for Independence (1821-1829), though it did bloom forth all the more
strongly after the war’s fortunate ending.
For Hellenism began to spread over the west coast in a large number
of little places, which were in part old Hellenic sites, and in part
places settled during the Middle Ages, or in later Turkish times.
Among the very old sites is Phocæa, which through a strange play of
circumstances has formed the beginning and the ending of a development
that has embraced the world. Famous as the metropolis of Marseilles
(Massilia), it was, after a long period of decay, revived in modern
times by the reflux movement from her daughter of old, a movement that
affected Smyrna first, and then its neighbor Phocæa as well, for this
too, in spite of its changing political fortunes, had always been a
bulwark of Christianity and was again destined to experience a new,
though modest, rejuvenescence. Although, during the first half of the
19th century, the Greeks there were still in the minority, as compared
with the Turks, constituting two-fifths of the population (2,000 out
of 5,000), the relation has in the intervening decades so changed that
now out of 8,000 inhabitants, 6,000 are Greeks, so that these now
form three-quarters of the inhabitants. This increase is due to the
vigorous local shipping trade which centers here and which numbers
annually something like 3,000 ships. The most remarkable thing is,
however, that this rejuvenated Old Phocæa has already become once more
the mother-city of a young Phocæa (New Phocæa), which is about ten
kilometers northwest of the old and although only a few decades old
already has about 5,000 inhabitants of whom about 4,000 are Greeks. New
and Old Phocæa then, taken together, already number about 10,000 Greek
inhabitants as compared with 3,000 Turks. Working the salt pits and
exportation of raisins constitute the chief sources of livelihood of
the two cities.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account