A Brief History of Cyprus Version 4 Being Aware of the history of this island is a target that we can improve on. Past experience has shown that the overall education received has created a partial picture of the History of Cyprus. The American School in Paphos promises on billboards Education away from Politics. History, accurately portrayed, is education. Partially portrayed, it is politics. Please read on. Indigenous Cypriots were inhabiting the island since 9,000BC, with human settlements in Larnaca and Kyrenia dating to those times. From 6500BC (dates approximate) Cyprus boasted Chirokitia, the third most ancient civilization in the world, after Katal Huyuk and Jericho. During these times many settlements were founded in Famagusta, Akanthou, Ayia Napa, Cape of St Andreas, and other locations. Over the next 3,500 years, Cypriot civilization flourished. It should be appreciated that this is a long period of time compared say to civilizations last two thousand years from the birth of Christ to today.. During the period from 3,000 BC to 1,000 BC, a large indigenous population with its culture and art distinct from the mainlands and speaking their own language, a syllabic form akin to Cretan and Arcadian, was thriving on the copper trade. Copper was being extracted from Cyprus mines and actively traded with Asia Minor, with Mesopotamia, Syria and Palestine. During this period the Phoenicians sailed in peacefully to trade, bringing with them the phonetic alphabet, which became the foundation of both the Greek and the Latin languages. The City of Kition was founded by Kittim at around 2,500 BC. It became a chief Phoenician colony along with the Phoenician cities of Amathus and Idalion, which was nestled on the fertile slopes of the then mighty Idalias River, source of life and fertility, and also an inland highway/ancient trade route. It was only natural for our 6,000 year old civilization to attract some attention. As the people of Cyprus developed more trade interests with the Phoenicians, the Mycenaeans and others, many became actively interested in Cyprus and its wealth but in a different kind of way. Inevitably the Egyptians invaded, and stayed for a few hundred years, leaving very little behind on the way out. The Mycenaeans, great warriors and castle builders set foot also on Cyprus at around 2,000-1,000BC with an aim to colonize, focusing on the coastlines facing towards Greece, their home. They were followed by the Achaeans and their systematic efforts to develop cities such as the powerful city of Salamina. The city of Soloi carries a great story. Solon the Athenian, said to be the worlds first peoples champion, was a great man of Athenian politics, elevated by his own peers to the role of Archon and remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic, and moral decline in archaic Athens. He is often credited with having laid the foundations for Athenian democracy. Solon the Athenian arrived in Cyprus for 10 years, respected, experienced, and with a dream to design a model city. Having convinced on merit one of the then 10 kings of Cyprus at the time (600BC or so) the small model city of Soloi came to be and flourished. During these years of external influences, Greece, with its budding democracy, philosophy, education, mathematics and so much more, benefitted Cyprus to the extent that deep cultural links were forged. This was unlike the Egyptians and the Assyrians, who were lured by the dense forests and rich mineral wealth of Cyprus, and also unlike the Phoenicians who founded a few cities but who came basically to trade. After these races dropped in on a native Cypriot civilization that was already 5,000 years old, others also followed all leaving their influences in arts, crafts on our island. The sword of the Egyptians and that of Sargon-the mighty leader of the Assyrians, the trade philosophy of the Phoenicians and the revelation of the Greek enlightenment were all important facets of Cypriot life at the time, shaping the cypriot complexities seen still today. Cyprus then found itself torn between Persia, which it initially supported to maintain (for its handful of local kings) certain sectarian privileges promised to them by the arriving Persians, then joining Greece against its fight with Persia at around 500BC-and becoming destroyed by the Persians during the Onisillos Revolt, who went head on with an Empire too strong at the time. Cyprus did better subsequently under Evagoras at around 400BC, who on the one hand fortified the great greek city of Salamina, and who on the other hand cultivated the friendship of the Greeks whilst maintaining friendly relations with Persia as well. This man succeeded in joining the whole island politically, made it as independent, secured further the position and growth of the