With its vibrant culture, scenic coastlines, and affordable lifestyle, Greece has become a prime destination for remote workers. If you're planning to live and work here, you’ll likely choose between two main paths: the Digital Nomad Visa and the Digital Nomad Residence Permit. Here's how to decide which suits your goals best.

	Digital Nomad Visa	Digital Nomad Residence Permit
Validity	Up to 12 months	Two years (renewable)
Application Point	From abroad via a Greek consulate	From within Greece
Best For	Short stays, flexibility	Long-term plans, family relocation
Conversion	Can convert to residence permit before expiry	N/A

Ideal for short-term remote work stays, the Digital Nomad Visa (Type D) allows you to live in Greece for up to 12 months while working for foreign employers or clients. It's designed for flexibility, with the option to renew annually or convert to a residence permit.

• Easy to apply from abroad
• Suitable for remote workers testing the waters in Greece
• No commitment to permanent relocation
• Potential tax benefits (depending on stay duration and tax residency)

• Proof of non-Greek employment or business
• Minimum income of €3,500/month (plus 20% for a spouse, 15% per child)
• Valid health insurance and clean criminal record
• Declaration of intent to work remotely while living in Greece
• Health Certificate that assures good health and absence of certain diseases.

For those ready to stay longer, the Digital Nomad Residence Permit offers a more permanent solution. Often, applicants arrive in Greece under a visa waiver or Schengen visa and apply from within the country.

• Valid for two years, renewable
• Ideal for families or those seeking stability
• Can be a step toward permanent residency
• Avoids dealing with consulates abroad

• Remote employment (non-Greek source)
• Minimum income of €3,500/month, with an increase for dependents.
• Proof of housing in Greece (rental lease or property ownership)
• Comprehensive health insurance
• Financial documents proving stability may be required

• You’re planning to stay under a year
• You prefer applying before arriving in Greece
• You're still exploring long-term possibilities

• You’re aiming for a multi-year stay
• You want a solution that accommodates family
• You’re already in Greece and want to apply locally

Can I work for a Greek company on either permit?

No. Both options are strictly for remote work with employers/clients outside Greece.

Will I pay taxes in Greece?

If you stay less than 183 days/year, you may not become a tax resident. Longer stays could change that. It's best to consult a tax advisor.

Can I bring my family?

Yes, but your monthly income must increase to cover dependents. The residence permit generally offers better support for families.

How long does processing take?

The visa can take a few weeks after your consulate appointment. Residence permits often grant a temporary approval within 15 days, with full processing taking a few months.

Whether you’re planning a short-term remote work stay or laying down roots in Greece, Expat Law is here to make the legal side simple. They handle the paperwork, permits, and everything in between—so you can focus on your next adventure!

Have questions? Contact Kyveli Zachou today at kyveli@expatlaw.gr or get in touch with us to explore your options!

Inheriting property in Greece can be a meaningful asset but it’s not without complications, especially for non-residents. Thankfully, recent legal updates now allow many steps to be handled remotely, through legal representation. Whether you're accepting or rejecting an inheritance, it’s important to understand the legal framework and act quickly to protect your rights and avoid unwanted liabilities.

Your first—and most important—step is to work with a lawyer who specializes in Greek inheritance law. Today, your lawyer can act entirely on your behalf, submitting all required documents directly to the court without needing a notary. That means you don’t need to travel to Greece to handle the process.

• Identify what assets and debts are part of the estate
• Advise whether it’s smarter to accept or reject
• Prepare and submit all necessary court declarations

Knowing what you’re inheriting is critical. Your lawyer will evaluate:

• Properties, bank accounts, and other assets
• Any outstanding debts tied to the estate

If the estate is burdened with significant debt, you may want to consider rejecting it, or accept it with a legal safeguard called “benefit of inventory.”

The process: Instead of going through a notary, your lawyer now files the official acceptance documents directly with the court, a recent change in Greek law that speeds up the process.

Your role: Once you’ve decided to accept, your lawyer handles all filings and interactions with the court, making it possible to complete the process without setting foot in Greece.

What it means: If the estate has debts, you can accept “with the benefit of inventory,” which limits your liability to the value of the assets. This way, your personal wealth is protected.

Pros and cons: It’s a smart option for high-risk inheritances. Your lawyer will file the inventory directly with the court, replacing the old notary-based process.

