The History of Cyprus Podcast

Primary Source IV: Cypriot Curse Tablet (Roman Period)

This (creepy) rendition uses a bit of dramatic license to reimagine the writing of the 2nd/3rd century CE curse tablet. With that being said, it is a Primary Source, so you're hearing the exact wording from one of the Cypriot curse tablets excavated from Amathus, Cyprus!
Our reader invokes the Furies and all the underworld chthonic deities to muzzle its intended target. You'll hear some unintelligible mutterings as well. These were written to be "magical invocations" that had no discernable meaning. If you haven't had a chance to listen to my interview with Drew Wilburn, check it out!

3. Early Medicine in Cyprus with Demetrios Michaelides

Cypriot doctors were renowned in antiquity – including Apollonios of Kition and Zeno the Cypriot (not to be confused with the philosopher!) They treated patients, produced treatises and even founded their own schools. The polymath Galen even visited Cyprus to collect a number of medicinal items such as misy, chalcanthos, cistus and even copper to aid in the treatment of a variety of ailments. With me today is Professor Emeritus, Demetrios Michaelides, who shares his knowledge of ancient medicine and its function in Cyprus.

Primary Source III: Galen’s visit to Cyprus

Galen (AD 129-216) was a prominent Greek physician and philosopher who lived during the Roman Empire who was known to have visited Cyprus. During his visit, Galen conducted medical research and treated patients, and he also wrote about the plants and natural resources of the island. In particular, he was interested in the medicinal properties of the local herbs and plants as he conducted experiments and observations to study their effects on the human body. Next month I chat with Professor Emeritus (University of Cyprus) Demetrios Michaelides on Medicine in Ancient Cyprus.

2. 𐠊𐠒𐠫𐠥𐠨𐠮: The Linguistic History of Cyprus with Pippa Steele

𐠊𐠒𐠫𐠥𐠨𐠮 Make sure you read that from right to left. Cypriot Syllabary preceded the Greek alphabet by several centuries but it certainly wasn’t the only script (or language) in use in Cyprus at the time. My guest today is Dr. Pippa Steele, Senior Research Associate at the Faculty of Classics from the University of Cambridge where we will be discussing Cyprus’ first recorded languages and their scripts.
Check out Charles "Pico" Rickleton's work on Speculative Syllabic. He uses his visual communication background to reimagine Cypriot Syllabary in the 21st century. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRL_OLgisNg&t=5s

Primary Source II: A reading from Pseudo Scylax

Scylax (or Pseudo-Skylax) was a Greek geographer who lived during the fourth century BCE. He is known for writing a work called ""Periplus", which is a description of the coastlines and ports of the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, and the Red Sea. His exact identity is not known, but it is believed "Scylax" was used as a pseudonym to give the work more authority. Although not much has been said in antiquity about the languages spoken in Cyprus, Scylax's observations on the different settlements in Cyprus (i.e., some being Greek and others "barbarian") implicitly reveal the linguistic diversity of the island. Next month I chat with Pippa Steel (University of Cambridge) on The Linguistic History of Cyprus in antiquity.

1. The Cliffs of the Eagles: Prehistoric Cyprus with Alan Simmons

Pygmy elephants and dwarf hippos, oh my! Professor Emeritus, Alan Simmons, from the University of Nevada, shares with us his experiences excavating at Akrotiri-Aetokremnos where we have the evidence of the Cyprus' earliest occupants.

Primary Source I: A reading from Cornelius van Bruyn

Cornelius van Bruyn was a Dutch traveller who visited many countries throughout his life, including Cyprus in the 17th century. In this excerpt, we hear van Bruyn mention "bones of men and animals incorporated in the rock" (i.e., fossils). "Some," he says "were human bones, others those of beasts and some teeth of surprising size." It's quite probable that van Bruyn is describing the bones of pygmy hippos and pygmy elephants. A perfect springboard into my first episode with Professor Emeritus Alan Simmons (University of Nevada) as we discuss the extinct prehistoric Cypriot fauna.

Introduction to the History of Cyprus Podcast

Hello everyone. My name is Andreas Charalambous and welcome to the History of Cyprus Podcast. Several months ago, I took it upon myself to host a podcast with the broad aim of discussing the various facets of Cypriot history. At first I thought that maybe I could do the research myself and present it in a narration of sorts, but for an island the size of Cyprus, cataloging its history was a full time job and certainly not something I could undertake on my own. And then I had the thought of reaching out to the experts – those in the fields of archaeology, linguistics, social and political history – to share their research, their finds and their insight into the vast history of Cyprus. And this is just that. As far as I am aware, it is the first such English podcast dedicated to Cypriot history while providing a platform for academics to share new and exciting research in their respective fields. I'm happy to say that the History of Cyprus has truly turned out to be an interdisciplinary podcast. 
I’d like to thank each and every participant (and every future guest) in this project as without their time and hard work in their respective fields, this would not have been possible. Every month I will be releasing a new episode as it relates to Cypriot history. In this podcast we’ll cover Cyprus from 10,000 BCE to the 20th century – we’ll discuss language, culture, war, economy, religion, political and social history. I’m confident that there’ll be something here for everyone. If you’d like to reach me, or have any comments or questions, please feel free to send me an email at cyprusthepodcast@gmail.com.