Are Germans the guardians of Hellenism, even the true Greeks? It sounds crazy, but just like Goethe's uncanny hero Faust, Germans dreamed of Hellas as a Helena that needed to be conquered. When they finally arrived, they spread fear and terror. The thread of Ariadne that this highly relevant book follows stretches from Winckelmann through Hölderlin, Heinrich Schliemann, and Bavarian kings to Wolfgang Schäuble. All are men who idealize the ancient Greeks and look down on the modern ones. However, the Germans are not alone in this. Most dreamed while Byron fought for the Greeks and European politicians consistently ensured lucrative state bankruptcies. There was also a very different female perspective: Lady Hamilton, Sisi, the Duse, and a combative Irish researcher who explored the enchanted gaze with which German men looked at Hellas.