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Rereading Thuc 1, so looked at Philippson, Die gr. Landschaften. II.2 on "W. Central Greece and the W. islands", section on "Kerkyra (Korfù). A few things stood out. 1. Fertility and prosperity of E side, because of rainfall & geology, opposed to "dead" W side (Wildseite);
2. Complexity and articulation of the island, in several subunits; its peraia; 3. once given over to wine growing, then olive culture forcibly imposed by Venitians; terrible decline. 4. Disconnected from Aegean; once necessary stage on way to W. Med; decline after steamboats.
Rather evocative to read with Thuc on Kerkyran prosperity and autonomy; indep. from Aegean world. But also shows how Thuc transforms all these into song of power; how uninterested in geog and econ (ctr Xen on campaigns of 375 in island and wine cellars).
Philippson's magnum opus came out in 1958 (with additions etc by Kirsten)-- after Phlippson's return from Theresienstadt. But all the references etc are to pre WWII work. It's the last of the geographers of the Greece (and Turkey) of yesteryear (to use O Rackham's expression)
