Archaeology Odyssey

“Pythia” derives from the original name of the site, Pytho. Homer, for instance, refers to Apollo’s “shrine in Pytho” (Odyssey 8.94). The name “Delphi” came later.

The oracle at Delphi was not the only ancient oracle, though it was the most powerful. Other Greek oracles were located at Epidaurus and in Asia Minor at Colophon and Didyma. Italy’s most famous oracle was at Cumae (near Naples), where a sibyl, or priestess, prophesied in a cavern; originally, the sibyl’s utterances were inscribed on palm leaves.

See Marian Feldman, “The Iconography of Power: Reading Late Bronze Symbols,” AO 05:03.

Even the name “Cyprus” has long been associated with copper. “Cyprus” probably derives from the Semitic word kpr, meaning “henna” or “henna-colored”—the color of copper. The Greeks rendered the name as Kupros, and it later became Romanized as Cyprus. The Latin cuprum (copper) derives from “Cyprus,” and the English “copper” derives from cuprum.

See Nancy Serwint, “Cyprus’ Jewel by the Sea,” AO 05:05 (review-article on Vassos Karageorghis’s memoir, Excavating at Salamis in Cyprus [Athens: A.G. Leventis Foundation, 1999]).

See J. Harold Ellens, “You Can Look It Up!” Origins, AO 02:02.

In the late 19th century, Great Britain took over control of Cyprus from the Ottoman Empire, which had ruled the island since 1571. In 1960 the island became an independent republic, despite growing tensions between the resident Greek and Turkish communities. In 1974, the Turks invaded Cyprus and seized the northern third of the island, including Salamis. Cyprus has since been divided into the Turkish-occupied north—which is not officially recognized by any nation other than Turkey—and the Greek-speaking south.

At least by the early rabbinic period (second century C.E.), wine made or bottled by Gentiles was forbidden to strictly observant Jews. So severe was the interdiction against the drinking of non-Jewish wine that even wine in a container accidentally touched by a Gentile was prohibited. There were several exceptions, however, such as boiled wine and certain wines with honey or spices. Perhaps the rich, sweet passum was also excepted.

Those seeking further information about the Rough Cilicia Archaeological Survey Project may visit its Web site at http://pasture.ecn.purdue.edu/~rauhn/.