benevolent democratic Greek civilization on the island-the most impressive operating system at the time. Evagoras today is hailed by many to be one of the greatest men of Cyprus. After the death of Alexander the Great whom the Cypriots embraced thus gaining their independence from Persia, Cyprus suffered the strife between the three Macedon generals Antigonus, Selefkos and Ptolemy-the last succeeding at last to control Cyprus after throwing the local population in peril, further enforcing the domination of greek-hellenistic civilization up until the time of Christ, nearly. The last Ptolemy known as The Cypriot, lost his Kingdom to the Romans by being condescending towards a certain prisoner of pirates under the name of Claudius, who asked for help to become free again on the grounds that the said pirates originated from Cyprus, and was refused the significant amount needed. Claudius rose to become Mayor of Rome, then Caesar, and then immediately annexed Cyprus for the next 300 years, his empire ruling us-from their headquarters located at the lush province of Paphos, its harbor facing Rome, safely away from turbulent developments brooding on the east side of Cyprus. Across the sea, at the land of Judea, the Pax Romana was disturbed by the works and teachings of a certain Jesus, a Jew hailing from Nazareth-one of the non aligned and intransigent jewish settlements that refused to align with any of Alexanders successors. Christianity grew like wildfire amongst the ranks of the Jews and started spreading via the trade veins of the Roman Empire. Cyprus being practically next door geographically and also rich in resources-thus on regular trade routes-saw Christianity literally on its infancy. As it happened, a converted to Christianity Jew from Salamina under the name of Barnabas (Apostle Barnabas) and his fellow traveler Paul at 45AD converted the Roman Governor Sergius Pavlos into Christianity, with Cyprus thus becoming the first country in the world to be ruled by a Christian ruler. A source of pride, yes, for the ancient Cypriot Orthodox Church which was recognized later as autonomous and directly answerable to the Orthodox Patriarch. The Roman Governor, Pilatus, allowed the murder of Jesus, hoping to placate the Jews. Christianity took off though, and the Romans were forced to accept in principle the right of each person to believe in whichever religion they wanted to to maintain cohesiveness of their empire. This did not go down well with the Jews of the time, who saw urgency to the matter after seeing various from their ranks breaking away and into Christianity. A confrontation ensued at 66AD which escalated to a rebellion that left Jerusalem free of Romans. The Romans returned, and after a surprising defeat of a whole legion which was caught in a narrow pass and could not utilize the well-known Roman formations that gave them literally the edge, Jerusalem fell to four legions led by Titus who decided to surround the ancient city with its own set of walls, and starve those inside. After the siege it was decided that the Jewish temple of Solomon would be destroyed, and that the Jewish people would be spread all over the Roman Empire. Thus started the Jewish adventure which led to the rewriting of their holy book to allow the Jewish faith to be practiced without the Temple and away from their homeland. The nearby eastern Cyprus coastline just north of the Pedieos and Gialias estuary, the land of the once mighty Salamina, now part vacant due to earthquakes and upheavals, became a convenient destination for a substantial numbers of Jews exported busily from just across the sea. The Salamina jews gradually outnumbered the christian leaning locals in the area and tried to exterminate them. Records point to an incredible 250,000 dead. Whatever the precise figures, this event led to a systematic extermination attempt of the Jews by the Romans which left only a few alive. Semitic people also created amongst others villages such as Kyperounda at a very commercial but very high in altitude location. This three-way junction called Triodos gave its name to our tallest mountain, Troodos. Thus christianity by being peaceful flourished on the island unfettered under the Romans, and the christian element of the island of Cyprus was forged. The decline on the Roman Empire, buckling under its own weight and attacked on various fronts by germanic tribes split the venerable powerhouse into two empires based around Rome and Constantinople. These two strong and separate poles of power also split christianity in two. The so called Schism left Cyprus on the Orthodox side, and the island settled into the role of a byzantine trading outpost, as part of the Eastern Roman Empire, or Byzantium, for hundreds of years. Christianity rose further with the conversion to