Nestled at the foot of the mountain leading to the village of Pellana is the simple, unpretentious house of Peter Adamis. Over the years, he modified and improved the dwelling which had been built by his parents over a stable in which Peter and his brother were born. It became his second home.
Home of Peter Adamis, Pellana, Lakonia, 2017
However, nestled on this piece of land are more than just a house and a vegetable garden; it also holds the inspirational and emotional Hellenic ANZAC Memorial Gardens. This stands as a tribute to those of Greek heritage who served in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and is a crowning achievement of Peter’s legacy.
Peter in his beloved Hellenic Anzac Gardens Memorial Site, 2019My cousin, Joanne (left) and me in the Gardens, 2023
The site was conceived by Peter and hand built, rock by rock, by Peter himself and his devoted friends. “This project became a source of purpose and fulfillment, allowing me to honour those who had come before me and to contribute to something greater than myself,” Peter wrote.1 “[It allowed] me to channel my energy into something meaningful. It gave me a sense of purpose and connection to my heritage, as well as a way to honour the legacy of those who had sacrificed for our freedom. This endeavour was not just about creating a monument; it was about building bridges between cultures and fostering understanding.”
The culture of Pellana has long been a focal point of Peter’s intensive studies. His historical research of Pellana’s consequential place in the Hellenic story is legendary among his friends and local villagers. During my visit in 2017, he took me on a tour of ancient Pellana ruins. With insight and intellectuality that revealed years of research, he shared facts and hypotheses, stories and anecdotes about Mycean tombs, Menelaus and Helen, history and folklore.
Ancient Pellana sites
Born in Pellana and raised in Australia, Peter has melded his two cultures into one remarkable life. He is a prolific and thoughtful writer who has authored over 20 books and many personal narratives. All are hosted on his Abalinx website and available as free pdf downloads. A link to the webpage listing his books is here; click on an image to access the book.
This website hosts Peter’s books, writings, and musings Explore its rich collections via the dropdown menus at the top
Peter’s years of deep research into the history of Pellana from ancient times to present is now published in Pellana, a book available here.
A companion volume, Pellana and Travellers in the Peloponnese, can be downloaded here.
Peter’s historical writings and personal reflections reveal the soul of a man who yearns to “record as much as I can for future generations.”2 For this, and for dedicating this season of his life to lifting and memorializing others, I honor him as a dear friend. We are kindred spirits.
Peter Adamis and Carol Kostakos Petranek, Pellana, 2017
When our Greek ancestors left their rural villages to escape poverty and pursue opportunities in America, they entered strange and bewildering new worlds in cities such as Chicago and New York. Those who left first, the “pioneers,” paved the way to assist their compatriots who followed. They learned rudimentary English, found employment and housing, and determined how to navigate legal systems and political alliances. They became the primary “links” in the ever-evolving chain of migration.
One such pioneer was Nicholas Calamaras. He and three brothers were among the earliest men to emigrate from the mountaintop Spartan village of Anavryti. In 1895, they made their way to Bordeaux, France, and from there to New York City. Through ingenuity and industriousness, they accumulated enough money to start their own businesses, send money home, and bring family members to the U.S.
Nicholas Calamaras
Nicholas, however, went one step further. In 1914, he founded and funded an organization to assist newcomers in the bustling New York Greek community: The Greek-American League.
There were many such organizations formed wherever Greeks settled. All aided newcomers by forming the nexus of the immigrant community: organizing a church to practice their Orthodox faith, learning English, catching up on news of their villages, arranging marriages for their sisters/daughters/nieces. However, the Greek-American League – which Nicholas led for 20 years – took one major leap forward: it represented its members in the political arena.
While operating his tiny candy shop in Manhattan, Nicholas was a tireless advocate for the Greek community, extending his influence to local, state and even national politics. Between 1912 and 1934, he worked to support political candidates favorable to Greek issues: law enforcement, business permits, employment, immigration, deportations, export permits, and more. Purporting to represent hundreds of thousands of individuals, churches, businesses and publications, he wielded political power that demanded respect. Although Nicholas did not hold public office, his influence was acknowledged by politicians both locally and nationally until his death in 1939.
