We are pleased to announce Pharos' 30th season. This year we will present several archaeologial talks, a glimpse into the fascinating life of Ali Pasha by Hector Williams and, to end, a concert by the George Yioldassis and Friends featuring the music of Manolis Xiotis.
October 26, 2009: Megan Daniels, "After Alexander: Greeks in Central Asia"
November 30, 2009: Hector Williams, "Ali Pasha, the Lion of Ioannina"
February 1, 2010: Steven Miller, "Nemea and the Macedonians"
February 22, 2010: Brendan Burke, "An Archaeological Survey of Eastern Boeotia"
March 29, 2010: Christie Lane, "Greek Colonies and Apollo Worship in South Italy and Sicily"
April 26, 2010: George Yioldassis,, Bouzouki, John Mavrogeorge, Guitar, & Friends: "Remembering the Music of Manolis Xiotis on the 40th Anniversary of his Death"
Pharos, The Canadian-Hellenic Cultural Society presents lectures on all aspects of Greek culture from ancient history, literature and archaeology to modern traditions including dance and music. Meetings are held at 7:30 pm on the last Monday of October-November and January-April in the Upper Hall of the Hellenic Community Centre, 4500 Arbutus Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Everyone is welcome: admission is by annual membership ($20 per person) or drop-in fee of $5.00 at the door.
15 Sept 2009
13 May 2009
Hellenic Cultural Month 2009 Lectures
Pharos & The Hellenic Canadian Congress of British Columbia
Present Two Lectures
Monday 25 May, 2009 at 7:30 pm
The Two Byrons and Greece
Prof. John Xiros Cooper, UBC Department of English
Byron visited Greece twice. The first time was in 1809-1810 as a young man seeking exotic experiences. In Epirus, in Athens and, in other parts of Europe he found the experiences he turned into the famous poem, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Byron’s second voyage was undertaken more than a decade later by a more mature man who was now ready for an adventure with a more serious purpose, the liberation of the Greek people from their subjugation by the Ottoman Turks. In the winter of 1823-24, he arrived in Western Greece with medicine, military supplies, money, and ambitions to lead a force against the Ottomans. It was these activities that made him a national figure for the Greeks, but it was his death at Missolonghi April 19, 1824 that transformed him into a potent cultural and political symbol.
Thursday 4 June, 2009 at 7:30 pmSide-Tracked by Mussolini – Greece’s Role in WW2
Prof. André Gerolymatos, SFU Hellenic Studies Program
Mussolini's blunder in Attacking Greece on 28 October 1941 had a strategic impact on the outcome of the Second World War. The Italian aggression against Greece took the Germans by surprise and forced Hitler to divert forces designated for the attack on the Soviet Union to the Balkans. In December 1941, Hitler's reluctant conquest of Yugoslavia and Greece cost the German army dearly on the Russian front and ultimately contributed significantly to the defeat of the Nazi Empire.
Both lectures will be held in the Upper Hall,
Hellenic Community Centre,
4500 Arbutus Street, Vancouver
at 7:30 pm
Present Two Lectures
Monday 25 May, 2009 at 7:30 pm
The Two Byrons and Greece
Prof. John Xiros Cooper, UBC Department of English
Byron visited Greece twice. The first time was in 1809-1810 as a young man seeking exotic experiences. In Epirus, in Athens and, in other parts of Europe he found the experiences he turned into the famous poem, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Byron’s second voyage was undertaken more than a decade later by a more mature man who was now ready for an adventure with a more serious purpose, the liberation of the Greek people from their subjugation by the Ottoman Turks. In the winter of 1823-24, he arrived in Western Greece with medicine, military supplies, money, and ambitions to lead a force against the Ottomans. It was these activities that made him a national figure for the Greeks, but it was his death at Missolonghi April 19, 1824 that transformed him into a potent cultural and political symbol.
Thursday 4 June, 2009 at 7:30 pmSide-Tracked by Mussolini – Greece’s Role in WW2
Prof. André Gerolymatos, SFU Hellenic Studies Program
Mussolini's blunder in Attacking Greece on 28 October 1941 had a strategic impact on the outcome of the Second World War. The Italian aggression against Greece took the Germans by surprise and forced Hitler to divert forces designated for the attack on the Soviet Union to the Balkans. In December 1941, Hitler's reluctant conquest of Yugoslavia and Greece cost the German army dearly on the Russian front and ultimately contributed significantly to the defeat of the Nazi Empire.
Both lectures will be held in the Upper Hall,
Hellenic Community Centre,
4500 Arbutus Street, Vancouver
at 7:30 pm
30 Mar 2009
Pharos April 27 2009, George Yioldassis, Bouzouki
The Life and Music of Giorgos Zambetas
Legendary Composer of Greek Laika
Yiorgos Yioldassis, Bouzouki; Yianni Mavrogeorge, Guitar, Thomas Makris, Vocals & Baglama with Kanella Stefanis, vocals.
Giorgos Zambetas (Γιώργος Ζαμπέτας) (1925-1992) was one of the greatest composers and performers of Greek Laïká during the ‘50s and ‘60s. He is perhaps most familiar to North American audiences for the tune Horos tou Sakena featured in the soundtrack of Woody Allen’s Mighty Aphrodite and the ubiquitous sing-along dance song, Siko Horepse Sirtaki, (think “la, la, la la la”).
George Yioldassis will give a short presentation on the life of George Zambetas including readings from the Ionna Kliasiou’s book, And the Rain Fell Straight Through: The Life of Giorgos Zampetas (Και η βρόχα έπεφτε ράι θρου). The band will follow with musical performances of some timeless classics from the Zambetas songbook.