Christianity of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine the Great. Cyprus appears to be of no great significance to the Byzantines, who were very keen at the time to spread Orthodox Christianity by building churches, and also to use the islands resources and trade. They appear to have done less for the organization of the island. This brought a long period of Arab invasions, with notable persons such as Moaviah, none other than a leading General of the Chaliph Othman himself-founder of the legendary Ottoman Empire-who destroyed the legendary Salamina around 650 AD. Another gent, known as the hero of 1001 nights, Haroun al Rashid arrived with his Saracens in 802AD. The Saracens stayed for 160 years. These raids were finally brought to an end by a series of decisive victories by Nikiforos Fokas and his trusted byzantine General Halkoussis (whose descendants live in Cyprus today). The island settled again into a relatively peaceful period, accepting the refugees arriving from the destruction of the Kingdom of Little Armenia (across Cape Kormakiti, present day Turkey) at about 1136, thus introducing the Armenian element of our population to the island. At the waning years of Byzantine dominion over this Eastern Mediterranean asset, a convict serving a prison sentence somewhere in Asia Minor and probably for good reasons, was bound to be the last Byzantine ruler. Isaac Comnenus, with forged documents portraying him as the new ruler of Cyprus, assumes control before the forgery was revealed, and proceeds to run the country as a tyrant for a number of years. Richard the Lionheart, the warrior King who disliked England, who did not speak nearly any English, and who hardly lived there choosing France instead, at around 1190AD on his way to the Third Crusade, captures Cyprus by defeating an Isaac cornered at Cape Apostolos Andreas and sending him fettered with silver chains (Isaak asked not to be bound in irons) to die a prisoner at Syria. Cyprus was sold twice by Richard for 100,000 byzantine dinars, first to the Knight Templars, a cruel small lot who eked a mere two years on the island as a means of rewarding them for their strong military contribution during the double siege of Acre, and then for a second time sold it to the Lusignan Family. The latter were French crusaders from Poitu whose clan leader, Guy De Lusignan had married into the royal family governing Jerusalem, and who had also helped Richard defeat Isaak. Guy on arrival to Cyprus founded the long standing dynasty of the Lusignan Kingdom, which brought with it the Roman Catholic/Latin presence to the island, admittedly hostile towards the already shaped Orthodox nation. The Maronites, followers of Saint Maron across the sea in the lands of Lebanon and Syria, Catholic Christian Arabs, also found themselves on the Crusaders side and a large number of them fell back to Cyprus along with the said crusaders when Saladin finally expelled the Christians from Jerusalem, and later on when the coastlines were also taken back. Over a period of 200 years and under the Lusignan stewardship, Cyprus became rich. Fighters heading to and from the Crusades, and also influential settler nobles from Europe were given land and title in lieu of taxes and allegiance to the King. Cyprus became a bridge between the East and the West, with Famagusta being the hub of trade. Due to this, the Cathedral of St Nicholas in Famagusta is on a par with Reims Cathedral in France. In these feudal times, villages like Lazania were built by the same named Lusignans, Fikardou was set up as a feudal outpost by a frank or Norman of the same name, Gouri was the domain of a gent name Johakim Khourri, a royalist originating from Syria. Foiti was named after the Latin Fidi (faith), examples that sprang up are in the hundreds. Cypriots of the past (some even today) would ask-which village are you from, knowing of the substantial differences in mentality and culture that we still see today. The gene pools of this island are as rich as our history-the History of Cyprus. Cyprus, now a well organized feudal kingdom, accepted in Famagusta a large mixed wave of fleeing Europeans and Arabs-none others that the last defenders of Acre in 1291. Prominent Crusader families and hard core fighters to the end, they added their numbers to the merchant classes already in Famagusta (Fame of Augustus, named after the Battle of Aktion) thus generating a period of further prosperity for the island of Cyprus. Famagusta became even wealthier as the definitive trading hub now between east and west, generating untold wealth and attracting more european settlers. The river villages along Pediaios and Idalias were first pickings amongst European feudal overlords-trailing the fertile valley one could travel from Nicosia to Famagusta. Along