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39-553: The Port of Ios is at the head of the Ormos harbour in the northwest. There is a path up the nearby hill to Chora, named after the Greek word for the main village on an island. Chora is a white and cycladic village, full of stairs and narrow paths that make it inaccessible for cars . Today, the main path through this village is completely taken over by tourism with restaurants, boutiques, bars and discothèques catering to visitors. Apart from

78-604: A height of three to four meters. The urban planning system of Skarkos is comparable to that of Poliochne on Lemnos from the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. Archaeological evidence suggests that the ground floor was used for food preparation whereas the first floor served as living room, storage area for pottery and other goods and occasionally as workshop. Excavations have unearthed several small artifacts such as marble figurines , obsidian ware , seals , ceramics, marble and stone vessels, tools, animal bones and seashells. Numerous pithoi from 1 to 1.30 in height were used for

117-623: A recovery at the time of the Duchy of Naxos , but the Ottoman domination interrupted it. Palaiokastro , a ruined Venetian castle from the 15th century lies on the northern part of the island. Ios was important enough in the Roman province of Insulae to become a suffragan see of the Metropolis of Rhodes , but later faded and disappeared. During the 3rd and 2nd century BC as Ios became part of

156-686: A rectangle, with an average side size of 15 km (9.3 mi) and 7 km (4.3 mi) respectively. The longest axis is in the NW direction, from the Karatza cape to the Achlades Peninsula and is 17.5 km (10.9 mi) long, while the longest axis, in the AD direction, is 14 km (8.6 mi) long. Ios has 86 km (53.4 mi) of coastline, of which 32 km (19.9 mi) are sandy beaches. The highest elevation (723 m, 2372 ft)

195-527: A senior high school and an EPAL high school. Ios from the prehistoric era and thanks to its safe natural harbour played an important role on the sea roads to Crete. The early Cycladic settlement on Skarkos hill and other prehistoric sites on the island have been found by archaeologists. Ios was under the influence of the Minoan and then of the Mycenaean civilisation . The Phoenicians most likely arrived on

234-548: Is Syros . The significant Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Cycladic culture is best known for its schematic, flat sculptures carved out of the islands' pure white marble centuries before the great Middle Bronze Age Minoan civilization arose in Crete to the south. (These figures have been looted from burials to satisfy a thriving Cycladic antiquities market since the early 20th century.) A distinctive Neolithic culture amalgamating Anatolian and mainland Greek elements arose in

273-566: Is an early Bronze Age settlement on the island of Ios in Greece . Owing to its well preserved state, Skarkos is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the Aegean and especially the Cyclades . Ios, with one of the most sheltered natural harbours in the Cyclades , is located at the crossroads of Cycladic maritime routes. The settlement of Skarkos is situated on a hill in the middle of

312-864: Is known as the Helladic period . In recent decades the Cyclades have become popular with European and other tourists, and as a result there have been problems with erosion , pollution, and water shortages. The Cyclades includes about 220 islands, the major ones being Amorgos , Anafi , Andros , Antiparos , Delos , Ios , Kea , Kimolos , Kythnos , Milos , Mykonos , Naxos , Paros , Folegandros , Serifos , Sifnos , Sikinos , Syros , Tinos , and Thira or Santoríni . There are also many minor islands (the Lesser Cyclades ) including Donousa , Eschati , Gyaros , Irakleia , Koufonisia , Makronisos , Rineia , and Schoinousa . The name "Cyclades" refers to

351-796: Is now part of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Thera, Amorgos and the Islands of the Church of Greece . The island is very strongly connected with Homer, because according to the legend, Homer died in Ios. Considered the greatest epic poet of the Greeks, the legend accounts that he died because he violated a Pythian oracle. According to Pausanias , Homer visited the Delphi oracle to ask Pythia about his parents and origins. Pythia replied with

