Ios

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Ios (also spelled Io or Nio; Greek: Ίος, Greek pronunciation: [ˈi.os]; Ancient Greek: Ἴος [í.os]; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. The island is largely hilly, with cliffs descending steeply to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. Ios measures about 18 kilometres (11 miles) in length and 10 kilometres (6 miles) in width, and covers an area of 109.024 square kilometres (42.094 sq mi). Its population was 2,299 in the 2021 census (down from 3,500 in the 20th century). Ios is part of the Thira regional unit.

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Introduction

Greek island in the Aegean Sea This article is about the Greek island. For Apple's operating system, see iOS. For other uses, see IOS (disambiguation). Municipality in GreeceIos Ίος, ΝιόςMunicipalityClockwise from top: Church of Saint Irene, Odysseas Elytis Theatre, Cathedral Church Of Ios, Chora Hill, Windmills in Chora SealIosCoordinates: 36°43′0″N 25°20′11″E / 36.71667°N 25.33639°E / 36.71667; 25.33639CountryGreeceAdministrative regionSouth AegeanRegional unitThiraMunicipality established1835SeatChoraGovernment • MayorGkikas GkikasArea • Municipality109.0 km2 (42.1 sq mi)Highest elevation713 m (2,339 ft)Lowest elevation0 m (0 ft)Population (2021) • Municipality2,299 • Density21.09/km2 (54.63/sq mi)Demonym(s)Ιήτης (Iitis) (official)Ιέτης (Ietis) (Ancient Alternative)Νιώτης (Niotis) (local) Iitian or Ietian (anglicised)Time zoneUTC+2 (EET) • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)Postal code840 01Area code22860Vehicle registrationEMWebsiteios.gr Map of Ios Ios (also spelled Io or Nio; Greek: Ίος, Greek pronunciation: [ˈi.os]; Ancient Greek: Ἴος [í.os]; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. The island is largely hilly, with cliffs descending steeply to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. Ios measures about 18 kilometres (11 miles) in length and 10 kilometres (6 miles) in width, and covers an area of 109.024 square kilometres (42.094 sq mi). Its population was 2,299 in the 2021 census (down from 3,500 in the 20th century). Ios is part of the Thira regional unit.

Chora

[edit] Main article: Chora, Ios Ios town The Port of Ios lies at the northern end of Ormos harbour. From there a footpath climbs the hillside to Chora – the island's principal village, derived from the Greek word for a main settlement. Chora is a quintessentially cycladic village, distinguished by its whitewashed architecture, narrow alleys and steep stairways that render it largely inaccessible to cars. Today, Chora's central path is dominated by tourism with a vibrant mix of restaurants, boutiques, bars and discothèques catering to visitors. Beyond Chora and the port, Ios is home to few small settlements, typically a cluster of houses set behind the island's main beaches- Theodoti, Kalamos and Manganari. Since the 1990s, under the leadership of Mayor Pousseos, the island has pursued a strategy to diversify its appeal to different kinds of tourists. Supported by European Community funds, the island has seen improvements to infrastructure, including the paving of new roads, and the construction of a scenic amphitheatre, at the top of the village hill, designed by German architect, Peter Haupt.

History

[edit] See also: History of the Cyclades Prehistory[edit] The Skarkos hill 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 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. Classical and Hellenistic times[edit] 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 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. Numismatics[edit] During the 3rd and 2nd century BC as Ios became part of 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. Middle Ages[edit] Albanians settled in Ios either by invitation of the Crispi family or later in 1579 to repopulate 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. 1820s[edit] 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 the Second National Assembly at Astros in 1823 and in the Third National Assembly at Troezen in 1827. Modern times[edit] 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 is now part of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Thera, Amorgos and the Islands of the Church of Greece.

Homer's death

[edit] The legend[edit] Bust of Homer in Ios 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 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 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, 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. Count Pasch van Krienen's expedition[edit] In 1771, Heinrich Leonard Pasch van Krienen came to Ios after having read the narrative in order to find Homer's grave. He was informed by a local priest of the Saint Catherine (Agia Aikaterini) Chapel that there is a place with marbles and some of which had inscriptions. He 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 the epic poet, but he spotted some grammatical mistakes on the gravestone and 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

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