Department of History
Ionian University
Corfu, Greece
DURATION
4
weeks. From 3 to 28 July 2006.
COURSES
Modern
Greek language: Monday to Friday from 9.00 a.m. to 1 p.m
Lectures
on Greek History and Culture: Wednesdays and Fridays from 6.00 p.m to 8.00
p.m.
FEES
600
euros (accommodation not included).
ACCOMMODATION
In
hotels or by Corfiot families
APPLICATION
Please
apply until 15 May 2006 by letter or e-mail to:
Kostas
Katsapis,e-mail address: kkats@ionio.gr
Ionian University, Dpt. of History, 72, I. Theotoki St. Corfu - Greece 49100
Tel. +30 26610 87336
POSTER OF THE SUMMER SCHOOL
WHY SUMMERSCHOOL AT THE IONIAN UNIVERSITY IN CORFU?
THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY: GENERAL INFORMATION
THE IONIAN ACADEMY, THE FIRST GREEK UNIVERSITY
USEFUL INFORMATION FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS
THE HISTORY OF CORFU IN A NUTSHELL
WHY SUMMERSCHOOL AT CORFU
The
Ionian University combines the old and the new, the small and the friendly,
the beauty of the environment and the
tradition of the intellect. In Corfu),
(http://www.corfuweb.gr/), one walks
in history. The Summer School aims at small groups of foreign students which
are going to be met and guided in the city by Greek students of the University
in an attempt to promote exchange of ideas and knowledge of different cultures.
The modern Greek classes will be taught by Greek teachers specially trained
for foreigners, and the classes on Greek history and culture are going to
be taught by the Professors of the Department of History. It is worth noting
that during the month of July the Department of Music of the Ionian University
runs the Summer Academy of Music and a large number of concerts are being
performed.
Morevoer,
Corfu provides an unique environment for lovers of Greek and Mediterranean
history. The city of Corfu is one
of the most beautiful in Greece, a place where the East touches the West.
An island with a Greek population conquered for seven centuries by western
powers, was the first stop from continental Europe to the East, a strategic
place of the Crusaders to the Byzantine East. The Ionian islands since the
11th century went through consecutive conquests. The Normands
from Scandinavia, the Anjou from the heart of present-day France, Neapolitans
from the neighbouring Italian peninsula, invaded them until the final Venetian
conquest in the 14th century, when they became part of the maritime
Empire of Venice. After their consecutive conquest by the French and the
British in the first half of the 19th century, the Ionian islands
became part of the Greek state in 1864.
In
this way the city of Corfu, is a
combination of Venetian, French, English and Greek architecture, a highly
attractive city, result of its history. With ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine
and Venetian remains, churches, forts, walls, large squares and an intense
passion for music and philarmonicas is an ideal place for study, concentration
and entertainement. In addition the island is covered by thousands of square
miles of olive groves and is renown for its long sandy beeches.
The seat of the Department of History
is in Corfu town. Its premises are
centrally situated, at 72, Ioanni Theotoki Street (previously Avramiou Street).
Each year, a 120 students enroll here.
The academic staff are of three categories:
twenty-two tenured teaching and research personnel, two foreign language
teachers, and a number of lecturers on temporary contracts.
Academic work is made possible thanks to the support provided by
the Department's administrative personnel.
The Department provides undergraduate studies towards a first degree,
post-graduate specialization towards a Master's Degree, and supervision
of research students working towards a Doctorate.
The Department is governed by its General
Assembly, in which participate its tenured staff (apart from those on sabbatical
leave) and the representatives of the students. The Assembly is presided over by the Head of
Department. The Head and the Deputy
Head of Department are elected for a period of two years.
The current Head of Department, elected
for the period 2002-2004, is Associate Professor Gelina Harlaftis, and his
Deputy is Professor Nikolaos Karapidakis.
Department of History
72, I.Theotoki str., 49100 Corfu, Greece
phone:26610-87300, 87329, 87313
fax: 26610-35197
Web site: www.ionio.gr
Central Administration Offices in Corfu
Ionian University
Rizospaston Voulefton 7
Tel.: +30 26610 40057, Fax : +30 26610
22549
Ionian
Academy
The first Greek University
The
Ionian Academy was the first modern Greek University that functioned in
Corfu for 40 years, from 1824 to 1864, that is up to the Union of the Ionian
islands with the Greek state.