this area and centered around Potamia, the European demand for sugar cane-well understood by the new European masters-spawned a fairly large industry of the time. Louroujina, Pyroi, Ayios Sozomenos, Potamia were a cluster of latin villages, of typical feudal layouts. Ayios Sozomenos has the feudal cloister-shaped cluster of buildings, a gothic church, and detailed houses. Potamia has a Manor house, residence of Lusignan Kings. The Lusignan kingdom slipped badly when the Genovese and Venetian factions that had in the meantime prospered on the island during Frankish rule, became too powerful and destabilized the island by seeking their own part of it. Famagusta ended up in Genovese hands for 100 years. Cut off from the Lusignan kingdom, its role as the bridge between East and West was lost, bringing gradually to gloom the once mighty Lusignan kingdom. The changeover to Venetian rule was sad and ugly. Jaques the Second, the last Lusignan King, married in 1472 the Venetian lady Catherine Cornaro. A father of one, Jacques died under suspicious circumstances. The lone Cornaro saw the Chief Accountant of Cyprus (also her relative) die of suspicious circumstances one week after he refused to bow to the local Venetian Commanders wishes for more control. A few months later the sole baby of Catherine Cornaro died. Terrified, Cornaro accepted to become adopted by the Serene Republic as its Daughter, signed the island away to the Venetians, boarded a ship and left her magnificent residence at Potamia falling apart even today. The Venetians, in full control of the island now did nothing towards administration, infrastructure, health, trade. After destroying the Pentadaktylos forts to deter usurpers and raiders from a potential power base, they focused all their energy into Famagusta, for its harbor, and Nicosia. The Venetian arrival was practically a military occupation and nothing more. People flew away, the island suffered greatly, and the local population was decimated in nearly every respect. Small villages sprang up again like Trozena in Paphos (Trodena is north of Venice), and Leonarisso (named after the fabled Leon D Arizzo-a statue discovered at Arizzo which is close to Rome). Large monuments such as the fortifications of Nicosia came about. Names from this period are abundant today. Fieros, a name hailing from Kyrenia, is latin-Fiero means wild animal, feral. Kassini is Genovese. The italians brought names such as Pezza (Petsas), Mazzi (Matsis), Tomasi (Toumazis), Pazzio (Patsios), Palazzi (Palazis) and many many others including interesting names such as Maniera-an Italian name referring to intellectual and artistic individuals that were acting beyond the ordinary, intentionally as per an art movement and not only circa 1520. Payiata is a family from Malta.. Nonetheless, the fortunes of the Venetians ebbed steadily. The capable and feared Admiral Barbarossa was gaining victories, and the Ottoman fleet finally crossed past Greece, and up into the Adriatic, Approaching the Serene Republic itself, the Ottoman fleet engaged the joint fleet of the Venetians and their allies into desperate naval battles and was barely repulsed. Cyprus was a fruit ripe to pick and the aggressive and degenerate Selim the Second, given the epithet The Fool by Turkish historians, was now the man in charge. The siege of Cyprus started by the Ottoman landing at the small and defenseless Limassol, a small sleepy city, meeting no resistance. Quickly Nicosia found itself surrounded, its beautiful defensive walls uncompleted. With a master plan picked from the North Italian city of Palmanova, work on the walls had started only a few short years ago by the razing of everything around the part that was to be walled. Gone were monasteries, houses, churches, gardens..The arrival of the Ottoman army found the city walls still under construction. Missing from these walls were two fundamental defensive components. One was the counterscarp-the vertical wall of the far end of the moat which would prohibit easy entry into the moat itself. The second item missing were the detached fortress-islands in the moat between the ravelins, which would create additional killing zones and also protect the ravelins from assault. The city was overrun in less than two months, and looted. Famagusta lasted around nine months or so, and the siege ended with the negotiated surrender of the small garrison within, which was not honored by the Ottomans who tortured the Venetian leader for a week and then skinned him alive. Famagustas population was forced to flee. Jewish people aimed for a nearby hill, which afforded a clear view of the city below and early warning should an army approach. The location, named Paralimni also had plenty of water, and was not too far away from the market and the port, if