Sharing with European partners and students of our school videos and quizzes

 The most exciting is sharing our products, videos and quizzes with our partners and other students of our school. In this way we learn about different countries, the local history and culture. At the same time, the Rhodian local history and culture are also spread abroad.

A traditional Rhodian village called "Vati"

 

Research,Text, Photography, Filming and Movie by Anastasios Thomoglou

For the Local History Reporters 2021-2022

Music: Akis Panou, "Όταν σημάνει η ώρα" (1968).

(Μανώλης Καραντίνης) Manolis Karantinis is playing bouzouki

(license for the music of the video kindly provided by Manolis Karantinis)

Carnival in Greece and in Rhodes - The tradition of "Tsiknopempti"

 

Carnival in Greece has lots of fun. Do you know what "Tsiknopempti" means?

Well, "Tsiknopempti" s a strange and difficult word, which consists of "tsikna" and "Pempti". By definition “tsikna” (Τσίκνα) is the smell of grilled meat in the air and Pempti (Πέμπτη) in Greek means Thursday.

Every year at school and not only, we celebrate it by having barbeque at the school yard. Despite the rainy day on the 24th of February we had a great time. We laughed and ate "Souvlakia" having lots of dance.

 During this day everyone prepares and enjoys recipes with the main ingredient to be pork meat. The cloud of meat smoke is a typical thing.Tsiknopempti in English is mentioned as “Fat Thursday”, “Smoked Thursday” or “Barbeque Thursday”.

For the definition of this word and custom you have to go back to the past to find its origin. It is said that it dates back to ancient times when ancient Greeks used to prepare rich feasts as a sign of the beginning of spring and as a wish for a fertile season.

But this tradition is not just related to ancient Greece, but to the Christian Orthodox religion as well. According to the Orthodox religion, the week that Tsiknopempti is celebrated is called “Kreatini”, which in Greek means “Meat Week” and is the last week that believers can consume meat before the 40 days of fasting. 4o days of fasting before the Orthodox Easter.

February 24, 2022. Rea Kyprioti, Jiannis Stamatiadis, Yvonne Georgiadou, George Argyris.

For the Local History Reporters (2021-2022)

The Kahal Shalom Synagogue and The Jewish Museum of Rhodes

The Jewish Community of Rhodes

Rhodes was a home to Jews as far back as ancient times. In 87 BC, the Rhodes orator, Apollonius the Mollon, upheld the views of the stoic philosopher Poseidonius, and expressed a negative attitude to Jews, albeit without singling out the Jews of the island in particular. In the 7th c. AD Theophrastus mentioned the commercial activities of the Jews of Rhodes in his Chronicle.

In 1309 the governance of Rhodes passed to the Knights of the Order of St. John. The exclusively Jewish neighbourhood called Juderia. The Jews of the island were on good terms with the Venetians, although this did not mean they were exempt from restrictions. The Jews were known for their high level of education.

In 1480 under Mehmet II, the Ottoman Turks besieged Rhodes but failed to conquer it. The Jews fought side by side with the Knights of St. John, demonstrating amazing readiness to personal sacrifices. It is said that they even gave stones from their own homes to strengthen the city walls.

In December 1522 Suleiman the Magnificent conquered Rhodes after a six-month siege. The few Jews left on Rhodes after the persecution and the oppression they suffered under the Knights, welcomed the Ottoman Turks with open arms. A new age was dawning for the Jews of Rhodes, and in the following centuries Rhodes came to be known as «Little Jerusalem».

In 1523 Sephardic Jews, who had taken refuge in the Ottoman Empire after being expelled from the Iberian Peninsula, settled in the island, congregating in the city, in organised communities. Economic and political privileges motivated the newcomers, who came to Rhodes in large numbers, increasing the size of the existing jewish community. The Jews were allowed to practice their own religion and run their own schools.

