In celebration of this year’s bicentennial of the 1821 Greek Revolution, a conglomerate of Chicago-based organizations are offering a series of online discussions to explore the historical influence of Greek culture and examine the role philhellenism played in the formation of modern Greece.

The series, titled “Philhellenism Though the Ages,” will take place via Facebook Live and begins on Sunday, February 7, at 3:00pm EST with a discussion called “Loving Greece in Rome: Hellenic Culture in an Age of Empire.” Featured speakers will discuss the impact of Greek culture on the Roman Empire. Click here to RSVP.

“Philhellenism Through the Ages,” is the result of a multi-organizational collaboration which includes the Hellenic American Leadership Council, UIC Department of Classics and Mediterranean Studies, Embassy of Greece in the United States, Consulate General of Greece in Chicago and the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago.

Each event will feature scholars whose aim is to lay an intellectual and historical foundation for the very idea of philhellenism — an intellectual movement based on admiration for Greeks and everything Greek — and its varied expressions in the past. Speakers will subsequently discuss how philhellenism contributed to the development of the modern Greek state.

Three additional discussions will follow on Sunday, March 14; Sunday, April 11 and Sunday, May 16, all of which begin at 3:00pm EST. 

Each event will live stream on the Hellenic American Leadership Council’s Facebook page.