Nicomachus

Mathematician, Philosopher (c60 – c120)

Nicomachus was a Pythagorean philosopher, mathematician and musical theorist from Gerasa. He contributed to the continuation of the Pythagorean philosophy in the post-Roman times, earning the title Neopythagorean. With his work Introduction to Arithmetic Nicomachus was recognized as the father of Theoretic Arithmetic.

Pythagorean philosophy concerned every science from philosophy and mathematics to metaphysics and music. Nicomachus as a musical theorist wrote Manual of Harmonics, which is a treaty on musical notes and the octave. It has been largely influenced by Pythagoras’ musical discoveries involving the monochord.

In his work Introduction to Arithmetic Nicomachus created the Neopythagorean movement, which centuries later Boethius would translate into Latin disseminate to the west, where it became the standard textbook in Europe in arithmetic for over 1000 years. It contains the first multiplication table in a Greek text. His work The Theology of Numbers deals with the metaphysical aspect of numbers, with which Pythagorean philosophy was greatly involved. Numbers are the true essence of every being in both levels of the world.

Nicomachus’ books on the theory of numbers were translated into Arabic and had a profound influence in Arabic mathematics. His works, strangely enough, contain the Arabic numerals instead of the Greco-Roman ones. He made important contributions on the perfect numbers, coined the term “natural numbers” and discovered the theorem which bares his name.

Bibliography

1. Koutoulas, Diamantis. The Ancient Greek Religion and Mathematics. Vivlia Psaras: Thessaloniki, 2001. Print.
2. Nicomachus of Gerasa. St-and.ac.uk. August 5, 2016. web.
3. Sakellarios, Georgios. Pythagoras the Teacher of the Centuries. Athens: Ideotheatron, 1962. Print.

Isocrates

Rhetorician (436 BC – 338 BC)

The most renowned rhetorician and orator of ancient Athens. Isocrates descended from a wealthy family and studied next to his greatest contemporary philosophers Protagoras, Gorgias, Prodicus and Socrates. At the beginning of this career he worked as a logographer (speechwriter). This proved to be very profitable for Isocrates as Aristotle mentions that his forensic speeches were highly sought after. These were spoken in courtrooms, orations or in public speeches. Nevertheless, hiding behind the public speaker did not please Isocrates and so he founded a school of rhetoric speech and philosophy.

Isocrates’ school became one of the most successful schools in all of Greece. He taught his students to speak efficiently and to persuade large crowds of people by making the intellect capable of forming correct judgments. Furthermore, in conjunction with philosophy and political sciences, which he also taught, Isocrates aimed at cultivating the spirit of his students and providing them with prudence and an ethical morality.

Cicero paralleled his school with the Trojan Horse because from it emerged the most virtuous men of letters armed with the power of eloquence. His students came from all around Greece and became teachers themselves, something that Isocrates was very proud of. Notable students of his school include Timotheus, Theodectus, Hyperides, Aeschines and many more who were involved in politics, tragic poetry and philosophy. Numerous kings such as Evagoras of Salamis were also students of Isocrates.

Isocrates’ orations are estimated to be 68 speeches, 31 of which survive today. Undoubtedly his greatest work is Panegyricus, which took 12 years to complete. It is a literary masterpiece in which Isocrates calls for the unification of all Greek city-states under the leadership of Athens for the greater good of defeating the Persian barbarians. With this work Isocrates prompted Philip II and later Alexander the Great to found the Panhellenic union, unite all the Greeks and eradicate the Persian Empire. Alexander made this into a reality. A similar Panhellenic idea is expressed in his work Philippus, addressed to Philip II. Other notable orations include De Pace, in which Isocrates introduces the concept of autonomy for the islands, Antidosis, a semi-autobiographic oration written in the age of 80, Areiopageticus, where he calls for a return to the democratic model of Solon and Cleisthenes, Panathenaicus, in which he praises both Athens and Sparta and several other orations, epitaphs and letters.