What to expect: Greek inheritance tax depends on the heir’s relationship to the deceased and the estate’s total value. Tax declarations must be filed, and any taxes paid, before the process is complete.

What your lawyer will do: They’ll file the tax paperwork on your behalf, ensure compliance, and help you avoid penalties—all while keeping the process as smooth and timely as possible.

If the estate is burdened with debts or complications, rejecting it might be the safer option. Here’s how that works:

What’s involved: Your lawyer can file a rejection notice directly with the Greek court. This must be done within 4 months of being notified—or 1 year if you live abroad.

Why it matters: Missing this deadline could lead to automatic acceptance, which means you would become responsible for the estate’s debts, even if you never intended to accept it.

What’s needed: Documentation typically includes identification and proof of relationship to the deceased. For contested inheritances, additional paperwork might be required.

Handled by your lawyer: They'll gather, verify, and submit all required documents to ensure your rejection is properly filed.

What to know: Once you reject an inheritance, you permanently give up any claim to it, including any future rights to the property or assets.

Take your time, but not too much: It’s a serious decision that can’t be reversed, so legal advice is essential.

Greek inheritance laws are detailed and sometimes difficult to interpret without guidance. A lawyer experienced in both Greek and international estate law is crucial for non-residents.

Missing a deadline or lacking key documents can result in delays—or worse, unwanted liabilities. A good lawyer will keep you on track and ensure everything is handled correctly and on time.

If you don’t act within the legal time window, Greek law assumes you’ve accepted the inheritance by default. Staying in close contact with your lawyer ensures that doesn’t happen by mistake.

Dealing with inherited property in Greece as a non-resident doesn't have to be overwhelming. Whether you're considering accepting or rejecting an inheritance, the most important thing is to act promptly and get the right legal advice.

Let a trusted legal professional guide you through the process—so you can protect your interests, stay compliant with Greek law, and avoid unnecessary risks.

Contact support@expatlaw.gr or reach out directly via call or text at +306945551914. Expat Law will make your inheritance journey in Greece as smooth and stress-free as possible!

If you have additional questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us by completing this form!

We are excited to announce that XpatAthens has partnered with Celebrity International Movers as the official sponsor and service provider for our new section dedicated to Relocation Greece. This partnership blends unparalleled cultural insight with professional logistics for individuals, families, and businesses.

Celebrity is a relocation specialist with four decades of experience in the industry; they deliver seamless, end‑to‑end relocation services for expats, digital nomads, families, and businesses moving to, from, or within Greece. 

Celebrated for our deep local expertise, this partnership empowers XpatAthens to share a full service portfolio—ranging from relocation and visa support to tax guidance, property consulting, and business setup assistance. Our relocation offerings simplify administrative processes such as AMKA/AFM registration, bank account opening, and residency permits like Digital Nomad & Golden Visas, and much more!

By combining XpatAthens’ intimate knowledge of living and working in Greece with Celebrity’s logistical prowess, together we offer unmatched peace of mind when it comes to relocation services in Greece.

Some of our partnership highlights include:
> Integrated relocation support from pre-move orientation through to move and arrival support.
> Comprehensive practical assistance, including visa, tax, property, legal, and insurance guidance.
> Secure, full‑service moving and settling-in solutions, including home search, and property management.
> Bilingual support and concierge services, ensuring smooth transitions and cultural integration.


 

For more information or to inquire about tailored relocation services, please contact:
XpatAthens through our contact form here.
Celebrity through their website here.

This is Loco is hitting the street food scene in Crete for the very first time — and they’re bringing bold bites and epic flavors with them!

Get ready for bold spices, mouthwatering street eats, and the kind of vibrant food vibes that only Latin America can deliver. 

• The Vegan Lentil Burrito: Prepare for a flavor explosion! Loaded this with perfectly smashed lentils, sweet roasted peppers, creamy avocado purée, and a tangy vegan sour cream. It's hearty, healthy, and unbelievably delicious!

• Burrito de Pollo: Inside a soft flour tortilla, you'll find tender grilled chicken, zesty pickled cabbage, and a smoky chipotle mayo that brings it all together.

• Tacos de Pollo con Salsa Verde: Two are better than one, especially when they're chicken tacos! Nestled in warm flour tortillas, you'll savor juicy grilled chicken, crisp pickled cabbage, and that irresistible chipotle mayo, all topped with a vibrant salsa verde.

