2 CORFU PANORAMA English_1

The name of the Island
Drepanon, Makris, Scheria, Kassopaia, Argos or Keravna are
just some of the names of Corfu in the distant past.
Drepanon, named after its long, sickle-like shape or after
«drepani», the weapon with which Saturn killed his father,
Ouranos.
The name Scheria, according to mythology, comes from the
goddess Demeter. The goddess begged Neptune to stop the
inundations of the river which was located on the opposite
shore and threatened to turn the island into mudflats.
The name Kerkyra (Corfu) derives also from the Greek
mythology. The beauty of the nymph kerkyra or Korkyras in
Doric, the daughter of the river Asopos, dazzled Neptune,
who kidnapped her and took her to the island. Phaeakas
was the fruit of their union, founder of the Phaeakes. In the
Odyssey, Homer mentions the island of Phaeakes -which was
believed it was Corfu- as the last station of Odysseus before
Ithaca.
During the Byzantine period the island was called Koryfo
(peak), named after its two-peaked acropolis, that’s how the
Latin name Corfu was born, by which Kerkyra is internationally
known.
The mythology handed over to the modern Corfiots and the
emblem of the city. The “Apidalos Naphs” (a ship without
steering oars) is still the symbol of the maritime craftsmanship
of the Phaeakes.
Roman period
(229 BC - 337 AD)
In 229 BC, Corfu is forced to seek the protection of the Roman
Empire. Rome grants full autonomy and privileges to the
locals, in exchange for the use of the Corfiots’ ships and the
harbors of the island as a station between Italy and the
Eastern Mediterranean Sea. The period of this peaceful
coexistence with the Romans lasted for approximately five
centuries. During this period, Corfu embraces Christianity.
During the Roman occupation, several major personalities
visit Corfu, such as including Cicero, Plinius, Suetonius, and
several emperors, such as Vespasian, Antoninus Pius,
Septimius Severus and Nero.
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