The History of Cyprus Podcast

12. Travelling Artists in Cyprus: 1700-1960 with Rita Severis

The canvas isn't simply a medium that the artist uses to capture an image. The paintbrush can be loaded with preconceived notions, biases and agendas. What is more, it can be revealing in ways never considered and provide a unique lens into the past. Rita Severis (the Co-Founder of the Costas & Rita Severis Foundation and Honorary Consul of Canada) is this month's guest. And for this month's episode, Rita shares with the History of Cyprus Podcast, a new lens in which to explore Cypriot history: that of the travelling artist. To borrow from her book jacket, her research "examines these works through the prism of the political, historical and social context, spanning three centuries...and throws light on the changes from the Ottoman/Oriental to the British/Occidental in the portrayal of both domestic and public scenes." Please visit the CVAR website to learn more about the cultural history of Cyprus: https://cvar.severis.org/en/ The heart of the Foundation, the Centre of Visual Arts & Research, which houses thousands of books, works of art, textiles and memorabilia, is a "non-profit organisation for the promotion of Cypriot culture, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence."

Primary Source XII: From the Diary of Esmé Scott-Stevenson 1880

Esmé Scott-Stevenson, wife of the Commissioner of Kyrenia, authored several books documenting her travels across the Mediterranean. She traveled throughout Cyprus with a number of dignitaries and, in 1880, she published "Our Home in Cyprus," observing Cypriot customs in 19th century Cyprus. Her work offers us a springboard into this month's episode, "Travelling Artists in Cyprus 1700-1960," with Rita Severis, the co-founder and Executive Director of the "Centre of Visual Arts and Research" (CVAR) in Cyprus. 

11. Between Constantinople & the Caliphate: Cyprus in Late Antiquity with Luca Zavagno

Luca Zavagno's (Bilkent University) work, "Cyprus Between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages" frames the bulk of this month's episode. Traditional narratives suggest that the late Roman Period (i.e., Byzantium) for Cyprus was a period of physical dislocation, social disruption and economic turmoil precipitated by the infamous 7th century Arab Raids. But Zavagno, using archaeological evidence and material culture, redresses the impact of the Arab Raids on Cyprus and explores how Cypriots navigated between Constantinople and the Caliphate showing this to be a period of both continuities and change. 

Primary Source XI: al-Baladhuri and the Arab Invasions of Cyprus

Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Jābir al-Balādhurī was a 9th century Arab (or possibly Persian) historian whose work, "Futūh al-Buldān" (Conquest of Lands) provides us a valuable non-Roman/Byzantine perspective on the Arab invasions of Cyprus. You'll hear al-Baladhuri reference Cyprus' infamous "condominium" where the island's tax revenues were split between the Caliphate and Constantinople until Cyprus was reintegrated into the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine) in the 10th century. Next month, I invite Professor Luca Zavagno from Bilkent University to discuss Cyprus in late antiquity.

10. Cythereia Cypros: Roman Cyprus with Ersin Hussein

For this month's episode I welcome Dr. Ersin Hussein (Swansea University in Wales) to discuss Cyprus' political and social history as a Roman province. Ironically, although Romans were sticklers for record-keeping, the textual evidence on Cyprus is surprisingly scarce. Using epigraphic (e.g., monuments, inscriptions), coins and textual evidence, Ersin pieces together a better understanding of Cypriot identity in Roman Cyprus and sets out to recover those marginalized voices in antiquity. Instead of "disappearing" in the Roman Empire, Ersin discusses how Cypriots maintained a surprising level of agency and identity (even forming the famous "Koinon Kyprion" in this period) and leveraging their collectivity to exert influence in Rome.

Primary Source X: Ammianus Marcellinus and the Voraciousness of Rome

Ammianus Marcellinus was a Roman soldier and an historian from the late Roman Period whose historical works, Res Gestae, provides us a brief glimpse into Rome's policy towards Cyprus. He describes Roman policy as "voracious" and implies opportunism as Rome sought to replenish its depleted coffers by seizing Cyprus and draining it of its treasury. Of course, the situation is significantly more complex. That's why next month, Ersin Hussein, from Swansea University, joins us to describe Cyprus in the Roman Period!

9. Rule Britannia: Cyprus in the British Empire with Andrekos Varnava

Held in secret in 1878, the Cyprus Convention negotiated the administrative handover of Cyprus from the Ottoman Empire to the British. It was certainly an opportunity to strengthen British presence in the Eastern Mediterranean. Lulled by romanticized images of what Cyprus was thought to be, they found a very different reality. Some, in fact, would call its first years on the island an unmitigated disaster. Troops were ill-prepared for the island's oppressive heat, swarms of mosquitoes that infested swamps and deadly bouts of malaria.  Roads were virtually non-existent and there was hardly a functional port. How were the British received? And how did they cope with the island's challenges? This month's episode, we're joined by Professor Andrekos Varnava from Flinders University who sheds some light onto Cyprus in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Primary Source IX: Archbishop Sophronios Speech 1878

In 1878, Cyprus Archbishop Sophronios III delivered a speech celebrating Cyprus' new status as a protectorate of Great Britain. The speech would've been delivered to Sir Garnet Wolseley, the island's first appointed High Commissioner, in French, and presumably in front of a large crowd. Sophronios held high hopes for Cyprus' future as a British Protectorate. He espoused British ideals of equality and justice for the benefit of both Christian and Muslim. Why did the British want Cyprus? What did they find? And how did they acclimate? Next month, Professor Andrekos Varnava, from Flinders University in Australia, discusses Cyprus and the British Empire with the History of Cyprus Podcast.

8. A Cyprocentric Perspective: Cyprus’ History of Research with Maria Iacovou

Cyprus' history has, in many respects, been skewed. Historically speaking, its been beholden to more predominant narratives -- a passive recipient of culture. Yet this thinking is wrong. And we still deal with the reverberations from some of these archaeological fallacies in mainstream literature. Pick up a travel brochure. You'll certainly read that Cyprus was "colonized" by Mycnenaeans -- suggesting that it lay fallow, bereft of culture, until that pivotal moment in history. If not explicit, it is certainly implied. Or that its art has distinct "Assyrian" and Near Eastern influences -- rather than its own unique and innovative styles. Or that it, like the rest of the Near East, ignominiously collapsed during the Crisis Years rather than what it did: continued to thrive and persevere, maintaining complex trade networks, architecture and literacy. Maria Iacovou, from the University of Cyprus, problematizes these all too common narratives and explores the origins of these erroneous assumptions. She challenges us to rethink how we discuss archaeology and invites us to consider Cypriot history with a new lens. Please join me as I discuss Cyprocentricity with Maria Iacovou. 

Primary Source VIII: The Sargon Stele

The Sargon Stele 722–705 BCE , also known as the Kition Stele, is the only of its kind discovered in Cyprus, written entirely Akkadian using the cuneiform script. It was erected by King Sargon II of the Neo-Assyrian Empire near Kition (modern Larnaca) and describes his conquests and the voluntary submission of the Seven Kings of the Land of Ia (which has been identified as Cyprus) and Iatnana meaning the Islands of the Danaans, i.e., Greece. Likely this act of submission provided the Cypriot kings a trade network and a source of stable markets for the exportation of copper and other trade goods. The stele, found in modern day Larnaca, references its deposition near "Mount Ba'al-harri" (quite possibly Stavrovouni). You'll hear Professor Maria Iacovou reference King Sargon II in my next interview where she discusses the history of archaeology on Cyprus and the importance of the new concept of "Cypro-centricity!" Look out for that on November 2nd!