• Tacos Pibil: Slow-cook succulent pork infused with the sweet tang of pineapple and the gentle warmth of guajillo pepper. Finished with bright pickled onions and fresh cilantro, these tacos are a true experience.

Friday, June 13 | 17:00–24:00
Saturday, June 14 | 17:00–24:00
Sunday, June 15 | 12:00–24:00

** Free entry for kids under 11 and individuals with special needs

Come hungry. Leave happy. See you there!

From the first page, Fire on the Island transports you to the lesser-known Vourvoulos — not the Santorini village, but a fictional coastal town in Greece where beauty and hardship coexist. Through deeply evocative writing, Timothy Jay Smith doesn't just paint a scene; he places you right there. You can feel the sun and sense the sea breeze in the air. This is a Greece that tourists rarely see, raw, real, and heartbreakingly human.

Greek-American FBI agent Nick Damigos arrives to investigate a string of suspicious arsons. As the mystery slowly unfolds, so do the lives of the villagers, complex, conflicted, and deeply intertwined. But while the fire is the plot’s ignition point, the heart of this book lies not in whodunnit suspense, but in its intimate human storytelling; its exploration of grief, identity, belonging, and resilience.

Smith uses the thriller structure as a vessel to explore something much bigger: the emotional and social layers that make up real communities facing real crises.

What makes Fire on the Island stand out is how deeply rooted in Greek life it feels. Smith doesn’t simply set his story in Greece, but he captures the rhythms, customs, tensions, and nuances of Greek village life with startling accuracy.

The characters, from Vassoula, the unapologetic village siren who flirts with fire in every sense, and Ridi, the Albanian immigrant, to Takis, the gay man and fierce and rebellious Athina, who represents a restless Greek youth. They all reflect different aspects of Greek society and especially, its contradictions.

Even secondary details reflect real Greek life: the stray cats, the gossip in cafés, the mingling of tradition and modernity. And then there is the church, not just a backdrop but a living part of the village ecosystem. In Vourvoulos, as in most Greek communities, the church isn’t only spiritual; it’s social, cultural, and often political. It's where people gather, judge, confess, celebrate, and mourn.

Whether it’s the tolling of bells or the priest appearing as an authority or social figure, the presence of the church helps anchor the novel’s events in a deeply Greek context. Its role is essential, just like in many real Greek villages, where faith and tradition often shape the boundaries of freedom, love, and identity.

By incorporating the church, along with its influence, its expectations and its (not always) silent rules, Smith once again adds another layer of realism to the story. It becomes clear that in Vourvoulos, as in much of Greece, the past is never fully past, and institutions like the church continue to hold both comfort and constraint.

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Ready to dive into the story? Get your copy of Fire on the Island HERE!

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What may not be obvious at first but becomes strikingly clear is the feminist undercurrent running through the novel. Women, in all their forms and power, are the true emotional and moral anchors of this story.

You have Shirley, the English expat who came all the way from Australia, full of wit, experience, and unflinching strength. Then her daughter Lydia is the force of reason, the one who refuses to accept things at face value. She’s determined to complete the puzzle, to do her own research, to uncover what’s really going on beneath the surface, and she’s not afraid to wrestle with the norms of her community if that’s what it takes. And finally, Lydia’s daughter, Athina, full of fire, questioning everything around her, already a force of disruption in a rigid society.

These three women — grandmother, mother, and daughter — form a matrilineal triad, a modern Greek matriarchy, standing firm in a patriarchal setting. They don’t dominate with violence or ego, but with intelligence, emotion, and endurance. They challenge gender roles with their actions, choices, and refusal to be anyone but themselves.

Timothy Jay Smith masterfully blends social issues with personal, emotional journeys. Fire on the Island it’s about how people survive, adapt, and care in a world full of complexities. Beneath the sun-drenched beauty of Greece lies a community dealing with issues that feel all too real:

• The refugee crisis, shown not as an abstract problem but through human faces and suffering, especially in Jura’s story who may not be a refugee but experiences the luck of many
• Xenophobia, both casual and systemic, echoing wider European tensions
• The suppression of LGBTQ+ identities, especially in small, deeply traditional societies
• Suicide and the lifelong trauma of adoption, and how these wounds quietly shape lives
• Sexual firsts, revealing how coming-of-age is rarely what we expect

And deeply present in all of this is grief — raw, real grief. Grief for a child lost. Grief for a partner lost. Grief for a life not fully lived. Grief for love denied, for freedom never found, for a sense of home that may never exist.

