Page 29 - Beholding Liberty!

Philhellenism has been identified with the active support for the Greek Revolution of 1821 by both Europeans and Americans. But even in Antiquity – particularly during the period of Roman rule – there was a pre-existing philhellenic stance, in the sense of love for the Greek education and culture.
This was repeated in modern times, with the concept of Greece determined by humanistic Europe in a catalytic way, based on the Antiquity.
Hellenism is perceived by the European culture of modern times as the natural descendant of ancient Greece, and in particular of its classical culture. On this background, Philhellenism was established, which created the specific philhellenic movement of the 19th century. The modern European culture, as early as the Renaissance, had adopted the classical values and models of Antiquity. Gradually, Europe would re-approach Greece, as the birthplace of the classical heritage and consequently as a point of reference for its own classical culture.1 The main parameter in this process of the flourishing and maturing of Philhellenism was undoubtedly antiquity worship.
THE CULTURAL CONTINUITY OF MODERN HELLENISM
Greece as a country and its people found themselves cut off from historic European events from the mid-15th century on – owing to the Ottoman conquest – when precisely in Europe and in Greece’s neighbor Italy, also with a classical heritage, was beginning the phenomenon of the “Renaissance of Antiquity”, in which the Greek cultural heritage could play a leading role. Europe was ready to discuss and learn from the Greek culture, recognizing later its continuation in the eastern Roman state, the so-called Byzantine Empire.
In any event, Byzantine Hellenism was aware of its own historical continuity, even before and autono- mously from European humanism. For example, Georgios Plethon Gemistos, in a letter to the emperor Manuel II Palaiologos in 1402, stated clearly: “We are Greeks (Hellenes) by race, as the language and education of our fathers testify”.2 His student, Bessarion, obliged to make a career in Italy in the Ro- man Catholic Church as a cardinal, always had at the back of his mind a crusade for the liberation of Constantinople. He left a donation (12 May 1468) to the Library of Saint Mark (Biblioteca Marciana) in Venice comprised of his unique collection of 482 Greek manuscripts, as the intellectual heritage of Hellenism, up to its liberation.
On the other hand, the European humanists themselves acknowledged the Byzantine intellectuals as direct descendants of the ancient Hellenes, calling them Greeks (“Graeci”).3 At the Ferrara-Flor- ence Council (1438-39), between the eastern Orthodox and western Roman Catholic Church, the Italian humanist Vespasiano da Bisticci declared that the Greeks – i.e. the Byzantines – for at least 1500 years are dressed in ancient clothing. Even more so, the second-last Byzantine emperor John
Edward Dodwell
Foreign traveller and Greek guard in Delphi
(part), ca. 1819,
aquatint
Hellenic Parliament Art Collection [cat. no I.1.20]
Antiquity worship as early Philhellenism
Dr Thodoris Koutsogiannis
Chief Curator of the Hellenic Parliament Art Collection
1. In this regard, see Yakovakis 2006.
2 Memorandum “regarding Peloponnesian matters”;
see Lambros 1926, pp. 246-265.
3. OntheissueoftheGreekidentity more broadly, see Katsiardi-Hering – Papadia-Lala – Nikolaou – Karamanolakis 2018.
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