Listed 21 sub titles with search on: History for wider area of: "NAXOS Province KYKLADES" .
...When these appointed generals on their way from the king reached the Aleian
plain in Cilicia, bringing with them a great and well-furnished army, they camped
there and were overtaken by all the fleet that was assigned to each; there also
arrived the transports for horses, which in the previous year Darius had bidden
his tributary subjects to make ready. Having loaded the horses into these, and
embarked the land army in the ships, they sailed to Ionia with six hundred triremes.
From there they held their course not by the mainland and straight towards the
Hellespont and Thrace, but setting forth from Samos they sailed by the Icarian
sea and from island to island; this, to my thinking, was because they feared above
all the voyage around Athos, seeing that in the previous year they had come to
great disaster by holding their course that way; moreover, Naxos was still unconquered
and constrained them.
When they approached Naxos from the Icarian sea and came to land (for
it was Naxos which the Persians intended to attack first), the Naxians, remembering
what had happened before,fled away to the mountains instead of waiting for them.
The Persians enslaved all of them that they caught, and burnt their temples and
their city. After doing this, they set sail for the other islands.
This extract is from: Herodotus. The Histories (ed. A. D. Godley, 1920), Cambridge. Harvard University Press. Cited Mar 2003 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains comments & interesting hyperlinks.
AMORGOS (Island) KYKLADES
Amorgos was originally inhabited by seafarers from the Asia Minor
coast around the 4th millenium B.C. Numerous grave sites (Tholi) and many Cycladic
figures attest to the early, middle and late Cycladic periods which the island
went through. The largest Cycladic figure, approximately one-meter tall , was
found on Amorgos and can be seen on display in the Archaelogical
Museum in Athens. The Cycladic period was very prosperous for the island since
it was the nearest Cycladic metal center off the Eastern coast. Amorgos has had
numerous names throughout its history. It has been called Pagali, Karkisia and
Psychia. Its present name drives from the Mourgos plant from which a rare red
dye was extracted to colour royal tunics. As numerous as its names are the number
of invaders.
Amorgos was colonized by Assyrians,
Milesians, Naxians,
Samians and Cretans.
It was a member of the Delian league during the Hellenistic period when it was
under the Athenian control. It consequently passed to the Macedonians, Ptolomes
and then to the Romans who used it as a place of exile. The island passed to Venetian
rule in the beginning of the 13th century. The Turkish admiral Barbaric conquered
the island for the Ottoman Empire in the beginning of the 16th century. Amorgos
gained its independence in 1823 and the monastery in Chora
founded the first Lyceum in free Greece.
NAXOS (Island) KYKLADES
With regard to the fighting of the land forces, such was the issue.
At sea about the same time occurred a great naval battle between Naxos and Paros,
of which the cause was as follows. Pollis, the admiral of the Lacedaemonians,
learning that a large shipment of grain was on its way to Athens in freighters,
lay in wait watching for the grain fleet as it put in to port, intending to attack
the freighters. The Athenian people, being informed of this, sent out a convoy
to guard the grain in transit, which in fact brought it safe to the Peiraeus.
Later Chabrias, the Athenian admiral, with the whole navy sailed to Naxos and
laid it under siege. Bringing his siege-engines to bear against the walls, when
he had shaken them, he then bent every effort to take the city by storm. While
these things were going on, Pollis, the admiral of the Lacedaemonians, sailed
into port to assist the Naxians. In eager rivalry both sides engaged in a sea-battle,
and forming in line of battle charged each other. Pollis had sixty-five triremes;
Chabrias eighty-three. As the ships bore down on one another, Pollis, leading
the right wing, was first to attack the opposing triremes on the left wing, which
Cedon the Athenian commanded. In a brilliant contest he slew Cedon himself and
sank his ship; and, in similar fashion engaging the other ships of Cedon and tearing
them open with the beaks of his ships, he destroyed some and others he forced
to flee. When Chabrias beheld what was happening, he dispatched a squadron of
the ships under his command and brought support to the men who were hard pressed
and so retrieved the defeat of his own side. He himself with the strongest part
of the fleet in a valiant struggle destroyed many triremes and took a large number
captive.
