The Hellenic Society for Near Eastern Studies (HSNES) was founded in 2000 at Athens, Greece by an independent group of individuals interested in the study of the history and civilisations of the east Mediterranean and western Asia. The idea was to organise a non-profit, apolitical society to promote the understanding of this culturally-rich part of the world.
HSNES was first established in 2001 as a registered charity under Greek law. In 2012 in was re-launched as a non-profit civic company (tax registration no. EL997592872) and non-governmental organisation based at 12 Charonda Street in Chalkida on Evia Island.
As outlined in its constitution, its aims are:
- To disseminate knowledge of Near East cultures
- To promote studies of the peoples of the Near East, particularly through history, archaeology, language, art, customs, anthropology, sociology, economics, commerce, tourism, geography and natural history
- To promote inter-faith dialogue between the major Near Eastern religions
- To collaborate with institutions and individuals in Greece and abroad, which have similar Near Eastern interests
- To support all the above-mentioned activities in the Greek and international arenas