "Romios" and "Romiosyni", because they just want to keep in touch with their Byzantine heritage that is identified with their current religion, the Greek Orthodox Christianity. To say we are Romioi and we embrace Romiosyne is higher and means more than saying "we are Greeks and we embrace Greekness or Greek identity". Why? Because, We are Romioi (plural; Romios: singular) means Greek + Orthodox Christian. It has a double meaning: ethnic identity and religious identity. And as Orthodox Christianity is the most ancient form of Christianity developed by the Greek Fathers, it is primarity Greek, so we speak of a Greek Orthodox Christianity that is the Byzantine and modern Greek Christianity. Eastern Orthodox Christians of non-Greek origin, such as Arabs and Slavs across the world chant in Greek "Amen", "Kyrie eleison", "Christos aneste" and other Greek words, phrases and entire hymns. It's so touching to see that happening, especially in the Easter, in the Russian, Serbian, Romanian, Antiochian (Arab Chrisitans), and other Churches. May God bless them all! That's what "Romios" and "Romiosyni" mean and not "Romanization" and "Romanized" as some scholars claim, who, however, get paid by non-Greek universities say or even by some Greek universities that desire to get money from the Eurozone or global think tanks. Those scholars would do everything to keep their positions and survive in the jougle that the academic arena is all about. Some others ignore the archaeology and anthropology of the Greek nation in its diachronicity from Prehistory to the Present and cannot use those interdisciplinary tools in the study of history. Those scholars support the Romanization Theory and other anti-Greek theories that have nothing to do with reality and serve a specific political agenda.

In fact, Greeks always thought themselves as higher than the Romans, as they existed before them and they influenced them in all sorts of cultural accomplishments and they were always aware that Romans copied a lot from them. They also feel underestimated, misunderstood, and put aside in this modern western world, while the Romans have been overrated and paradoxically given more emphasis while Greeks are often skipped in textbooks and documentaries or offered less attention. For instance, "at the international level in 2000, Dr. Kanarakis, Professor of Litterature & Linguistics at Charles Sturt University, played a significant role in drawing the attention of the Australian and international mass media to the inappropriate depiction of the Roman Colosseum on the Olympic Games medals. This seventy-year-old error was finally accepted by the International Olympic Committee and was corrected for the Athens Olympiad of 2004". (Source:http://diasporic.org/2010/12/diaspor5/dr-george-kanarakis/)0/12/diaspor5/dr-george-kanarakis/http://diasporic.org/2010/12/diaspor5/dr-george-kanarakis/

Today, Greeks also feel that there is a lot of anti-Greek propaganda in schools and media were Greeks are misinterpreted, only their ancient past is usually provided as synonymous to their entire Greek identity, thus their Byzantine/medieval and modern history are totally neglected, as if they died or strangely disappeared after the Roman Conquest of Greece in 146 BC and are often presented in a negative light. For example, contributions to art & culture as well as technology & science are often skipped or justified as based on the help of other civilizations as if Greeks were not able to develop their own civilization; oriental influences from the Ancient Near East are overemphasized and the cosmopolitan character of the Greeks that is evident even in today's Greeks is misinterpreted as a tendency to steal other people's culture, which is totally wrong. We have explained in th already how being cosmopolitan and innovating in reinventing, improvising, and experimenting on old and foreign ways may be way different from actually "stealing" from another culture or nation.

