The Society for Hellenic-Iranian Studies (S.H.I.S) is a non-profit, non-political international organization of scholars and individuals interested in Hellenic-Iranian Studies. The Society was founded on 2 March 2007 (regist. no. 3810/2-3-07) in Athens, Greece and it has a purely academic focus. The Society's central mission is the study of the interaction between the Iranian and Hellenic (Greek) civilizations, and its contributions to humanity.
From ancient times to the present, the Iranian and Hellenic civilizations have been predominantly influential in the Middle East, Central Asia and Asia Minor. The political and cultural interaction between the Hellenic and the Iranian civilizations has been one of the key-developments in these regions from ancient times (Acheamenid-Classical period, Hellenistic-Parthian times and Late Antiquity-Sasanian period). After the end of antiquity and the emergence of Christianity and Islam, the Hellenic and Iranian civilizations continued influencing catalytically the above regions in a new cultural framework. The Hellenic-Iranian cultural interaction became even stronger under this new scheme. In modern times, political and cultural relations between Greece and Iran continue being vivid. In history Iranians and Greeks accomplished great achievements in the sphere of science, belles-lettres and every other aspect of human activity.
The importance of Iranian civilization, although internationally recognized and promoted in academic terms, remains terra incognita in Greece. The Society for Hellenic - Iranian Studies aims to raise awareness in Greece about the importance of Iranian civilization. The general objectives of the Society are to promote knowledge and scholarship in all aspects of Iranian and Hellenic-Iranian studies from the earliest periods to the present, to advance the teaching of Iranian Studies at the graduate and under-graduate levels in Greece. The purview of the Society deals with the Hellenic-Iranian cultural interaction in Asia Minor, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Indian Peninsula. In regard to its particular objectives the Society aims to:
- Establish and promote Iranian studies in Greece and the European Union.
- Establish and promote Hellenic studies in the Islamic Republic of Iran and other countries strongly related and forming a vital part of the Iranian civilization (Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, South East Asia, the Persian Gulf, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan).
- Promote Hellenic-Iranian studies as a vital field of Hellenic and Iranian civilizations in Greece, in the I.R. Iran and the Iranian world, the European Union and worldwide.
The above aims are to be materialized through the following activities:
- The International Conference for Hellenic-Iranian Studies, held every three years.
- The Biennial workshop on various aspects of Iranian and Hellenic-Iranian Studies.
- The Annual Lecture Series in Hellenic-Iranian Studies
- The annual publication of the journal Persis, the journal of the Society for Hellenic-Iranian Studies (SHIS)
- The annual SHIS Newsletter
- The Graeco-Iranica Series
- The Iranian Studies emailing list
- Various cultural activities, such as concerts and art exhibitions.
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S.H.I.S. 