one was willing to walk during the night to make it to market with the first light, as proper merchants should. These people would temporarily rest en route, earning the name koulloufoi-or those that live in temporary accommodation. Paralimni people today have names like Isaak, Solomon, Avramis, and also a very strong sense of identity and togetherness. Along with them came some latin people, Giovanni, Falconis being names common to Paralimni. The population of some of the villages around Famagusta like Kalopsida, Vatili (named after the Frank Stefano Vatili), Galatia is well known even today as being very warlike, probably being enriched with the remnants of Famagustas old multinational warmongering guard. Throughout the island the new status quo began taking shape, affecting the many Latin settlers who have populated Cyprus for nearly 500 years. There were two choices now on the menu; they could either be Rum, greek speaking cypriots under the Cypriot Archbishop who saw his Autocephalous status being returned to him, or they could be Muslim. Influencing their choice were the facts that tax breaks were attached to becoming Muslim, and equally importantly many of these latin ex-masters had mistreated their Cypriot ex-subjects enough to make themselves undesirable. Becoming a turkish cypriot was the only logical choice of the two available in many cases. The greek-speaking Orthodox locals, on seeing these latin people turn, labeled those people who would attach themselves to whichever majority there was at each village as linopambakoi, a derisory term meaning people of two cloths. Some fled for the hills, obtaining new names. It is interesting that population censuses then and for many hundreds of years thereafter did not recognize any other ethnicity. Louroujina, Pyroi, Ayios Sozomenos, Potamia, the cluster of latin villages we encountered before, now became known as having a population of Greek Cypriots and of Turkish Cypriots. Walking along the clearly latin Ayios Sozomenos village, and comparing the Latin ruins with the population censuses we carry even today, we can only begin to wonder where did all the Latin people go.. and who the Turkish Cypriot really are.. Suffering an identity crisis even today, the real history of the Turkish Cypriot people is still not welcome in our official maps and in our official books. And what of the Latin buildings? All of the Latin religious monuments were given a minaret and also a new name. So the Gothic Chapel of Monsieur Henri, close to Faneromeni Church in Nicosia, became the Djami of Misirikkos. Though the name may also allude to Misr, (which was Egypt at the time) the theme is the same. Latin: Minaret on it. Christian: no minaret. The large St Mary of the Augustines became Omerie Djami (Marys or Omars). St John of Bibi, the ex Benedictan Monastery that was deserted in the 1400s and given over to the Orthodox as a monastery, was respected as Orthodox and never desecrated. Bibi by the way comes from the Arab Habibi-St John the Baptist was the loved one of Christian Arabs. The surname Pipis encountered on the island may well relate to these events. And what our official land registry maps? Well, these show the Latin monuments as being Turkish ones, mostly, with notable exceptions being the two huge gothic cathedrals, St Sophia in Nicosia and St Nicolas in Famagusta. They were too big to be given away as Muslim, but their history is not much told or taught. Ask any Cypriot today. On the other side of the fence, the Bedesdan, the Greek Orthodox cathedral was respected by the turkish cypriot, and does not sport a minaret. Right next door the same people who extend this respect are only too pleased to change the name of the neighboring and much larger and obviously gothic Agia Sophia into Selimiye Mosque, and of course add the minaret. Yeni Djami in the north of nicosia old town, is also an ex gothic church and so was the fate of many churches in our own records, which we keep to date as such for fear of the return of the Latins presumably. The story continues and I will be completing it over time-the original text started in 2013. This story makes no pretense in being scientific or complete, but it serves to illustrate some key points that may not have been considered before in this manner. In the meantime, there follow some of my personal conclusions which I wish to share as they may be of use. 1. Cyprus is an extremely interesting country, with a beautiful and rich history we should all be proud of, with many historical lessons as to what works and what does not work, and as to why we are the way we are. 2. The Greeks were not the first to come and not the last, let alone the Turks whose arrival was so very much later. Both and not only claimed the island as theirs, but evidently people were