A unique historical study on the dynamic resurgence of ancient naming practices, from the pre-revolutionary years to the present day. During which time period and under what conditions did the Greeks begin to name their children after Christian saints, stopping the tradition of naming them after their grandparents? What relevant events occurred in the first half of the 15th century in Mystra, and how are they connected to the activities of the fraternity of Plethon Gemistos? Why, on the eve of the 1821 Revolution, did Patriarch Gregory V criticize in an encyclical the “unjustifiable misuse” of the Greeks, referring to the ancient name-giving practices that followed the dictates of Enlightenment ideas? What were the reasons for the re-emergence of this phenomenon in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in areas of Greece and Asia Minor that were still under foreign rule at that time?

And lastly, using official data from the civil registries of our country, how can we explain the dynamic resurgence of ancient Greek names in recent decades, a practice that bypasses long-established customs in Greek society? Journalist and historical researcher Minos Papageorgiou presents a surprisingly fascinating topic, succinctly and with the assistance of sources from each era, that spans the last seventeen centuries of Greek history.

From the machinations of John Chrysostom to the spiritual preparations of '21, and from the irredentism of areas that were not integrated into the national body at the dawn of the 20th century to the present day, ancient Greek names are at the center of an underground conflict directly linked to the formation of modern Greek identity.

On the cover, an artistic creation from the traditional village of Olympus in Karpathos, by Yiannis, Manolis, and Antonis Hatzivasileiou.

Reviews

Minos Papageorgiou guides us with accessible erudition into the onomastics of individuals and the names as ideological significants of an era of relative liberation of the consciousness of emerging urban social layers. Read it, and it will enlighten you.

Petros Pizania, Emeritus Professor of History at the Ionian University

A century and a half before George Orwell's insightful 1984, Patriarch Gregory V understood the same great truth: you must start by substituting words (in this case, names) if you aim to completely stem the collective memory. Minos Papageorgiou takes us on this fascinating yet terrifying journey of the top-down coordinated attempt to perpetuate subjugation and entrench national amnesia.

Petros Tatsopoulos, author