The two Teaching Guides chronicle the presence of Hellenism in the lands of Asia Minor and its Pontus region (in present day Turkey) stretching back from Homer’s time through 1923. In this region, people of Greek ancestry created a vibrant culture which endured even after their conquest by the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century.

During the early part of the 20th century, however, the Greeks along with other Christian populations of the Ottoman Empire such as the Armenians and Assyrians, became victims of persecution and suffered numerous atrocities that resulted in Genocide.

By examining the history and Genocide of the Ottoman Greeks, students will gain a better understanding of the Greek contributions to civilization originating from outside of mainland Greece, as well as the patterns and similarities that the Greek experience shares with the Armenian and Assyrian Genocides and contemporary genocides from the past two decades.