Cyprus-Forum.com

[GreekIslandGirl]

It was always GREEK, it was created that way. You are just passing parasites we regretably picked up along the way. We are still looking for a cure to rid us of this disease.
Soon turk soon.

Balls! Cyprus was not created Greek - that is a lie put about to disguise ancient invasions. Cyprus only became Greek speaking because of acts of imperialist agression in Ancient times including colonisation and settlers - Look at the destruction of the ancient Cypriot city of Enkomi. Well if it is wrong now it was wrong then.

Stop trying to justify recent British Colonial rule over Cyprus with your nonsense. This outdated tactic of minimizing Cyprus' Greek nature was only tried briefly by the British and later abandoned because it is a lie and unsustainable!

Before the involvement of the USA, in the late 40s, the British encouraged the Cypriots to raise Greek flags and encouraged them to ‘Fight for Greece and freedom’.

[supporttheunderdog]

the British accuired control of Cyprus in 1871 through diplomacy under an agreement with the then recognised rulers not military invasion and bringing in Colonists.

What I find offensive about B25 is the way he denigrates Cyprus in favour of Greece!

[PC Bubble]

We are still patiently waiting for someone to tell us when Cyprus came under Greek rule.

Is the question too difficult or isn't there an answer ?

[B25]

the British accuired control of Cyprus in 1871 through diplomacy under an agreement with the then recognised rulers not military invasion and bringing in Colonists.

What I find offensive about B25 is the way he denigrates Cyprus in favour of Greece!

I never did any such thing. It is you interferring MF British attitude that misunderstood my words. Cyprus IS GREEK NOT TURKISH. Now stick that in yourt pipe and smoke it.

What I find offensive is some colonial BRIT on a cyprus problem putting us down in own own country and continue telling us how we should behave. Why don't you FO to your own country and sort out your own problems and leave Cyprus to it people. Who the hell are you to be picking me up, what right do you have to tell me with whom I should side if I wanted to. This is just the treatment you F brits imposed on us in the 50/60 that caused the problems we have today. So here is my answer Go F yourself STUD, stay out of my business.
Capish!

[kimon07]

We are still patiently waiting for someone to tell us when Cyprus came under Greek rule. Is the question too difficult or isn't there an answer ?

You went asking asked for it. So, you will see blow that Cyprus was under Grek ryle from 330 to 30 BC and then again through out the whole Byzantine Empire era. That means 1900 od years prior to falling to the Anatolians. Mind you, as shown further below, during the same period, even the areas of origin of the Turks was also under Greek Dominance (The Greco Bactrian and the Greco Indian kingdoms). History is a bitch isn't it?

Hellenistic period
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenisti ... ic_kingdom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article focuses on the historical aspects of the Hellenistic age; for the cultural aspects see Hellenistic civilization.

Hellenistic kingdoms.png

Kingdoms of the Diadochi after the battle of Ipsus, circa 301 BC.
Kingdom of Ptolemy I Soter
Kingdom of Cassander
Kingdom of Lysimachus
Kingdom of Seleucus I Nicator
Epirus
Other
Carthage
Roman Republic
Greek colonies
The Hellenistic period or Hellenistic era of Greek history describes the time which followed the conquests of Alexander the Great. It was so named by the historian J. G. Droysen. During this time, Greek cultural influence and power was at its zenith in Europe and Asia. It is often considered a period of transition, sometimes even of decline or decadence,[1] between the brilliance of the Greek Classical era and the emergence of the Roman Empire.
Usually taken to begin with the death of Alexander in 323 BC, the Hellenistic period may be seen to end either with the final conquest of the Greek heartlands by Rome in 146 BC or with the final defeat of the last remaining successor-state to Alexander's empire after the Battle of Actium in 31 BC.[2]
The Hellenistic period was characterized by a wave of colonists who established Greek cities and kingdoms in Asia and Africa.[3]


The Greco-Bactrian kingdom
Main article: Greco-Bactrian kingdom

300px-Greco-BactrianKingdomMap.jpg

The Greco-Bactrian kingdom at its maximum extent (c.180 BC)
The Greek kingdom of Bactria (or Greco-Bactrian kingdom) began as an offshoot of the Seleucid empire. The sheer size of the eastern Seleucid domains must mean that the satraps governing the provinces had significant freedom from central control. In around 250 BC, the governor of Bactria, Sogdiana and Margiana, one Diodotus, took this process to its logical extreme and declared himself king.

