The Making of Modern Greece
How did Athens fall from its Ancient Greek glory?
From 395 AD up to the present day, I’ll guide you through what happened after the Ancient Greeks and Romans - the clashing empires of the Byzantines, Franks and Ottomans; the triumph of Greek independence; and the devastation of the 20th century.
Here’s what to look out for:
How the Parthenon lost its roof - plus the story of its time as an Orthodox church, a Catholic Cathedral and an Islamic Mosque
Why the Christian Byzantine Empire was attacked - and Athens conquered - by western crusader armies traveling to fight in the Holy Land
How the Greeks cast off 400 years of Ottoman domination - and why Lord Byron (the English romantic poet) became an unlikely martyr for the cause
What changed Hitler’s mind and brought the Nazis to Greece. We’ll visit the old Gestapo HQ and the street where the executed were publicly displayed
Why this statue of US president Harry Truman has been bombed four times, attacked with a chainsaw and angle grinder, and toppled at least five times