The
foundation of the University was inspired and realized by the British philhellene
Frederic North, Count of Guilford, who had built up particular relations
with Corfu that he had visited first in 1791, when it was still under the
Venetian rule. Almost twenty years later, when the island was under British
rule, he conceived the idea of establishing in Ithaca a University where
classes would be taught in the Greek language, in order to promote the intellectual
development of the Greek nation and to provide an institution of higher
education for all the young Greek scholars who had to travel abroad in order
to attend European Universities if they wanted to proceed with their studies.
Lord Guilford started his campaign and systematic preparations in 1811;
this major task was entirely coordinated and financed by his own resources.
The
Greek War of Independence which
broke out in 1821 caused for the transfer of the seat of the University
from Ithaca, an island very close to the fighting mainland, to Corfu. The
official opening of the Ionian Academy took place on 29 May 1824 in great
festivity. The initial concept of the founder was incorporated in the Legislative
Decree that included the formation of four Faculties: Theology, Law, Medicine
and Philosophy.
The
sudden death of Guilford in 1827 and the return to Britain of his unique
library, that he had transferred and bequeathed to the Ionian Academy, accelerated
the problems of the University and the financial difficulties, since he
had remained the only steady source of income of the new institution. Despite
the crisis and the continuous problems, the University continued to function
until 1864, the year of Union of the Ionian state with the Greek state.
Then, some of the distinguished professors
of the Ionian Academy became professors of the University of Athens.
During
its forty years of operation the Ionian Academy produced a large number
of graduates and many important intellectual figures. It was a University
formed with very high aspirations and goals during an extremely difficult
period. Despite the fact that its founder was British and the Ionian Islands
were a British Protectorate, from the very beginning, lord Guilford planned
and finally established a Greek University. Under these circumstances the
Ionian Academy, the first modern Greek University, made a major contribution
providing higher education to all Greeks and not exclusively to the inhabitants
of the Ionian Islands.
The
modern Ionian University prides itself to be the continuation of this first
Greek University.
Professor
Helen Agelomatis-Tsougarakis
Transport
Corfu has daily connections by sea
with the ports of Igoumenitsa and Patras as well as with the ports of Brindisi,
Ancona and Venice in Italy (not daily), while by air the island is connected
with Athens (daily) and Thessaloniki (twice a week).
Arrival by bus
There are scheduled bus routes from
Athens (duration of journey: 8 hours) and Thessaloniki (duration: 11 hours)
to Igoumenitsa (Athens buses KTEL, tel.: 210.51.29.443, Thessaloniki buses,
tel.: 2310.510.110).
Arrival by ferryboat or ship
There are scheduled ferryboats from
Igoumenitsa (every hour, duration: 2 hours approx.). Harbour Office in Corfu, tel.: 26610.32.655 /
40.002, Harbour Office in Igoumenitsa, tel.: 0665.22.235) and scheduled
daily ships from Patra (less frequent than ferryboats, duration: 8 hours
- Harbour Office in Patra, tel.: 061. 341.002, 341.024).
During the summer, there are daily
connections with Venice, while throughout the year there are daily connections
with Italian ports, such as Brindisi and Ancona.
Arrival by plane
Olympic Airways and Aegean Airlines
fly every day from Athens (duration of flight: 50 min.) and twice a week
from Thessaloniki (OA).
The airport is just three (3) kilometers outside the town of Corfu.
(OA Office in Corfu: 26610.38.694/5, Airport: 26610.30.180
OA Office in Athens: 210.96.66.666)
During the summer period (March - October), Corfu is also connected by air
with other European cities.
Both in the port and the airport there are taxi terminals service travellers
(cost to the town centre: approx. 5 EUROS).ing
The Euro is the currency used in Greece.
Bank opening hours: Monday-Thursday: 08:00- 14:00, Friday: 08:00-13.30.