390-470: Is that of the Cycladic frying pans . More accurate archaeology has revealed the broad outlines of a farming and seafaring culture that had emigrated from Anatolia c.  5000 BCE . Early Cycladic culture evolved in three phases, between c. 3300 – 2000 BCE, when it was increasingly swamped in the rising influence of Minoan Crete. The culture of mainland Greece contemporary with Cycladic culture

429-567: Is the Kastro ( Greek : Κάστρο ) peak also called Pyrgos ( Greek : Πύργος ), located in the center of the island, while around the Kastro are the next three Highest peaks: Xylodema ( Greek : Ξυλόδεμα ) (660 m, 2165 ft), Kostiza ( Greek : Κοστίζα ) (586 m, 1923 ft) and Prophetis Elias ( Greek : Προφήτης Ηλίας ) (490 m, 951 ft). Ios consists almost entirely of metamorphic rocks , on which lie limited quaternary appearances. In case of extreme events like earthquakes and wildfires ,

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468-548: Is the largest and best preserved site of the Keros-Syros culture , estimated to have been home to between 200 and 300 people. Skarkos is built on terraces that follow the natural relief of the hill. Its rectangular, stone-built residential buildings consist of a ground floor, a first floor and an enclosed courtyard. Their varying sizes reveal a social differentiation in the community. Streets between one and two meters wide and public spaces were uncovered. Walls are preserved to

507-473: The Aegean Sea , southeast of mainland Greece and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago . The name ( Κυκλάδες νήσοι , Kykládes nísoi , 'encircling islands') refers to the archipelago forming a circle around the sacred island of Delos . The largest island of the Cyclades is Naxos , however the most populated

546-701: The British School at Athens and by Christos Tsountas , who investigated burial sites on several islands in 1898–1899 and coined the term "Cycladic civilization". Interest lagged, and then picked up in the mid-20th century, as collectors competed for the modern-looking figures that seemed so similar to sculpture by Jean Arp or Constantin Brâncuși . Sites were looted and a brisk trade in forgeries arose. The context for many of these Cycladic figurines has been mostly destroyed and their meaning may never be completely understood. Another intriguing and mysterious object

585-655: The Second National Assembly at Astros in 1823 and in the Third National Assembly at Troezen in 1827. In a modern era, the island began to emerge in the 1970s as an increasingly popular tourist destination for young people in Europe. Today Ios retains its reputation as an island of youth and entertainment, with excellent tourist infrastructure, an organised marina at its harbour and an adequate road network. Ecclesiastically, its territory

624-638: The 1970s on the popular beach of Mylopotas after partying through the night. Today Mylopotas beach has been developed to an equivalent mass package tourism resort like Platys Gialos and Paradise Beach of Mykonos . Ios has a hot semi-arid climate ( Köppen climate classification : BSh ). Similar to other Cyclades islands, there is an almost constant breeze from the north during summer, known as meltemi, which moderates temperatures. Cycladic The Cyclades ( / ˈ s ɪ k l ə d iː z / ; Greek : Κυκλάδες , romanized :  Kykládes , IPA: [ciˈkla.ðes] ) are an island group in

663-544: The Municipality of Ios had prepared a general plan called Homer (Greek: Όμηρος) which includes the cooperation of all Iitians. According to the Greek census 2011 , 2,084 people live in Ios. 1,754 of which live in the capital town of Chora . From the 1940s to the early 1970s, the population of the island reduced consistently. The main causes of this phenomenon were the migration movement, the epidemiological conditions of

702-412: The answer, but he remembered the warning of Pythia. He was horrified and ran away quickly. The road was muddy and the poet in his hurry slipped and fell, hitting his head and dying almost instantaneously. According to another version, Homer died from his sadness that he did not solve the puzzle, while a third version says he was already seriously ill and went to Ios because he knew he would die. Of course,

