On September 20th at 2:00 PM CST

 

The World Hellenic Diaspora

a project of the Hellenic Cultural Center of the Southwest and its Member Organizations - Houston TX

&

The General Secretariat for Public Diplomacy & Greeks Abroad of the Ministry of Foreign affairs  of Greece - Athens Greece

 

In Cooperation With:

The Municipality of Salamis - Salamina, Greece

The Federation of Hellenic Medical Societies of North America - New York, NY

The Hellenic Medical Society of New York - New York, NY

The Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce - New York, NY

The Federation of Hellenic American Organizations of Illinois "Enosis" - Chicago, IL

The Federation of Hellenic American Organizations of New Jersey - Voorhees,  NJ  

The Panhellenic Federation of Florida - Tampa, FL

The Federation of the Lesvos Island Societies of America and Canada - New York, NY

The Pan Arcadian Federation of America - Chicago, IL

The Pancretan Association of America - New York, NY

The Pan Greek American teacher's Federation - New York, NY

Federation Of Hellenic Societies Of Greater New York - New York, NY

National Hellenic Society - Washington DC

The International Hellenic Association -  Claymont, DE

Canadian Hellenic Congress - Montreal Canada

Federation Of Hellenic American Societies Of Southern California - Los Angeles CA

 

 

Will celebrate the 2500 anniversary of the naval battle of Salamis that took place on the 22 of September 480 BC

 

The naval battle of Salamis is one of the most important historic landmarks around the world. It was then that the outnumbered Greeks mustered their spirit and intelligence, stood strong and defended not only their territory but also their civilization, their universe of values, and their world-view from the foreign invader. A universe of values for collective life and the democracy that they had started to shape and that they had to protect at all costs.

The strategic importance of the battle resembles the outcome of other battles that marked the flow of world history. It shows that coalitions can be impressive force multipliers, despite their often convoluted decision-making process. It is also a telling reminder of the capacity of the Hellenic nation to work miracles against the strongest enemies, despite its small size.

2500 years ago the Greek youth of Classical Antiquity proved worthy of their brave ancestors. The sacrifice of many of them at the time marked the birthday of Western Civilization whose attachment to Liberty, Democracy, Humanity, and Fair Play contrasts sharply with the Absolutism, Expansionism and Protectionism throughout history.

Today, on the 2,500 anniversary of this historic battle, Greece reminds the world of its role as European and universal civilization’s gatekeeper.

The spirit of Salamis lives on, it will always inspire us.

Join us to learn more...

 

The schedule of the event includes short messages from:

• The President of HCC-SW Yannis Remediakis,
• The Secretary-General for Public Diplomacy and Greeks Abroad of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Professor Emeritus John Chrysoulakis,
• The House Representative candidate Nicole Malliotakis,
• The US State Senator Mr. Lou Raptakis,
• The Mayor of Salamis, Mr. George Panagopoulos,
• His Excellency Dimitrios Iliopoulos, Ambassador ret., Former EU Representative to the International Organizations in Geneva (UN) and the Hague, Member of the Board of the Hellenic Institute of Strategic Studies - HELISS,
• Mr. Zisis Fotakis, Assistant Professor of Naval History at the Hellenic Naval Academy, Sector of Humanities and Political Sciences,

• Tiffani Mezitis, Student and President of Greek Club at Hunter College High School in New York City

 

The lectures will be in English

Subtitles will be available in:

 

Greek English  French German

Italian Russian Spanish

To watch the event, when its time, click http://bit.ly/salamis2500 

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Some technical tips: 

This event will be aired using Microsoft Teams.  

If you plan to attend the event from your phone or tablet you must download the Microsoft teams app ahead of time. 

for iPhones and iPads go to the Apple store

for android phones and tablets got to Google Play 

 

If you plan to watch from your desktop or laptop:

If you  have the Teams App you can watch from it

If you do not have it either you watch from a browser or you can download it for a better experience.

 

The platform will open 30 minutes ahead. The presentations will begin promptly at 2:00 PM CST. Check your local time here: Time Zone Converter

Please sign up early to avoid any connection issues. 

 

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Short History of the battle

 

The Battle of Salamis Ancient Greek: Ναυμαχία τῆς Σαλαμῖνος, was a naval battle fought between an alliance of Greek city-states under Themistocles, and the Persian Empire under King Xerxes in 480 BC. It resulted in a decisive victory for the outnumbered Greeks. The battle was fought in the straits between the mainland and Salamis, an island in the Saronic Gulf near Athens, and marked the high point of the second Persian invasion of Greece.

To block the Persian advance, a small force of Greeks blocked the pass of Thermopylae, while an Athenian-dominated Allied navy engaged the Persian fleet in the nearby straits of Artemisium. In the resulting Battle of Thermopylae, the rearguard of the Greek force was annihilated, whilst in the Battle of Artemisium, the Greeks had heavy losses and retreated after the loss at Thermopylae. This allowed the Persians to conquer Phocis, Boeotia, Attica, and Euboea. The Allies prepared to defend the Isthmus of Corinth while the fleet was withdrawn to nearby Salamis Island.

Although heavily outnumbered, the Greek Allies were persuaded by the Athenian general Themistocles to bring the Persian fleet to battle again, in the hope that a victory would prevent naval operations against the Peloponnese. The Persian king Xerxes was also eager for a decisive battle. As a result of subterfuge on the part of Themistocles, the Persian navy rowed into the Straits of Salamis and tried to block both entrances. In the cramped conditions of the Straits, the great Persian numbers were an active hindrance, as ships struggled to maneuver and became disorganized. Seizing the opportunity, the Greek fleet formed in line and scored a decisive victory.

Xerxes retreated to Asia with much of his army, leaving Mardonius to complete the conquest of Greece. However, the following year, the remainder of the Persian army was decisively beaten at the Battle of Plataea and the Persian navy at the Battle of Mycale. The Persians made no further attempts to conquer the Greek mainland. These battles of Salamis and Plataea thus mark a turning point in the course of the Greco-Persian wars as a whole; from then onward, the Greek poleis would take the offensive.

Source: Wikipedia.org