The average cost for food in Corfu amounts to Euro 250 approx. per month.
Cost of living
The Euro is the currency used in Greece.
Bank opening hours: Monday-Thursday:
08:00- 4:00, Friday: 08:00-13.30.
The average cost for food in Corfu
amounts to Euro 250 approx. per month.
Foreign students attending the Summer
School may have two full meals per day in restaurants contracted with the
Ionian University by paying the reduced price of 2 Euros (for both meals)
directly to the Restaurant.
Foreign students attending the Summer
School can get further information on the contracted restaurants from the
Accommodation Office.
Transportation
Buses
There are 9 bus lines, which serve
the town and the outskirts. Most of the terminals are located in Sarocco
Square.
Town Buses: +30 661 31595 / 32158
There are also coaches which serve
the small and large villages of the island and at the same time connect
the island with continental Greece (via Igoumenitsa). The terminal is located
at the I.Theotoki str. (formerly Avramiou str.). Coaches: +30 661 30627
/ 39862
Taxis
There
are taxi terminals on Sarocco Square, on the Esplanade, in the town centre
as well as at the airport and the port.
Radio- taxis are also available (tel.: +30 661
33811 /12)
Foreign Embassies
Consulates
BRITISH:
1, Menekratous st., tel.: +30 661 30055, 23457
FRENCH: 22, I.Polyla st., tel.: +30
661 26312
ITALIAN: 17, I.Vraila st., tel.: +30
661 37351, 42433
GERMAN: 57, Guildford st., tel.: +30
661 31450, 31453
SPANISH: 2, I.Politi st., tel.: +30
661 30457, 51443
PORTUGUESE: 7th kilom. National Road
Achillion, tel.: +30 661 56933
DANISH: 4, Ethnikis Antistasis, tel.:
+30 661 35698
DUTCH: Skondrou, Pyrgi Ypsos, tel:
+30 661 93385
Useful telephone numbers
Police: 26610 - 39505, 30188 - «100»
Traffic Police: 26610 - 39294
Hospital: 26610 - 45811, 39428, 39403
General Clinic: 26610 - 36044
First
- Aid: 166
Organisation
of Telecommunication of Greece (OTE): 26610 - 39199
Post Office: 26610-25544, 39604
Hellenic Organisation of Tourism (EOT):
26610 - 37638, -9, -0
Harbour Office: 26610 - 32655, 39918
Archaeological Museum: 26610 - 30680
Museum of Solomos: 26610 - 30674
Museum of Antivouniotissa: 26610 -
38313
Achillion: 26610 - 56210
Museum of Folklore Art in Sinarades:
26610 - 54962, 35673
Reading Society: 26610 - 39528
National Art Gallery (Kato Korakiana):
26610 - 93333
Municipal
Art Gallery: 26610 - 48690
THE
HISTORY OF CORFU IN A NUTSHELL
Remains
from human activities have been found in Corfu (spear-heads, cutting tools
and an axe) dating from the period between 100.000 and 37.000 B.C.; also,
several sites have been discovered dating from the Mesolithic (9.000-6.000
B.C.) and the Neolithic (6.000-3.000 B.C.) eras. Moreover, numerous finds
from the Bronze Age (3.000-1.000 B.C.), such as pots and potsherds, provide
evidence of a substantial number of settlements spread throughout the island
that were in contact with quite remote regions such as Macedonia, Lefkas,
Sicily and Malta. Owing to the absence of findings from the Protogeometric
and Geometric periods, we may only hypothesize about human activities then.
Korkyra, Kerkyra, Phaeakia, Drepane and Cassopaea, are some
of the names by which the island of Corfu has been known. According to many
specialists, this is the island that Homer chose as the place where his
Ulysses would make his felicitous last stop: Scheria, where Ulysses
met Nausika, and Corfu are one and the same place.