741-504: The death of Homer is not based on historical records, but on myths and traditions that circulated from oral tradition. Pausanias simply recorded a popular narrative. In 1771, a Dutch count named Pasch di Krienen after having read the narrative, came to Ios in order to find the grave. He was informed by a local priest of the Saint Aikaterini Chapel that there is a place with marbles and some of which had inscriptions. He

780-469: The epic poet but he spotted some grammatical mistakes on the gravestone and he began doubting its authenticity. After having spent considerable time and money, he decided to give up after having also found two graves at Agia Theodoti On 25 January 1884 the alleged tomb of Homer was visited by Theodore and Mabel Bent during their tour of the Cyclades. Ios attracts a large number of young tourists , many of whom used to sleep on their sleeping bags during

819-669: The island and maintained their presence until the 9th century BC. Ios became Ionian at some point after, as testified by its membership in the Delian Amphictyony . From 534 BC the island paid taxes to Athens . Ios was an important and strong city in Classical and Hellenistic times. Its decline began with the Roman occupation, when it was used as a place for exile, and continued in Byzantine times. The island experienced

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858-494: The island as its inhabitants had been sold into slavery in 1558. The Albanians of Ios were linguistically assimilated in the second half of the 18th century as Greeks settled in the island. Although Ios did not have a strong naval force, it was one of the first islands to raise the flag of revolution in when the Greek War of Independence began in 1821. Ios took part in the naval battle at Kuşadası on July 9, 1821, as well as in

897-421: The islands forming a circle ("circular islands") around the sacred island of Delos. Most of the smaller islands are uninhabited. Ermoupoli on Syros is the chief town and administrative center of the former prefecture. The islands are peaks of a submerged mountainous terrain, with the exception of two volcanic islands , Milos and Santorini. The climate is generally dry and mild, but with the exception of Naxos,

936-555: The league of the islanders, she minted her own coins, most of them can be found in the Berlin Archaeological Museum and British Museum. There are 28 known different coins. They depict Homer , a palm tree or Athena, as she was worshiped on the island. Most of them had the writing ΙΗΤΩΝ meaning of the people of Ios. Albanians settled in Ios either by invitation of the Crispi family or later in 1579 to repopulate

975-432: The local leaders of Ios wrote a letter to the revolutionary government of Greece requesting a school to open in the island. During the 1850s the first school opened which housed a small number of students of all ages. The type of school that operated was called Skolarcheion (Greek: Σχολαρχείον) and was equivalent to an elementary school with some high school basic courses. Most students at the time didn't graduate as their time

1014-570: The name comes from the Ionians who lived on the island. In the Ottoman period the island was called Anza or Aina, and its present name was officially established in the 19th century after over 2000 years of usage. During the ancient times the island was also called "Φοινίκη" (Phiniki), named after and by the Phoenicians and in the 3rd century, when the island joined League of the Islanders ,

1053-546: The oracle "Your mother's home is the island of Ios, which will accept you when you die, but you should be careful of the enigma of the young children." The poet, however, broke the oracle and traveled to Ios. There he saw some small children fishing on the coast. He asked what they had caught and the children replied: "Whatever we get we leave it and whatever we don't get we take it with us". The children were talking about lice. Those who found them, killed them, but those who did not find them, had them to their heads. Homer did not find

1092-416: The port and the village of Chora, Ios has a few small settlements that consist of groups of spread out houses in the background of major beaches (Theodoti, Kalamos, Manganari). Since the 1990s, the island mayor Pousseos has worked on Ios' development towards attracting different types of tourists . With the help of European Community funds some roads have been built, all of them paved, and a scenic amphitheatre

1131-588: The prefecture was abolished, and its territory was divided into nine regional units of the South Aegean region: The prefecture was subdivided into the following municipalities and communities. These have been reorganised at the 2011 Kallikratis reform as well. Note: Provinces no longer hold any legal status in Greece . Local specialities of the Cyclades include: 37°00′N 25°10′E  /  37.000°N 25.167°E  / 37.000; 25.167 Skarkos Skarkos ( Greek : Σκάρκος )