Although he had thus won the upper hand and forced all the enemies'
ships to flee, he abstained altogether from pursuit. For he recalled the battle
of Arginusae and that the assembly of the people, in return for the great service
performed by the victorious generals, condemned them to death on the charge that
they had failed to bury the men who had perished in the fight; consequently he
was afraid, since the circumstances were much the same, that he might run the
risk of a similar fate. Accordingly, refraining from pursuit, he gathered up the
bodies of his fellow citizens which were afloat, saved those who still lived,
and buried the dead. Had he not engaged in this task he would easily have destroyed
the whole enemy fleet. In the battle eighteen triremes on the Athenian side were
destroyed; on the Lacedaemonian twenty-four were destroyed and eight captured
with their crews. Chabrias then, having won a notable victory, sailed back laden
with spoils to the Peiraeus and met with an enthusiastic reception from his fellow
citizens. Since the Peloponnesian War this was the first naval battle the Athenians
had won. For they had not fought the battle of Cnidus with a fleet of their own,
but had got the use of the King's fleet and won a victory.
This extract is from: Diodorus Siculus, Library (ed. C. H. Oldfather, 1989). Cited Mar 2003 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains comments & interesting hyperlinks.
1. Mythology
Mythology connects Naxos with Zeus (Milossios, protector of the flocks,
was worshipped on Naxos). Here, Zeus fell in love with Semeli. Their son, Dionissos,
god of wine, happiness and theatre, was born of this union. The child Dionissos
lived in a cave on the mountains of Naxos and was nursed (as related by Homer)
by the Nymphs. Growing up, crowned with ivy and laurel, he roamed the forests
of the island, with the Nymphs in his wake. He was honoured on the mountain of
Koronos. Another myth connects Naxos with Ariadne, King Minos's daughter who helped
Theseus kill the Minotaur. Theseus left Ariadne on Naxos, where she married Dionissos.
According to the "Theogony" of Issiodos, the wedding wreath was flung among the
stars by Dionissos.
2. Inhabitants
The island was already inhabited before 2000 B.C. (precycladic period).
The first inhabitants wereThracians and Pelagians, followed by Kareans. Many discoveries
were made on the island in recent years, a.o. the foundations of buildings and
a great many utensils of this period. Three of these sites were found in the City
of Naxos (Palatia, Grotta, Aplomata). Other finds in the region show us that the
city of Naxos was inhabited non-stop, from that period onwards, for 5000 years,
thus testifying to the fact that the cities of Naxos are amongst the most ancient
of Greece.
3. Emigration
The Cycladic period was followed by a wave of the great Ionian emigration,
from the mainland of Greece to the islands of the Aegean Sea and the west coast
of Anatolia (creation of Ionia). In the 8th century B.C., the Ionians of the islands
had already created their religious centre on Delos, where the Naxians and the
inhabitants of the other islands gathered every year to honour Apollo with songs,
dances, and competitions of music, poetry and athletism.
4. Prosperity
Naxos prospered during the 8th, the 7th and especially the 6th century
B.C. The island was one of the most important commercial powers with a widespread
artistic reputation, especially with regard to its sculptures. To witness: the
consecrations of the Naxians on Delos, the Naxian sphinx and the House of the
Naxians in Delphi and on Delos.
5. Products
The fertility of the island was famous. Homer called it "of Zeus"
(godlike). Pindaros named it "Fertility". The island was reputed for its almonds
and honey, but mostly for its wines. These were so well-known that some writers
mentioned a river of exquisite and perfumed wine flowing through Naxos. Athineos
wrote that nectar was not half as sweet as the wine from Naxos. Archilochos from
Paros compared the wine of Naxos to nectar as well.
6. Written history - Classic antiquity
Naxos was first mentioned in written history in the middle of the
5th century B.C., when, according to Herodotos, it played an important part in
the Persian wars. In 546 B.C., the aristocrats ruling the island were overpowered
by the Athenians with the aid of the tyrant Ligdamis. Supported by Sparta, they
returned, after 20 years of exile, only to be forced off the island again a few
years later. They then to turned for help to the Ionian city of Militos, governed
by the Persian satrap Aristagoras. Aristagoras was quick to report this to the
Persian king Darius, who, thereupon, attacked Naxos, and laid siege to it for
4 months. Later, the Persians were defeated in Marathon and returned to Asia,
but they continued to occupy Naxos and the other islands. Despite the Persian
occupation of Naxos, the Greek fleet incorporated four boats from Naxos. This
unit distinguished itself in the naval battle of Salamina. They also participated
and showed exceptional valour in the battle against the Persians of 479 B.C. Afterwards,
Naxos was part of the alliance of Delos under the domination of Athens.
7. Venetian Period - until today
A new chapter in the history of Naxos started at the beginning of
the 13th century B.C., after the fall of Constantinople and the signature of the
agreement between the Latins and the Byzantines. According to this treaty, the
Aegean islands came under the rule of the Venetians and thus of Markos Sanoudos.