Talking from experience, today, it's a taboo, if not a high risk to lose your job or at least being severely criticized and censored, if you attempt to teach about the Byzantine Greeks or modern Greek history in the New York public schools and I am sure in other schools around the world. There are also excuses from administrators, such as the only thing about Greece that is really a hot topic for the history/social studies Regents is democracy. Other topics and civilizations have to be emphasized, because time is limited, kids have to be prepared for the exams and also because of the strict standards and demands of curriculum & instruction guidelines of the NYC Department of Education. Other teachers, however, have no problem to talk about their own countries for days if not for weeks or even months, even if they are newly formed and hard to locate on map. Those who better understand Greek identity in its diachronicity are some Balkan Orthodox brothers and a few other philhellenes ("Friends of the Greeks"/"Grecophiles", so to speak). Usually, Byzantium/Byzantine Empire & Culture are often given less attention and usually associated with Late Antiquity/Ancient Byzantium and its Roman identity. Some people when they hear the word "Byzantium" identify that with the Turks, though they were nothing but its invaders and destroyers or they think only of some Blakan/Eastern European/Slavic nations whose great contribution to Byzantine culture is also often not given enough attention as the Roman identity of Ancient Byzantium (4st century AD - 8th century) is usually emphasized and the Medieval Byzantium (9th century AD - 1453 AD) is usually ignored, underrated or misrepresented. The Greek contribution to the Byzantine civilization is often neglected even more and even the existence of the Byzantine Greeks is even ignored to the point that the word "Byzantine Greeks" may sound as weird as saying "Medieval New Yorkers". That is because most textbooks, movies and documentaries give the impression that Greeks were extincted after the Roman Conquest in 146 BC!

Byzantium was a city founded by the Hellenistic ruler Byzantas (Hellenistic Age: 323 BC, the year of the death of Alexander - 30 BC, the year of the death of Cleopatra (Droysen, German ancient historian), or according to some other historians, 146 BC, the year the Romans took over Greece. Some other historians extend it even to the Late Antiquity (Luther Martin, historian of religion). In the 4th century AD, Constantine the Great made that city the capital of the Byzantine Empire and it was named after him: Constantinople. Today, the Turks call it "Istanbul" and despise the name "Constantinople", but paradoxically, "Istanbul" is a Greek word that means "Toward the City", as everybody used to say "City" meaning the great city of Constantinople. Today, when we say "Byzantium", we usually mean the entire Byzantine Empire. It is the same as to say "Greece and Rome" and by saying "Rome" we mean the entire "Roman Empire" and even the entire Roman civilization, including the Roman Republic. Likewise, when we say "Byzantium" we usually mean the entire Byzantine civilization.

Unfortunately, Edward Gibbon was an infamous 18th century historian whose book, "The Fall of the Roman Empire", tarnished the Byzantine civilization for ever. It is not an accident that ever since, people in the modern Western world have the proverb: "sinner as a Byzantine". Gibbon focused only on the negative aspects of this culture, stressed and exaggerated some tragic events, usually related to scandals and rivalries in the Imperial Court and in the Church and he generalized those with the entire Byzantine culture! It couldn't be more unfair... If one studies carefully other cultures, including that of Medieval Europe, will instantly notice that the proverb "saint as a Frank" is rather an overstatement, if one considers the reason that those centuries of Medieval Europe are called "Dark Age", though at the very same time Byzantium was the most enlightened, civilized and prosperous part of the then known world (Far East and the New World were not known to the West yet).

While in Late Antiquity (1st-7th centuries AD) and in the Early Byzantine Times (8th-11th centuries AD, in particular 1060 AD) the official language of the entire Roman Empire (western and eastern) was Latin. However, the Greeks kept their language. After the Great Schism of 1054, Orthodox Christianity or Orthodoxy developed in the Eastern Roman Empire and Roman Catholicism in the Western Roman Empire. Finally, n the Middle (1060-1204) and Late Byzantine Times (1204-1453), the official language of the Byzantine Empire was Greek and after 1261, almost all emperors were Greek with the exception of a few who had mixed blood, because their parents' royal marriage was meant to stop war between the Byzantines and other nations. However, they spoke Greek, their culture was Greek, they were Greek Orthodox Christians and they had some Greek blood. The Byzantine Greeks shaped the entire Byzantine Empire Cyril and Methodius, the monks who spread Greek Orthodox Christianity (Orthodoxy) to Bulgaria and later on to the entire Balkans, were Greeks from Thessaloniki.

