Serifos
Encyclopedia
Serifos is a Greek
island municipality
in the Aegean Sea
, located in the western Cyclades
, south of Kythnos
and northwest of Sifnos
. It is part of the Milos peripheral unit
. The area is 75.207 km² and the population was 1,414 at the 2001 census. It is located about 170 km (92 nmi) ESE of Piraeus
. When Acrisius
was warned by an oracle that his own grandson would kill him, he cast his daughter (Danaë
) and her infant son Perseus
adrift at sea in a wooden chest. It was the island of Serifos where the vessel had come ashore.
, a local anarchosyndicalist with long experience of labour struggles in the mainland. In response to the strike, Groman asked for the help of the Greek authorities which sent a national guard detachment from a nearby island. Imprisoning Speras and the entire labour leadership, the guard turned its weapons against the striking workers demanding they return to work. When the latter refused, the guard opened fire, killing 4 workers and wounding scores. In response, the bystander wives of the workers took up stones and attacked the forces of repression, killing the entirety of the armed detachment and throwing the bodies in the sea. The freed leadership then proceeded to proclaim the island a workers' council commune, leading to an effort of collective proletarian self-organisation cut short by the arrival of a French warship, whose command made clear to the workers that despite them flying the French flag, the Republic had no jurisdiction to support them against the counterattack of the Greek State. Thus Groman was given once again the control of the mines, having however guaranteed improved working conditions and an 8 hour workday. Speras would return to Athens only to be assassinated years later by Communist Party (KKE
) maximalists.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
island 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. ...
in the 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...
, located in the western Cyclades
Cyclades
The Cyclades is a Greek island group in the Aegean Sea, south-east of the mainland of Greece; and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The name refers to the islands around the sacred island of Delos...
, south of Kythnos
Kythnos
Kythnos is a Greek island and municipality in the Western Cyclades between Kea and Serifos. It is from the harbor of Piraeus. Kythnos is in area and has a coastline of about . It has more than 70 beaches, many of which are still inaccessible by road...
and northwest of Sifnos
Sifnos
Sifnos is an island municipality in the Cyclades island group in Greece. The main town, near the center, is known as Apollonia home of the island's folklore museum and library. The town's name is thought to come from an ancient temple of Apollo on the site of the church of Panayia Yeraniofora...
. It is part of the Milos peripheral unit
Milos (peripheral unit)
Milos is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of South Aegean. The regional unit covers the islands of Kimolos, Milos, Serifos, Sifnos and several smaller islands in the Aegean Sea.-Administration:...
. The area is 75.207 km² and the population was 1,414 at the 2001 census. It is located about 170 km (92 nmi) ESE of 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....
. When Acrisius
Acrisius
Acrisius was a mythical king of Argos, and a son of Abas and Aglaea , grandson of Lynceus, great-grandson of Danaus. His twin brother was Proetus, with whom he is said to have quarreled even in the womb of his mother...
was warned by an oracle that his own grandson would kill him, he cast his daughter (Danaë
Danaë
In Greek mythology, Danaë was a daughter of King Acrisius of Argos and Eurydice of Argos. She was the mother of Perseus by Zeus. She was sometimes credited with founding the city of Ardea in Latium....
) and her infant son Perseus
Perseus
Perseus ,Perseos and Perseas are not used in English. the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty of Danaans there, was the first of the mythic heroes of Greek mythology whose exploits in defeating various archaic monsters provided the founding myths of the Twelve Olympians...
adrift at sea in a wooden chest. It was the island of Serifos where the vessel had come ashore.
The Miners' Strike 1916
At the turn of the 20th century, Serifos emerged as a major mining site. The shafts which employed large percentages of the local male population were exploited by the mining company "Gesellschaft Seriphos-Siliasesa" with significant shares owned by the German mineralogist A. Grohmann (died 1905). The working conditions in the mines scored amongst the poorest in Europe and though the exact number of in-site deaths is unspecified, historians estimate it in the thousands. In response to the appalling conditions and the legendary brutality of Groman's foremen, in 1916, the miners organized a strike calling for improvement in conditions and an 8 hour workday. The strike was effectively organized by Constantinos SperasConstantinos Speras
Constantinos Speras was a Greek anarcho-syndicalist, and one of the pioneers of the working class trade-union movement in Greece. He spent the biggest part of his life in prison and in exile, totalling 109 times...
, a local anarchosyndicalist with long experience of labour struggles in the mainland. In response to the strike, Groman asked for the help of the Greek authorities which sent a national guard detachment from a nearby island. Imprisoning Speras and the entire labour leadership, the guard turned its weapons against the striking workers demanding they return to work. When the latter refused, the guard opened fire, killing 4 workers and wounding scores. In response, the bystander wives of the workers took up stones and attacked the forces of repression, killing the entirety of the armed detachment and throwing the bodies in the sea. The freed leadership then proceeded to proclaim the island a workers' council commune, leading to an effort of collective proletarian self-organisation cut short by the arrival of a French warship, whose command made clear to the workers that despite them flying the French flag, the Republic had no jurisdiction to support them against the counterattack of the Greek State. Thus Groman was given once again the control of the mines, having however guaranteed improved working conditions and an 8 hour workday. Speras would return to Athens only to be assassinated years later by Communist Party (KKE
Communist Party of Greece
Founded in 1918, the Communist Party of Greece , better known by its acronym, ΚΚΕ , is the oldest party on the Greek political scene.- Foundation :...
) maximalists.
Historical population
| Year | Island population |
|---|---|
| 1981 | 1,133 |
| 1991 | 1,095 |
| 2001 | 1,414 |
Communities
- Galani
- Kallitsos
- Koutalas
- Livadi Serifou
- Mega Chorio
- Mega Livadi
- Panagia
- Sykamia
- Serifos (town)