Figure 1.--This is a Greek school in Capaddokia region of Minor Asia. The image looks to have been taken about 1920, perhaps at about the time of the Asian Minor War. The boys dressed similarly to boys in Geece proper. Many wear kneepants, some boys wear sailor suits.

Anatolia or modern Turkey is often referred to as Asia Minor by the Greeks. It is one of the most contested areas in human history. It has been at times controlled and influenced by the Greeks. The Greek siege of Troy occurred at the dawn of recorded history. The Persians threatened Greece when they conquered Asian Minor. Alexander later Helenized the region after defeating the Persians. The Ottomans completed the conquest of Asian Minor when Constaninople fell in 1452, but large numbers of Greeks continued to live in Asia Minor, especially in coastal areas until the 1920s. A war between Greece and Turkey following World War I resulted in a Greek defeat. Much of the Greek population left with the retreating Greek Army or in the repressions conducted by the Turks after the war. A treaty signed in 1923 reguarized forced excahnges of Greeks and Turks between the two countries.

Geographic Area

Anatolia or modern Turkey is often referred to as Asia Minor by the Greeks. It is a large peninsula, about 0.65 million square kilometers, of Asia jutting west toward Greece south of the Black Sea and north of the Mediterranean. Asia Minor is now basically the country of Turkey. In part because of its geographic position, it is one of the most contested areas in human history. It has been at times controlled and influenced by the Greeks.

History

Anatolia

In ancient times many Eastern and Western civilizations intersected in Asia Minor which was the location of important trade routes. Greeks in about the 8th century BC established colonies along the coast of Asia Minor. At this time the Greeks came into contact with Lydia, Phrygia, and Troy. The Persians conquered Asia Minor in the 6th century BC, leading the Persian Wars with the Greek city states. Alexander after the defeat of the Persians in the 4th century BC, incorporated the region into his empire. After his death it was divided into small states ruled by various Diadochi (rulers) and became heavily Helenized. The Romans conquered Greece and reunified Asia Minor.

Byzantium

With the decline of the western Roman Empire, Byzantium emerged as the dominate power in the Eastern Mediterranean. Asia Minor after 395 AD was re-Hellenized and became part of the Byzantine Empire. It was prosperous until the early part of the 6th century AD when it was successively invaded by the Persians, Arabs, Seljuk Turks, and Mongols.

Figure 2.--This Greek family in the early 20th century was photographed in Asia Minor. The clothing is similar to what migt have been worn in a Turkish village. Notice the boys' cropped hair and the one boy wearing a dress. Also note the father's fez.

The Ottomans

Asia Minor was then gradually conquered by the Ottoman Turks during the 14-15 centuries AD. This culminated with the fall of the great city fortress city of Constantinople in 1452. Greece itself was soon conquered by the Ottomans as was the rest of the Balkans over time. The Ottomon Empire became the dominate power in the Eastern Mediterranean. They threatened Christain Europe and even layed seize to Vienna, threatening Wester Europe. Afterwards the power of the Ottomons wained become by the late 19th century referred to as the "sick man of Europe". Unlike Christian countries, the Ottomans tolerated considerable cultural and political diversity. Thus large numbers of Greeks continued to live in under the Ottomons in relative secruity and maintain their language, religion, and culture into the 20th century. The Greeks languishsed economically, however, as one of the impacts of the Ottomon conquest was to cut Greece and the Balkans off from the Western European Renaissane and the modernizing influence of humanism which so powerfully affected cultural, economic and scientific development. Except in religion and language, differences between Greeks and Turks began to blur. There were numerous Greek villages in western Asia Minor and along the coast. Traditions of Greeks and Turks were in fact very similar, including traditional costumes, food, music and lifestyle. In cities where populations were more mixed than in ther villages, Greeks and Turks were neighbours and friends. Many Greeks in Ottoman Empire acquired wealth and important positions, working as merchants, bankers, writers and statemen. There were also Greeks in Governmemt positions, including Greek Pashas in the Ottoman Army. The Greeks in the 1820s conducted a War of Independence which finally achieved succeeded when the Great Powers intervened. Even so large numbers of Greeks in Asia Minor and even portions of the European Balkans remained under Ottoman rule.

Greek-Turkish War (1920-22)

Greece sided with the Allies in World War I (1914-18), although the Allies had to engineer King Constantin I's replacenent as he opposed the War. The Ottoman Empire had sided with the Allies, but suffered a disastrous defeat in Palestine at the hands of the British and driven out of Arabia, Palestine, and Syria with great losses. The Greeks recived Ottoman territoty in the World War I Peace settlement, but also launched an invasion of Asia minor. After some success the expedition, denied Allied aid, failed. The Allies objected to Greece's reinstatement of King Constantine. Prince Andrew, the father of Britain's Prince Philip, was almost shot by the Greek Government in the recriminations that followed the War. Much of the Greek population left with the retreating Greek Army or in the repressions and forced resettlements conducted by the Turks after the war. Greece and Turkey signed the Lausanne Treaty (1923) to regularize an exchange of populations. This was complicated by 500 years of living together and the high level of mixing of people and culture as well as the abscence of destinct ethnic differences between Greeks and Turks. The two countries decided to only consider religion in determining the people that were to be exchanged. Other matters such as language and ethnicity were decided to be irrelevant. Even religion was complicated. Not only Christians were excanged with all Muslims. Only the Greek-Orthodox Christians were exchanged with the Sunnite Muslims. Catholic and Protestant Greeks were not deported, but Turkish speaking Scilician Orthodox Christains were exchanged. There wre other exceptions, Turkish speaking Karamanlides were sent to Greece while Greek speaking Cretan Muslims were deported to Turkey. Substantial numbers of people were involved. Records released through 1928 indicate that Turkey deported nearly 1.2 million Greeks, most from Asia Minor. Greece deported about 0.4 million Turks. The Greeks deported 0.4 million Turks. After the excahnages, about 0.2 million Greeks remained in Turkey, mostly in Istambul. The Greeks of Istanbul and the Turks of Western Thrace had been exempted from the forced repatriations. Even as late as the 1940s, there were 0.14 million Greeks living in Istanbul.

Clothing

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Created: May 15, 20021
Last updated: 1:13 AM 11/1/2015