Isocrates was distinguished from the rest orators of his time because of two things. First, he taught his students to be dominant in speech, to be righteous and truthful. Thanks to them, the citizens of Athens became honest and decent men and women. Second, his philopatry was a catalyst for Alexander’s conquest because he expressed the truth that all the Greek city-states compose one common nation, Greece, which has the ability to reign over all as a result of its intellectual and civilizational supremacy.

Bibliography

1. Isocrates. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens, 1946. Print.
2. Pleures, Konstantinos. The King Alexander. Georgiades: Athens, 2015. Print.

Anthimos Gazis

Philosopher, Teacher of the Greek Nation, Scientist, Hero of the Greek War of Independence (1758 – 1828)

Anthimos Gazis was an intellectual, high rank member of the Philiki Hetaereia (Society of Friends) and one of the key representatives of the Enlightenment in Greece. Born to a poor family, Gazis worked as a teacher and studied theology until he moved to Constantinople where he became archimandrite.

In 1797 he was sent to a Greek community in Vienna. There, he began indulging on philosophy, mathematics and natural sciences. His spiritual development marked the beginning of his life-long struggle to awake the Greeks and to stimulate the Europeans. He started publishing works of the Ancient Greeks in a form that was understandable to the people and translated them to foreign languages. His most notable works were Geographic Map of Greece with old and new names, Geographic Map of Europe in Greek, Syntagmatium Chronologicum, Hellenic Library and Greek Lexicon, one of the most valuable books during the Enlightenment. In 1811 he published the magazine Hermes o Logios, the first Greek magazine in Vienna and the most read Greek magazine of the diaspora. Gazis was amongst those who believed that the Greek nation could not rise against the conqueror if it was not educated.

Gazis returned to Greece where he was initiated in the Society of Friends. He travelled throughout Greece to disseminate the message of the coming of the war of Independence and initiate as many heroes as he could to the society. Anthimos acted as the intermediate between the government and the freedom fighters of Pylion. He played a pivotal role during the uprising in Pylion but the operation was discontinued because of the Turkish forces. Nevertheless, its importance in inspiring the subjugated Greeks was acknowledged. When in 1823 Gazis’ revolutionary movement failed again he retired to Skyros, where he got involved with the organizing of Greek schools.

After his country gained its independence he served as a member of the Supreme Court. He died in Syros in 1828 in poverty but in bliss as he had lived to see his country’s freedom. His funeral was attended by hundreds of people, lamenting for the loss a passionate patriot and a wise humanist who dedicated his life to the spiritual growth of the Greeks.

Bibliography

1. “Gazes, Anthimos”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens, 1946. Print.
2. Philistor, John. Σύντομος Βιογραφία του Άνθιμου Γαζή. Istorikathemata.com. August 1, 2016. web.

Nikolaos Stournaris

Hero of the Greek War of Independence (1775 – 1826)

The fact that Greece was made into an independent state, free from the Turkish yoke is owed to a handful of rayahs who rose against the Turkish conqueror with freedom inscribed in their hearts. Such a rayah was Nikolaos Stournaris, a Hero of the Greek War of Independence from Akarnania of Steraia Hellada. He descended from the wealthy Stournaris family.

He was initiated in the Philiki Hetaireia (Society of Friends) and was head of a military force. In July, 1821 he declared the war of Independence in Porta, Preveda and Kalabaka and soon got control of the regions. Stournaris, who led a small army of Greeks, lost the battle of Porta. This resulted in his men abandoning him and forcing him to comply with the enemy to protect the regions from destruction. In the following years he continued fighting in Peloponnesus against Ibrahim’s troops and fought in the Battle of Vurgareli in Epirus against Omer Vrioni. Moreover, he took an active role in several battles in Thessaly together with George Karaiskakis and Philhellenes volunteers. He was distinguished in the battles of Peta and Analaton.

In 1823 he settled to Messolonghi where he undertook the leadership of the city’s military forces. During the 3^nd siege of Messolonghi in 1826, Stournaras, together with Demetrios Makris, Notis Botsaris, Kitsos Tzavelas, Razikotzikas and Alexander Mavrokordatos led the last remaining Greeks in the sortie of Messolonghi. 13.000 Greeks were sacrificed during the exodus, among them hundreds of women and children, Philhellenes and Nikolaos Stournaris in the name of freedom. On that day, everyone died besieged, but free in their souls.

