JOURNEY TO NOSTOS

Over the last fifty years, I have travelled through Europe, and during my travels I have repeatedly found myself returning to this ancient Hellenic World (a Greek does not refer to themselves as Greeks but as Hellenes; the country of Greece is called Hellas). Within it are a multitude of places, paths, and settlements which extend from the Pillars (or Gates) of Hercules to the Black Sea. The most interesting aspect of the Hellenic World is not the scholarly concept of it, but how the histories that comprise it remain visible in the land, in the ways people move around within it, and in the daily lives they lead.

 

My travels, writings, and discussions gathered here are shaped by how I travel. The way I travel is not hurried; instead, it uses slow, deliberate means (always on foot when possible), and I have therefore been able to return at different times to many of the same places. I have been able to pay attention not only to the landscape of the Hellenic World and the historical records associated with those places, but also to the people who live there today, the details of their daily lives, and the way history and today’s world converse with one another.

 

I am intentionally travelling at a slower pace to allow for smaller groups, more accessible routes, and more time for observation, discussion, and contemplation about what I see and do. The objective is not to see or travel through many different parts of the Hellenic World, but rather to comprehend how a specific place interacts with the Hellenic World.

 

Some of the writing, essays, and recorded conversations generated from this project will be made public; other items will be available privately as part of a larger ongoing project.

 

This website serves as a workspace for this process.

 

All written material found within this site has been written by Panagiotis Anangostatos, additional research performed by artificial intelligence (AI), and reviewed and edited by Grammarly.