On June 22, the eminent university professor and Byzantinologist, Hélène Glykatzi-Ahrweiler will give a lecture on the Byzantine civilisation during the years of life of Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), at the Italian Institute in Athens.

The lecture commemorates 750 years since the birth of Italy’s major poet of the late Middle Ages.

During Dante’s life (13th century), the Byzantine Empire was in decline and the capital, Constantinople had already suffered the siege of 1204 by Latin crusaders.

The invaders looted the city for three days, during which, many ancient and medieval Roman and Greek works were either stolen or destroyed.

The lecture is jointly organised by the International Commission for the History of Representative and Parliamentary Institutions and receives the support of the Greek chapter of the Societa’ Dante Alighieri [The Dante Alighieri Society].