May 2003
AGAIN AFTER 24 CENTURIES
Three seas - two islands - our Mediterranean
Ancient
Pharos, modern Stari Grad on the island of Hvar, is the oldest town in Croatia.
Pharos was founded and colonised by Greeks from the island of Paros in 385/4
BC. Paros was the home of the ancient poet Archilochus and the sculptor Skopas.
Pharos itself remained an independent city, or polis, for nearly 400 years up
until the arrival of the Romans at the end of the 1st century BC.
Now steps are being taken by both these towns to restore the links between the
two islands across a distance of 700 nautical miles. The expedition, the first
of its kind ever to happen, will be undertaken in "Besa", a historic sailing
boat, which will sail from Stari Grad to Parikia, the main town on Paros, and
then back again.
Members of the expedition team are Branko Kirigin, archaeologist and leader of the expedition who has visited Paros on several occasions and established links between the inhabitants and archaeologists of the islands; Aldo Cavic, director of the Cultural Centre in Stari Grad; Captain Dean Roic from Hvar; Ante Zuljevic biolog; Andro Tomic, a wine producer from Jelsa; and Darko Sosa a painter from Hvar. A Croatia Television crew, led by the famous explorer Stipe Bozic, will accompany the expedition, which will last about a month.
The expedition will have several objectives:
1.
to rediscover the 700 mile journey taken by the Parian colonists 2400 years
ago, which crossed 3 seas - the Aegean, the Ionian and the Adriatic;
2. to establish new contacts between the two island communities;
3. to promote the life and culture of the island of Hvar amongst the
inhabitants of Paros. With this in mind, the team will present lectures on the
history of Hvar and life there today, as well as offering books and other publications
about the island, posters, videos, handicrafts, and works of art by local artists.
There will also be a presentation of Hvar cuisine, wines and other foods from
the island.
4. to plant an Oblica olive tree from Hvar, as well as local vines (Moli
Plavac and Bogdanusa and Kuc), on Paros;
5. to foster understanding between the two islands and a deeper appreciation
of eachother's lifestyles;
6. to assist in organising a return trip by people of Paros to Hvar which
will further enhance links between these two island communities.
Patrons of the expedition are Mr Stjepan Mesic (President of Republic Croatia), Mr Vicko Haladic (Mayor of Stari Grad), Mr Konstantinos Argousis (Mayor of Parikia).
The
costs of the expedition will be covered by sponsorship and donations. The Golden
Sponsor of the expedition will have an exclusive advertising space on the sail
of "Besa", two Silver Sponsors will have their name or logo on the side of the
boat, and five Bronze Sponsors will have their name or logo on the flags. Certificates
recording all donations and personal souvenirs of the expedition will be given
to all Gold, Silver and Bronze Sponsors.
All those who support the expedition will be recorded on the presentation scroll
which will be given to the Mayor of Paros on the day of arrival.
Details about the expedition can be found on the expedition website at www.stari-grad-faros.hr/expedition or via the link on www.paiz.cjb.net.
The
expedition will leave Stari Grad on the 1st of May 2003 with a celebration to
mark its sailing. The first stop will be at the town of Hvar, home of some members
of the crew.
From Hvar we sail to Palagruza, the ancient Isle of Diomedes (a distance of
48.5 nautical miles), and from Palagruza to the town of Vieste on the Gargano
peninsula in Italy, known as the site of the ancient mariners' cult of Venus
Sosandrea.
From Vieste our route takes us to Bari and then Otranto, the most important
point for crossing the Ionian straits towards Corfu, ancient Kerkyra, Alkinoos'
island, the landmark for ancient and medieval sailors on their way to the Adriatic.
From Corfu we sail on to Leukas, Ithaka, Kephalonia, Zakynthos and land at Pylos,
site of Nestor's place on the shores of Messenia in the southwestern Peloponnese.
From Pylos we continue to Cape Tainaron, location of the famous sanctuary of
Poseidon and one of the entrances to the Hades, and thence through the straits
that separate the island of Kythera, birthplace of Aphrodite, from Cape Malea,
known also for its sanctuary of Poseidon. This takes us into the Aegean Sea,
where we make land at the Cycladic island of Melos, known for its obsidian and
the celebrated statue of Venus.
From Melos we sail past the island of Sifnos and arrive finally at Paros itself,
i.e., at Parikia, the capital of the island. It is estimated that this journey
will last ten days. The voyage just described is one of the two possible sailing
routes between Paros and Hvar.
Na
samom , We plan to stay for a week on Paros
, where our hosts will be Mr. Konstaninos Argousis, Mayor of Paros, and
Demetrios Schilardi, Director of the Archaeological Institute of Paros. Paros
is in the heart of the Aegean Sea, and like Hvar, is itself surrounded by islands.
It is known for its marble, the whitest and most translucent in the world, with
which parts of the most famous sanctuaries in Greece were built.
Paros is smaller than Hvar by some 100 km2. Today it numbers some 8000 inhabitants
(Hvar some 11500). It is of volcanic origin, round in shape, hilly and fertile,
with many natural springs. The inhabitants work mainly in agriculture and fishing,
and more recently (from the 1970s) in tourism.
After the events planned by the crew from Hvar for the local community of Paros,
we will sail in "Besa" around the island to Naussa, Pisso Livadi, Logaras, Dryos,
Pirgiki, and Alyki, as well as to the islands that belong to the commune of
Paros: Andiparos, Despotiko, and Saliagos, where the most earliest prehistoric
remains in the Aegean have been found. Then we will visit other settlements
on Paros: Marpissa, site of the ancient marble quarries, Levkas, Mt. Ilias,
and numerous monasteries and other archaeological and historical sites.
From
Parikia we head for Cape Sounion, famous for its sanctuary of Poseidon, partly
built of Parian marble. From there we sail through the Corinth Canal to Itea,
the port for Delphi, site of Apollo's sanctuary and oracle, which so long ago
directed the Parians to settle on Hvar.
From Itea we sail along the Corinthian gulf to Ithaka, home of Odysseus, and
after that we touch land once again at Corfu before proceeding along the Albanian
coast, visiting the ports of Oricus in the Valona bay, Dyrrachium (the present
Durres) and Lissos (Liesh), all of which have some connections with Pharos.
From Lissos we sail to Risan in the Bay of Kotor (Sinus Rhizonicus), the seat
of the Illyrian queen Teuta who, together with Demetrius of Pharos, ruled much
of the eastern Adriatic in the 3rd century BC.
After Risan, we sail along the Dalmatian coast towards Dubrovnik, Orebici, Korcula,
and, finally, Hvar.
This is the other possible sailing route between Paros and Stari Grad on Hvar, and this journey will also last some 10 days. We plan to arrive at Stari Grad at the end of May.
Prof.
Aldo Čavić, direktor, Centar za kulturu,
Bijankinijeva 3
21460 Stari Grad, otok Hvar
tel.: (00385 21) 765 910
e-mail: czk-stari-grad@st.htnet.hr
dr. sc Branko Kirigin
e-mail: branko.kirigin@st.hinet.hr