When the Byzantine Empire fell on Tuesday May 29, 1453, the so-called "Black Tuesday", Greeks continued to exist in the Ottoman Empire, but the Ottoman Turks tried hard to have the Greeks in the dark, uneducated and deprived of practicing their customs and their religion, though the Greeks resisted and secretly maintained everything and they even made a lot of intellectual and cultural achievements. There were times when Greeks made diplomatic breakthroughs signing treaties or making unofficial deals with the Turks in order to found schools and run their churches and other times when the Sultan or local Pasha and officials were totally rigid and hostile and banned them from every Greek cultural institution. Note that even today in some areas of Asia Minor that once were Greek, there are still Greeks who hide their christian identity ("kryptochristians") or even their Greek origins due to the ongoing Turkish oppression exercised by the Turkish militia and local Turkish administrations! It said that until quite recently, 17 millions of Greeks lived in Asia Minor! Some of our neighbors the contemporary Turks are of Greek descent whether they know it or not. Many of those who know it are very friendly and nice people and Greeks like them too as they share so many things in common. It's rather the politicians who put the nations in conflict for their own ego and ambitions.

Driven by the Age of Enlightenment, when Greeks became enlightened, some of them received education in other countries. and realized who they are, they rebelled against the Ottoman Turks in 1821 and in 1830, they finally became free. In the Balkan Wars, Greeks fought for their territories and protected them from their neighbors who claimed them and in WWI fought against the imperialist superpowers. Problems with Turks still exist, however. Many Greek islands were liberated from the Turkish yoke only in the 20th century (e.g. Chios in 1912). Turkish military airplanes still violated the Greek F.Y.R. and even have taken down many Greek military airplanes. When I was a child, went with my mother and my sister to Constantinople (that's the real name of the city and NOT Istanbul, also a Greek word meaning "toward the City" ("is tin poli": "εις την πόλη"). We went there to see my father who was a seafarer and his ship was anchored in Bodrum, Turkey. I will never forget the moment when we got off the airplane. Turkish soldiers, who knew that we were coming from Athens, waited for us at the exit of the plane pointing their rifles to our heads and I was only 10 year-old!

In the WWI, Bulgarian soldiers (komitatzides), Albanians (Tsamides) and Turks failed to conquer Greece, as they wanted to take over North Greece. Today, forgery of history is attempted by our neighbors, as Albanians and Skopians/ F.Y.R.O.M.ians claim what Albanians call "Tsamouria" and they mean Epirus, which was archaeologically, historically, anthropologically and genetically proved to be Greek since Prehistory and Skopians/F.Y.R.O.M.ians want to take over not only Macedonia (Greek Macadonia, the only Macadonia), but even the Aegean speaking of a "nation" they fabricated and which never existed: the "Aegean Macadonians"! They made a ridiculous movie where the ghosts of the Aegean Macedonians visit two college students and ask from them to go and excavate the bones of their ancestors in...Greece! Gligorov, in a slip of tongue, said the truth: Scopians/F.Y.R.O.M.ians are Slavs and the Slavs appeared in the Balkans only in the 6th century AD and that they have nothing to do with Alexander the Great!

In the WWII, Greeks won in the Greco-Italian War (1940-1941) and were liberated from the German Occupation of Greece (1941-1944). Greek economy was irreversible destroyed by the Nazi impact in infrastructure, manufacturing, and agricultural production as they mercilessly burned down and destroyed everything. The Nazi atrocities in the small Greek village of Distomo, the reckless killing of the greatest part of the village population from babies and pregnant women to old people is celebrated TODAY (!!!) in a town of Bavaria, Germany by neo-Nazis and those Nazis who are still alive and who participated in this horrendous carnage! Germany, however, has not compensated Greece yet. Italy however, has, indeed, compensated Greece for the Greek-Italian War, though after a lot of dispute and denial.

