CHICAGO – In celebration of the Bicentennial of the Greek Revolution of 1821, the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) is teaming up with the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Department of Classics and Mediterranean Studies, the Embassy of Greece in the United States, the Consulate General of Greece in Chicago, and the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago to present a four-part series titled Philhellenism through the Ages.

This series of discussions will explore the influence of Hellenic culture from antiquity to the present, and will look at the role Philhellenism played in the formation of the modern Greek state.

The series begins with Loving Greece in Rome: Hellenic Culture in an Age of Empire on Sunday, February 7, 3 PM ET / 2 PM CT.

Each discussion will be featured live on HALC's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/HellenicLeaders.

In the first conversation, Loving Greece in Rome: Hellenic Culture in an Age of Empire, Young Richard Kim will discuss with Mary Boatwright, Professor Emerita of Classical Studies, Duke University, the impact of Greek culture on the Romans, especially on the emperors Nero and Hadrian. The event will also explore how Philhellenism in the Roman Empire elicited complex and at times contradictory responses among the Romans. The same might be said of attitudes toward the Greeks in the time of the Revolution.

The series continues on March 14 with Anthony Kaldellis, followed by Roderick Beaton on April 11, and concludes with Maureen Santelli on May 16.