Skyros
Encyclopedia
Skyros is an island in Greece
, the southernmost of the Sporades
, an archipelago in the Aegean Sea
. Around the 2nd millennium BC
and slightly later, the island was known as The Island of the Magnetes where the Magnetes used to live and later Pelasgia and Dolopia and later Skyros. At 209 km² it is the largest of the Sporades, and has a population of about 3,000 (in 2003). It is part of the regional unit of Euboea.
The Hellenic Air Force
has a major base in Skyros, because of the island's strategic location in the middle of the Aegean.
(the kastro) that dates from the Venetian
occupation (13th to 15th centuries), a Byzantine monastery
(the Monastery of Saint George
), the grave of English poet Rupert Brooke
at Tris Boukes harbor. There are many beaches on the coast. The island has its own breed of Skyrian ponies
.
, Theseus
died on Skyros.
Neoptolemus
, son of Achilles
, was from Skyros (or Scyros, as its name is sometimes transliterated), as told in the play by Sophocles
, Philoctetes
(line 239).
In 475 BC, Cimon defeated the Dolopians and conquered the entire island. From that date, it became a part of the Delian League
, later to become the Athenian Empire. Cimon claimed to have found the remains of Theseus, and returned them to Athens.
In 340 BC the Macedon
ians took over the island and dominated it until 192 BC, when the king Philip
and the Roman Republic
an forces restored it to Athens.
Rupert Brooke
, the famous English poet, is buried on Skyros, having died on board a French hospital ship moored off the island in 1915, during World War I
.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, the southernmost of the Sporades
Sporades
The Sporades are an archipelago along the east coast of Greece, northeast of the island of Euboea, in the Aegean Sea. It consists of 24 islands, of which four are permanently inhabited: Alonnisos, Skiathos, Skopelos and Skyros.-Administration:...
, an archipelago 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...
. Around the 2nd millennium BC
2nd millennium BC
The 2nd millennium BC marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age.Its first half is dominated by the Middle Kingdom of Egypt and Babylonia. The alphabet develops. Indo-Iranian migration onto the Iranian plateau and onto the Indian subcontinent propagates the use of the chariot...
and slightly later, the island was known as The Island of the Magnetes where the Magnetes used to live and later Pelasgia and Dolopia and later Skyros. At 209 km² it is the largest of the Sporades, and has a population of about 3,000 (in 2003). It is part of the regional unit of Euboea.
The Hellenic Air Force
Hellenic Air Force
The Hellenic Air Force, abbreviated to HAF is the air force of Greece. The mission of the Hellenic Air Force is to guard and protect Greek airspace, provide air assistance and support to the Hellenic Army and the Hellenic Navy, as well as the provision of humanitarian aid in Greece and around the...
has a major base in Skyros, because of the island's strategic location in the middle of the Aegean.
Municipality
The municipality Skyros is part of the regional unit of Euboea. Apart from the island Skyros it consists of a few uninhabited islands. The total area of the municipality is 223 km².Geography
The north of the island is covered by forest, and includes Mount Olympus (403 m), while the south, dominated by the highest mountain, called Kochila, (792 m), is bare and rocky. The island's capital is also called Skyros (or, locally, Chora). The main port, on the west coast, is Linaria. The island has a castleCastle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
(the kastro) that dates from the Venetian
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
occupation (13th to 15th centuries), a Byzantine monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
(the Monastery of Saint George
Monastery of Saint George, Skyros
The Monastery of Saint George of Skyros is a Byzantine monastery on the Greek island of Skyros.The monastery was founded in AD 962....
), the grave of English poet Rupert Brooke
Rupert Brooke
Rupert Chawner Brooke was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially The Soldier...
at Tris Boukes harbor. There are many beaches on the coast. The island has its own breed of Skyrian ponies
Skyros Pony
The Skyros Pony is a breed of pony found on the Greek isle of Skyros.-Breed Characteristics:The Skyros breed generally stands between 9.1 and 11 hands high, and may be gray, bay, or palomino. They tend to be fairly unattractive horses, with poor conformation, although this may be a product of...
.
History
According to 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...
, Theseus
Theseus
For other uses, see Theseus Theseus was the mythical founder-king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, both of whom Aethra had slept with in one night. Theseus was a founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were...
died on Skyros.
Neoptolemus
Neoptolemus
Neoptolemus was the son of the warrior Achilles and the princess Deidamia in Greek mythology. Achilles' mother foretold many years before Achilles' birth that there would be a great war. She saw that her only son was to die if he fought in the war...
, son of Achilles
Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Plato named Achilles the handsomest of the heroes assembled against Troy....
, was from Skyros (or Scyros, as its name is sometimes transliterated), as told in the play by Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
, Philoctetes
Philoctetes
Philoctetes or Philocthetes according to Greek mythology, the son of King Poeas of Meliboea in Thessaly. He was a Greek hero, famed as an archer, and was a participant in the Trojan War. He was the subject of at least two plays by Sophocles, one of which is named after him, and one each by both...
(line 239).
In 475 BC, Cimon defeated the Dolopians and conquered the entire island. From that date, it became a part of the Delian League
Delian League
The Delian League, founded in circa 477 BC, was an association of Greek city-states, members numbering between 150 to 173, under the leadership of Athens, whose purpose was to continue fighting the Persian Empire after the Greek victory in the Battle of Plataea at the end of the Greco–Persian Wars...
, later to become the Athenian Empire. Cimon claimed to have found the remains of Theseus, and returned them to Athens.
In 340 BC the Macedon
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
ians took over the island and dominated it until 192 BC, when the king Philip
Philip V of Macedon
Philip V was King of Macedon from 221 BC to 179 BC. Philip's reign was principally marked by an unsuccessful struggle with the emerging power of Rome. Philip was attractive and charismatic as a young man...
and the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
an forces restored it to Athens.
Rupert Brooke
Rupert Brooke
Rupert Chawner Brooke was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially The Soldier...
, the famous English poet, is buried on Skyros, having died on board a French hospital ship moored off the island in 1915, during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Historical population
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1981 | 2,757 |
| 1991 | 1,806 |
| 2001 | 2,602 |
| 2003 | 3,000 |