Even as recent as 1974, Greeks had to fight the Turks who invaded Cyprus. Not only the have taken over Eastern Thrace and they still have it but they also wanted Cyprus. They took over the Northern part, they killed, looted and took over the properties of the Greek inhabitants and driven them away from their land and even brought Turks from Turkey to populate this land and take over the property and houses of the Northern Cypriot Greeks!!! Still there is a Greek line that separates Southern (free) from Northern (occupied) Cyprus. As the northern part is illegally occupied and not recognized by the International Law and international organizations, access to the Northern part is denied and only access from Turkey is possible. Today, there still missing people and their families are still looking for them, but there is no access beyond the Green line that is guarded by NATO soldiers and Turks. A few years ago, a Cypriot Greek, Solomos Solomou had the guts to ignore the soldiers and cross the line and take down the Turkish flag, but he was brutally killed by the "Grey Wolves", a Turkish terrorist organization that participates in the Green Line Guard and no one from NATO or other international organizations say anything, because they are all involved in this sinister power game. There is no doubt that CIA was involved in the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and even prevented the Greek dictatorship from helping Cyprus to stay free. CIA even used Ioannides to create a second dictatorial government and overthrow George Papadopoulos, the Greek dictator who send Greek troops to Cyprus to fight Turkish invaders. Cyprus was always Greek since Prehistory, though the few important goods and art from Near East, all the rest of the archaeological record was purely similar to that of mainland Greece and other Greek islands: Greek art of all time-periods (Monian, Mycenean, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic). Anthropological studies show that Cypriots from prehistory to the presnt had the same DNA and the statues' features look the same with those of modern Cypriots who speak and think as the rest of Greeks and have a local Greek dialect, as all Greeks have local dialects which, however, are Greek. It's an island whose history is part and parcel of Greek history. Also, just like any other part of Greece, it was always conquered and devastated by foreign invaders: Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, Venetian, English and again Turkish occupation. It seems that there is a lot of sinister geopolitical espionage and dirty politics in the Aegean. Recently, scientists revealed that a lot of mineral resources exist in the Aegean and especially in the Greek area in the bottom of the sea. So it's not only the land that everyone wants to take over from Greece, but also the mineral resources, primarily oil and natural gas. That is very similar to what is still going on in Middle East over oil dispute.

Today, in the age of consumerism and globalization, when wars take place not man to man, but by the power of globalized economy and international and European organizations and unions, Greeks, as carriers of a passionate love for freedom and prosperity and a rich past consisting of ancient, byzantine and modern Greek culture and Greek Orthodox Christianity, continue to exist in their tough present and still hope about the future. Why? Because the day to pursue their freedom from the foreign oppressors and internal enemies or traitors will come soon or later...those who study history may already know that...

References

-Demaras, Κ. Th. (1977). Modern Greek Enlightenment, 5th Edition (1989). Athens. (In Greek).

-Paparigopoulos, Κ. (1986). .History of the Greek Nation. Αthens. (In Greek).

-Poulianos A. N. (1960). The Origins of Greeks. PhD Thesis at Moscow Institute of Anthropology. Athens. (In Greek).

Vocabulary: Terms used in the Psychological Interpretation of Culture, including the Greek culture

PSYCHOHISTORY

1. “Psychohistory, the science of historical motivations, combines the insights of psychotherapy with the research methodology of the social sciences to understand the emotional origin of the social and political behavior of groups and nations, past and present.” SOURCE: http://www.psychohistory/ (The Institute of Psychohistory).

2. Psychohistory is the study of the psychological motivations of historical events. It combines the insights of psychotherapy with the research methodology of the social sciences to understand the emotional origin of the social and political behavior of groups and nations, past and present. Its subject matter is childhood and the family (especially child abuse), and psychological studies of anthropology and ethnology.

SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychohistory

PSYCHOARCHAEOLOGY

Most recent academic definition:

1.Psychoarchaeology is the study of the specific effects of archaeological sites on the emotions and behavior of individuals and communities, and offers a means to reflect on the way that traces of the past are mediated to us through the present landscape. Psychoarchaeology is concerned with the intersection / collision between the past and the present in the form of ruins, earthworks, buildings, cropmarks, lithic scatters and sub-surface traces. These are the fusion points between past and present. As such, archaeological traces / sites could be regarded as temporal unconformities. They often occur in juxtaposition, or are surreal, inappropriate, emotional, sources of tension or misunderstood within the modern world. Our archaeological engagements are entirely mediated through encounters at these fusion points. As such, we could regard such ‘sites’ as wormholes, tears in time, leading back to the past. Psychoarchaeology underlies virtually everything we do, because we have an emotional response to the material we are working with and the environment that the material is in (whether it be the landscape, in a trench, a museum or in the lab).

