Final Conference: “Greek Culture in Early Modern Europe”
Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation (22–24 October 2025)
The research project GrECI – Greek Heritage in European Culture and Identity held its final academic conference on 22–24 October 2025 at the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, under the title “Greek Culture in Early Modern Europe.”
The GrECI project explores the reception and appropriation of ancient Greek culture by Western scholars in Europe during the Early Modern period (15th–17th centuries). It is a collaboration between three universities — the University of Cyprus (coordinator: Dr Natassa Constantinidou, Department of History and Archaeology), the University of Oslo (Norway), and the Marie-et-Louis-Pasteur University (France).
The aim of the conference was to examine various aspects of the phenomenon of the reception and appropriation of Greek culture in Early Modern Europe — from the “rediscovery” of the Greek language and literature to their incorporation into the European cultural framework. The conference featured 30 scholars from 14 countries and 24 universities.
The eleven thematic sessions of the conference covered a wide range of subjects and approaches, both well-established and innovative:
- The Greek Language and Literature in Latin Humanism
- Reception of Greek Philosophy
- New Perspectives on the Reception of Greek Literature
- Performing Arts and Greek Education
- Legal and Political Ideals
- Religion and the History of the Book
- Greek Cultural Heritage and European Identities
- Women as Mediators in the Study of Greek Letters
- The Greek Context and Later Receptions
The first set of presentations, chaired by Prof. Jan Papy (Ikerbasque – UPV-EHU), focused on the reception of the Greek language and literature within Latin Humanism, given that scholars of the period approached Greek learning through Latin and the Latin literary tradition, generally adopting a comparative method. The second session, chaired by Prof. Martine Furno (Université Grenoble Alpes), examined the reception of Greek philosophy, with references to the Orphic Hymns and Stoic and Aristotelian writings.
A subsequent session, chaired by Dr Katharina-Maria Schön (University of Hamburg), was devoted to new perspectives in the reception of Greek literature, focusing on revivals of Aesopian myths and the use of maxims from Euripidean tragedies. The day concluded with a session on the role of Greek learning in music and rhetorical interpretation, chaired by Dr Raf Van Rooy (KU Leuven).
The second day of the conference focused on two main themes. The first concerned the role of Greek in the legal tradition (with references to the Justinian Code) and the formation of political ideas (including the example of ancient Sparta and classical Greek political treatises), chaired by Prof. Marie Barral-Baron (Université Marie et Louis Pasteur). The second examined the relationship between editions of Greek books in the West and the religious and ideological framework of the Protestant Reformation, under the chairmanship of Prof. Raphaële Mouren (British School at Rome). The day concluded with a presentation of the project’s broader contribution through its inclusion on the Europeana digital platform (https://www.europeana.eu/en/galleries/17183).
The third and final day opened with a series of presentations chaired by Prof. Han Lamers (University of Oslo) on Greek cultural heritage and European identity. Discussions focused on how the ideas of “Greece” and “Greekness” were adopted to serve the shaping of individual and collective narratives. Within this context, the speakers examined Irish treatises that claimed Greek origins, as well as symbolic representations of Hellenism.
This was followed by a session chaired by Prof. Johanna Akujärvi (Lund University), dedicated to the role and contribution of women in the study of Greek letters — ranging from the mythical figure of Circe in 16th-century political satires and a 17th-century Dutch scholar, to French women writers of historical-pedagogical texts in the 18th century.
The final session, chaired by Dr Olga Giouleka (University of Cyprus), addressed later receptions of the Greek language and culture. These presentations highlighted the role of Greeks in the West during the 17th century, such as Philaras, Koutounios, and Anastasios Michael, as well as the contribution of 17th-century French scholars who collected proverbs from the Greek vernacular tradition.
The conference concluded with a round-table discussion summarising the key findings and insights from the three days of presentations and debates. Participants highlighted the importance of the event as the first wide-ranging and thematically diverse approach to the reception of Greek learning in the West during the Early Modern period, as well as the interdisciplinary dimension demonstrated by the GrECI project.
For more information: https://greci-twinning.org
Source: University of Cyprus | Latest news (https://tinyurl.com/wb53t9m6)