Astypalaia
Encyclopedia
Astypalaia called in Italian
Stampalia and in Ottoman Turkish
İstanbulya (استانبوليه), is a Greek
island with 1,238 residents (2001 census). It belongs to the Dodecanese
, an island group of twelve major islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea
. The island is 18 km. long, 13 km. wide at the most, and covers an area of 97 km2. Along with numerous smaller uninhabited offshore islets (the largest of which are Sýrna
and Ofidoussa), it forms the Municipality
of Astypalaia. Astypalaia is part of the Kalymnos peripheral unit
.
The coasts of Astypalaia are rocky with many small pebble-strewn beaches. A small band of land of roughly 10 kilometres, almost separates the island in two sections. The capital and the previous main harbour of the island is Astypalaia or Chora, as it is called by the locals. A new harbour has been built in Agios Andreas on the mid island from where now the connections are west and east with Piraeus
and the other islands of the Dodecanese. Flight connections with Athens
from the airport close to Maltezana.
, Astypalaia was a woman abducted by Poseidon
in the form of a winged fish-tailed leopard. The island was colonized by Megara
, and its constitution and buildings are known from numerous inscriptions. The Roman emperors recognized it as a free state (see following).
During the Middle Ages
it belonged to the Byzantine
s until 1207, when - in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade
- it became a fee
of the Querini, a noble Venetian
family, until 1522. The Querini built a castle that is still in place and added the name of the island to their family name, that became Querini Stampalia. Astypalea became Turkish
in 1522, and the Ottomans
kept it until 1912, with only two interruptions: from 1648 until 1668, during the War of Crete
, it was occupied by Venice, and from 1821 to 1828 it joined the insurgents during the Greek War of Independence
.
Occupied again by the Ottomans in 1828, on April 12, 1912, (during the War of Libya
) a detachment of the Regia Marina
landed on Astypalaia, which thus became the first island of the Dodecanese to be occupied by Italy. From there the Italians, on the night between the 3rd and 4 May, landed on Rhodes
. The island remained under Italian governance until World War II
. In 1947, together with the whole Dodecanese, it joined Greece.
The main feature of this treaty is the formal assumption of complete equality between Rome and Astypalaia: The Astypalaians would not aid the enemies of the Romans or allow such enemies passage through their territory or territory under their control, and likewise the Romans would not aid the enemies of the Astypalaians or allow such enemies passage through their territory or territory under their control; in case of an attack on Astypalaia the Romans would come to its aid, in case of an attack on Rome the Astypalaians would come to its aid; etc.
Had no other historical evidence survived, finding this text might have led to the conclusion that Rome and Astypalaia were powers of roughly equal size and power. In fact, of course, there is plenty of solid evidence to show that at the time of this treaty Rome was already an imperial city completely dominating the Mediterranean, while Astypalaia was a very minor political and military power at this and any other period in its history. The fact of Rome keeping the form - if not the substance - of equality is indicative of tendencies in Roman policies towards the Greeks at the time.
Historians assume that the treaty granted by the Romans to Astypalaia was not unique, but a standard form - though the assumed similar treaties signed with other Greek cities had not survived.
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
Stampalia and in Ottoman Turkish
Ottoman Turkish language
The Ottoman Turkish language or Ottoman language is the variety of the Turkish language that was used for administrative and literary purposes in the Ottoman Empire. It borrows extensively from Arabic and Persian, and was written in a variant of the Perso-Arabic script...
İstanbulya (استانبوليه), is a Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
island with 1,238 residents (2001 census). It belongs to the Dodecanese
Dodecanese
The Dodecanese are a group of 12 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, of which 26 are inhabited. Τhis island group generally defines the eastern limit of the Sea of Crete. They belong to the Southern Sporades island group...
