Abstract
Two centuries after the creation of the modern Greek State, the teaching of Greek history is still seen as the most powerful tool for nurturing national awareness. For generations, ancient heritage has been instilled in Greek students in the spirit of uncritical adoration of ancestors.
When and how did modern Greeks get the idea of uninterrupted continuity with Ancient Greece? How did this idea serve Greek nationalism in the past and how was it used during the ten-year crisis? How successful were attempts to reform this antiquated interpretation of history? The presentation will strive to answer those questions by exploring several archetypical examples of abuse of the "famous ancient heritage" at times of rising Greek nationalism. This includes, above all, the period of the dictatorship of Ioannis Metaxas (1936-1941), the period of the Civil War (1946-1949), the junta of the colonels (1967-1974), and finally, the period of the ten-year crisis when ultranationalist ideas were revived in relation to the (mis)use of the name Macedonia and also in connection with the influence of the far-right parties.