Archaeology and History.PhD. Candidate

This paper 1 is a comparative study of the standing, draped female figure known in Cyprus and the eastern Aegean during the Archaic period. With a typological and iconographic approach it aims at a re-examination of possible influences and interactions between the two areas. The material taken into consideration for this study consists mainly of published -mostly mould-made -terracotta and limestone statuettes from different regions in Cyprus and is discussed in comparison with material from sites of the eastern Aegean (Samos, Rhodes, Chios, Miletus, Didyma, Smyrna, Ephesus, Erythrai, Theangela and Halikarnassus). The main criteria for this comparison have been the hand gestures of the figures -concentrating only on a few types, principally those that offer the clearest evidence for the existence or otherwise of Cypro-Aegean interaction in the Archaic period -and consequently the iconography of some objects carried by Cypriote figurines and statues and also the drapery, the hair-headdress and the jewellery.

The fortresses of the Peloponnese played a significant role during the Greek Revolution. They were main defensive positions, shelters for those escaping violence, and places of negotiation between the Ottoman forces and the Greek revolutionaries. The Ottoman centre was able to follow the trajectories of the uprisings in the Morea through communications from the few fortresses that were still in the hands of Ottoman forces. As they retained a few fortresses in the region, the Ottomans continued to claim their rule until their complete evacuation was forced by French forces in 1828. Where were the Ottomans in the Peloponnese? Where was Ottoman defence against the Greek forces? Why were the Ottoman defences in some fortresses successful whilst in others they failed to confront Greek forces? Did the physical situation of the fortresses, geography of the region and weather play a role during the Greek uprisings? These are some of the questions I aim to answer throughout this paper. Largely based on Ottoman archival documents, this paper discusses the Ottoman perspective and the Greek revolts, highlighting the Ottoman considerations of the uprising. It focuses on the fortresses of Anabolu (Napflio), Tripoliçe (Tripoli) Gördes (Acrocorinth), Balya Badra (Patras), Anavarin (Navarino), Moton (Methoni) and Koron (Koroni), as they were the main areas in which conflicts between Ottoman and Greek forces were concentrated. It also sheds light on the conditions leading to the extermination or evacuation of the Muslim population from the region and traces their journey towards the Anatolian shores or the Ottoman capital.

This article points out the socio-economic situation of the Ottoman-Greek borderlands prior to the Crimean war (1853-1856). This research has revealed that the Ottoman border guards’ reliance on supplementary taxes and the use of violence towards villagers alongside the borders paved the way for collaborative agendas with Greek forces, which turned into the insurrections of 1854.

Η μετάφραση ενός αποσπάσματος από την διδακτορική διατριβή μου  εκδοθηκε μεσα στο "1821 Ιστορικά Ζητήματα στις Απαρχές του Ελληνικού και Καπιταλιστικού Σχηματισμού" του Προτζεκτ * 21 εκδοθηκε απο Traverso Antifa. Το 'πρότζεκτ21  είναι μια αυτόνομη ομάδα έρευνας, τεκμηρίωσης και αυτομόρφωσης σχετικά με ζητήματα που άπτονται της εξέγερσης των Ελλήνων υπηκόων της Οθωμανικής Αυτοκρατορίας.

1821’de başlayan ve yaklaşık 10 yıl süren bağımsızlık mücadelesinden sonra, Yunanistan İngiltere, Fransa ve Rusya’nın desteğiyle 1832’de bağımsız bir krallık olarak ilan edildi. Aynı yıl İstanbul’da Avrupalı güçlerin ve Osmanlı temsilcilerinin katılımıyla bir sınır komisyonu toplantı ve ilk Osmanlı-Yunanistan sınırlarını belirleyen İstanbul Anlaşması imzalandı. Aslında, olası bir Yunan Devleti’nin sınırları 1826’dan itibaren tartışılmaktaydı ve farklı sınır önerileri içerisinde son olarak 'doğal sınır' kavramı öne çıkmıştı. Buna göre, Osmanlı ve Yunanistan sınırı Arta körfezlerinden başlayarak batı doğu hattında yüksek dağ silsilelerini takip ederek Volos körfezine varacaktı, böylece, iki devlet arasında doğal bir bariyer yaratılması amaçlanmıştı. Fiziki coğrafya özelliklerinden yola çıkarak sınırların belirlenmesi yeni bir olgu değildi. Avrupa tarihinde doğal sınır kavramına dayalı birçok sınır olmuştu. Örneğin, Tuna nehri yüzyıllar boyunca çeşitli devletler, imparatorluklar arasında sınır olarak kullanılmıştır. Ayrıca, 17. yüzyıldan beri Pirene Dağları da Fransız ve İspanyol uluslarını ayırarak iki ülkenin kara sınırlarını oluşturmaktaydı.