Bibliography

1. “Stournaris, Nikolaos”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens, 1946. Print.

Alexander the Great

King of Macedon, Hegemon of the Hellenic League, Pharaoh of Egypt, Shahanshah of Persia, Lord of Asia (356 BC – 323 BC)

Greece is a country of empires. Alexander III of Macedon founded such an empire. His stretched from Illyria to the Indus River, spanning 3 continents and dominating the entire known world at the time. At the age of 33, Alexander had achieved world domination and had spread Hellenism to the depths of Asia. Not even death could act as an obstacle to him. He passed to the world of myth and legend and became a God to all nations he conquered. Divine Alexander became a symbol of Hellenism and of the entire oecumene and was immortalized by history.

Several supernatural phenomena have been ascribed to Alexander’s birth. The first night of the wedding a thunder fell on Olympias’ abdomen and then came out a fire, whose flames spread inside the room in all directions until they vanished. In another occasion Philip dreamt of stamping a lion on OIympias’ abdomen. According to another myth, Philip saw a dragon inside Olympias’ bedroom when looking through the keyhole. During childbirth two eagles came and sat on the roof of the room of the labour. The latter was interpreted by the seer that the child born would rule two continents.

Alexander’s education was entrusted to Aristotle, who was a close friend of Philip. Aristotle taught him how to think. That the number of people is not the right criterion for the selection of a governor but his capabilities instead. That when we equilibrate those capable or ruling with those incapable of, in the name of equality, then we are being unjust to the former. Aristotle also taught Homer to Alexander, whom he deeply studied and respected. In fact, Alexander was so in love with the Iliad that he slept with it under his pillow, dreaming of becoming like Achilles and dominating the world. Except from Aristotle, other noteworthy philosophers were assigned teaching duties to Alexander, most notably Philiscus, a Cynic philosopher, Menaechmus, who taught geometry and Isocrates, who exchanged mail with him frequently.

Before ascending to throne, Alexander had already been acclaimed for his iron will, capabilities in battle and his spiritual development, all inherited from his father Philip. At the age of 16 he battled against the Byzantines and at the age of 18 he obliterated the Thebeans in the Battle of Cheronea and tamed Bucephalus, his trusted steed. When his father was assassinated, 20-year-old Alexander inherited the throne and put his father’s vision in motion. He had learned by his two great tutors, Isocrates and Aristotle that the Greek race possessed the power to rule over everything if it united in one force. Alexander made this into reality. In just 12 years, with 35.000 men and 160 ships he defeated the Persian Empire, which had been Greece’s major enemy for 200 years and reached the Himalayan Mountains.

He began his expedition by liberating all of the Greek cities of Asia Minor. Alexander’s genius and intuitive strategic thinking in the battles of Granicus, Issus, Gaugamela and Hydaspes proved him to be one of the greatest leaders in history. The Battle of Granicus was Alexander’s first major victory against the Persians. 18.000 Persians were killed compared to 105 Greeks. He conquered Palestine, Syria and Egypt. With the battle of Issus Alexander’s passage to Asia was opened. The battle of Gaugamela marked the downfall of the Persian Empire. It was the most decisive battle that changed history in just 1 day. After the Battle of Gaugamela, the three Persian capitols Persepolis, Babylon and Susa surrendered. Alexander was King of Asia. The Battle of Hydaspes was the last major battle he fought in against King Porus in the depths of India. Alexander is estimated to have fought in 120 battles, always fighting in the front line, acting as an examplar to his warriors. His presence caused fear to the enemy; simply in the sound of his name the enemy forces would retreat in panic. The Macedonian Phalanx, a military tactic created by his father, was used by Alexander as the ultimate weapon against the enemy forces. Combined with the insuperable bravery of his men, the Greek army was an unstoppable war machine which never lost even one battle.

