Balkan nationalism, Greece and shared culture comes under the microscope as some of Australia’s top Greek writers come together for a new book. We may as well say whose is this book, not just the song, as some of the best Greek-Australian writers have come together for a new book edited and produced by the…
Celebrating 25 March in Rio de Janeiro
One of the smaller Greek or Grego Communities of the Americas is one of most inspiring. I started my today at the Greek Orthodox Church Saint Andrew, IGREJA ORTODOXA GREGA DE SANTO ANDRÉ, and the Sociedade Helênica Do Rio, at 46 Rua Darke de Matos. I’ve met Father Errikod a few times over the last…
Following the Billy Belly and danger to Greek food in Ecuador
Billy Cotsis continues his loco adventures looking for Hellenes across the Americas In my life, I’ve seen plenty. I’ve had guns, rifles and water pistols pulled on me and others, I’ve been in an earthquake, rescued from a sinking houseboat, car jacked…. We actually parted as friends, hugs and my rental car back, though I…
Alex Sánchez former Sydney Olympic Striker, Phil-Hellen and humanitarian nets 200th goal
Billy Cotsis talks to his friend, Alex Sanchez, on his prolific career, overcoming adversity and being a character in one of Cotsis’ books He leaps high, he soars, it’s like an eagle…. Another goal to Sánchez! For two seasons just before Covid, Alex Sánchez López led the line for Sydney Olympic, embracing the Greek club…
A Galaxy Far, Far Away: Peruvian Greeks
Greeks have traversed near and far and it’s safe to say that Peru is far. A galaxy far, far away. Not just in geography, but also in language and food. Yet when I “navigated” the crazy traffic, discovered they too had an ability to enjoy a good night out on a weeknight, and of course…
Greek Columbians: A brave Griego move
Billy cotsis is currently exploring the world of the Americas in 80 days, stumbling upon small Greek Communities whenever he looks for feta and ouzo. What takes a Greek from the beauty of Thessaloniki and a beloved football team to the uncharted territory of Columbia? I know what you’re thinking, a plane…. And a desire…
Indian Hellenism: Bactria and the Indo-Greek Kingdom
If you were alive in the fourth century BC, you would have noticed a large number of Hellenic Kingdoms which emerged after the death of Alexander the Great. One of the most unique includes the Greeks of India, which today is a cricket mad nation with a rich cultural identity. The Indo-Greek Kingdom is arguably…
Xenophon, Mithridates and Trebizond, a brief look at Pontus
Pontus is one area of the Hellenic world that conjures pride and sadness at the same time. The charming Greek settlements scattered along the Black Sea in northeast Anatolia and its hinterland made up Pontus. Greek colonists had made their way, far from the Greek heartland around the Seventh and Sixth Centuries BC, with the…
Hercules, a Greek Theatre in Barcelona and the end of the Greek Colonies
Billy Cotsis takes us on a voyage of the Western Mediterranean Greek colonies, cities he has travelled to. One can imagine building a new settlement near your own city, yet the mind goes into overdrive when you think about what the ancient Greeks achieved. Taking members of the polis, engineers, citizens, farmers, scholars and planting…
Asia Minor territories of Bithynia and Paphlogonia
Asia Minor was such an important battle ground in the history of the world, that many a king made a name for themselves on the battlefields in the region. Greek, Persian, Roman, Mongol, Seljuk and many more fought for their nations and their people here. Across the entire coast of Asia Minor and significant tracts…
Parthia Empire: Where Hellenic met Persian
“Out of all the frontiers of the classical world, none has endured as long in the poetic imagination of both European and Asian alike as the Greco-Parthian Kingdom. In its humble beginnings, the ancient Hellenistic state was sheltered from both barbarian nomads in the steppes by mountains to the north, and from the Seleucids by…
Parthia Empire: Where Hellenic met Persian
“Out of all the frontiers of the classical world, none has endured as long in the poetic imagination of both European and Asian alike as the Greco-Parthian Kingdom. In its humble beginnings, the ancient Hellenistic state was sheltered from both barbarian nomads in the steppes by mountains to the north, and from the Seleucids by…
Fournoi island, where Poseidon and paradise meet
Greece never ceases to amaze, be it the sunsets, parea, idyllic beaches and the nights that can sometimes merge into day and vice versa as all sense of time gets lost. The sense of losing oneself or losing that sense of time, well that happens often in places such as Fournoi. Before you ask where…
From Athens to London and everywhere in between, Top Ten cities that a renown Traveller has visited
Billy Cotsis has been to almost 70 countries and 90 Greek islands. Here he explains his ten best cities outside of Australia…. Every city, no matter how big or small, wherever it is on our planet is special to someone. Most places are special and pulling a list together is always going to be subjective….
Jason, the Argonauts and the Greeks of Georgia
Billy Cotsis met some of the Greeks of Georgia and was inspired by the leadership of the Greek community and the best Greek restaurant, Pontia, in the Caucasus/Black Sea region. We all know about Jason and the Argonauts – a group of buffed up men who went on an epic voyage in 1200 BC. The…
From my papou who never had a VOICE in Asia Minor to Constitutional recognition, why I am voting for Aboriginal people
Billy Cotsis with input from First Nations young person and leader, Joshua Staines I bill myself as a writer and good bloke, but the truth is I spent half my working life helping people. No, not six months! At least a dozen years working on community projects ranging from helping refugees to young people. The…
Hellenistic Age: Lysimachus, Pergamon, the Attalids and Asia Minor after Alexander
Billy Cotsis explores the Greek kingdoms which existed after Alexander, having once written a book about these kingdoms starting from the Hellenistic Era. This time he discusses some of the generals, also known as the Diadochi, and their claims to the empire of Makedon and the role Asia Minor played when the empire of Alexander…
From Adams to Biden, US presidents who spoke Greek
Billy Cotsis takes a look at those presidents who spoke some form level of Greek with surprise revelations “We haven’t had a Greek in the White House, but now we have Joe Bidenopoulos,” the then-vice president Biden told a 2009 Greek Independence Day celebration. He went on to tell the crowd that he is “an honorary…
More nations need to recognise genocide, starting with the Armenian Genocide
In 2015, I visited the Greek Community of Armenia and met a number of inspiring people such as Dr Marina Mkhitaryan who has dedicated her life to photographing and capturing the Hellenic people of Armenian lands, and Mr Khitarov, president of the Greek community. While I enjoyed the Greek elements and towns, I was also…
The Greek Heartland City-States post Alexander
A range of leagues existed during the Hellenistic era. As rival Greek monarchs sought to destroy each other, it is worth mentioning the key alliances in the Greek heartland. It is worth deflating the myth that no prominent Greek city-states survived past Alexander. To start with let us look at the smaller league that existed…
Hellenic Travels to the Past 