[kimon07]

We are still patiently waiting for someone to tell us when Cyprus came under Greek rule. Is the question too difficult or isn't there an answer ?

You went asking for it. So, you will see blow that Cyprus was under Grek rule from 330 to 30 BC and then again through out the whole Byzantine Empire era...... Mind you, as shown further below, during the same period, even the areas of origin of the Turks was also under Greek Dominance (The Greco Bactrian and the Greco Indian kingdoms)....

The Indo-Greek Kingdom or Graeco-Indian Kingdom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Greek_Kingdom
180 BC–AD 10
covered various parts of the northwest regions of the Indian subcontinent during the last two centuries BC, and was ruled by more than 30 Hellenistic kings,[2] ........

Indo-Greeks kingdom.jpg

[kimon07]

So please let us all know exactly when in history that Cyprus came under Greek rule ?

It never has been Greek and the inhabitants of the South of the island are mainly of Arab extraction from the countries that surround Cyprus.

Such as Egypt, Syria and Palestine, for instance?

History of Ptolemaic Egypt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of ... emaic_Rule

"Ptolemaic Egypt began when Ptolemy I Soter invaded Egypt and declared himself Pharaoh of Egypt in 305 BC and ended with the death of queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt and the Roman conquest in 30 BC. The Ptolemaic Kingdom was a powerful Hellenistic state, extending from southern Syria in the east, to Cyrene to the west, and south to the frontier with Nubia........"
"The Ptolemaic kingdom was ethnically diverse. During this period, Greek troops under Ptolemy I Soter were given land grants and brought their families encouraging tens of thousands of Greeks to settle the country making themselves the new ruling class. Early Greek settlers did little to hide their disdain for the Egyptian population which surrounded them, people they thought to be barbaric.[18] Despite this initial disdain,

later generations of the Greek population

were more open to intermarriage with the Egyptian population, particularly in the settlements farthest away from Alexandria."

"Roman Egypt
In 30 BC, following the death of Cleopatra VII, the Roman Empire declared that Egypt was a province (Aegyptus), and that it was to be governed by a prefect selected by the Emperor from the Equestrian and not a governor from the Senatorial order, to prevent interference by the Roman Senate. The main Roman interest in Egypt was always the reliable delivery of grain to the city of Rome. To this end the Roman administration made no change to the Ptolemaic system of government, although Romans replaced Greeks in the highest offices. But Greeks continued to staff most of the administrative offices and Greek remained the language of government except at the highest levels. Unlike the Greeks, the Romans did not settle in Egypt in large numbers. Culture, education and civic life largely remained Greek throughout the Roman period. The Romans, like the Ptolemies, respected and protected Egyptian religion and customs, although the cult of the Roman state and of the Emperor was gradually introduced."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of ... mographics

[kimon07]

And now can you tell us when the island was GREEK?

Just to complete the picture of my previous posts, here is something from a Turkish author:


Byzantine Empire
By Burak Sansal
http://www.allaboutturkey.com/bizans.htm

Byzantin Empire.jpg

The Byzantine Empire is also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, for it was in fact a continuation of the Roman Empire into its eastern part. At its greatest size, during the 500's AD, Byzantine included parts of southern and eastern Europe, the Middle East, and northern Africa.
The Byzantine people called themselves Romans although they were actually descendants of various ancient peoples and they spoke Greek.

The word Byzantine, in fact, comes from "Byzantium," which is the Greek name for a city on the Bosphorus. The Greeks colonized the area first, in the mid-600's BC, even before Alexander the Great brought his troops into Anatolia (334 BC). Greek culture continued its influence long after the region became part of the Roman Empire, in the 100's BC. But it was when Roman emperor Constantine the Great moved the capital of the Empire from Rome to Byzantium and renamed it Constantinople (Istanbul today), in 330 AD, that the Byzantine Empire really began. It lasted over 1000 years, ending finally in 1453, when the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul.

Christianity had a strong influence on Byzantine art, music, and architecture. Since Constantinople was the political center of the Empire, it also was the educational center, where future government officials learned to read and write the language of ancient Greece. Thus this period produced remarkable works in history as well as fine poetry, and much religious prose. All the visual arts flourished, too. Most of the artists worked as servants of the court or belonged to religious orders, and they remained anonymous. Ivory carvings, Byzantine crosses, and "illuminations," or small manuscript paintings, attest to their skill. Almost all that survives of the Byzantine architecture are its churches, with their glorious frescoes and mosaics. With Hagia Sophia as an example, their architects and artisans reached heady heights of magnificence, indeed.
For 1100 years, the Byzantine's were able to maintain control of their empire, although somewhat tenuously at times; the Empire's expansion and prosperity were balanced by internal religious schisms (such as Nika Riot) and recurring wars with enemies from the outside. Finally, weakened by recurring waves of attack, the Ottomans overcame the exhausted Byzantines and a new era of leadership began. The Byzantine Empire, however, had left its mark on the culture, never to be entirely erased even after the Conquest.

[kimon07]

So, then. To summarize my answers to the questions of PC and VP. If we go by who ruled Cyprus, then Cyprus as well as Turkey, the whole of the middle East, Egypt, Centrl Asia etc, were Greek from 300 BC till the Roman era and then again throughout the Byzantine Empire era.

If we go according to culture, descent of the majority of the inhabitants, history, the self determination of the people etc, then Cyprus is Greek from about 1.200 BC till today.

And if the criterion is who ruled a territory the longest, then again Turkey is Greek, having been ruled by the successors of Alexander and then the Byzantines for 1300 years (not to mention the earlier Greek city kingdoms), till it fell to the Ottomans less than 600 years ago.

So, according to the criteria of VP and PC, Turkey IS GREEK .

No need to feel stupid folks. Be proud.

[kimon07]

So, according to the criteria of VP and PC, Turkey IS GREEK .

No need to feel stupid folks. Be proud.

And to make you even more proud of your GREEK HERITAGE, let me talk to you about your national flag, which is also Greek

Constantinople

Byzantium Flag.jpg

Constantinople-Banner.png

The star and crescent symbol was originally used as the flag of Constantinople.
According to legend in 339 BC the city of Byzantium, (later known as Constantinople and then Istanbul), won a decisive battle under a brilliant waxing moon which they attributed to their patron Goddess Artemis (Diana in Roman mythology) whose symbol was the crescent moon.
In honor of Artemis the citizens adopted the crescent moon as their symbol.
When the city became the Christian Roman Constantinople in 330 AD, Constantine also added the Virgin Mary's star on the flag.
Isaac Comnenus of Cyprus

Isaac Comnenus was the last ruler of Cyprus before the Frankish conquest during the Third Crusade.
He was a minor member of the Comnenus family, a great nephew of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus (1143-1180) and a grandson of the Sebastocrator Isaac.
The coat of arms used by Issac Comnenus was a crescent moon and an eight pointed star on an azure background, adopted in relation with his family links to the Byzantine emperor.
Emperor Manuel made Isaac governor of Isauria and the town of Tarsus in present-day eastern Turkey, where he started a war with the Armenians and was imprisoned by them.
When Isaac was released in 1185, he hired a troop of mercenaries and sailed to Cyprus. He presented falsified imperial letters that ordered the local administration to obey him in everything and established himself as ruler of the island.

Komnenos-Cyprus-Arms.png

Richard the Lionheart
In 1192 the fiancée and the sister of the English King Richard I Lionheart were shipwrecked on Cyprus and were taken captive by Isaac. In retaliation Richard conquered the island while on his way to Tyre.
Isaac was taken prisoner near Cape St. Andreas on the Karpass Peninsula, the northernmost tip of the island. According to tradition, Richard had promised Isaac not to put him into irons, so he kept him prisoner in chains of silver. At this time Richard adopted the star and crescent symbol, which Issac Comnenus had been using, as his own.
Isaac was turned over to the Knights of St. John, who kept him imprisoned in Margat near Tripoli until he was released in c. 1194.

Portsmouth Coat of Arms

Richard the Lionheart.jpg

In 1194 it was King Richard I, Richard the Lionheart, who granted the Town of Portsmouth its first charter.
The star and crescent symbol is also present on the seal of William de Longchamp, Bishop of Ely, who as Lord Chancellor, was involved in the in the granting of Portsmouth's charter.
It is believed that the Town of Portsmouth adapted the symbol to use as its coat of arms in tribute to King Richard, for his patronage in granting Town status.
The Star and Crescent symbol is known to have been used by Mayors of Portsmouth from at least the seventeenth century and probably earlier from the middle ages.
The motto 'Heaven's Light Our Guide' was incorporated into the coat of arms in 1929, it is the same motto that was also used by the Order of the Star of India and was used on Indian troopships which regularly travelled between Portsmouth and the East.

http://www.welcometoportsmouth.co.uk/st ... esent.html