The economic crisis and political instability of the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century had an impact on Rhodes. By 1910 the Jews of Rhodes had already begun to react by emigrating in large groups, primarily to colonies in Africa and to the United States of America. In 1912, following the war between Turkey and Italy, Rhodes was taken over by Italian forces.

From 1912 to 1945 things gradually began to change as National Socialism took hold in Europe and fascism began to prevail in Italy. Restrictive measures were immediately taken against Jews on Italian territory and therefore on Rhodes too. During the Second World War Rhodes remained   under the Italians until 1943. The Germans made the appearance on Rhodes on 11/9/1943. Approximately, one year later, on 19th July 1944, after the imposition of ever-tighter regulations and restrictions, the German commanding officer, colonel Kleeman, massed all the Jews in local Gestapo offices and confiscated their property. Four days later, 1973 Jews of Rhodes and 100 Jews from island of Cos were shipped off to Piraeus, the main port of Athens, capital city of Greece. At the end of September 1944 they were taken from there to Auschwitz, where yet another flourishing Sephardic community of the Mediterranean was to be decimated.

From 1945 to present day

When the Second World War ended, Rhodes was nothing like a «Little Jerusalem». The island’s jewish community counted its tragic losses. Immediately after the war those who had escaped transportation to Auschwitz due to their Turkish nationality, 50 people in all, left the island for Turkey, Palestine or places like Africa or the U.S.A., common destinations among emigrants from Rhodes. A mere 160 people returned from the death camps, and they had to struggle against all the postwar hardships, financial difficulties, social hardships, and above all, psychological trauma.

Today, there are just a few, about 37 Jewish people on the island. The synagogue only opens in the summer months when there are hundreds of visitors on the island including many Jews from all over the world.

Bibliography

Research-Texts: 

1. Panayota Andrianopoulou, The Jewish Museum of Greece, 2009.

2. Μαρτυρία της Λουκίας Καπελούτο "Η ζωή μου στο Άουσβιτζ και Μπέργκεν Μπέλσεν", όπως καταγράφηκε από την Lina Galasso Delfini, συντάχθηκε από τον Isaac Habib και μεταφράστηκε από την Ισραηλιτική Κοινότητα Ρόδου.

https://jewishrhodes.org/el/jewish-museum-of-rhodes/ 

Narration: Maritina Gkougkoustamou

Many thanks to our teachers, mr Georgios Gaitanos (Teacher of Religious Education) who shared his photos with us and mr Vassilios Savvas (Physics) who supported our activities. We are also grateful to mrs Carmen Kohen for her hospitality and the interesting conversation she had with us, concerning the history of the jewish community of Rhodes.

After reading carefully the text above and listening to Maritina's narration you can now fill in the right answers:

(Choose preview and start the game)

https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/627e96f3893fbe001dfa5801

From the knightly times to the times of the ottoman empire (1522-1912)

 

Byzantine and Knightly Times

During the medieval period, the order of the Knights of St. John from Jerusalem, during the Crusades, settled in Rhodes after a siege that ended around 1309. The Knights landed in Rhodes and occupied two key castles, the castle of Feraklou and the castle of Filerimos . Gradually, they occupy the rest of the Dodecanese. From now on the Knights of St. John are called "Knights of Rhodes". Their stay in Rhodes was particularly turbulent as after the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the expansion of the Ottoman Empire they had to face the successive attacks of the Ottoman Turks. The attempt of Mohammed I the Conqueror in 1480 to capture Rhodes fails and the Knights of Rhodes prevail, extending their stay on the island. They will not, however, achieve the same success in 1522 during the second attempt to conquer the island by Suleiman the Magnificent. Since then Rhodes was handed over to the Turks and remained under occupation until the time of Italian occupation in 1912.

Suleiman in order to commemorate his conquest of the island in 1522 built a mosque, which muslims from all over the world visit yearly. The building was reconstructed in 1808 and since then it serves as a museum. 