Markos Sanoudos attacked and defeated Naxos, took up residence in Chora and built
his palace within the walls of the fortress. The island was then called the Duchy
of the Aegean Sea. At a later date, after the murder of the last member of the
Sanoudos dynasty, the island fell under the domination of the Krispi dynasty.
In 1566, the Duke of Naxos welcomed a wave of Jewish refugees from Portugal, the
most famous of whom was Joseph Nazi. After this Duke's death, the island came
under the domination of the Sultan of the Ottoman empire. Finally, the Naxiots
took part in the revolution of 1821, turning Naxos into a part of the modern Greek
State from the very first moment of its creation.
Civilisation
In the second millennium B.C., Minoan Crete greatly influenced the
island's culture. At that time, Naxos was a colony of Crete. Around 1.400 B.C.,
following the decline of the Minoan civilisation, the Cyclades fell under the
influence of Mycenaean Greece. This culture started to crumble in the 12th century
B.C.
Today, a remnant of the past glory of Naxos may be admired in the traditional
handwoven materials and in the needlework of the women. This work represents scenes
from day to day life and subjects from mythology, religion etc. This trade, though
sadly in decline, is kept alive thanks to the efforts of the co-operatives and
the craftsmanship in the villages of Komiaki, Apiranthos, Koronos and Moni. True
- blooded descendants of the ancient inhabitants of Naxos, who worshipped Apollo
(the God of music) and Dionissios (the God of wine and joy), the islanders love
to express their feelings, both happy and sad, in song, creating a wide and unique
variety.
For instance:
- dirges, hymns, lullabies.
- rhymes, serenades and "kotsakia".
The songs are passed on through the generations by word of mouth. The knowledge
of the songs and the skill on the instruments that accompany them are taught by
the oldest to the youngest singer/musician. The instruments we find on Naxos,
mostly in the mountains, are: the sovliari , the bagpipe, the violin, the lute
and the clarinet. Naxos musicians are famous throughout the islands. Most songs
are linked to a particular dance, such as:
- the sirtos, balos or antikristos, kalamatianos etc.
Athletism, too, still plays an important part in life on Naxos. To this day, the
island boasts many famous athletes.
This text is cited Mar 2003 from the University of Patras' XENIOS DIAS website URL below.
On the right of the pedestal are inscribed the cities which took part in the engagement: first the Lacedaemonians, after them the Athenians, third the Corinthians, fourth the Sicyonians, fifth the Aeginetans; after the Aeginetans, the Megarians and Epidaurians, of the Arcadians the people of Tegea and Orchomenus, after them the dwellers in Phlius, Troezen and Hermion, the Tirynthians from the Argolid, the Plataeans alone of the Boeotians, the Argives of Mycenae, the islanders of Ceos and Melos, Ambraciots of the Thesprotian mainland, the Tenians and the Lepreans, who were the only people from Triphylia, but from the Aegean and the Cyclades there came not only the Tenians but also the Naxians and Cythnians
This extract is from: Pausanias. Description of Greece (ed. W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., & H.A. Ormerod, 1918). Cited Mar 2003 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains comments & interesting hyperlinks.
The Naxians provided four ships. They had been sent by their fellow citizens to the Persians, like the rest of the islanders, but they disregarded their orders and came to the Hellenes at the urging of Democritus, an esteemed man among the townsmen and at that time captain of a trireme. The Naxians are Ionians descended from Athens.
This extract is from: Herodotus. The Histories (ed. A. D. Godley, 1920), Cambridge. Harvard University Press. Cited Mar 2003 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains comments & interesting hyperlinks.
HERAKLIA (Island) KYKLADES
When the people of Ephesus were planning to build the temple of Diana in marble, and debating whether to get the marble from Paros, Proconnesus, Heraclea, or Thasos, Pixodorus drove out his sheep and was feeding his flock in that very spot.
With Chalkis, Naxos joined in the colonization of Sicily, where Naxos (founded 735 B.C.) took its name from the island.
Naxos was a Chalkidic colony accounted the earliest in Sicily (Thuc. 6. 3. 1), the Chalkidic oikist having Naxian emigrants with him. Kallipolis was a sub-colony from Naxos, probably situate (like the metropolis) on the E. coast.
Leontinoi was a settlement from Naxos of Sicily (a colony of Chalkis & Naxos island), remarkable, among all Sikeliote cities
Andromachus . . collected together the inhabitants of the city of Naxos (in Sicily, a colony of Naxos island), which Dionysius the tyrant had destroyed, and founded with them Tauromenium.
Catana was a colony from Naxos. It is an uninteresting town, the aneient remains having been buried by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions; but it is now the second city in Sicily in point of size.
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