Source: http://centraltag.wordpress.com/call-for-papers/psychoarchaeology-theories-methods-and-practice/

Conventional definitions:

2. “Psychoarchaeology is the reconstruction of biographical identities and/or sources.” SOURCE: www.ingentaconnect.com/content/klu/japa/2003/.../00471311

3. “Psychoarchaeology could (briefly put) be the application of classical psychological theories to the interpretation of old/dead/(pre-)historic societies with special regard to their social and spatial qualities.”

SOURCE: http://www.henrikkarll.dk/recent-finds/psychoarchaeology

PSYCHOCULTURAL STUDIES: The study of cultures from a cross-cultural perspective by integrating anthropology and psychology as methodological tools (de jure def. by admin.).

SOURCE: http://www.jstor.org/pss/676407

DEPTH-PSYCHOLOGY:

1. “Historically, depth psychology, from a German term (Tiefenpsychologie), was coined by Eugen Bleuler to refer to psychoanalytic approaches to therapy and research that take the unconscious into account. The term has come to refer to the ongoing development of theories and therapies pioneered by Pierre Janet, William James, Sigmund Freud, and C. G. Jung. Depth psychology explores the relationship between the conscious and the unconscious and includes both psychoanalysis and Jungian psychology.”

SOURCE: http://www.terrapsych.com/depth.html

2. “Depth psychology is a broad term that refers to any psychological approach examining the depth (the subtle or unconscious parts) of human experience. It includes the study and interpretation of dreams, complexes, and archetypes, and it encompasses any psychology that works with the concept of an unconscious mind.” SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_psychology

ARCHETYPES:

An archetype (pronounced /ˈɑrkɪtaɪp/) is an original model of a person, ideal example, or a prototype after which others are copied, patterned, or emulated; a symbol universally recognized by all. In psychology, an archetype is a model of a person, personality, or behavior

SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archetype

JUNGIAN ARCHETYPES:

Archetypes are, according to Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, innate universal psychic dispositions that form the substrate from which the basic themes of human life emerge. Being universal and innate, their influence can be detected in the form of myths, symbols, rituals and instincts of human beings. Archetypes are components of the collective unconscious and serve to organize, direct and inform human thought and behaviour.

According to Jung, innate archetypes heavily influence the human life cycle, propelling a sequence which he called the stages of life. Each stage is mediated through a new set of archetypal imperatives which seek fulfillment in action. These may include being parented, initiation, courtship, marriage and preparation for death.

SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungian_archetypes

Unearthing the Greek soul:Psyhoeducational Approaches to Greek Civilization (Prehistory to Present)

Ανασκάπτοντας την ελληνική ψυχή: Ψυχοπαιδαγωγικές Προσεγγίσεις στον Ελληνικό Πολιτισμό (Από την Προϊστορία μέχρι Σήμερα). Φωτό: O Ι.Ν. Κοιμήσεως της Θεοτόκου στο Πυργί Χίου. Χτίστηκε το 1694 και στην πρόσοψη του απεικονίζονται αρχετυπικά και γεωμετρικά μοτίβα με μια τεχνική που λέγεται "ξυστά", δηλ. εγχάρακτες μορφές σε τσιμεντένια επίστρωση με απόξυση του σοβά που τις καλύπτει. Photo: The Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition of the Virgin Mary in Pyrgi, Chios (Greece). Built in 1694, the church facade depicts archetypal and geometric motifs. The technique is called "ksista'" ("scraping") as forms emerge by scraping off plaster to reveal the underlying cement layer.