Some musical links:
Some musical links:
Nina Mouskouri sings Siko Horepse Sirtaki: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MWGJzMyhxQ
Petros Andreou plays Xoros tou Sakaina http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvc9J1HKQnc&feature=related
23 Mar 2009
Pharos March 30, 2009: Chuck Sigmund
The Roots and Foundation of 21st Century Scientific Thought
Chuck Sigmund, Langara College
Scientists today look at the material universe in a certain way and proceed to exercise their craft within that context. Cultures both before and after that of the ancient Iron Age Greeks have made notable technological contributions to humankind but, in my opinion, it was that Greek civilization which gave birth to abstract science as we still practice it today. Professor Richard Tarnas states it accurately and succinctly:
"The Greek were perhaps the first to see the world as a question to be answered. They were peculiarly gripped by the passion to understand, to penetrate the uncertain flux of phenomena and grasp a deeper truth. And they established a dynamic tradition of critical thought to pursue that quest."
Chuck Sigmund at an early age could not decide whether to pursue scientific or classical studies and so did both as best he could. He worked for 35 years as a chemist while always pursuing his interest in ancient Greek philosophy and science
Chuck Sigmund, Langara College
Scientists today look at the material universe in a certain way and proceed to exercise their craft within that context. Cultures both before and after that of the ancient Iron Age Greeks have made notable technological contributions to humankind but, in my opinion, it was that Greek civilization which gave birth to abstract science as we still practice it today. Professor Richard Tarnas states it accurately and succinctly:
"The Greek were perhaps the first to see the world as a question to be answered. They were peculiarly gripped by the passion to understand, to penetrate the uncertain flux of phenomena and grasp a deeper truth. And they established a dynamic tradition of critical thought to pursue that quest."
Chuck Sigmund at an early age could not decide whether to pursue scientific or classical studies and so did both as best he could. He worked for 35 years as a chemist while always pursuing his interest in ancient Greek philosophy and science
24 Feb 2009
Lectures on Greece, March 2009
Upcoming lectures of interest to Pharos Members: March 2009
Tuesday March 3, 2009
The University of British Columbia, Department of Classical, Near East & Religious Studies presents:
“Pirates of the Cilician Coast”Michael Hoff, Professor of Art History, The University of Nebraska
7:30 pm, Buchanan A204, UBC
Wednesday March 11, 2009
UBC Faculty of Arts @ Robson Square presents:
“Sleeping with a Vampyre: Exotic Archaeology on a Greek Island”
Tuesday March 3, 2009
The University of British Columbia, Department of Classical, Near East & Religious Studies presents:
“Pirates of the Cilician Coast”Michael Hoff, Professor of Art History, The University of Nebraska
7:30 pm, Buchanan A204, UBC
Wednesday March 11, 2009
UBC Faculty of Arts @ Robson Square presents:
“Sleeping with a Vampyre: Exotic Archaeology on a Greek Island”
Hector Williams, Professor of Classical Studies at UBC
6:00 pm, Robson Square
Monday March 16, 2009
SFU Hellenic Studies in cooperation with the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation University Seminars Program presents:
Dr. Sotirios Mousouris, Lawyer, Economist & former UN Assistant Secretary General (1983-1995)
“The United Nations and Greece: Issues, Positions, Contributions”7:00 pm, Room 1400 Segal Centre, SFU Harbour Centre Campus
Monday March 16, 2009
SFU Hellenic Studies in cooperation with the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation University Seminars Program presents:
Dr. Sotirios Mousouris, Lawyer, Economist & former UN Assistant Secretary General (1983-1995)
“The United Nations and Greece: Issues, Positions, Contributions”7:00 pm, Room 1400 Segal Centre, SFU Harbour Centre Campus
1 Feb 2009
Pharos February 23, 2009 - Ric Spratley
Roads Less Traveled – Undiscovered GreeceRichard Spratley
President, Pharos
President, Pharos
Ric and Lynda Spratley have been visiting Greece for over twenty years – decades in which the country has undergone profound change. In the first part of the presentation, we will visit islands off the path of cruise ships and villages that tour buses can’t reach, while probing into far corners of more familiar places. In the second part, Colours of Greece, we’ll turn on some rembetika and take a random, nostalgic wander over all the visits, remembering things that are timeless as well as some that have vanished forever. And, of course, there will be glimpses of friends, food and lots of red poppies! This talk is rescheduled from November 2008.
18 Jan 2009
Pharos January 26, 2009: Geoffrey Schmalz
Excavating an Archaic Necropolis in Kefaloniá
Dr. Geoffrey Schmalz
SFU Department of History
Dr. Geoffrey Schmalz
SFU Department of History
Dr. Schmalz will present results of the excavation of the principal necropolis of the ancient city-state of Pronnoi, one of the four city-states that flourished on Kefaloniá during the Archaic and Classical periods. This SFU project, conducted in the fall of 2008, was designed in part as a ‘salvage excavation’ carried out by SFU on behalf of the Kefaloniá Archaeological Service. At the same time, the project incorporated a formal program of initial excavation. Uncovered was a large, rich, and densely featured cemetery of largely the late Archaic period (ca. 550-500 B.C.), probably representing the burials of ancient Pronnoi’s elite inhabitants. Within the principal area of investigation, numerous graves were found in which pithoi were used as burial vessels; these were often filled with wealthy grave goods, including such gender-specific articles as loom-weights and agricultural tools, as well as lovely pottery imported from Corinth and Athens.
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