Nicholas’ story and the work of The Greek American League would have been lost to history had it not been for two generations of family members who retained his papers. Recently, Dean Calamaras discovered the collection and and set about to catalog and interpret the documents. His work has culminated in the historically important book, The Baron of Second Avenue: Nicholas Calamaras and the Archive of the Greek-American League, A Glimpse into the Greek Immigration Experience in New York.
This book is the first account of the activities of the Greek-American League. It displays the full contents of Nicholas’ archive – correspondence and legal papers 1912-1934, sorted by category, and the writer’s description of their social, historical and political context. Thus, the primary source information in this volume is priceless. Also included are: an annotated Index to all those documents, a separate index of over 100 Greek names appearing in documents, and a selection of pictures highlighting Nicholas’ life and achievements.
Although available on Amazon and at selected bookstores, this paperback book is most economically purchased on the author’s web site: www.calamarasbooks.com for $34.95 + $6.70 shipping.
This volume has enlightened my understanding of the impact of immigrants within their communities, and the power that can be wielded when they are organized and led by a person who is both indominatable and charitable. It is a fascinating read.
I am grateful to Dean for sharing his publication journey with me, and for giving me permission to write this post and print the list of surnames which appear in this book.
Alphabetical Index of Greek Surnames Cited In Documents of the Greek-American League
Alexandrou K Anagnostopoulos Argyrios Anagnostopulos Sp Antovick John Apostolou John Arapis John Bellios Tom Bilitsis P Bilitsis Takis Braun Thom Calamaras George Calamaras P Calamaras Peter Calamaras Speros N Caparell Peter Carrusula G Catsanos N Catsanos Nick Chrisomalis Char Chrisomalis P Theo Chrisomalis William Christin Em Chrysomallis James Euth Chrissomalis Ch Chryssomallis Char S Chryssomallis St Clidas Thomas Cokkalis Apostol Cominos Nicholas Constantino Jamis Coumantaros NS Couvaris Theros Cumantaros George Darmis John Demas Demetreos Dourakos Basiliki Economakis Christ Eleftherion Dimitrios Eliopoulos Sotirio Farmakis Jim Fellouris John Felluris John Gamanos Calias Ganos Milt Garner Takis Garnier Peter Gavaris George Georgiadis P Gerakaris Louis Ghotos Jack Golesteano SM Gregorakos John Gregoriades GI Gregory Steve Kolias N Laskas Em Lelos Athanasios & son Leras J Macrides Christoforos Macrides Margou Macrides Mike Macrides Timocles Makridou Marionga Mangel Gus Manos Steve Memar Ern Mesologites CG Michaelidis Bill Morfogenis Bessie Morghan Nick Nastas John Panafiotis Papanastasiou Pappadopoulos Apostollos Pappadopoulos Nicholas Pappanastatiou D Pappas Nick Pappas Steve Pappas Thom Pappatheodoru John Paranikas Con Pelitsis P. Pottaris Bill Rockas S Rompos John Scopas Tom Spiropoulos Pan Stamoulis Mathew P Stefanides ID Stelakos Panag Theo Stratos Steve Thebner Emanuel Tinger Ch Toskos Ioan Touris SA Tragas Louis Triantafillakos Thom Tsirikos James Tsirikos Louis Tsirikos Theodore Varvalides Theo. Vasiliadis C Vasilades C Vouros Windisch Charles A Zannos Arris Zesefianos Panteles
Today, June 4, is the celebration of Pentecost, an important holiday in the Christian religion and a great feast in the Orthodox Church. It is celebrated fifty days after Easter and gets its name from that number (pente / πέντε). It commemorates the day the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in Jerusalem, after which they were able to speak in tongues.
This morning my cousins took me to church services to one of the most important Byzantine monasteries in Lakonia, the Monastery of the Holy 40 Martyrs (Ιερα Μονη Αγιων Τεσσαρακοντα Μαρτυρων). The monastery takes its name from The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. They were Roman soldiers who, in the year 320, were killed for not renouncing their Christian faith.1 Located by the village of Chrysafa, about 5 miles from Sparta, the Monastery is near the top of a mountain, surrounded by fields and olive trees. The original monastery was in a natural cave, initially founded in 1305 and situated northeast of its present location. It was moved to its present location in the 17th century.
Over time, stone buildings were constructed and the complex grew to meet the needs of an increasing number of monks and priests.