Ρήσεις και αποφθέγματα

"Την γλώσσα μου έδωσαν ελληνική στις αμμουδιές του Ομήρου" Οδυσσέας Ελύτης

Ἦσαν δὲ τινες Ἕλληνες ἐκ τῶν ἀναβαινόντων ἵνα προσκυνήσωσιν ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ. 21 οὗτοι οὖν προσῆλθον Φιλίππῳ τῷ ἀπὸ Βηθσαϊδὰ τῆς Γαλιλαίας, καὶ ἠρώτων αὐτὸν λέγοντες· Κύριε, θέλομεν τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἰδεῖν. 22 ἔρχεται Φίλιππος καὶ λέγει τῷ Ἀνδρέᾳ, καὶ πάλιν Ἀνδρέας καὶ Φίλιππος καὶ λέγουσι τῷ Ἰησοῦ· 23 ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἀπεκρίνατο αὐτοῖς λέγων· Ἐλήλυθεν ἡ ὥρα ἵνα δοξασθῇ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (Ιω. ιβ, 20-23).

Τὰ μὲν δὴ ὑπὸ τῶν πρότερον παραδεδομένα περὶ ψυχῆς εἰρήσθω· πάλιν δ' ὥσπερ ἐξ ὑπαρχῆς ἐπανίωμεν, πει-
ρώμενοι διορίσαι τί ἐστι ψυχὴ καὶ τίς ἂν εἴη κοινότατος
λόγος αὐτῆς.

Ἀριστοτέλους,

Περὶ Ψυχῆς

Όλβιος εστί όστις Ιστορίης έσχε μάθησιν

Ευριπίδης

In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order. - Carl Jung

We are living in what the Greeks called the right time for a “metamorphosis of the gods,” i.e. of the fundamental principles and symbols.

This peculiarity of our time, which is certainly not of our conscious choosing, is the expression of the unconscious man within us who is changing.

Coming generations will have to take account of this momentous transformation if humanity is not to destroy itself through the might of its own technology and science.

Carl Jung

The Undiscovered Self, 1958

Omnibus requiem quesivit et nusquam inveni nisi in angulo cum libro

Saint Thomas of Kemp

Stat rosa pristina nomine nomina nunda tenemus

Umberto Eco, "Il Nome della Rosa"

Τη ρωμιοσύνη μην την κλαις
εκεί που πάει να σκύψει
με το σουγιά στο κόκκαλο
με το λουρί στο σβέρκο

Νάτη πετιέται απο ξαρχής
κι αντριεύει και θεριεύει
και καμακώνει το θεριό
με το καμάκι του ήλιου

Γιάννης Ρίτσος

Για τον Έλληνα, η Ορθοδοξία είναι το σπίτι του.

Jacques Lacarrière, 1925-2005, Γάλλος συγγραφέας

Δε νομίζω ότι οι σύγχρονοι Έλληνες είναι περισσότερο Έλληνες από τους Βυζαντινούς.

Steven Runciman, 1903-2000, Βρετανός Βυζαντινολόγος

(από συνέντευξή του στον Λ. Θωμά)

Είναι στη φύση της Ελληνικής γλώσσας να είναι ακριβής, καθαρή και περίπλοκη. Η ασάφεια και η έλλειψη ενόρασης, που χαρακτηρίζει μερικές φορές τα Αγγλικά, καθώς και τα Γερμανικά, είναι εντελώς ξένες προς την Ελληνική γλώσσα.

H.D.F. Kitto, Βρετανός πανεπιστημιακός

Κόσμος πολύς χυμένος στους δρόμους, κίνηση εξαιρετική.
Περνούν μονάδες του στρατού που πηγαίνουν στο μέτωπο. Οι φαντάροι τραγουδούν, το πλήθος χειροκροτεί και ζητωκραυγάζει.
Αξίζει να είναι κανείς Έλληνας τις μέρες αυτές.

Γεώργιος Θεοτοκάς, 1905-1966, Έλληνας συγγραφέας

(Νοέμβριος 1940)

Τα έθνη μάχεται καθ’ ημών. Και τις ο βοηθήσων ημίν; Πέρσης πώς βοηθήσει τω Έλληνι;… Μόνον δε το Ελληνικόν αυτό βοηθεί εαυτώ.