We would like to thank our teachers, mr Georgios Gaitanos (Theologian) and mr Vassilios Savvas (Physics) for their company and support, as well as Hodja Hassan for his hospitality. We would like also to thank Hodja Hassan for the interesting conversation we had with him, talking about the turkish community in Rhodes and his permission to take photos and do the filming.

Text and Narration: Maritina Gkougkoustamou

Watch the video below:

It's time now to test your knowledge

Rhodes in the Antiquity - The ancient Acropolis of Rhodes

 

The Acropolis of Rhodes

Watch the Video:

    The island of Rhodes was inhabited at the end of the Neolithic period (4000 BC). In Archaic times, three cities were founded out of the six cities of the Doric Exapolis, Ialyssos, Kamiros and Lindos, which were merged into one, in Rhodes in 408 B.C. The remaining three cities of the Doric Exapolis were Knidos, Halicarnassus and Kos. The three centuries that followed for Rhodes were centuries of prosperity. Maritime trade, navigation as well as political choices and diplomatic directions kept the city strong and prosperous until Roman times.

During the same period Rhodes produced significant artistic work and culture. The most famous artistic achievement is the Colossus, one of the "seven wonders of the world", built between 304-293 BC by the Lydian sculptor Charis. The construction of the Colossus took 12 years and was completed in 282 B.C. The placement of the Colossus at the entrance to the harbour is something that is strongly disputed by experts. The statue personified the god Sun and collapsed after a powerful earthquake struck Rhodes in 226 BC.

    The building of the ancient city is a model of urban planning, inspired by Hippodamus. The street plan of the ancient city is known thanks to decades of archaeological excavations. Building units of houses were separated by streets. The ancient city had an innovative sewage and water supply system; it was also surrounded by large walls, remnants of which have been preserved to this day, especially in the area of the ancient Acropolis of Rhodes, where the temple of Apollo stands, in the so-called Monte Smith area. In contrast to modern arbitrary and anarchic building, Hippodamus had masterfully planned where the private residences would be built, where the temples, where the public baths and the gymnasium would be built.

    The Acropolis of Rhodes (Greek: Ακρόπολη της Ρόδου) is an acropolis dating from

the Classical Greek period (5th–3rd century BC) located approximately 3 kilometers from the centre of the city of Rhodes, Rhodes.

The partially reconstructed part of the site consists of the Temple of Apollo (also, as alternatives Athena Polias and Zeus Polieus) below which is a stadium and a

small theatre.

The original excavation was carried on by the Italian School of Archaeology at

Athens from 1912 to 1945. Following World War II, the Greek Archaeological Service took over excavation and restoration of the ruins. This included extensive reconstruction of the Temple Pythian Apollo, which was extensively damaged by bombing and artillery installed there during the war. Excavation began in 1946 and continues today in the Acropolis archaeological park, which covers 12,500 square metres (135,000 sq ft) and is protected from any new construction.[

Odeon

This small marble odeon held approximately 800 spectators. Situated northwest of the Stadium, it is believed to have been used for musical performances and rhetoric lessons of prominent Rhodians.

Stadium

Located on the southeast side of the hill, the 210-metre north-south Stadium was initially restored by the Italians. Its surviving features include the sphendone (rounded end with turning post), proedries (officials' seats), and some of the spectator seating. The starting apparatus used in the athletic events has also been preserved. Athletic events of the Haleion Games, honoring Helios, were held here.

Check your knowledge here:

Translation into French: Tassos Thomoglou

L'ancienne ville de Rhodes

Les vieilles traditions des hommes racontent qu'au temps où Jupiter et les immortels se partagèrent te monde, Rhodes n'était pas encore visible sur la plaine humide ; l'île se cachait dans les profondeurs de la mer.

Le soleil absent, personne n'avait tiré son lot ; aucun pays n'avait été assigné au chaste dieu. Cependant Jupiter qu'il avertit voulut établir un nouveau partage. Mais lui ne le permit point: car il leur dit qu'au fond de la mer blanchissante, il voyait grandir une terre féconde en hommes et favorable aux troupeaux.