As King of Asia, Alexander showed full respect to all religions and granted religious freedom to all nations. He bestowed justice and freedom to their customs and traditions, appointed locals to power, built 70 cities which bore his name, most notably Alexandria of Egypt, which later became the leading cultural center of all Hellenism, established a powerful economic system which included the foundation of the first insurance companies, showed special interest to philosophy and sciences and brought the light of the Greek civilization as well as the Greek language to the East.

Alexander’s unnatural death left his work unfinished in the hands of his trusted friends (Ἑταῖροι), who fought against each other for 2 centuries over their king’s empire. Eventually the kingdom disintegrated. The outcome, however, of his work still echoes today. Museums in modern Turkmenistan exhibit statues, ceramics, pottery, jewelry, coins and many more artifacts, depicting sceneries from the Greek mythology, Gods and Greek letters, as a result of the Greek influence. Numerous tribes such as the Nochouli in the borders of modern Iraq and Turkmenistan and the Pashtoun in Afghanistan and Pakistan all claim to be direct descendents of the Greeks as a result of Alexander’s epigamies (intermarriages). Their language, their customs and their traditions all possess remnants of the Greek civilization. In Afghanistan was found the city of Ai Chanoum where people spoke Greek while in Pakistan the Patans and the Kalas tribes, which are estimated to be over 12 million, not only have a myriad of Greek words in their language but they also have Greek names and their religion contains Greek deities such as Zeus, Athena and Hestia. They proudly say: “We imagine Alexander the Macedon as our father and we believe that our relatives are in Greece”.

Divine Alexander did not die. He lives in the legends and the myths of the worlds he ruled, who glorify him for his inconceivable accomplishments and his heroic virtues. For the Muslims, he is Iskander Dhul-Qarnayn, a figure empowered by God in the Quran. For the Christians he is the son of pharaoh Nectenavo while for the Egyptians he is the son of Amun-Ra. Alexander remains in the Greeks’ memory in the form of an allegorical legend, according to which his sister, transformed into a mermaid swims the seas and upon encountering a sailor asks them “Is King Alexander alive”? The sailor’s life is spared and he is granted a safe sail when he answers “He lives, he reigns and the world he rules!”.

Bibliography

1. “Alexander III Macedon”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens, 1946. Print.
2. Pleures, Konstantinos. The King Alexander. Hilektron: Athens, 2015. Print.
3. Velopoulos, Kyriakos. There is a Solution for the Crisis. Cadmus: Thessaloniki, 2012. Print.
4. Volonakis, Ioannis. The Great Leaders of Ancient Greece. Georgiades: Athens, 1997. Print.

Anna Notaras

Last Byzantine Emperor’s mistress (? – 1507)

1453 marked the year the Byzantine Empire reached its end after 1100 years of existence. Constantine Palaiologos, the last Byzantine Empire fell heroically in battle in an effort to defend the last remaining piece of Hellenism, Constantinople. Hundreds of Greek scholars fled to Western Europe where they started disseminating the Greek letters. Among them was a woman named Anna Notaras.

Anna Notaras was the daughter of Loukas Notaras, the Grand Duke of the Byzantine Empire and the lover of Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last Byzantine Emperor. A few days before the Fall of Constantinople, Anna, with the help and encouragement of Constantine gathered as many books as she deemed were the most valuable, among them also being Homer, put them in a small ship and fled alone to Venice, after biding her loved one her last farewell. In Venice, she remained alone with her books until she met Basileios Bessarion, who was cardinal at the time and took her in his custody. She was the only surviving member of the family; her father and brothers had all been beheaded by the Sultan while Constantine had sacrificed himself during the Fall.

Anna Notaras became the protector of the refugees; she founded a foundation for Greek refugees and with all the remaining money she had, she bought off as many imprisoned Greeks and scholars from the Turks as possible. Moreover, she founded the Center for Hellenic Studies and Greek Civilization, which would eventually become the Greek community of Venice. The following years coincided with the invention of the printing machines by Gutenberg. Anna gathered all of the valuable books she had managed to save and founded a printing office together with Nicolaos Blastos and Zachary Kallergis. Together they published the Etymologicum Magnum in 1499, the first “Greek child” as they called it. Their printing office published many works of the Ancient and contemporary Greek philosophers and became equivalent in value to that of Aldus Manutius.