The Metropolis of Sparta designates the interior frescoes as “a miracle of Byzantine painting reaching the limits of high art.1” Painted against stone, their colors have remained vibrant throughout the centuries. Tiny windows filter the light to make the interior ethereal.
During the Ottoman dominion of Greece, the sultan issued a decree which granted the Monastery special privileges and kept it from Muslim desecration. Also, the Monastery possessed a document, Achtanames (testament) of Mohammed, which granted the clergy freedom to practice the Orthodox religion, exempted them from taxes and military duty, and ordered the Muslims to shield them from those who would do harm.2 It was an extraordinary document which ensured the preservation of the Monastery and the protection of its monks and priests.
The importance of the Orthodox Church in Greece cannot be understated. It is not simply a religion, but is a significant source of Greek identity–especially during periods of foreign occupation. Through thousands of years, it has been a driving force in preserving Greek culture, language and history. Its libraries hold manuscript codices and documents of historical value. It operates schools and seminaries, and provides social services such as hospitals, orphanages, and charitable organizations.
The Church played a pivotal role in the Greek Revolution of 1821. It fostered patriotism and unity among the citizens, as well as providing them moral support and spiritual guidance. Priests not only encouraged the fight for liberation, but also fought side-by-side with revolutionaries. Monasteries and churches became hospitals or military headquarters, and sources of income to meet the needs of the armies.
To understand Greeks, we must understand their country’s ties to the Church, its significance in the history of the country, and its role in the everyday lives of its people.
At the bottom of a wooden trunk, beneath piles of dusty documents, lay long-forgotten papers unlocking the history of the Konstantarogiannis family of Toriza, Lakonia. Countless years ago, the trunk was procured by an unknown ancestor and placed in the family home. It was a handy repository for documents, certificates, and military papers. But for dozens of years, its cluttered contents remained untouched, unexplored and unexamined.
As a young lad, George Konstas worked the potato fields of Taygetos with his father, Pericles. While they planted and plowed, Pericles told George of their family—its origins, its people, its struggles.
Pericles Konstantarogiannis working his potato fields in the Taygetos mountains.
George heard the story of four brothers named Theodoros, Stamatakis, Kyriakos, and Pangiotis who, after Ibrahim’s invasion of the Peloponnese, left their mountain village of Manari, Gortynias, Arkadia and settled in equally mountainous Toriza, 10 kilometers from Xirokampi. Panagiotis was George’s forefather.
Pericles told George of ancestors who supported the 1770 Orloff Revolt, part of Russian Empress Catherine the Great’s failed “Greek Plan” and precursor to the Greek War of Independence. “My father knew these stories, but he never told me that we had documents explaining the family roots,” George related. “He probably hid the documents from previous family members. And sometimes my father confused the events because he had heard the stories handed down from his parents and relatives.”
George was taught by others, as well. “In the evenings, the older people told stories,” he recalled. “We had no electricity, no television, no entertainment, so they talked and I listened. But I thought these were myths, not true facts.”
Despite his skepticism, George was fascinated by his family’s history. As an adult, he began to record all the tales heard during his lifetime. As he wrote, his interest escalated into a passion to preserve what he had been told. He knew that if he did not do so, the history of his family would be forever lost.
When George’s daughter chose to marry in Toriza in 2007, the extended family returned to their village. Coming from America and Canada, they gathered at their childhood home which by then had been willed to them by their parents.
Konstantarogiannis (Konstas) siblings in front of the “old” family home, 2007
The siblings deliberated its disposition. Nobody wanted to sell it, but taxes needed to be paid and other matters settled. George decided to buy his brothers’ shares and he became the sole owner. As people wandered through its rooms, taking items for keepsakes, the wooden trunk was rediscovered. Opening its lid, George found a jumbled mix of papers, many stained and dirty. Too overwhelmed to examine them there, George packed and took the contents to his house in Virginia.
Many of the documents were in almost irreparable condition: torn, water stained, faded, moldy. As he sorted through them, George found a wallet. Folded inside was a disintegrated envelope inscribed with the words, OLD DOCUMENTS BEFORE 1819. He was astounded when he extracted yellowed, crinkled papers dated 1800, 1812, 1819 and 1833. And one dated 1741!
