The Greeks were never what the Germans thought of them
"The Greeks were never what the Germans thought of them" On the criticism of philhellenism For a long time "Greece" was the projection screen for idealized ideas. But what made the Philhellenes so special? And what about philhellenism today? Caricatures are currently playing an aggressive to mean role in Greek-German relations. May I help you look at an older caricature by my friend Kostas Mitropulos? [1] A delighted, laughing man in antique hoplite armor stands on the right: round shield with meander pattern, breastplate, the open storm helmet, greaves and hand spear are easy to see. The gaze and the words are directed towards the person opposite, identified by their cap, black hair and mustache as the prototype of a Greek named Jorgos, Kostas or Jannis, whose gaze seems somewhat perplexed. The former applies the ancient Greek sentence Άνδρα μοι έννεπε μούσα πολύτροπον ... ’to the latter, whereupon the razor-sharp conclusion: ah German - that can only be a German.