The printing office was closed in 1501 and Anna died in 1509 in Venice. Her two trusted companions inherited her fortune while the Western world inherited all the knowledge Anna had managed to take with her on that small ship during that fatal day. It was this knowledge that was later disseminated throughout all of Europe that led to the rebirth of the Western Civilization and humanity’s salvation from the clutches of religious fanaticism. She was buried in the church of St. George in Venice, built entirely by the funds of the Greeks of the diaspora in her memory since it was one of her unaccomplished goals. Next to the gate there is a beautiful picture of Christ Pantocrator that Anna salvaged from Constantinople. She remained in history by many names. For some, she was the Emperor’s fiancé while for others she was the Great Duchess of the once powerful Byzantine Empire.

Bibliography

1. Brousalis, Karolos. Άννα Παλαιολογίνα Νοταρά: Η αρραβωνιαστικιά του αυτοκράτορα. Historyreport.gr. July 25, 2016. web.
2. Tziropoulou – Eustathiou, Anna. The Destruction of the Greek Libraries. Georgiades: Athens, 2014. Print.

Zeuxis

Painter (5^th century BC)

Zeuxis was one of the most brilliant painters of antiquity. He was born in Heraclea and came to work in Athens during the Golden Age of Pericles. Even though none of his paintings survive today, they are referenced by several writers and historians who praise his remarkable painting skills and his enthusiasm, comparing him to Pheidias.

Among many of his paintings were Eros with Roses, which was found in the temple of Aphrodite in Athens, Zeus in Throne, Hercules, Amphitryon and Alcmene, Pan and Marsyas, found in the temple of Concordia in Rome. The painting Menelaus depicted the hero Menelaus offering libation to his dead brother Agamemnon. Alexander the Great saw this painting when he passed from Ephesus with great admiration. His painting Family of Centaurs is mentioned in Lucian’s writings. It depicted an idyllic scene of centaurs and was considered Zeuxis’ greatest work of art. Pliny mentions a painting called Boy with grapes. It is said that the grapes looked so real that the birds came to eat them. The painter joked that he did not make the boy look equally real otherwise the birds would go away. In Akragas or in Croton according to others was the painting Helen. For this painting Zeuxis asked for the most beautiful women of the city, from which he chose 5 and used their most beautiful traits to make the picture of Helen. The painting was so valuable that Zeuxis did not allow his painting to be seen unless he was paid money.

Zeuxis’ paintings were a result of meticulous study of nature. Socrates, with whom’s students Zeuxis passed his time, states that the study of Nature leads to a higher level of science by which the student, in this case the artist, can reach the discovery of the esoteric laws which govern Nature unseen. The painter was imbued by the Muses with optic presentations that he/she symbolically depicted in his/her paintings. The paintings acted as a medium between the mortal world and the world of the Higher Supreme Beings. Upon careful examination and understanding of the silent and immobile imager presented in the painting the viewer’s soul was imbued with that same divine information that was passed down from the Muses to the artist. This brought the soul to a meditative state (Dialogismos) whose purpose was to allow the soul to jump from the visible world to the invisible world of the Divine Beings. Even though the paintings of most Ancient Greek painters were demonstrated in public view, Zeuxis’ were only given to special individuals who acknowledged the power of his works.

Bibliography

1. Altani. Arritoi Logoi Kentauroi, Amazones, Medousa. Georgiades: Athens, 2005. Print.
2. Manias, Theophanis. The Holy Geometry of the Greeks and the Mathematical Structure of the Greek Language. Athens: Pyrinos Kosmos, 2006. Print.
3. “Zeuxis”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens, 1946. Print.

Euripides

Tragedian (c480 BC – c406 BC)

Euripides was the youngest of the three great tragedians of antiquity. He was born most probably on the same day the Battle of Salamis took place in 480 BC. Described both as wise and as a philosopher, Euripides flourished during the Golden Age of Pericles and was a pioneer in tragic and dramatic poetry.