living here for thousands of years ago (6,000 years) and doing quite well. Todays genes are too mixed up for anybody to find a pure specimen. So who rules? Might is right? No. Like this, anybody can take a place over, and claim it-not very civilized! Empires also create second class citizens, they are the prerogative of the mighty, and are usually untangled because of power being centralized in one location versus in the mind of each person and thus more vulnerable. War is an extension of policy, as can be education. In Cyprus we are experiencing both. Civilization? Yes. But civilizations are inclusive though, not exclusive, as they attract others and convince on merit. Civilizations are worthy ideals put in practice, and facilitate interests and beliefs in a workable system. This is where those who love Greece do two mistakes. The one is that they refuse to study the whole history of the island and are thus do not appear either convincing or trustworthy to those of us watching! The other mistake is that many of those who love Greece today act in more of a mighty than a civilized manner, and that is a shame as this is not what the greek ideals are, nor how they spread really. 3. Working things out respectfully and cleverly works better. See the results of the rebellious Onisilos versus those of King Evagoras. Cyprus will always be in this geographical position, we will always have dilemmas. Cyprus is a trading hub, and as such it has always done much better-and as such we should act. Greece and Turkey today trade actively. Tourism, business, banking,.. ...both benefit and create ties that make future conflagrations less likely as many have something to lose. Was Evagoras a traitor? No. He was and is hailed as one of the greatest leaders of Cyprus of all time. 4. Break up or come together? Our history is so complex, that attempting to keep a pure population in one teritorry will leave Cyprus cantonized into 1000 pieces-this is true for many countries. Should some of the Paralimni people secede being Jewish in origin? Amongst them there are also Franks and Italians-named Giovanni, Falconis. Should Paralimni be split in two? How many Town Halls and how many chiefs do we need here, and for what reason really? 5. Cypriot history is our history. It is a manual of what can work out best, what not, and so much more. It can help us understand why we are how we are today, and take the stress out from relationships when we get to face these ancient facts and consider them openly. We should all be proud of what we are, and of how we came to be. Teaching Cyprus history is the best way to bring an understanding between the various communities of the island, which at the end are normal, family people with their human concerns, fears and dreams. 6. Portraying the History of Cyprus as it is will allow each of us to reach healthy conclusions. Steering the minds of young children with partial analysis is frightening, and reminds one of dark days where only one view was correct, only one channel to watch, one paper to read, one leader to follow, one union to represent all, totalitarian attitudes.. ..the history of man is awash with such failed attempts, but with a lot of suffering in the meantime. 7. It is time for the Orthodox Church to pursue its policy towards religious openness more aggressively, with self-confidence and with trust towards its subjects. I am happy like many to see our leadership move towards doing today what others in positions of influence and leadership have always left for tomorrow, never doing it by playing on fear, cultivating ignorance instead, and leaving behind at the end a morally and financially bankrupt and divided country. In closing, we have to decide primarily if we wish to live a period of growth and cooperation or not. The beautiful and unique mix of todays Cypriot should make us proud to share in our genes the beginning of the human races adventure on our planet. And not to forget our Ministry of Education, whose version of history as it wishes it should be taught in our public Schools begins in 1974, and does not include other refugees. What one could advise the respected Ministry is that not Forgetting and Claiming, Targets two and Three of the recent Directive follow naturally after Awareness. Sources: Neolithic Cyprus-Dr. Chrysostomos Sofianos. Byzantine and Medieval Cyprus 1997-Demetra Papanicola-Bakirtzi, Maria Iacovou. Excerpta Cypria. De Mas Latrie. Magda Onefalch Richter. Chronicle of Leontios Macheras, by Andros Pavlides. Chronicle of Amadi. Florios Voustronios, by Andros Pavlides. Albany Robert Savil Samuel White Baker Historic Cyprus 1936-Rupert Gunnis. Wikipedia Thank you, Andreas Lordos
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 09:52:04 +0000
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