This presentation, in honour of International Greek Language Day, offers a concise exploration of the Greek language as a living system shaped by history, power, and technology. The first part provides a historical overview of Greek, tracing its evolution from antiquity to the present with references to how sociopolitical forces have influenced its form, status, and use. The second part shifts to the contemporary moment, focusing on how digital technologies are transforming language learning and linguistic practice. By connecting past and present, the presentation highlights how language continues to be shaped by broader sociopolitical and technological conditions, raising critical questions about the future of the Greek language in the age of AI. Dr. Kotsovili and Dr. Arkadianos are with SFU's Department of Global Humanities.

The ancient Greek krater was a large, two-handled vessel used for mixing wine and water. A central object of the ancient symposium, or banquet, the krater went on to have remarkable afterlives in the Roman and medieval worlds. In Byzantium and Kyivan Rus’, the krater became closely associated with Divine Wisdom (Hagia Sophia), appearing not only as a decorative motif but also as a ritual object within churches. This talk explores the enduring legacy and changing significance of the ancient Greek krater, showing how a vessel from classical antiquity became a powerful religious and political symbol for medieval Christians.

Acclaimed Greek graphic novelist Antonis Nikolopoulos, also known by his pen name Soloúp, used the language of comics to retell Nikos Kazantzakis' famous novel Zorba the Greek. In his rich graphic novel Zorbas, Soloup intervened in the flow and rearranged the interwoven stories, while at the same time tried to avoid the stereotypes of the cinematic Zorba. Soloup will talk about how he created a new narrative for the contemporary reader by combining Kazantzakis' novel with its mythology.

This talk discusses the British poet George Gordon, Lord Byron, and his connection to Greece in the first quarter of the 19th century and his legacy first as a young traveller and later as a hero of the Greek War of Independence during which he died at Missolonghi. In addition the talk will explore how Byron’s memory lives on in Greece today, including through public collections, displays, statues, events and even personal and street names.

On March 31st, at 7:30, Pharos is very excited to welcome Luthieros back to 4500 Arbutus Street for a very special concert and workshop with reconstructed ancient Greek musical instruments. Luthieros hail from Thessaloniki, Greece. You can view some of their music here on YouTube, and learn more about the lyres here.

Please use this link to RSVP.

Athena is well known as the goddess of wisdom, crafts, and, above all, warfare among the Greeks. She was the most excellent daughter of Zeus, who sprung fully-formed from his head, and came to be the foremost protector of the polis. But where did this idea of a female warrior deity come from within the Greek world? This talk will examine the early origins of the Greek warrior goddess, going back to the Bronze Age and tracing her emergence, piece by piece, into the Iron Age and later periods. Alongside this deeper history, comparisons will be made to warrior goddesses from the Levant and Mesopotamia to make sense of Athena's character, and her remarkable transformation over the centuries into the illustrious protector of the Greek polis.

The village of Molyvos in Lesvos inherited the ancient town’s political and ecclesiastical importance to become, under the Ottomans, the centre for the district (kaza). This presentation explores its fascinating history through a family archive assembled spanning over 100 years of history (1830s-1940s), and a young man's memoir from the late 19th c. We explore family memory and history during a transition from empire to nation state – a world still tangible, but passing away in social and cultural flux.

Every November 21, the Greek Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the Entrance of the Virgin into the Temple. Byzantine art depicts the Virgin processing to the ancient Jewish Temple with her parents, Joachim and Anna, along with a retinue of candle-bearing maidens. The Virgin is also often shown inside the Temple, enthroned in the Holy of Holies, receiving bread from an angel. This feast portrays the Virgin as the living Temple of the Son of God. Similarly, early Christian and Byzantine sources often described the Virgin Mary as a symbol of the Church. In Byzantine churches, liturgical objects and monumental images of the Entrance of the Virgin into the Temple encouraged worshippers to understand their own ritual experience as an imitation of the Virgin’s Entrance into the Temple and evoked rich theological parallels between the Virgin Mary, the Temple, and the Church.