Giraffe Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 Those of you who've read the ancients or History of the Ancient World might recall the city of Phokaia that tricked the Persians (who were laying siege to their city) by asking for a day of truce to consider terms of surrender and then, in the night, loaded their ships with everything and sailed off, leaving the Persians an empty city. They sailed with penteconters (I think I have that spelled right), a unique ship with a square sail. They helped found the city of Massalia, modern Marseilles. Turns out the little sleepy summer vacation spot I've been hanging out in for the past five years - the one with the primary industry of fishing - is PHOKAIA!! It's called Foca (Foh-chah) now and is simply lovely. They have a museum devoted to the history of the town, they are excavating the temples to Athena and Cybele, and you can see ancient ruins. Outside the city is a monument to the Persian dead, presumably erected by the Persians (though I haven't yet gone to see it). I never realized that Foca was THAT Phokaia - but it really and truly is. (And the Siren rocks are just off the shore!) Just had to share with folks who might understand my excitement at actually being in such a historical place! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleni Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 That is so exciting!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halftime Hope Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 I would have been so excited, had I been you! Will you have time to really acquaint yourself with the history, the ruins and the museums? Two summers ago dd and I were in Spain for two weeks as part of a mission trip with dd's choir. One of the towns in which they gave a concert was the ancestral home of the notorious Borgia family. A kindly older gentleman at the church was telling me about the history of the region after the concert and saying that it had been quite the hot spot during the inquisition because of the strength of the Catholic tradition, and that even several noblemen in the area who dared to proclaim their "heresy" were put on "castle-arrest" and ended up losing possessions, families, and lives. From those seeds of injustice sprang up a strong opposition to the church in the area, out of which grew a vibrant thread of protestant belief in the area. Sadly--I kid you not--when I was telling the group about the history the gentleman had been recounting, not one of the kids--I repeat, not one--knew who the Borgias were, not even when I connected them to Machiavelli and The Prince. Sigh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 I never realized that Foca was THAT Phokaia - but it really and truly is. (And the Siren rocks are just off the shore!) How cool! And now you have me wondering if the Spanish (Latin??) word for seal (foca) has something to do with this place name and the sirens... :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted May 26, 2011 Author Share Posted May 26, 2011 How cool! And now you have me wondering if the Spanish (Latin??) word for seal (foca) has something to do with this place name and the sirens... :tongue_smilie: Yes - Foca, Fokaia, Phocaea, Phokaia - all connected to Fok - Seal. Foca is the home to the Mediterranean Monk Seal - an endangered species that only hangs out in a couple of places, one of them being the Siren Rocks. I have a theory that the songs the sailors heard were the seals' barks. Apparently they're distinctive. My theory is that the sailors were too embarrassed to admit they'd run aground because of seals and invented the mermaids/Sirens. Mermaids - yeah, they were mermaids! :tongue_smilie::tongue_smilie: I've seen the museum and some of the ruins but didn't understand what I was looking at. I'm planning on seeing them all again over this summer now that I have context! And on that note - thank you SWB! Your books rock, yet again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 That is cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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