Geopolitical and Social Significance of the Magna Graecia Development – From Yesterday to Today (part C)
Recently, the participation of the University of Magna Graecia (Catanzaro) in the first National University Day, following the invitation of the Conference of Rectors of Italian Universities (CRUI), was significant. The “Unveiled Universities” initiative, funded by the Italian Ministry of Universities and Research, was a contemporary opportunity to share the scientific and cultural heritage produced by the academic community for the service of society and the entire territory.
The CRUI accepted the request to establish National Universities Day on 20 March 2024 to coincide with International Day of Happiness and within Minerva Week, a period dedicated to the celebration of knowledge, science and education. The conferences, workshops and guided tours at the University of Magna Graecia were intended to reveal the life that takes place every day in the halls of the University, in order to create a strong connection with the rest of the territory. The day’s program ended at 15:00 at the San Giovanni Memorial Complex, with an event that had the characteristic title: From the beginnings of Magna Graecia, to the future of Magna Graecia (Giornata Nazionale delle Università – ‘UMG SVELATA). Experts and professors met within the scientific community and with the historical, naturalistic excursion that described the beautiful peculiarities of the local culture, i.e. the culture of Magna Graecia, with the scientific, social and geopolitical eye directed to the future, and the aim of developing new strategic programs for the University of Magna Graecia in Catanzaro.
Geopolitical and Social Significance of the Magna Graecia Development – From Yesterday to Today (part B)
t this point, we will proceed to mention some specific characteristics of the ancient Greek world contained in Greater Greece. Magna Graecia and Sicily, as well as Mother Greece, have had a common culture and a spiritual bond for many millennia, ever since the ancient Greek history. The ancient Pelasgians inhabited both these areas of the Mediterranean in ancient times. This is confirmed archaeologically by the Cyclopean walls that have been found in several areas in both Magna Graecia and Mother Greece. The ancient Minoans made several colonies especially in Apulia and Sicily. The Mycenaeans built several small villages as trading posts for their ships to the South. The colonization of the archaic and classical periods ensued, with the establishment of more than 80 cities. Many would move from the Peloponnese and Achaia, so that this area in Sicily, facing the island of Corfu, to this day retains the name of Achaean Coast (Costa delli Achai). The expansion of the ancient Greeks was facilitated by ships, as early as the 7th century BC, even in the ancient Greek city of Antivaris and the city of King Cadmus, the well-known Tivat of today’s Montenegro and Dubrovnik and Cavtat (Epidauros) in Croatia (History, 1926).