Sıradağlar, nehirler, ormanlar, çayırlar, otlak alanlar ülkelerin sınırlarının belirlenmesinde oldukça sık rastlanılan coğrafi özelliklerdi. Sınırların çizilmesinin ardından yerel halkın doğal kaynaklara erişimi -anlaşmalarla da belirlense- kısıtlanmakta ve engellenmekteydi. Sınırlara rağmen doğal kaynakların yerel halk tarafından kullanımı çeşitli çatışmalara neden olmaktaydı. İlk Osmanlı-Yunanistan sınır bölgesine (Teselya ve Epir) odaklanan bu sunum yerel halkın doğal kaynakların kullanımı, kaynaklara erişilebilirliği ve genel olarak sınırın yerel halkın yaşamı üzerindeki etkilerini aktarmayı amaçlıyor. Sınırların çizilmesiyle su kaynaklarına, ormanlara ve meralara erişimin kısıtlanmasının yerel halk için yarattığı sorunlar vurgulanarak, bu sorunları nasıl çözdükleri veya -çoğunlukla büyük çatışmalarla sonuçlanan- bazı sorunları neden ve ne zaman daha yüksek mercilere ilettikleri gün ışığına çıkarılacak. Genel olarak, bu sunum aşağıdan yukarıya doğru bir yaklaşımla, doğal kaynaklara bağımlı yaşayan insanların günlük yaşamlarının sınırlardan nasıl etkilendiği veya başka bir deyişle yerel halkın sınırları nasıl algıladığını anlatmayı amaçlamaktadır.

Ottoman borders during the nineteenth century experienced a constant flux through territorial losses in consequence of several wars. The Ottoman withdrawal towards the centre ended finally at the end of the First World War; however, the first major rupture in this period emerged with the establishment of the Greek Kingdom in 1832. The acceptance of this
separation, though, was a troublesome issue for the Ottoman Porte. It was the first border constructed between the Ottoman Empire and a nation state that drew apart with full independence, and existed for nearly fifty years, until it was ceded with a more northerly one in 1881. Although the first discussions on the possible borders of an independent or autonomous Greek State had taken place among the representatives of the Great Powers a couple of years ago, with the Treaty of Constantinople in 1832, it took the final shape, and began to exist both on the maps and on the ground by 1835. This presentation focuses on border commissions that decided on the first Ottoman-Greek borders. It will seek answers to
the following questions: who drew the first Ottoman-Greek borders? What was their role in finalizing the specific border line? Who else participated in the border discussions, and on what purposes? Who did the border demarcation work?  Comparing border commission members’ knowledge in geography, cartography and contemporary politics, this paper will discuss their power in the negotiation process and international diplomacy of time.

