Find a concise bibliography on Siatista and its history (in Greek)
Built at an altitude of 920 metres at the foot of Mount Askios, Siatista is a small town with a population of about 5,400 inhabitants. It is divided into two districts, Gerania at its lowest point and Chora at its highest.
Not much is known about the town’s distant past. Few accidental finds from Prehistoric and Roman times testify that there was habitation in the area from ancient times.
During the Ottoman occupation, Siatista was a refuge for many inhabitants of the surrounding areas, but also from various parts of subjugated Greece and the Balkans who fled there for greater protection.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the inhospitable landscape and difficult living conditions forced many Siatistians to turn to trade and emigrate to central and western Europe.
Constantly seeking new ways to expand their activities, the Siatistians took advantage of the trade privileges offered by the treaties between Austria and the Ottoman Empire (late 17th-early 18th century). Trieste, Serbia, Budapest, Iasi, Vienna and Constantinople were some of the trading stations through which caravans passed, carrying products that were abundant in the southern regions, such as wine, oil, cotton, saffron, wool and leather. From there they bought and transported rare and luxurious goods back home.
Commercial activity brought to Siatista a strong economic growth. Many residents moved to cities in central Europe and opened trading houses.Those who had left their families back home sent money or travelled as often as they could to see them.But there were many who never managed to return to their native lands, but settled permanently in the places where they had emigrated.
Many Siatistians learned foreign languages and studied at universities abroad. But they never stopped thinking about the hardships of their compatriots back home and striving for their liberation from the Turkish yoke. Wealthy merchants built churches and schools in their city. Some became enlightened professors, others became involved in printing and published books, which were sent to enslaved Greece to educate the young people who were hungry for education and freedom.
Siatista was liberated from the Turkish yoke in 1912, after struggles in which many local fighters participated, even sacrificing their lives.
EPHORATE OF ANTIQUITIES OF KOZANI
Archaeological Museum of Aiani
50150, Aiani Kozani
efakoz [at] culture.gr
The project is co-funded by Greece and the European Union (European Social Fund) through the Operational Program “Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning, NSRF 2014-2020″.