Smith doesn’t dramatize grief; he honors it. He allows his characters to sit with it, wrestle with it, and sometimes, rise from it. Jura’s heartbreaking loss, Takis’s internal despair, Athina’s aching restlessness, they all carry forms of grief that are deeply human and universally felt.

Yet even with all this weight, the novel doesn’t collapse under it. What emerges instead is a strong current of resilience and compassion. The village is fractured, yes, but some people still show up, with food for refugees, with water, with care for stray animals, with truth, even when it’s difficult. And that’s what Fire on the Island ultimately celebrates: the endurance of kindness, even in a world set ablaze.

 

There are many moments in the book that strike the heart, but one scene that stands apart is that of Jura, the immigrant woman who nearly drowns, not metaphorically, but literally, trying to reach Greece. She survives, but her child does not. This moment, soaked in Ancient Greek tragic irony, is written with such emotional precision that it nearly breaks you. It's a quiet, crushing moment that forces the reader to sit with the weight of grief, helplessness, and injustice.

Despite the heartbreak, there’s joy, connection, and community. There’s the group giving sandwiches to refugees. There’s the care for stray cats, a subtle yet deeply Greek act of grassroots compassion. There’s Dingo, the stray dog Nick saves. In a world full of problems, these small gestures shine bright.

The use of Greek language throughout the book is not only charming but grounding. Smith sprinkles Greek expressions and words with effortless precision, giving the reader the feel of the language without ever making it confusing. For readers unfamiliar with Greek, it’s a fun introduction. For Greek readers, it’s a sign of deep cultural respect and accuracy.

It feels like a mini Greek lesson, wrapped in storytelling, one that adds local flavor and roots the novel even deeper in its Aegean soil.

What makes Fire on the Island resonate so deeply is that it’s not written from a distance. It’s clear that Timothy Jay Smith has lived and breathed Greece not just visited, but truly experienced it. The villages, the people, the way the sea smells in the morning, the way gossip travels faster than the wind, all of it speaks to someone who knows this world from the inside. And that’s what good writing is: writing what you know, and doing it with honesty and heart.

The characters don’t feel imagined, they feel observed, absorbed, and lovingly recreated. Every one of them could be someone you’ve met in a Greek village. And, perhaps, in a way, they are. There’s a quiet sense that pieces of Timothy himself are woven into each of these people, that their struggles, desires, and contradictions are not only reflections of Greek society, but of a writer who sees and feels deeply.

This is why Fire on the Island doesn't just tell a story but transports you in a lived reality, one only someone who truly knows Greece could portray so truthfully.

Fire on the Island is more than a mystery. It’s more than a Greek village story. It is a novel of human truths, full of emotion, contradiction, warmth, and shadows.

It gives you what every great book should: the feeling that you’ve lived somewhere else, that you’ve felt other lives, that you’ve walked in someone else’s shoes under someone else’s sun. And when you close the final page, you feel a little changed, a little more aware, a little more compassionate, a little more human.

If you’re looking for a book that speaks to the soul, that delivers both tension and tenderness, that brings Greece alive in ways most travel guides never could, Fire on the Island is for you.

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Ready to dive into the story? Get your copy of Fire on the Island HERE!

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Learning the local language is one of the most meaningful ways to feel connected in a new country. Whether settling into life in Greece as an individual or as a family, access to the right language training can ease the transition and open the door to authentic local experiences.

 

Everyone learns differently—some prefer private tutors, others group classes or digital apps. From everyday conversation to business Greek, flexible options are available to suit your learning style, age, and reason for learning the language.

Language Support Can Include:

• Trusted recommendations for language schools and teachers.

• Assistance with enrollment and scheduling.

• Learning options for children, adults, and professionals.

• Online and in-person formats.

• Suggestions tailored to personal goals and timelines.
  
  

Learning Greek is all about building confidence, forming relationships, and feeling like you truly belong in your new environment. If you're curious to begin learning Greek, get in touch with us to explore your language learning options.

 

Starting life in a new country, apart from changing addresses, is very about adapting to an entirely different culture. Designed for newcomers to Greece, cross-cultural support provides the insight and practical tools needed to understand and embrace local customs, social norms, and professional life with confidence.