Τα φρούρια της Πελοποννήσου (Μορέα) έπαιξαν σημαντικό ρόλο κατά την Ελληνική Επανάσταση. Ο μουσουλμανικός πληθυσμός της χερσονήσου τα χρησιμοποίησε κυρίως ως καταφύγια για να για να προστατευθεί από τις επιθέσεις. Τα κάστρα χρησιμοποιήθηκαν επίσης ως τόποι διαπραγμάτευσης μεταξύ των Οθωμανικών δυνάμεων και των Ελλήνων επαναστατών. Κατά τη διάρκεια της επανάστασης, το Οθωμανικό κέντρο μπόρεσε να ακολουθήσει την εξέλιξη των εξεγέρσεων στον Μορέα μέσω επικοινωνιών από τα λίγα φρούρια που βρίσκονταν ακόμη στα χέρια των Οθωμανών. Καθώς διατηρούσαν μερικά φρούρια στην περιοχή, οι Οθωμανοί συνέχισαν να διεκδικούν την κυριαρχία τους μέχρι οι Γαλλικές δυνάμεις να τους εξαναγκάσουν σε αποχώρηση το 1828. Σημαντικό εμπόδιο στην προσπάθεια καταστολής της εξέγερσης από τον Οθωμανικό στρατό αποτέλεσε η δυσκολία
παροχής προμηθειών στους αποκλεισμένους Οθωμανούς των κάστρων καθώς οδήγησε σε εσωτερικές δυσαρέσκειες, αντιθέσεις και συγκρούσεις. Ποιες ήταν οι συνθήκες και η καθημερινή ζωή των ανθρώπων που έμειναν πολύ καιρό αποκλεισμένοι/ες σε κάποια φρούρια; Εστιάζοντας στα κάστρα της Πελοποννήσου, ως τις κύριες εστίες όπου συγκεντρώθηκαν οι συγκρούσεις μεταξύ Οθωμανικών και Ελληνικών δυνάμεων, στοχεύω να απαντήσω σε αυτό το ερώτημα
με βάση οθωμανικά αρχειακά έγγραφα. Αυτή η παρουσίαση φωτίζει επίσης τις συνθήκες που οδήγησαν στην εξόντωση ή εκκένωση του μουσουλμανικού πληθυσμού από την περιοχή και περιγράφει το ταξίδι τους προς τις ακτές της Ανατολίας ή την Οθωμανική πρωτεύουσα.

How was the Greek War of Independence or the Greek Revolution narrated in Turkish historical texts? How did the Turkish historians approach to the establishment of the Greek State effect Greek–Turkish relations? On the occasion of the bicentenary of the Greek War of Independence, this article reviews the approaches of the Ottoman/Turkish historians on the Greeks, on the establishment of the Greek State and on outbreak the Greek Revolution, and demonstrates to what extent their perceptions have changed from the Ottoman period to the present day. Offering an analysis based on three historical periods (Ottoman rule to the 1920s, the 1930s to the1980s and from the 1990s to the present), the discussion highlights the prevalent approach of Turkish nationalist historiography in the 1970s and 1980s, and influenced younger generations’ approaches to the Greek War of Independence. This article also tackles the issue of how this
prevalent historiographical approach affected the Turkish–Greek relations, and conversely, how the trajectory of Turkish–Greek relations impacted the consolidation of such a narrative.

Departing from earlier works on the Ottoman-Greek borders distinctively, the paper at hand, examines the impact of the border on the nature, and the inhabitants' socio-economic life who were dependent on the natural resources of the borderland area. Therefore, it aims to examine the Ottoman-Greek borders (1832-1912) from environmental history perspective.
While fixing a border based on a geographical feature, - mainly mountain chains and rivers, but also forests, meadows- agreeing parts generally determine the terms on locals' access and exploitation of natural resources as it would be restricted after the demarcation of the borders. This paper focusing on the Ottoman-Greek borders in Thessaly and Epirus regions, explore the impacts of demarcated borders on locals' lives in terms of their accessibility and usage of natural resources. Based on archival documents of Ottoman, Greek and European states (mainly Great Britain), I will bring to light issues that raised by the locals and how they were solved by themselves, or why and when they escalated these issues to the higher state authorities, which mostly resulted in major conflicts.

This study, on the one hand, focuses on the treatment of orphans and foundlings of the Greek Orthodox community of Istanbul and concentrates on the appropriation policies applied towards them. On the other hand, it discusses the role of the philanthropy in terms of how it functioned as a welfare state in the public issues of the community with a motive to impose a certain ideology and intention on the poor and destitute members of the community. In this context, this thesis deals with the organization of the Yedikule Orphanage which was established in 1852, as a part of National Philanthropy institutions and discussions related to its transfer to Prinkipo in 1903 between the authorities of the community and the Ottoman state. It also argues that these orphanages, the Prinkipo national orphanage which continued to function in its new building in Büyükada after 1903, and the orphanage of girls, established in 1906 in Kınalıada (Proti), tried to be considered as one of the most important educational institutions of the Orthodox Greek community of Istanbul where they taught the Greek language and Greek orthodox ethnic identity. However, as it is asserted in this thesis, although these orphanages take attention due to their impressive buildings, their long distance from the city centre, the isolation and the marginalisation of the orphans as well as their dependency to generous donations of the benevolent continued have been increased.