ANCIENT AND CONTEMPORARY IN EASTERN EUROPE

When men visit Eastern Europe, they most of the time visit Greece. Many times they
visit Romania [North Moldavia] but Greece is a main attraction for world wide map setting.
A famous visitor of Greece was Sorbonne graduate Jean Bies. Jean Bies a French philosopher
has written a book of Greece that is very famous today in Europe. 1 In this books which is
written some 47 years ago is a very much one of the best books written on Greece probably
in all the times. Bies writes down his memories as a young man who for the first time has
encountered Hellenic orthodoxy in the recluse monasteries of Mont Athos. Contrary to the
many modern western European trends, Jean Bies was very much positive in his encounter
with Greece and mostly with Mont Athos who he finds is a unique spot.
In the year 2006 I had for the first time the chance to read the book of Mr. Jean Bies.
As one who I am familiar with Eastern Europe I could not forget the times in the past 20th
century when west and east in Europe were separated. Realities in the 21 st century Europe
are no longer the realities from the times when Mr. Jean Bies has visited Eastern Europe
from France.
Greece and Romania are very much countries that are a part of the eastern European
area. France and England as well Spain are Western Europe. I must address here that I am
not a historian. My notions of European history are very much general. But I must address
here that to speck of the term “ancient” is the case of Europe is not something that has to
create discomfort for us. It is very sure that there is an ancient Europe. Ancient Europe is for
modern Hellenics the Greece of Homer.2 Basically, we can address that Homer’s poetry and
ideals are very much definitive for the eastern European ancient past. What is to do today
when as we know Homer is long time gone and we are living in the cyberspace area?
Well first of all we must remember Homer and his times. The times of Homer were
very much common for both Romania and Greece. Can we learn something from Homer? To
this question there are many historians that actually give a positive answer. Homer can be
considered from many points of view a main exponent of the ancient European mentality.
Homer is today a person that eventually we remember when we visit a museum or an
internet site that gives us very broad notions of his times. But we must remember that this
was not the case in ancient Greece or ancient Eastern Europe. In ancient Eastern Europe
Homer was a modern Dan Brown so to say. He was very much read. Homer was in Eastern
Europe a best sold author. His Illiad and Odyssey were very much some of the best works of
literature of ancient Eastern Europe.
If it is to go back in time we will see that there is not much similarity with what we
have today. As contemporary fellows we have the duty to remember the past. This is why
history classes in our schools have their importance. First we must remember that we must
know well our history. Eastern European history is hiding and can learn us many tings.
As Mr. Jean Bies from France has addressed, Eastern Europe is a fascinating area. This
area has created orthodoxy and very much the so called academic discipline Balkanizing
civilization. Many of us we don’t like to be called Balkan inhabitants. 3 But we must
remember that each area in the world has its own special traces. Ancient Balkan living is
1
Jean Bies, Mont Athos, the burning mountain, (Paris, 1963).
2
http://library.thinkquest.org/19300/data/homer.htm.
3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkans.

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not the same with modern Balkan living.
For Greece and Romania is very necessary to define that living in the Balkan area is
not very much something low if it is to know very well our past. Our Balkan past is very
much a past of great historical content. Migrations in the Balkan area have made very much
our past subject to controversies and different claims.
We must know that most Romanians don’t consider themselves a Balkan culture. This
is not very much the case of Greece. Most Romanians think that are somehow beyond
Balkans. As I have said Balkans is an area that concerns us in as much as in this area we
live and exist. What we are confronted today most of the time is a so called enmity
between east and west, Occidental and Oriental Europe. Occidental Europe starting with the
Middle Ages has created some kind of “definitive separation” between east and west.
Unifying Europe is a very difficult thing that we witness. In the tradition of Europe each one
wants to be the most known and the best seen among the rest. As modern statistics show
there are some 65 countries today in Europe.4 Greece and Romania are thus just a small
territory.
We must know that due to the many migrations in our area post and great ancient
thinkers such has Homer for instance are no longer seen as something constitutive to the
European mentality. In fact many of us we don’t really know if Homer was Hellenic or
Egyptian. The thinking and ideas of Homer have actually founded ancient Greece. Modern
Greece is founded on new Hellenism and some other cultural ideals [some of them were
shaped in the 20th century by Nikos Kazantzakis and his philosophical school of thought].5
We can ask where was Romania at the time of ancient times? Romania was at the
times of ancient times in the process of formation of Dacia. Thus ancient in eastern
European understanding has a very broad meaning. We know for sure that Homer and his
times belong to the past and what we understand by eastern European antiquity. This
period of time was very productive from many points of view. From this period of time we
have the famous epistles of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians.6
Writing on ancient eastern European times is very difficult from many points of view.
We must address here that we cannot overcome the past by denial. Thus there is no lack of
honesty in being a Balkan inhabitant. As there are honest inhabitants in the alpine area so
there can be honest inhabitants in our area. We must recall with all due attention that our
calling is for unity and mutual understanding. As eastern Europeans we are called to create
a unitary European mentality. We are called to overcome divisions and most of the time
hatred. We are all human beings and we are all subject to mistakes.
It is very actual who we understated the notion of European friendship. If fact we will
see that in Europe today there are many nominal friendships. Many of us the Europeans we
live as much as we don’t want to deal one with the other. The rich and powerful countries
many times live as much as they are the only one who exist. The year 1989 was a year that
we all can remember that was a very conflicting year. In fact many times I don’t wish to
recall what was 1989 for Europe.
Today we must stress the necessity of creating honest friendships between our
countries and areas. These friendships can be created too at a historical level based on the
4
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_and_dependent_territories_in_Europe.
5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikos_Kazantzakis.
6
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/195896/history-of-Europe/276545/Late-antiquity-the-
reconfiguration-of-the-Roman-world.

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common notion of “ancient European history.” We have a common reason to address the
need for creating lasing friendships. Greece are Romania has a long friendship. This
friendship is attested since the times of Alexander Macedon.
For those who know the values of the ancient, Greece is great treasure and a great
depositary of knowledge. It would be enough to recall the Corinthian past and life. At his
times Corinthian life was a model for all Eastern Europe. Times are new today and we don’t
face the same realities. For many the times of Corinth and the times of ancient Hellenic and
Dacian communities are non/existent.
We must know well the past and in the same time we must preserve that past and
mostly what is positive from the past. There is lots of positive things in the past of eastern
Europe. The Iliad and Odyssey times, the times of the Dacian sport contests are today just
part of our history books.
As great intellectual show to us history has the vocation to unite us and to bring us
together. The past history that exists between Greece and Romania and as well the rest of
the Balkan area must keep us attune with our common roots. We have many things to
make in our Balkan area. There are thing to make clear many times at a geographical point
of view. Thus for instance we know of the Cyprus existence which is a Hellenic land at
present. Romania has not expressed a very clear position as far as Cyprus is concerned this
is so mainly do to the fact that Cyprus is an island area. As we know Greece has many
islands. In this sense, Romania trusts Greece that has a sea country can administer well
Cyprus. In the last times Cyprus is a major European destination. We know that in the past
there were many debates as far as Cyprus is concerned. Europe has a part at the
Mediterranean sea, the same sea where Cyprus is located. Cyprus area is a Hellenic area
and we hope it would remain this way.7
Radu Theodorescu

7
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprus.