Cyprus-Forum.com

[Noaxetogrind]

I realise that the culture of south of the island is predominantly Greek but I have wondered for a while whether DNA testing has yet to show what percentage of Greek genes are found in the average so called Greek Cypriot.

Does anyone know?

[Piratis]

The history and culture of the whole Cyprus is predominantly Greek for 3500 years.

What makes somebody Greek is his language and his culture, not his genes. Such thing as a "pure race" does not exist, apart maybe in some lost tribes in the Amazon. Since you live in the UK you should know this better than anybody else, since your race is "bastardized" more than any other. (and by no means I am saying this in a negative way).

As Greek Cypriots, we accept both our Greek language and culture, as well as our unique Cypriot characteristics that make us different than lets say Athenian Greeks.

[Bananiot]

Yes, but Piratis has a political axe to grind. Seriously though, I agree with Piratis on this one and further more, I claim that the inhabitants of Cyprus are simply barbarian that learned Greek.

[Simon]

Large numbers of Mycenean Greeks settled in Cyprus and founded many city-kingdoms. This is a well known fact. I'm afraid your theory is unfounded and misleading.

[Bananiot]

Would you like to elaborate on the phenotypes of the Myceneans? Perhaps you can then compare the phenotypes of Myceneans with contemporary Greek Cypriots.

[Simon]

The 'phenotypes' will obviously not be the same, as many different peoples and cultures mix. We are talking about thousands of years ago. Hardly any nations have 'pure blood' this is obvious. However, this does not mean that Cypriots are 'barbarians that learned Greek.' It does not prove this at all. Ask any reputable historian whether Myceneans settled in Cyprus if you don't want to take my word for it. If you don't know one, then buy a book on the ancient Greek world.

[Bananiot]

Simon, I know about the Myceneans (were they Greek?) but obviously you did not understand the sarcasm. Let us take a hypothetical issue. Someone, a Greek Cypriot, has an axe to grind against the Greek Cypriot President of Cyprus. He produces numerous articles which he publishes on a daily basis, belittling the President with phrases such as "you are just a piece of meat", "foreigners hear you and cannot stop laughing", "you live on valium" just to mention a few. After a few years pas by, the President proposes that his "critic" becomes the leader of the party he set up. The "critic" not only manages this but he also becomes President of Cyprus. Now, would you say that this is the expected behaviour from Greeks, even if they are Myceneans. I reckon we are all barbarians, that simply learned Greek.

Of course the above is just a hypothetical issue. It might never have taken place. In that case I ask to be excused for my ignorance.

[Simon]

Bananiot,

I did not realise you were being sarcastic. I thought that by using the term 'barbarian' you meant that GCs were never ethnic Greeks, but just learned the language. I agree with you that of course, we were once all barbarians, and we all have elements of barbaric behaviour in some way, shape or form.

[Bananiot]

Okay Simon, pleased we cleared this up.

[Piratis]

Bananiot, did your wife cheated you with Papadopoulos or something? Is defaming him the purpose of our life since?

At one point everybody was barbarian. Civilization is something relatively recent. In ancient times there were several Greek tribes. In the exact same way that those tribes colonized Greece, they also colonized Cyprus and other places. Both Cyprus and Greece fall under several conquerors and each one of them left its mark. Greece for example was under the Ottomans for longer than Cyprus. It is not that Greeks from Greece are "pure" Greeks and Greek Cypriots are less "pure" Greeks. From a genes point of view non is "pure" and when it comes language and culture, the things that make somebody Greek, Greek Cypriots are no less Greek than any other Greek.

Just like the Athenians have their unique characteristics, Cretans, Cypriots etc have them too. And we want to maintain our unique characteristics because we are Greek Cypriots and we don't want to be just Greek, since that would mean the loss of half of our identity.