From a young age Euripides showed special interest to philosophy. He studied Protagoras and Anaxagoras and passed his time along with Socrates’ students. Socrates and Euripides both had great influence on one another. He had also been influenced by Heraclitus, Gorgias and Xenophanes. Many elements from their philosophy were introduced to tragic poetry by Euripides. Plato said that “he was honoured as a God for his wisdom”.

Euripides wrote 88 plays. Only 19 of them survive fully. The Bacchae is a religious-psychological dramatic play which deals with the fanaticism of a false belief and its dreadful manifestations. Alcestis won second place, it was a satyrical drama and the last of a tetralogy. Andromache is a political drama on the life of Andromache after she becomes enslaved to Neoptolemus. Medea, in which the poet shows women’s savagery and mania caused by failure of love, the passion of revenge and maternal love is widely recognized as one of Euripides’ best plays. Other important works of Euripides include The Suppliants, Hippolytus, Hecuba, Cyclops, Heracles, Electra, Helen, Orestes, Iphigeneia in Aulis, Iphigeneia in Tauris, Children of Heracles, Ion, Rhesus and The Trojan Women. Euripides’ lost works are more than 60 in number. Only their title or mere fragments survive.

Euripides’ innovations in theatre were the following: He introduced the “deus ex machina”. At the end of the play, after the heroes had gone through all their passions, Gods would enter the stage by a machine and would show the path to the heroes (protagonists), contemplating, interpreting, comforting and encouraging them to overcome their obstacles. His second innovation was making the monologue in the beginning of the play into a prologue, whereupon the viewer is introduced to the subject of the play. His third innovation was the rearrangement of the Chorus. Prior to Euripides, the Chorus’ intervention was aimed in bringing about a peaceful equilibrium between the antagonizing characters. In Euripides’ plays the Chorus brings a sense of peace and serenity to the viewer’s soul.

Euripides was among the chosen ones that the Muses showed themselves. Like Homer, Hesiod, Orpheus, Pindar, Sophocles, Aeschylus etc, the Muses stimulated Euripides’ soul, giving him the ability to narrate and glorify the heroic labours of men and Gods so that to act as a paedagogue to the viewers who witnessed his plays. The poet acted as a channel to deliver the Muses’ optic presentations to the spectators, who received the information through the symbolic actions of the heroes and the Gods. This would provide the best example and the most powerful method to bring the mortal man in contact with the Divine. Decoding and understanding this divine information led to lytrosis and eventually the conquest of immortality. This was the reason why Euripides and all his contemporary playwrights were described as sages. This was the reason why ancient theatre had therapeutic and didactic purposes.

Bibliography

1. Altani. Arritoi Logoi Kentauroi, Amazones, Medousa. Georgiades: Athens, 2005. Print.
2. “Euripides”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens, 1946. Print.

Nikos Galis

Athlete (1957)

Nikos Galis is one of the greatest basketball players in the history of basketball, and one of the greatest national athletes of Greece. Born in the USA to Greek parents, he joined Aris of Thessaloniki and then Panathinaikos Athens during the late 70s to early 90s.

In 1987, Galis led the Greek national team to a gold medal in the Eurobasket and a silver medal in 1989. Galis and his team achieved an unbelievable 80 game winning streak, winning eight Greek League Championships, seven of which were consecutive,  and six Greek cups. He received the Alphonso Ford Trophy as the EuroLeague top scorer twice, in  1991-91 and 1993-94. Among his other achievements are being the all-time leader of the EuroLeague both in scored points and points per game,  shooting 13/13 in 1993 against his former team Aris Thessaloniki, scoring more than 55 points 10 times in a game, and being the Greek cup all-time scoring leader (33.5). He holds the FIBA Basketball World Cup record for highest career scoring average (33.5 per game) and the record for most points scored in a single tournament (33.7). Galis won the Mister Europa European Player of the Year award and the Euroscar in the same year. In 1987 he was named Mediterranean Player of the Year as well as the world’s 10th best athlete from all sports.  He is one of six Euroscar European winners to have been inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame and was chosen among the 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors and FIBA’s 50 Greatest Players in 1991.

