The Greek Community of Melbourne will present a lecture entitled "Kastellorizo and its gold", at the Hellenic Centre, on Thursday 9 May 2024, as part of the Greek History and Culture Seminar series. With speaker Nikos Vogiatzis, this event will explore Kastellorizo's fascinating past, focusing on its commercial history and cultural significance.
Kastellorizo has a special history of prosperity and destruction. With no fertile soil or water it supported a population of 9.000 through trade. Trade brought with it opportunity and wealth, reflected in houses, clothing and jewelry. Gold was the medium of trade and the mirror of social status on the island. Trade also brought new ideas that helped create a strong cultural identity. This identity appears to have carried over to many of the Kastellorizos immigrants to Australia. Many emigrated before the island was destroyed. They brought with them objects that today constitute an important cultural archive of the island, their photographs, traditional clothing and jewelry – an unrecorded archive found in individual families.
The family of Nikos Vogiatzis was part of the Kastellorizi diaspora at the beginning of the twentieth century. He maintained a keen interest in the island, with particular emphasis on its social history. He has published 'Kastellorizian Jewellery. A Dispersed Archive of a Past Culture', and with Dr Nicholas G Pappas AM 'An Island in Time. Castellorizo in Photographs 1890-1948". He lives in Canberra and visits the island regularly.
When: Thursday, May 9, 7pm
Where: Greek Centre, Mezzanine, 168 Lonsdale St., Melbourne
source: Stavros Messinis