This document dated 27 December 1741 reveals the names of the four brothers– Theodorakis, Panagiotis, Stamatakis, and Kyriakos–who received an inheritance from their father and split up their fortune. They were from Manari and came to Toriza. This is the exact story George’s father described. It was not a myth; it was true.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION 1741 27 December Ntoriza (Doriza) Today we decided the four brothers, Panagiotis and Theodoris and Kyriakis and Stamatakis, that from today we have split the houses of our father and Kyriakis and Stamatakis took our father’s old house and Panagiotis and Theodoris took our father’s new house the two of them and truly split with my brother Panagioti that house and he gave me for my half, grosia twenty-one (ie 21) and so the aforementioned Panagiotis is the owner to do as he pleases and I, Theodoris will be a stranger and estranged, also to designate the bottom floors of the house just as the old house has so to the new house over here; where we split, all the brothers, down the middle. And for the certified truth we gave our word onto the signatures of these trusted witnesses. I, Mustafaspaïs (Mustafa-Sipahi was a feudal cavalryman), was present and witnessed it Giannis Papadakis witnessed everything above Liakos Arvanitakis witnessed it Giorgiakis Sgoupis witnessed it Anagnostes (Church reader) Sgoupis I was present and witnessed it Anagnostes (Church reader) of Gianni Sgoupis witnessed it (the writer of this document) Giorgiakis Sgoupis I was present and witnessed it Liakos Stathakis I was present and witnessed it
Above each image is a description of the documents from the early 1800’s:
1800 September – Lease agreement signed at Mystra for the Koumpari Monastery lands:
1812 December 22 – exhaustive dowry list of Georgina Stilimina for her adopted daughter/grandaughter, Maria:
1819 January 15 – An agreement between the villagers of Paleopanagia and the Turk-Albanians from Boliana in the mountains to direct water for irrigation purposes to the village:
1833 – A decree asking citizens to register their lands and how they came to own them from the newly formed government after independence:
“When I found these documents, I took the stories from the relatives and put them in order. There was so much information. Much of the writing we could not translate because it was in the old Greek language not used today,” George said. I asked if the 1741 document gave the surname of the four brothers. He explained, “They had no last name, so they were known as Anagnostos which means uneducated. Turks did not allow Christian or family names. During those times, people took names from prophets of the Bible, kings and queens, or ancient Greek heroes. And children went to the churches to learn Greek secretly.”
Also in the trunk was an amazing discovery—two documents, from 1751, written in Ottoman script!
First document and its translation:
Second document and its translation:
Translation of Ottoman script requires an expert. Although George had Turkish friends, they could not read the writing. In a unique coincidence, George knew of a man who worked as a translator for the Turkish government. George sent him the documents, and with great interest, the translator called George to ask how he had obtained them. After the documents were converted from Ottoman to modern Turkish, a teacher in Istanbul translated them from modern Turkish into English.
“Those documents and the true stories helped me to make the tree of my family,” George stated.
As he conducted further research in the areas of Paleopanagia and Xirokampi, George discovered the current day surnames of the four brothers:
Theodoros’ descendants: Laspitis from Riviotissa, Sparta
Stamatakis’ descendants: Nastakos from Paleopanagia
Kyriakos’ descendants: Kyriakakos from Xirokampi
Panagiotis’ descendants: Konstantarogiannis from Paleopanagia
George’s lifetime of work is now preserved in two books: The first is the history of the family from 1650-1821, and the second is from 1821 to present day. The books are written in his own handwriting, in Greek. With the help of his daughter, they will be translated into English. “I wrote these for my grandchildren, my daughters, and my family in the U.S. There are people we have not yet met, but they too will be able to learn the roots of the family,” George explained. Digital copies have already been sent to family members.
I had the privilege of meeting George on November 19 at St. Katherine’s Greek Orthodox Church in Falls Church, Virginia, where I was invited to give a presentation. He brought his books and we reviewed them, page by page. I was completely absorbed in learning of his stories and how he has preserved his family’s history. I remain both awed and thrilled with the meticulous and detailed work he has done. His work brings recognition and honor to his ancestors, especially to his parents, Pericles and Christophile, and his grandparents, Konstantinos and Amalia.
George understood the urgency in making sure the original documents were in a safe place where they would be accessible and preserved for future generations. I am so very pleased that he gave the originals and copies of his books to the Sparta office of the General State Archives of Greece. They are now safely stored and available for researchers to learn the origins of Konstantarogiannis and the other families descended from the four brothers, as well as to have access to rare documents from pre-independent Greece.