 

From everyday conversations to workplace dynamics, adjusting to Greek culture can be both enriching and challenging. Tailored cultural orientations help individuals and families build awareness, reduce culture shock, and ease into life in Greece, both personally and professionally.

Some Cross-Culture Topics Can Include:

• Local values and daily routines.

• Social etiquette and communication styles.

• Understanding professional and workplace culture.

• Helping children adjust socially and at school.

• Comparative insights based on the assignee’s cultural background.

• Practical advice for smoother integration into the community.
  
  

Whether you're relocating solo or with loved ones, cultural preparation plays a key role in making the transition feel natural. This kind of support goes far beyond information—it's about creating connection and a sense of belonging.

Get in touch with us to learn more about integrating into Greek culture with confidence!

Relocating to Greece often means navigating a complex legal and administrative landscape. Through our reliable relocation partners, support is available to simplify each step and ensure full compliance with local regulations.

 

Each relocation case is unique, with different legal requirements depending on nationality, visa type, and purpose of stay. Personalized guidance helps individuals and families meet Greek immigration standards, with step-by-step assistance throughout the process. When needed, representatives accompany applicants to public offices for submissions and follow-ups.

Establishing a financial identity in Greece is a key early step. Assistance may include:

• Issuing a Greek Tax Identification Number (AFM)

• Setting up TaxisNet credentials

• Transferring tax files to the correct local office (DOY)

• Opening a Greek bank account

Enrollment in Greece’s healthcare system requires specific documentation and appointments. Help is available for:

• Registering for AMKA or AMA numbers

• Enrolling with EFKA (social security)

• Scheduling and coordinating necessary appointments

Whether relocating from within the EU or outside, expert support ensures the correct documentation is obtained. Services may cover:

• Entry visa preparation

• Applications for residence permit and work permits

• Renewal processing or changes in legal status

Support extends beyond core immigration needs, covering everyday requirements that may arise when settling in Greece, such as:

• Vehicle registration

• Conversion of EU driver’s licenses to Greek licenses

• General assistance with legal paperwork

With the right guidance, moving to Greece can be a breeze! Legal, tax, and residency requirements can be met efficiently, leaving more time to enjoy the new chapter ahead. Get in touch with us for more information.

In 2023, the legendary Margarete Roeder Gallery in New York City presented the five Bronx-based women artists in the exhibition Bronx Fivefold: Harmonious  Convergence, highlighting the diversity of their visual expression, as well as the  creative collaboration born out of 20 years of friendship and artistic comradeship in  an art scene that is both unique and dynamic. 

Extending this multifaceted solidarity and wanting to bring a piece of the South Bronx to Athens, the artists present works in a variety of media in the show Made in the  South Bronx. They reveal ways in which their daily contact with this particular area of  New York City, as residents and active artists, has influenced their visual practice.  Their themes include the importance of the cultural heritage bestowed upon us by  indigenous peoples, the tragic destruction of life and nature due to human brutality,  the transformations of neighborhoods due to gentrification mechanisms, and the  personal changes in our emotional and spiritual worlds caused by the interaction with a rapidly changing global socio-political environment. 

Formally trained as a painter, Mexican-American Blanka Amezkua's creative  practice is greatly influenced by Mexican popular art and culture, from papel picado  to comics. She combines traditional and contemporary techniques, as well as socio cultural mythologies and philosophies to preserve evidence of the past in the present. Honoring the wisdom of the indigenous people of the Americas, Amezkua has made  research on medicinal plants and flowers from the first book of medicine created in  the Americas, the Codex de la Cruz-Badiano (1552). The visual result is a series of  papel picado pieces dedicated to the Cempasuchil flower and the California poppy, created in collaboration with maestro don Rene Mendoza from Huixcolotla, Puebla,  Mexico in August 2024. Underscoring her ancestors' respect and admiration for plant diversity, Amezkua pays tribute to the valuable knowledge of Mexico's ancient and  modern culture and its special contribution to world art and science. 

