The edition coincides with and honors the completion of 100 years since the period 1916-1922, which was one of the most tragic and adventurous periods in the long history of Hellenism.

Protagonists and witnesses of this period are our ancestors, who speak to us and provide their testimonies. They are the heroes of the Pontic Resistance, who, with unparalleled will and bravery, mounted an epic resistance against the exterminatory intentions of the Turks, and their struggles are among the most prominent of Hellenism.

One of the paradoxes of Greek History is that the names and struggles of the insurgents are absent from its pages. However, the fighting insurgent of Pontus is not a new hero for Greece. As Palamas said, “The breath of Digenis shapes Kanaris, Karaiskakis, and Kolokotronis everywhere.” It is an honor for those who alone “chose to guard the Thermopylae” without needing a state call.

The younger generations express their gratitude because they owe their lives to them. Also present are the testimonies of the grief-stricken women with their shocking narratives orchestrated with the lament, which serve as a denunciation of the crime of Genocide.

But their testimonies are not limited to hardships, the exterminatory exiles, the relentless crimes of the Turks, and the drama of refuge. They also represent a comprehensive presentation of the elements that composed their social, economic, and cultural life.

Our ancestors, throughout their long presence in the blessed lands of the East, never ceased to maintain their national consciousness intact and their national spirit vibrant and proud, with firm faith in their unbreakable ancestral traditions.

This book is a contribution to the preservation of Historical Memory. It will teach the younger generations that the Hellenism of the East was one of the most dynamic and martyr-like segments of our Nation.