Today, we were able to visit our partner school for this trip, the University of Nicosia. We drove about fifteen minutes from our hotel to their campus, where we were able to hear a lecture from a history professor, Dr. Solomou. The lecture concerned Cyprus’ rich history from the Neolithic Age in 7400 BC to the present. One of the most significant periods of Cypriot history was the British takeover and rule of Cyprus between the years 1878 and 1960. After going through many hands, Cyprus was acquired by the British as a means of controlling the Mediterranean. Britain also wanted the land in order to combat the growing power of Russia. The transition of Cyprus from the Ottomans to the British was not at all violent. The British were respectful of the Cypriot people. As our guide told us this afternoon, the British established new infrastructure in Nicosia, including drinking fountains. As I found in some further research, Britain eventually annexed Cyprus and offered it to Greece. That deal never went through, however. The British rule of Cyprus ended in 1960, the same year Cyprus gained its independence. Cyprus’ independence was decided by Greece and Turkey, not Cyprus itself. Its own constitution was not even determined by the Cypriot people. Independence was therefore bittersweet. Cyprus could no longer rely on one of the great powers of the world. Yet, the British still have two bases left in the country: Akrotiri and Dhekelia. 

Dr. Solomou’s lecture was interesting because it described, in detail, the complicated history of the sought-after country of Cyprus. As Dr. Solomou stated, Cyprus has always attracted the great powers based on its attractive location between the Middle East and Europe. Like I mentioned, he started with the Neolithic Age in 7400 BC and ended with the present-day. It is fascinating to think about how much longer Cyprus’ history is compared to the United States! First, we talked about the Neolithic Age in 7400 BC; we moved on from there to the Bronze Age. The transition occurred from 3900 BC to 2500 BC. The Bronze Age occurred from 1400 BC to 1100 BC. We then discussed the Geometric Period, which first included the Phoenicians but then the Assyrians and Egyptians, too (1050 BC to 750 BC). Next, we learned about the Classical Period with the Persians and Alexander the Great around the time of 475 BC. Afterwards, we talked about the Hellenistic Ptolemaic Period in 325 BC, followed by the Romans and Roman Rule in 58 BC. We then discussed the Arab Raids in 330 AD. We then heard about the Byzantine Rule from 330 AD to 1191 AD and the rule of Richard the Lion Heart from 1191 AD to 1192 AD. Next, we learned about the Frankish Rule (1192 – 1489), the Venetian Rule (1489 – 1571), and the Ottoman Rule (1571 – 1878).

Being that these periods lasted much longer than others, these groups left a permanent impact on Cyprus. For example, the Venetian walls can still be seen surrounding the old towns of Nicosia and Famagusta. Also, the Ottoman Turks’ makeshift mosques are still standing today. The last era, which I discussed previously, was the British Rule of Cyprus and Cyprus Independence between 1878 – 1960. Since then, Cyprus’ greatest conflict has been with Turkey, who invaded Cyprus in 1974. The country is now divided between the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Cyprus (there is literally a line between the two parts of Cyprus). This point brings me to one of the most intriguing parts of Dr. Solomou’s lecture: modern day politics. Specifically, he questioned why no great power has gotten involved. Although no great power – with the exception of Turkey – recognizes the Turkish Republic of Cyprus as an actual country, they have not helped Cyprus solve the conflict. He noted that many times today, diplomats make decisions based on politics and not principle. He was adamant that there is a lot of hypocrisy in today’s political climate. A country may claim to lead with a certain value (equality, for example) but may not actually practice what they preach. 

After Dr. Solomou’s presentation, we had another lecture from a Greek language professor. Her slideshow was conveniently named “It’s All Greek to Me!” We learned that Greek Cypriots speak Cypriot Greek, which is a different dialect from plain Greek. Cypriot Greek is very close to the Ancient Greek language. Greek, in general, has the longest documented history of the Indo-European languages. The Disc of Phaistos (from 2000 BC!) shows the core language. Our professor also taught us some of the basics of Ancient Greece. For example, she told us that Ancient Athens was a patriarchal society and Ancient Sparta was a matriarchal society. People used to write on stones in both places in order to vote people out of the area for security reasons. We learned several foundational Greek words, including yes (ne), no (ohi), and thanks (efharisto). My favorite phrase we learned is used to order coffee: “thelo enan kafe, parakalo.” We also learned numbers 1-24 for our count-off when we get on the bus!