Θεόδωρος Β’ Λάσκαρις, 1221-1258, Βυζαντινός αυτοκράτορας

Τον 5ο αιώνα η αυτοκρατορία συνέχισε να είναι μόνο κατ’ όνομα ρωμαϊκή, αλλά στην πραγματικότητα είχε καταστεί ελληνική και παρέμεινε ελληνική.

Arnold J. Toynbee, 1889-1975, Βρετανός ιστορικός

Ας καταβάλουν ευμενώς έκαστος έρανον ό,τι βούλεται, οπού, βοηθούμενον πανταχόθεν, να αναλάβη το πεπτωκός Ελληνικόν Γένος.

Ρήγας Φεραίος, 1757-1798,Εθνομάρτυς

«Φυσικής Απάνθισμα», σελ. θ’, «Προς τους αναγνώστας»

Εάν αποσυνθέσεις την Ελλάδα, στο τέλος θα δεις να σου απομένουν μια ελιά, ένα αμπέλι κι ένα καράβι. Που σημαίνει: με άλλα τόσα την ξαναφτιάχνεις.

Οδυσσέας Ελύτης, 1911-1996, Ποιητής, Νόμπελ 1979

Το Ελληνικόν, εόν όμαιμόν τε και ομόγλωσσον, και θεών ιδρύματά τε κοινά και θυσίαι ήθεά τε ομότροπα.

Ηρόδοτος, 480-420 π.Χ., Αρχαίος Έλληνας ιστοριογράφος

Εσμέν Έλληνες το γένος, ως η τε φωνή και η πάτριος παιδεία μαρτυρεί

Πλήθων Γεμιστός, 1360-1452, Έλληνας Βυζαντινός φιλόσοφος

Απασών γλωσσών το ελληνικόν υπέρκειται γένος.

Θεόδωρος Β’ Λάσκαρις, 1221-1258, Βυζαντινός αυτοκράτορας

Το των Ελλήνων όνομα πεποίηκε μηκέτι του γένους αλλά της διανοίας δοκείν είναι, και μάλλον Έλληνας καλείσθαι των της παιδεύσεως της ημετέρας ή των της κοινής φύσεως μετέχοντας.

Ισοκράτης, 436-338 π.Χ., Αθηναίος ρήτορας

(Αρχική/πρωτότυπη έκδοση του γνωστού εν συντομία παραφρασμένου ρητού "Έλληνες εσμέν οι της ημετέρας παιδίας μετέχοντες")

Ώ παίδες Ελλήνων, ίτε ελευθερούτε πατρίδ’ ελευθερούτε δε παίδας, γυναίκας, θεών τε πατρώων έδη, θήκας τε προγόνων νυν υπέρ πάντων αγών

Αισχύλος, 525-456 π.Χ., Αρχαίος τραγικός ποιητής ‐ Πέρσαι

Γι’ αυτά τα μάρμαρα επολεμήσαμε.

Γιάννης Μακρυγιάννης, 1794-1864, Αγωνιστής του ‘21

Και τι πταίει η γλαυξ, η θρηνούσα επί ερειπίων; Πταίουν οι πλάσαντες τα ερείπια. Και τα ερείπια τα έπλασαν οι ανίκανοι κυβερνήται της Ελλάδος.

Αλέξανδρος Παπαδιαμάντης, 1851-1911, Έλληνας συγγραφέας

Η νίκη θα είναι δική μας, αν βασιλεύση εις την ακαρδίαν μας μόνο το αίσθημα το ελληνικό. Ο φιλήκοος των ξένων είναι προδότης.

Ιωάννης Καποδίστριας, 1776-1831, Έλληνας ηγέτης

(σε συνομιλία με τον Γεωργάκη Μαυρομιχάλη, λίγο μετά τον ερχομό του)

Η τύχη μάς έχει τους Έλληνες πάντοτε ολίγους.

Γιάννης Μακρυγιάννης, 1794-1864, Αγωνιστής του ‘21

Ο Θεός έβαλε την υπογραφή του για τη λευτεριά της Ελλάδας και δεν την παίρνει πίσω.