Rhodes était l'île le plus préférée d’Helios, le Dieu du Soleil, dans l'Antiquité. Une île riche, dans le sud-est de la mer Égée, avec des plages magnifiques, des monuments d'une beauté incomparable, des paysages naturels, des coutumes, des traditions et d’histoires, perdues dans les siècles. Dans toutes les périodes de l'histoire du monde, depuis la préhistoire, le Moyen Âge, l'époque des chevaliers jusqu'aujourd'hui, Rhodes a une importance extraordinaire. 

L'île a été habitée à la fin de la période néolithique (4000 avant JC). A l'époque archaïque, trois villes ont été fondées et ont participé à l'hexapole dorique, Ialyssos, Camiros et Lindos qui étaient réunies a une seule, Rhodes en 408 avant J.C. Les trois autres villes de l'hexapole dorique étaient Cnide, Alikarnassos et Cos. Le commerce, la navigation et les options politiques et diplomatiques maintiennent la ville forte et prospère jusqu'à l'époque romaine.

En même temps, Rhodes produit des œuvres d’art et de la culture importantes. La plus célèbre est le Colosse de Rhodes, l'une des "sept merveilles du monde", qui a été construit entre 304 et 293 avant J.C. par le sculpteur Charès de Lindos. La construction du Colosse a duré 12 ans. Le placement du Colosse à l'entrée du port est fortement contesté par les experts. La statue représentait Hélios et s'est détruite après un fort tremblement de terre qui a frappé Rhodes en 226 avant J.C.

La construction de la ville antique a été l'inspiration d'Hippodamos. La conception des rues de la ville est connue grâce aux fouilles archéologiques. Les unités résidentielles étaient séparées par des rues. La ville antique avait un système d'égouts et un réseau d'adduction d’eau pionniers. La ville était également entourée de grands murs, dont les ruines ont été conservées jusqu’aujourd’hui, principalement dans la région de l'ancienne Acropole de Rhodes, où se trouve le temple d'Apollon, dans la région de Monte Smith. Contrairement à la construction anarchique moderne, Hippodamos avait superbement conçu où les maisons privées, les temples, les bains publics et le gymnasium seraient construits.

Dans le magnifique musée archéologique qui est situé à l'intérieur de la cité médiévale de Rhodes, on peut mieux apprendre le mode de vie quotidien des anciens Rhodiens, via l'observation d'objets personnels ont trouvés par les fouilles archéologiques comme des ustensiles ménagers, bijoux en or et pierres précieuses, une grande variété de poteries, d'équipement militaire, d’œuvres d'art et de poteries des célèbres ateliers de Rhodes, qui rivalisaient avec les célèbres ateliers dans l'ancienne Corinthe.

Référence bibliographique :

Papachristodoulou, X.I. Histoire de Rhodes de la Préhistoire à l'Intégration du Dodécanèse (1948), (version complète). Municipalité de Rhodes-Maison des Lettres et des Arts, Athènes, 1994.

Auteurs de l'équipe du programme e-twinning Local History Reporters : Yvonne Georgiadou, Thania Doukeri, Anastasios Thomoglou, George Argyris, Eleftheria Papagiannopoulou, George Gianniou-Katris

Photos : George Argyris, Eleftheria Papagiannopoulou

Professeur responsable : Dimitra Kiousi, philologue, Andreas Marinos, Head of School.

The Local History Reporters writing for the panhellenic newspaper ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ, 23rd January 2022

The Best Logo Winner Is...Portugal!

 Voting for the best logo

Logo no 1 [Agrupamento de Escolas Henriques Nogueira, Torres Vedras, Portugal]

Logo no 2 [Middle School De L'europe

Collège de l'Europe –Andres (France)]

Logo no 3 [3rd Lyceum of Rhodes, Greece (Rhodes-Greece)]

No 4 [Städt. Gesamtschule Ahlen,( Germany)]

An interactive poster from our friends in Croatia