The History of Cyprus Podcast

5. On the Periphery: Cyprus Between the Assyrian & Persian Empires with Christian Körner

Let's start with the end in mind. The end of the fourth century BCE was a tumultuous period in Cypriot history. According to Diodorus Siculus, "Ptolemy...crossed with an army from Egypt into Cyprus against those of the kings who refused to obey him."  (Diod Sic 79.4) The ruler of Kition, Pygmalion, was put to death. King Praxippus of Lapethos was arrested. The city of Marion was razed. And King Nicocles of Paphos, seeing the writing on the wall, chose to hang himself. His wife, Axiothea, tragically killed her daughters and then herself before burning the palace down in defiance. Their deaths, among others, brought an end to the Cypriot City-Kingdoms and ushered in the Ptolemaic Age. However, for centuries, the Cypriot City-Kingdoms (i.e., poleis) thrived on the periphery of Assyrian, and later, Persian rule. Though never truly "independent," Cypriot Kings skillfully wielded their political currency. But just how did they navigate the changing geo-political landscape? Let us be clear: Cyprus, as a whole, was never passive. In fact, these poleis were as dynamic as their rulers. City-Kingdoms forged and severed alliances; willfully provoked and pacified regional powers; and even dared to defy Achaemenid (Persian) will in the Eastern Mediterranean. In this month's episode, Christian Körner, from the University of Bern, discusses "Cyprus Between the Assyrian and Persian Empires."

Primary Source V: A reading from Isocrates’ The Evagoras

Primary sources are invaluable as they give us direct insight into the period in question -- but they also need to be treated with caution. Let's take today's reading for example: Isocrates' The Evagoras is one of our principal sources for the Classical Period in Cyprus. For Isocrates, Evagoras was the model ruler. It depicts the king through the lens of Isocrates’ personal beliefs, which, however, need to be critically analyzed. He is a rhetorician and a sophist. Ostensibly, Isocrates wants there to be unity between Spartans and Athenians -- but under Athenian hegemony. For Isocrates, to truly be a Hellene one must learn to think and live as a Hellene, i.e., possess Athenian education. Athens to Isocrates is, of course, the pinnacle of Greek culture to which a great debt is owed.  
Evagoras of Salamis, then, fits the Isocratean mould and we can see what makes his character so appealing to Isocrates. According to Isocrates, Evagoras “inspired respect, not by the frowning of his brow, but by the principles of his life” (Isoc. Evagoras 9.44). Not only is Evagoras philhellenic, he is more specifically phil-Athenian. As king he “observed Greek institutions,” “the liberal arts” and “[Greek] education” (Isoc. Evagoras 9.50). He possessed all the qualities that made him a Philosopher King in his own right but most importantly, in the view of Isocrates, he was a true philhellene. 
We must be cautious though; the Evagoras was written as an encomium (a eulogy) and according to Plutarch, was commissioned by his son and heir, Nicocles. Evagoras’ qualities are showed as unparalleled, if not, divinely bestowed -- inherited from his ancestors, endowed by nature and willed by Zeus himself. It presents a romanticized -- and idealized -- philhellenic king. Isocrates tells the reader that, lamentably, in the years preceding Evagoras “the best rulers were those who treated the Greeks in the most cruel fashion” (Isoc. Evagoras 9.49). Yet Evagoras paradoxically campaigned against other philhellenic city-states on Cyprus. We must remember that historically, Cyprus had been fragmented politically into quasi-city kingdoms as each vied for its own independence (even the term "city-kingdoms" can be somewhat problematic). They were hardly driven by nationalistic or patriotic Hellenic sentiment, but by self-preservation. The Evagoras makes no mention of this, nor does it navigate the questionable Persian/Athenian alliance during the Corinthian War. That, of course, would be inconsistent with the story Isocrates weaves. Isocrates is decisively not an historian.
But I’m far from an expert on this time period. That’s why I hope you join me on August 2nd  as Professor Christian Körner from the University of Bern discusses "Cyprus Between the Assyrian and Persian Empires." For more frequent updates, follow The History of Cyprus on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehistoryofcyprus/ 
 

4. Magic, Spells & Incantations: The Curse Tablets of Roman Cyprus with Drew Wilburn

I invoke you demons… dead by violence and dead before your time and deprived of burial...you who lie here below, dead before your time and nameless…If you lived in Cyprus 2,000 years ago, you may have been the target of just such a curse. Dr. Drew Wilburn discusses spells, magic and curses in ancient Cyprus and the Amathusian Curse Tablets.*Apologies, folks. The microphone quality on my end is a bit subpar for this recording. Will try and fix that for future episodes

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.