Educational Articles

Distinctions of Geronthres, Lakonia

By Gregory Kontos, Historian & Founder of Greek Ancestry Introduction After the Greeks’ long and painful struggle for their national independence (1821-1829), they naturally held great expectations for Otto’s Regency Council. However, the Council of this infant...

Introducing the Greek Genealogy Guide

Exciting news! The new Greek Genealogy Guide has been released! On the last day of the International Greek Ancestry Conference, Greek Ancestry intern, Alexandra Kiritsy, announced the release of the new online Greek Genealogy Guide, a work by Carol Kostakos Petranek,...

Are you ready for the International Greek Ancestry Conference?

The International Greek Ancestry Conference, held from January 29th through the 31st, will be a landmark event for our field of Greek family history and genealogy! 2020 has been a challenging year for us all. However, perhaps one of the few things 2020 was a good year...

Greek Ancestry Education, Case Study Webinar #4 (Nov. 7th, 2020): Tracing the immigrant’s origin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOJ3cdUoLPo

Greek Ancestry Education, Case Study Webinar #3 (Oct. 31st, 2020): Stories from Notarial Records

https://youtu.be/U8VyVBBqViQ

Greek Ancestry Education, Case Study Webinar #2 (Oct. 24th, 2020): Jewish Communities of Greece

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzBrAz_aoKM

Greek Ancestry Education, Case Study Webinar #1 (Oct. 17th, 2020): Asia Minor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0sumW8rRYs

International Greek Ancestry Conference (Jan. 29-31, 2021)

Save the date – spread the word – join us!

Thessaloniki – La Madre de Israel

By Alexandra Kiritsy & Gregory Kontos When Jewish colonists were brought to the newly founded city of Macedonia around 315 B.C., no one could have imagined that Thessaloniki’s history would be closely associated with Jewish history throughout the centuries. About...

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A Review of “The Greek Revolution: 1821 and the Making of Modern Europe” by Mark Mazower

Two hundred years have passed since twenty-year-old Anagnostis Zymaras, my great, great grandfather, joined the company of Kapetan Kostas Katsikas along with other peasants to overthrow the Ottoman tyranny in Peloponnesus. Little did Anagnosis envision that two centuries later the eminent historian of the Balkans, Mark Mazower, would chronicle the revolution that followed, concluding that the independence of Greece had far-reaching effects on nationalist movements throughout Europe.

“Peplos (History and Genealogy)”: Interview with Ioannis Papachristou, Recipient of Second VHPI Grant

By Carol Kostakos Petranek “If you want to do history, start with the history of your family.” When Ioannis Papachristou first heard these words from Prof. Agamemnon Tselikas, they sank deep into his soul. At that time, he was a university student studying philosophy...

Greek Ancestry Summer Webinar #2: Prof Stasinos Stavrianeas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTdAebfqtpg

Greek Ancestry Summer Webinar #1: Prof Gonda van Steen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gYU9oQLZN8 Prof Gonda van Steen prepared the following handout especially for Greek Ancestry's followers! You may download it by clicking on the button below. Adopted-from-Greece-Where-to-StartDownload

The Kasotakis Family: The history behind the name

By Giannis Michalakakos - Teacher of Family Studies, Msc Cultural Management In Greece, most of the surnames derive from nicknames, patronymics (paternal given names), occupations and places of origin. The surname "Kassotakis" is an example of the latter case, meaning...

Tracing Freedom: 1821 – The Revolution of 1821 and its impact on your ancestors

By Giannis Michalakakos, MSc in Cultural Management In order to fully understand the impact of the 1821 Revolution on Greek families, we have to understand life before, during and after the Revolution. Most of the examples discussed below focus on Lakonia, my...