1170-451: The scattered communities (Rutter), and when the highly organized palace-culture of Crete arose, the islands faded into insignificance, with the exception of Delos, which retained its archaic reputation as a sanctuary throughout antiquity and until the emergence of Christianity. The first archaeological excavations of the 1880s, undertaken by antiquaries such as Theodore Bent at Antiparos in early 1884, were followed by systematic work by

1209-474: The soil is not very fertile; agricultural produce includes wine, fruit, wheat, olive oil , and tobacco. Lower temperatures are registered in higher elevations and these areas do not usually see wintry weather. The Cyclades are bounded to the south by the Sea of Crete . The Cyclades Prefecture ( Greek : Νομός Κυκλάδων ) was one of the prefectures of Greece . As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform ,

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1248-459: The storage of agricultural goods. Smaller amphorae were used to transport liquids. Clay seals on pottery indicate the control of agricultural production and the organization of the distribution of goods. Several of these findings are now on display at the archaeological museum in Chora. The site of Skarkos became publicly accessible after extensive conservation works between 2002 – 2007. The project

1287-462: The time and to a lesser extent, the loss of men aged between 18 and 45 during the war . The island is famous for its local cheeses. They are mainly made in the municipal creamery using milk from goats or sheep. The most famous one is the "skotíri" (σκοτύρι), a sour cheese with the smell of summer savory . Popular dishes of Ios are the "tsimediá" (τσιμεντιά , pumpkin flowers stuffed with rice ) and "mermitzéli" (μερμιτζέλι, handmade barley). In 1827

1326-559: The west side of Ios, in proximity to the island's most fertile plains and to its harbour. Skarkos was systematically excavated during the years 1984-1997. The excavations have been carried out in the north and east sides of the hill. They have brought to light an important early Cycladic settlement (mid-3rd millennium BC) in an exceptionally good state of preservation (two-storey buildings, four-metre-high walls), and an overlying late middle/early late Bronze Age cemetery (mid- 2nd millennium BC ). The settlement covers an area of 1.1 hectares and

1365-455: The western Aegean before 4000 BCE, based on emmer and wild-type barley, sheep and goats, pigs, and tuna that were apparently speared from small boats (Rutter). Excavated sites include Chalandriani , Phylakopi , Skarkos , Saliagos and Kephala (on Kea ) with signs of copperworking, Each of the small Cycladic islands could support no more than a few thousand people, though Late Cycladic boat models show that fifty oarsmen could be assembled from

1404-651: Was created by the German architect Peter Haupt at the top of the village hill. According to Plutarch , it is thought that the name has derived from the Ancient Greek word for violets , " ἴα ", (ia) because they were commonly found on the island and it is the most accepted etymology. It is also posited that the name was derived from the Phoenician word iion, meaning "pile of stones". Pliny the Elder also wrote that

1443-551: Was likely temporarily named Arsinoe after the wife of Ptolemy II Today the inhabitants of the Cycladic Islands call the island Nio, a name deriving from the Byzantine Era. The name Little Malta, which is found in texts of travelers during the Ottoman domination, is related to the permanent presence of pirates on the island. In languages with Latin script, the island name is Nio or Io. The shape of Ios resembles

1482-409: Was occupied helping their families in the fields. This resulted in a large percentage of illiterate children. The richer families sent their children to schools of the nearby islands. From 1936 the first elementary school was founded. In 1972 the first kindergarten was opened and in 1980 the first high school that had some senior high school courses. Today, in Chora there is a kindergarten, a high school,

1521-408: Was told that they were constructed long after Homer's death but he persisted and with the help of Spyridon Valetas he found three graves and the last one had inscriptions about Homer including Ενθάδε την ιερήν κεφαλήν κατά γαία καλύπτει ανδρών ηρώων κοσμήτορα θείον Όμηρον which means here under the earth lies the sacred head of heroic Homer. When he found this, Pasch was sure that the grave belonged to

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