Ask the Historian: The Remarkable Legacy of Messinia

By Giorgos Tsiros

All around Costa Navarino, diverse and remarkable historical remnants reveal to visitors the significance that this region has held throughout history. On excursions, one learns that civilizations have thrived here for thousands of years. In fact, this fertile coastal land known as Messinia was often fought over by various powers, leaving behind fortified castles as well as stories that echo through the ages. In times of peace as well, the Messinian way of life offered plenty of lessons to be learned.

One of the fundamental functions of the Agora in ancient Greek cities, for example, related to its role in the dissemination of knowledge and the exchange of ideas. This was highlighted at the beginning of the summer at Navarino Agora by the eminent historian and author, Professor Maria Efthymiou of the University of Athens. In two open lectures on “Loneliness or Community: Group and Individual Life in Human History” and “Shipping, Society, Economy: The Role of the Sea in World History,” she focused on this aspect of public life. The keen interest and participation of the audience were a clear testament to what Ms. Efthymiou, one of the foremost adherents of Public History in Greece, has advocated throughout her career in her lectures and her writings: that history should not remain confined within university halls, and that it is not a dull scientific subject concerning the past and of interest only to specialists, but rather something vibrant and exciting that concerns us all.

We took the opportunity to ask her about the remarkable legacy of Messinia.

Ms. Efthymiou, how would you introduce this region of Messinia from a historian’s perspective to a visitor who has traveled from a distant country to be here?

The region is characterized not only by its diverse and stunning natural beauty but also by its diverse and remarkable history: here lies the palace of Nestor – one of the most significant structures of the Mycenaean period, which played an enormous role in the history of the Greeks for half a millennium, from around 1600 to around 1100 BC. In the storerooms of this palace, numerous clay tablets with Linear B script were found, which were deciphered by British scientists in the 1950s. The language of these tablets proved to be unmistakably Greek! Here, too, lies Ancient Messene, a fascinating city of the ancient Greek classical era, a delightful source of knowledge and an aesthetic experience for the visitor. There are also three important Venetian castles – Methoni, Koroni, and the Old Navarino Fortress – and an Ottoman one above Pylos, known as the New Navarino Fortress. And much, much more.

Is there a direct connection between the natural environment and history?

Yes. Absolutely. First of all, the entire Peloponnese is in a crucial position for eastern Mediterranean shipping, as it occupies the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula – with Messinia in the west in a prime location facing Italy, the northern coasts of Africa, and the islands of the Aegean Sea. It’s not far, either, from the coasts of the Near and Middle East. That’s why it has so many castles and other fortified sites dating from the prehistory to recent times. Hence, too, why it was fought over by Spartans and Messenians, Romans and Greeks, Venetians and Byzantines, Byzantines and Ottomans, Venetians and Ottomans, and Ottomans and Greeks. Its significance was enhanced by the fact that, being fertile, with water and a mild climate, a rich coastline and a gently mountainous landscape, it was self-sufficient in foodstuffs, with countless vegetable gardens and hundreds of thousands of olive trees and other fruit-bearing plants as well as rich herds of livestock. This allowed it to sustain a significant number of inhabitants over time and to export agricultural products to various Mediterranean destinations.

Many visitors are surprised to learn that the Bay of Navarino, views of which they enjoy and in which they swim, was the site of a fierce naval battle that determined the fate of Greece. What is the significance of this battle for you?

Indeed, the Battle of Navarino is of great significance, not only for Greek but also for European and world history. By combining their fleets in October 1827 to protect the Greeks from imminent widespread massacre, the nations of England, Russia, and France not only aided decisively in the stubborn and protracted (1821-1829) armed struggle of the Greeks against the Ottomans for independence, they also laid the foundations for a practice followed to this day by the UN: sending armed international blue helmets to areas of the world where “humanitarian disaster” looms.

The area abounds in material remnants of its history. Fortifications, palaces, museums, monuments… Where would you start a historical tour? Is there a place that moves you, either as a historian or personally?

I’d start the tour from the Bay of Navarino itself, that is, the Bay of Pylos. Seeing the fortifications of the bay from the sea – the Old Navarino Fortress, the New Navarino Fortress, and those of Pylos itself –and visiting the various structures on the islands in the bay that were dedicated by England, France, and Russia in commemoration of their victory, is an unparalleled experience, both historically and aesthetically. This experience is also indirectly relevant to us today, as I have already explained.

Through the lectures you have been giving throughout Greece for the past twenty years, you highlight a public history that is vividly present, engaging, and exciting. How was your experience with the two lectures at Navarino Agora?

In the magnificent setting offered by the bay of Pylos and Costa Navarino, speaking at dusk, by the sea, in front of an audience that had come from all over Messinia and filled the beautiful little amphitheater of the Agora, was a magical experience. It was mystical. Almost metaphysical.

From your travels abroad, do you have any interesting examples of how the private sector, particularly the tourism industry, can foreground history and boost interest in it?

What Costa Navarino does in this regard is, I think, ideal, as it combines visitor information and tours with expert lectures, making the experience more memorable and more complete. And, as a result, more fascinating.