 

Carey Clark's video installation includes elements that she has been exploring for  many years in her current practice. Her idiom involves merging different figurative  elements to convey a reality that is not dictated by visual observation, but  encapsulates the emotions and sensations experienced. Exploring a new body of  work that incorporates her long term interest as a figurative painter in picturing  alternate landscapes, cityscapes and portraits through montages of diverse  elements, Clark shows a series of painted images-portraits of her Bronx  neighborhood combined with projections of videos displaying diverse places from  which she got inspiration for her paintings. The overlap between the moving and  painted images, the interplay between movement and stillness, allude to the endless  impermanence of our world and the multiple rapid or slow, positive and negative  transformations it creates- though often invisible to our eyes and not perceived by our direct perception. 

Linda Cunningham's work is concerned with time, transience and contradictions,  with a particular interest in the architectural and structural remnants of present and  past cultures. Her images employ a fluid, calligraphic line and drawing form. With  compelling forms she often challenges the viewer to accept the sometimes  discomforting content of her works. In Cunningham's mixed media South Bronx  Waterfront Sagas series, her materials and images merge, revealing a broken history of the South Bronx, an area that was once a haven for clean air and greenery. The  themes addressed are environmental concerns in relation to industry, urban blight  and loss of the natural environment, as well as her concern for her Bronx home area  facing the mechanisms of gentrification. Athens residents share a number of parallel  concerns, which reveals the universality of socio-political strategies aimed at  economic gains at the expense of community cohesion and economic equality, as  well as the environment and history of the area. In another series of works,  Cunningham addresses the consequences of the climate crisis, depicting the  devastating hurricanes that have hit America in recent years. 

Mimma Scarpini is an Italian artist living in New York who creates with various visual media. Her work is characterized by both an abstract and figurative idiom, engaging  in a dialogue with both the European figurative and abstract art traditions. The  triptych drawing on paper entitled Black Eden depicts a burnt Garden of Eden, which, according to the Bible, was originally created by God as a Paradise for humans. The  medium Scarpini uses, charcoal, is itself burnt organic matter (wood), intensifying the idea of the irreversible evil perpetrated by the human hand. In the mixed media work  on paper Maria Mesa fleeing tear gas at the border, she is inspired by the Pulitzer  Prize winning Kim Kyung Hoon's photograph of migrants running away from tear gas  at the border with Mexico. Hoon’s photograph captures a paradox, underlined by  Scarpini’s use of color: as the woman and her children flee from tear gas, their  shadows appear to move in the opposite direction, as though returning to the very  place they are trying to escape. This aesthetic detail reflects key elements of the migrant experience: while they flee from danger and economic hardship, they also  leave behind their culture and history—an identity that calls them back, like the  irresistible pull of a siren’s song.

Tammy Wofsey's art attempts to condense the essence of the natural world within  the confines of paper. Paper acts as the conduit that gives life to all her prints. Her  creative pursuit is guided by the goal of creating a deeply human connection to our environment and evoking a sense of slowing down over time. In this series the artist  prints blue mountains on large flat paper, engraves them and folds them. According  to the artist, the folded paper contains a memory that cannot be erased, telling a  story that can be revived at any time with specific stimuli. Images evoke memories  and vice versa, and connections between past and present are effortlessly activated:  the smoke from the forest fires in California and Canada erases the artist's memories of her home state of Colorado and the view from her apartment in the South Bronx,  respectively. The viewers can pick Wofsey's works in their hands and process them  as they would flip through the pages of a memory-filled photo album. She hopes her  work will give viewers the time to 'slow down', reflect, experience positive memories  and aim for a better balance between their inner and outer worlds. 

The untold epic saga of the Sacred Band premieres on June 12 and 13 in the presence of the director Lefteris Charitos and the film’s participants 

Army of Lovers directed by Lefteris Charitos, tells the untold epic saga of the Sacred Band, an elite force of 150 pairs of male lovers who became the most formidable warriors of the ancient world. 

As a team of international archaeologists and historians is re-examining the newly uncovered evidence and gaining unprecedented insight into the story of the Sacred Band, their findings challenge us to rethink our understanding of Ancient Greece and our perceptions of heroism, gender and love across time.

The film is produced by Anemon (Greece) and Epo-Film (Austria) and is a co-production with ERT, ZDF / ARTE and ORF in association with SBS, Hearst Networks, History Italy, TV5 Québec and with the support of the Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Centre – Creative Greece (Tax Rebate and NextGenerationEU programme), Fernsehfonds Austria and Creative Europe. It is distributed by ZED.

The screenings are co-organised by CineDoc, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and ANESIS open-air cinema, with the support of the Museum of Cycladic Art. 