The island's geographical position attracted the interest of various expanding
Greek cities: the Eretrians were the first to settle in Corfu, and from
734 B.C. on, it was systematically colonised by the Corinthians. As a result
of its growing economic strength, the island was led to a confrontation
with Corinth in 453 B.C., and then to an alliance with Athens, a rival to
the city-states of the Peloponnesus. A naval battle at Syvota in 433 B.C.
between Corinth and Corfu was one of the first incidents of the Peloponnesian
War. The support given by Athens to the Democratic Party of Corfu led to
civil war on the island, and it is that incident that inspired Thucydides
to ponder on the pathology of war. In spite of the victory of the pro-Athenian
party, the island kept a neutral stance during the last phase of the war
(410 B.C.). Whenever and as far as its oligarchs permitted, Corfu remained
an occasional ally of Athens up to the battle of Chaeronea (338 B.C.). After
being occupied by the Spartan Cleonymos in 303 B.C. and the tyrant of Sicily
Agathocles in 301 B.C., Corfu was given by the latter as a dowry to king
Pyrrhus of Epirus in 299 B.C. and stayed under Epirote domination till 255
B.C. It was obliged to seek Rome's assistance in 229 B.C., following a short
period of independence.
The christianization of the island began in the 1st c. A.D. and in 395 A.D.
the island became part of the Eastern half of the Empire. Between the 6th
and 9lh c. A.D., the inhabitants of the ancient settlements withdrew to
the heights of the small peninsula that is known today as the Old Fortress.
By the time it was briefly occupied by the Normans in 1147, Corfu had developed
into a naval base, a strong fortress and an archbishopric. In 1149, it came
back under Byzantine rule. In 1204, following the partition of the Empire,
it passed to the Venetians, under whose rule it remained until 1214. Subsequently,
it became part of the Despotate of Epirus, was then given as a dowry to
King Manfred of the Two Sicilies and, in 1267, joined the Angevin kingdom
of Naples.
Corfu came under Venetian influence during the crisis of the succession
to the throne of the Angevin state (1386-1387). It then became a Venetian
province and, despite fierce Ottoman attacks and sieges, remained in Venetian
hands up to 1797, when French troops brought the Venetian rule to an end.
From 1797 to 1799 it was part of the French dominions of Italy, as were
the other islands of the Ionian Sea. In 1800 it came under Russo-Ottoman
protection and was given a peculiar constitution providing for an aristocratic
regime. Following the Treaty of Tilsitt in 1807, the island was incorporated
in the French Empire, where it remained until the latter's final break-up
in the aftermath of the defeat of 1814. It then came under the protection
of Great Britain, which had occupied the other Ionian Islands by 1809. Real
authority was vested in a High Commissioner, who was assisted by a forty-member
parliament and a six-member executive body, the Senate (Constitution of
1807). The Ionian Academy was founded in 1823. In 1836 the Greek language
began to be gradually used in administration and its use was generalised
in 1852. In 1849 a first attempt to reform the constitution was made and
was followed by a further one in 1859. During that period, two main political
movements had been formed, the radicals, aiming at union with the Greek
homeland, and the reformists, who wanted administrative autonomy.
A historic conjuncture favoured the radicals since, with the ascendance
of the Danish Prince George to the throne of Greece, Great Britain ceded
the Ionian Islands to the Greek Kingdom with the final Treaty of 29th May
1864. Since then, Corfu has been a part of the Hellenic State. In 1915,
during World War I, and while the Greek Prime Minister led an insurrection
against the pro-German King, Corfu came under French control. In 1916-1917,
the King, the government and the army of Serbia took refuge in the island.
In 1923, the Italian army occupied the island for about one month. This
occupation was repeated during World War II, and lasted from 1941 to 1943,
when Italy capitulated unilaterally to the Allies. On 14th September 1943,
the Germans bombed Corfu in the context of operations to occupy it, and
as a result 20% of the town was destroyed.
Corfu boasts a rich cultural tradition: it is well-known for its cultivation
of music, for the development of influential literary movements at various
stages of its history, for the promotion of the arts, for the political
movements developed here over the centuries, for its age-old tradition in
local administration, and, finally, for the time-honoured traditions and
customs still maintained here, especially in the countryside.
Today, Corfu Town is the capital of the Prefecture of Corfu and of the Region
of the Ionian Islands, as well as the seat of the Ionian University.
Nikos Karapidakis
Professor of Western Medieval History