, an island group of twelve major islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
. The island is 18 km. long, 13 km. wide at the most, and covers an area of 97 km2. Along with numerous smaller uninhabited offshore islets (the largest of which are Sýrna
Syrna (island)
Syrna or Sirna is a small island about 4 km2 in area to the south-east of Astypalaia in the Dodecanese group of Greek islands near the south-west coast of Turkey. It is mostly covered with juniper and garrigue scrub. The few inhabitants raise stock, catch fish and practice arable agriculture...
and Ofidoussa), it forms the Municipality
Communities and Municipalities of Greece
For the new municipalities of Greece see the Kallikratis ProgrammeThe municipalities and communities of Greece are one of several levels of government within the organizational structure of that country. Thirteen regions called peripheries form the largest unit of government beneath the State. ...
of Astypalaia. Astypalaia is part of the Kalymnos peripheral unit
Kalymnos (peripheral unit)
Kalymnos is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of South Aegean. The regional unit covers the islands of Kalymnos, Agathonisi, Astypalaia, Leipsoi, Leros, Patmos and several smaller islands in the Aegean Sea.-Administration:...
.
The coasts of Astypalaia are rocky with many small pebble-strewn beaches. A small band of land of roughly 10 kilometres, almost separates the island in two sections. The capital and the previous main harbour of the island is Astypalaia or Chora, as it is called by the locals. A new harbour has been built in Agios Andreas on the mid island from where now the connections are west and east with Piraeus
Piraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
and the other islands of the Dodecanese. Flight connections with Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
from the airport close to Maltezana.
History
In Greek mythologyGreek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, Astypalaia was a woman abducted by Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
in the form of a winged fish-tailed leopard. The island was colonized by Megara
Megara
Megara is an ancient city in Attica, Greece. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth opposite the island of Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being taken by Athens. Megara was one of the four districts of Attica, embodied in the four mythic sons of King...
, and its constitution and buildings are known from numerous inscriptions. The Roman emperors recognized it as a free state (see following).
During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
it belonged to the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
s until 1207, when - in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
- it became a fee
Fiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
of the Querini, a noble Venetian
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
family, until 1522. The Querini built a castle that is still in place and added the name of the island to their family name, that became Querini Stampalia. Astypalea became Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
in 1522, and the Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
kept it until 1912, with only two interruptions: from 1648 until 1668, during the War of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, it was occupied by Venice, and from 1821 to 1828 it joined the insurgents during the Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
.
Occupied again by the Ottomans in 1828, on April 12, 1912, (during the War of Libya
Italo-Turkish War
The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912.As a result of this conflict, Italy was awarded the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and...
) a detachment of the Regia Marina
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
landed on Astypalaia, which thus became the first island of the Dodecanese to be occupied by Italy. From there the Italians, on the night between the 3rd and 4 May, landed on Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
. The island remained under Italian governance until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1947, together with the whole Dodecanese, it joined Greece.
Significance of the 105 B.C. Treaty with Rome
The text of Astypalaia's treaty with Rome, made in 105 B.C., has survived through a monument found by archaeologists.The main feature of this treaty is the formal assumption of complete equality between Rome and Astypalaia: The Astypalaians would not aid the enemies of the Romans or allow such enemies passage through their territory or territory under their control, and likewise the Romans would not aid the enemies of the Astypalaians or allow such enemies passage through their territory or territory under their control; in case of an attack on Astypalaia the Romans would come to its aid, in case of an attack on Rome the Astypalaians would come to its aid; etc.
Had no other historical evidence survived, finding this text might have led to the conclusion that Rome and Astypalaia were powers of roughly equal size and power. In fact, of course, there is plenty of solid evidence to show that at the time of this treaty Rome was already an imperial city completely dominating the Mediterranean, while Astypalaia was a very minor political and military power at this and any other period in its history. The fact of Rome keeping the form - if not the substance - of equality is indicative of tendencies in Roman policies towards the Greeks at the time.
Historians assume that the treaty granted by the Romans to Astypalaia was not unique, but a standard form - though the assumed similar treaties signed with other Greek cities had not survived.
Geography
- Islets: Agía Kyriakí, Astypálaia, Avgó, Glynó, Zaforás, Kounoúpoi, Koutsomýti, Mesonísi, Ofidoússa, Plakída, Pontikoúsa, Stefánia, Sýrna, Fokionísia, Khondró, Khondronísi (all uninhabited except Astypálaia)
- Villages: Astypalea or Chora (pop. 1,036), Analipsi or Maltezana (149), Livadi (39), Vathi (14)