Not a simple issue

Geographically situated between Western Europe and Asia Minor, Greece occupies the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula, jutting into the Mediterranean. Geography has always had a great influence on Greece and its inhabitants. It is largely responsible for numerous continuities in its extensive history. While the mountains that split the Greek lands have contributed to localism they have been a major barrier to unity as a nation. The struggle of communication by land and the significant presence of the sea have made mariners out of Greeks for numerous generations. The natural resources ensure a steady flow of abundance and guarantee sustenance if governed wisely.

The Greeks are among the few people in the world, who can visit archeological sites that are nearly 3,000 years old and find their language used in the inscriptions.

The written history of Greece dates from the time of Herodotos in the sixth century B.C., and archeological records show an unbroken record that goes back to at least the second millennium B.C., a spread of nearly 5,000 years involving a very complicated set of events.  If anything can be said to characterize Greek history, it is constant change. In this century alone Greece has suffered a civil war, two foreign occupations, ten military coups d’etat, a seven-year dictatorship, numerous constitutions, and nearly fifty changes of government.

Isocrates, in the fourth century B.C., stated that a Greek is any person educated as a Greek. By education he was referring to more than formal education. He meant someone who had incorporated Greek values and learned all the Greek ways. Greeks have a very strong sense of themselves, a sense that is connected to language, religion, culture, and historical continuity.  While there have been numerous attempts since the time of Isocrates to link territory, religion, and language with the notion of “Greekness,” Greek identity has never been a simple issue. It cannot be linked solely with language, neither can it be connected directly with ethnicity, Greek identity is further complicated by other factors, including the Ottoman period. It is easy to see how the four hundred years of Ottoman rule over Greek lands and people influenced its culture, in folklore, vernacular speech, music, cuisine, dress, attitudes, and even some social customs.

A good approach of the characterization of the Greek, could be the one that judge N.Kelly wrote:

«Confronting the court of impartial history

the Greek was not to the occasion, always «below the circumstances»,

but from a mental point of view, always had primacy.

The Greek is brilliant and selfish, active and unmethodical,

sportsmanlike, but full of superstitions,

hot-blooded, impatient and a warrior.

Built the Parthenon and after having drunk from the prestige,

left it later to become targets of contention.

Highlighted Socrates to poison him,

admired Themistocles to exile him,

he served Aristotle and then hunt him,

gave birth to Venizelos in order to murder him.

Built the Byzantine Empire in order to enslave to the Turks,

brought the ’21 and then compromised it,

created 1909 in order to forget it.

Tripled Greece but also nearly buried it.

One moment is cut for the truth but the same time

hates the person who refuses to serve the lie.

Greek is a strange creature, wild, weird, and egopathe.

Pity him, if you want admire him.

And if you can try to classify him.”