After his retirement, Galis founded a basketball camp in Greece where 3000 kids participate annually. Today, he is considered a basketball legend, being highly respected among the global basketball community. Former basketball player, coach, and brother of basketball legend Dražen Petrović had said: “Although Drazen is my brother, for the best athlete of 1987, I voted for Galis.”

Bibliography

1. Psarakis, Yiannis. ”Nikos Galis – Europe’s Greatest -Ever Scorer”. Fibaeurope. Web. 22 July, 2016.

Kostis Palamas

Poet (1859 – 1943)

Kostis Palamas was a poet, writer, playwright, journalist and scholar, recognized worldwide as the modern national poet of Greece. His works, primarily The King’s Flute and Twelve Lays of the Gypsy are an everlasting consignment to Hellenism and world literature, which have rendered him an immortal symbol of the Greek letters.

Palamas wrote his first poem at the age of 9 and made his debut in the literary world in 1874 at the age of 15 as a journalist writing for the newspaper “West Greece”. In 1876 he participated in a poetic contest but lost to Georgios Vizyenos and in 1888 he won first place in the poetic contest in Philadelphia for his poem Hymn to Athena. In this poem, Palamas calls the Ancient Greek spirit to rise and return as a cleansing force in the modern world.

Palamas was the founder of the New Athenian School, a dominant literary movement at the time, was general secretary of the University of Athens from 1897 until his resignation in 1929 and was one of the founding members of the Academy of Athens. He also served as President of the Academy in 1930. In 1896 the Olympic Games were revived; Palamas wrote the lyrics of the Olympic Hymn and it was set to music by Spyridon Samaras. The Olympic Anthem is always played in the Olympic Games; during the opening ceremony and during the closing ceremony.

In 1891 his 4-year-old son died of meningitis. This gave him the stimulus to write The Grave, one of the finest masterpieces of modern literature. Some years later, in 1907, Palamas published the Twelve Lays of the Gypsy in which during the final years of the Byzantine Empire and the dawn of the Renaissance, a gypsy with new theories and symbols rejects the ideas and religions of the old world to bring redemption to humanity and ultimately lytrosis. With the fall of the old world, the gypsy is revived three times by the immortal values: Love, Fatherland and the Gods. Palamas saw the gypsy as himself; with his indomitable nature and free spirit the gypsy displays contempt to the old values and ideas of society and envisions the rebirth of the man of the future.

In 1910 Palamas published another one of his most successful works The King’s Flute. In the poem, Palamas calls for the need of the return of the heroic spirit as he believed that only with the spirit of self-sacrifice could the Hellenic nation be reborn and reclaim its lost lands. The poem took 26 years to finish and its impact on Greece was massive; it influenced the Greek nation during the Balkan Wars in 1912, which resulted in the doubling of Greece’s borders. Palamas’ heroic epic was written after a long and meticulous study of the Greek Middle Ages and the demotic songs. With his polymathy, he connected all of the three eras of Greek history together and embodied all of Hellenism.

Palamas’ collection is massive. He had lived long enough to live through Greece’s most troubled times in modern history; these situations stimulated him differently to write poems which covered a vast spectrum of themes. Some of his most notable ones are Songs of my Fatherland, Iambs and Anapests, The Greetings of the Sun-born, The Nights of Phemius, Satirical Exercises, Altars and I Asaleuti Zoi. Throughout his poems, Palamas constantly emphasises on the return to the Ancient Greek spirit and its values, to become a practical part of modern society’s lifestyle. He was the most ardent proponent of all the poets of the Megali Idea and the rebirth of the nation. He was nominated for the Nobel prize 14 times.

Having lived through the loss of both parents at the age of 7, the loss of his son and the loss of his wife, Palamas died in 1943 during the German Axis Occupation. His funeral was attended by more than 33.000 citizens and was transformed into a peaceful but powerful demonstration against the axis. All the people were crying in deep emotion not from sadness for the death of their poet, but because they knew that freedom was coming.

Bibliography

1. “Palamas, Kostis”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens: 1946. Print.