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To watch the trailer, please CLICK HERE!

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About The Film

The Sacred Band was formed by the city of Thebes in 379 BCE to end Spartan domination. Fighting for four decades undefeated, it was annihilated by the forces of Philip II of Macedon and his son Alexander in the Battle of Chaeronea. Buried on the battlefield where they fell, the 300 were forgotten by history, until pioneer archaeologist Panayotis Stamatakis discovered the mass grave in 1880.

Stamatakis never published his findings and the grave was covered up, leading some historians to claim that the Sacred Band never existed. It was only in 2019 that a missing skeleton was found in the basement of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, as well as the excavation logs with detailed drawings of the mass grave: they depicted an army of 300 men likely lying in pairs, their arms linked together.

A team of international archaeologists and historians re-examines the newly uncovered evidence, gaining unprecedented insight into the story of the Sacred Band. Their findings challenge us to rethink our understanding of Ancient Greece and our perceptions of heroism, gender and love across time.

Directed by Lefteris Charitos, Army of Lovers uses forensic archaeological research, unique archive, ancient artworks and animations to tell the story of the rise and fall of the Sacred Band and reveal the enduring relevance of antiquity in contemporary culture. The film’s central characters include archaeologist and skeletal biologist Maria Liston (University of Waterloo, Canada), historian James Romm (Bard College, USA) and contributors John Ma (Univ. of Columbia), Paul Cartledge (Univ. of Cambridge), Reine-Marie Berard (French National Centre for Scientific Research), Peter Krentz (Davidson College), Thierry Lucas (Collège De Marly), Jennifer Ingleheart (Durham University) and Panagiotis Iossif (Museum of Cycladic Art/Radboud University, Nijmegen).

SCREENINGS SCHEDULE

1. ATHENS – Thursday, June 12 2025 | Cotsen Hall 

Address: The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (9 Anapiron Polemou st. Kolonaki) 

Limited number of available seats. Free entry on a first-come, first-served basis; doors open at 18.00 and the screening starts at 19.00.  

More information HERE!

The film will be screened with English subtitles. A Q&A will follow after the screening with director Lefteris Charitos and archaeologists Panagiotis Iossif and Maria Liston, followed by a wine reception.

Those arriving early can also visit the multimedia exhibition, Imag(in)ing Samothrace: From Homer to the HoloLens, hosted in the Makriyannis Wing of the American School of Classical Studies. Curated by Bonna D. Wescoat, Ellen M. Archie, Rebecca A. Salem and designed by Mikri Arktos (Andreas Georgiadis and Vivi Gerolymatou), it brings together objects from the 15th to the 21st century to chronicle how artists expressed their physical, emotional, and intellectual encounters with the island. Highlights include rare Renaissance drawings of Samothracian antiquities by the antiquarian Cyriacus of Ancona, shown in Greece for the first time.

2. ATHENS – Friday, June 13 2025 | Anesis Open-Air Cinema 

Address: 14 Kifisias Av., Athens

          Doors open at 20.15 and the screening starts at 21.00.

          Presale HERE! 

The film will be screened with Greek subtitles and a Q&A will follow with director Lefteris Charitos and the film crew, moderated by Thodoris Antonopoulos (Journalist, LiFO).

About CINEDOC 

CineDoc is based in Athens, Greece; it showcases and (selectively) distributes award-winning greek and international documentaries. The screenings are organised in collaboration with the French Institute of Greece, Danaos Cinema, the Thessaloniki Film Festival, the CineDoc Volos and the Municipality of Volos, the "Simeio" Cultural Space in Rethymno, the Cyclades Preservation Fund (CPF) and the Thalassa Foundation. Screenings are accompanied by parallel events; the aim is to encourage dialogue, inspire collective actions and raise awareness on crucial subjects, such as the environment, gender equality, inclusivity, education, history, and more.

Additionally, CineDoc collaborates with cultural institutions, universities and various organizations, taking part in conferences, festivals and cultural events. Moreover, through CineDoc Island network the team organises documentary screenings both in Greek islands (Cyclades, Sporades, Ionian Islands and the Dodecanese) and across Greece, in collaboration with local cultural partners and film clubs.

Follow CineDoc on facebook and instagram.

​More info: https://www.cinedoc.gr  | cinedocanemon@gmail.com