Θεόδωρος Κολοκοτρώνης, 1770-1843, Ήρωας του Εικοσιένα

Το πρώτο σου χρέος, εχτελώντας τη θητεία σου στη ράτσα, είναι να νιώσεις μέσα σου όλους τους προγόνους. Το δεύτερο, να φωτίσεις την ορμή τους και να συνεχίσεις το έργο τους. Το τρίτο σου χρέος, να παραδώσεις στο γιο τη μεγάλη εντολή να σε ξεπεράσει.

Νίκος Καζαντζάκης, 1883-1957, Έλληνας συγγραφέας

Η ιδέα ενός ιστορικού νόμου, εγγυητή μιας ιδανικής κοινωνίας, είναι ιδέα άγνωστη στους Έλληνες, όπως άγνωστος είναι ο μεσσιανισμός ή η δυνατότητα εξωκοσμικής φυγής. Η θεώρηση αυτή εμπνέει μια στάση, σύμφωνα με την οποία ό,τι είναι να γίνει, θα γίνει εδώ.

Κορνήλιος Καστοριάδης, 1922-1997, Έλληνας Στοχαστής

Αν είναι αλήθεια ότι το βιολί είναι το τελειότερο μουσικό όργανο, τότε τα Ελληνικά είναι το βιολί της σκέψης.

Helen Keller, 1880-1968, Αμερικανίδα συγγραφέας

Τα Ευαγγέλια είναι η τελευταία και η πιο υπέροχη έκφραση της Ελληνικής μεγαλοφυΐας, όπως η Ιλιάδα ήταν η πρώτη της έκφραση.

Simone Weil, 1909-1943, Γαλλίδα φιλόσοφος

Σε εκείνους που σκέπτονται πως η Ελλάδα σήμερα δεν έχει καμία σημασία ας μου επιτραπεί να πω ότι δεν θα μπορούσαν να κάνουν μεγαλύτερο λάθος. Η σημερινή, όπως και η παλιά Ελλάδα, έχει υψίστη σημασία για οποιονδήποτε ψάχνει να βρει τον εαυτό του.

Henry Miller, 1891-1980, Αμερικανός συγγραφέας

Άλλες χώρες σου προσφέρουν την ανακάλυψη των εθίμων, της λαϊκής δοξασίας ή του τοπίου, αλλά η Ελλάδα σου προσφέρει κάτι πιο δύσκολο: την ανακάλυψη του εαυτού σου.

Lawrence Durrell, 1912-1990, Βρετανός συγγραφέας

Η Ελλάδα επιζεί ακόμα, επιζεί νομίζω μέσα από διαδοχικά θαύματα.

Νίκος Καζαντζάκης, 1883-1957, Έλληνας συγγραφέας

Η Ελλάς προώρισθαι να ζήσει και θα ζήσει.

Χαρίλαος Τρικούπης, 1832-1897, Έλληνας Πρωθυπουργός

SS Cosmas & Damian (Agioi Anargyroi/Άγιοι Ανάργυροι) Chapel in Pyrgi, Chios Island (Greece)

This chapel is owned by four families in Pyrgi, Chios Island (Greece), including Colombos' family, one of the familes with this name on the island of Chios that is supposed to be related to Christopher Columbus. The chapel is characterized by its traditional archetypal motifs made by the local technique called "ksista". The chapel was burned inside a few years ago, but all the icons remain intact! SS Cosmas & Damian were late antique physicians who healed all disabilities and illnesses, both physical and mental, in the name of Christ for free and that's why they are called "Anargyroi", that is to say "those who take no money".

Archdiocesan School of Byzantine Music (ASBM)

Βάσω Χαρακίδα, το αηδόνι της Ρούμελης

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Sunday, May 26, 2013

The lost culture of Byzantine Europe: a critique by Stephen Smooker on "The Eagle has Two Faces: Journeys through Byzantine Europe", a book by a Greek Diaspora author, Alexander Billinis

In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order. - Carl Jung