George’s passion is both infectious and inspiring. He helped me recognize that we have only a sliver of our ancestors’ stories, and that we must not give up the search. We never know what we will find, or where we will stumble upon new information that will help us understand those who came before us. Somewhere, there may be a trunk in your family.
I am deeply grateful to both George and his daughter, Christophile, for giving permission to publish this story. And especially, I give a huge thank you to George who drove two hours from his home to meet me that day at St. Katherine’s. Somehow, he just knew we needed to connect, and that his story needed to be shared!
The horrors of the Axis occupation of Greece (1941-1945) are beyond the comprehension, and understanding, of those who did not experience it. Military and political factors divided both country and family. The execution of thousands is a well-documented fact, and the loss of these individuals has forever changed the lives of their families.
This post is not to debate history and politics, but to remember the men and women who were executed in Mystras on October 10-11, 1944. These are not just names, but members of our families. One of them is my cousin, Panagiotis Grigoris Kostakos, of Agios Ioannis.
Panagiotis Grigorios Kostakos, circa 1942
Panagiotis’ granddaughter, Panorea, sent me an article, The Battle of Mystra, October 10-11, 1944, which describes in detail the horrific events of that day. The Greek version can be accessed here, and the English translation here. Following is a brief synopsis of this article and the names of the casualties. Twenty four of twenty-eight young men executed were from my village of Agios Ioannis. An additional thirty-seven civilian men and women from villages surrounding Mystras were killed. May their memories be eternal.
The civil battle of Mystra occurred about 40 days after the withdrawal of the Nazi troops from Laconia. During World War II, Right and Left political parties developed in Greece, with radically different perspectives regarding the Italian-German occupation.
Right wing Security Battalion guards (Τάγματα Ασφαλείας, TA) arose in the spring and summer of 1944 against left wing EAM/ELAS guerillas. Conflicts between these parties had already begun in the summer of 1943, and escalated after Italy pulled out of Greece in September 1943. In most prefectures of the Peloponnese, the TA and EAM had limited interactions until after the Nazi withdrawal one year later in October 1944. But this was not the case in Lakonia, where EAM set up prisoner camps for”reactionary” individuals in Arna, Geraki, Georgitsi, Kremasti, Socha, Barsinikos, Tripi and the Monastery of Giatrissa (Mani).
Between January and August 1944, dozens of battles took place between ELAS and TA at various locations in Lakonia. The homes of ELAS and TA members were looted and burned by opposing forces, and reprisals taken against their families. When the Germans departed on September 3, 1944, the 800-man TA of Sparta moved to the castle of Mystras. Hundreds of local civilians who feared for their lives followed them.
An ELAS attack on Mystras, using light weapons, began the morning of October 10. Thirty ELAS fighters were killed. The next day, ELAS fired cannons onto the castle and mortars into the city, causing many civilian casualities. The TA called for a truce on the afternoon of October 11. An agreement was reached with the following terms:
The TA was to hand over the weapons in the morning of the next day (October 12),
Thirty TA leaders, military and civilian, were to remain in the Mystras Castle under guard until judged for their actions by representatives of the Greek government,
All other officers and soldiers of the TA, as well as civilians, were to be released to return to their homes. No executions of battalion officers or civilians were to be committed.
The representatives of ELAS refused to draw up a document of the agreement, instead giving “the word of their military honor.” The next day, the TA’s delivered their weapons to ELAS but no men were released. Instead, they were marched to the “Bezestini,” an arena in Mystras. Along the route, riots broke out and people were killed.
Meanwhile, a platoon of TAs was stationed at Prophet Ilias in the Taygetos. When they were notified that the TA agreed to surrender their weapons, they descended from their outpost to Mystra. Their march was interrupted by ELAS guerrillas, who persuaded them to hand over their weapons to them, instead of going down to Mystra. After doing so, the ELAS forces tied them up and led them back to prison in Xerovouna, where the TA were locked up in a small farmhouse. Then, taking one by one ostensibly for interrogation, ELAS tortured and executed them all.
Photo of some of the 28 victims before they were thrown into a mass grave. The photowas taken by an ELAS guerrilla. From the article, Battle of Mystras.
These civilian women and men were also executed in Mystras:
Spartan Roots (Σπαρτιατικές Ρίζες) 