Antiparos History

Antiparos History, Greece: Information about the history of Antiparos, Cyclades

Antiparos, southwest of Paros, is connected to it by a narrow channel. Very little is known about the history of this island as more often than not, it has been overshadowed by Paros but it is believed that it was closely connected with that of Paros. Antiparos was originally known as Oliaros and many historians believed that it was in fact one with Paros at some point in time.

Remains of a Neolithic settlement dating back to 4000 B.C were discovered in Saliangos, a small island located between Paros and Antiparos in 1964 by the British School of Archaeology.

Excavations in the nearby island of Despotiko have also revealed ruins of tombs dating back to the Early Cycladic Era. Oliaros got its present name of Antiparos sometime in the 13th Century A.D. when it came under the Venetian Rule just like many of its neighboring islands.

Although the name was new to

For a short period of time between the years 1770 and 1774, Antiparos was also under the Russian domination. This was also when Antiparos started becoming well known and visited frequently by foreign travelers who published their views and impressions about the archaeological sites on the island.
The people of Antiparos were among the first in the Cyclades to participate in the Greek War of Independence in 1821. After years of struggle and revolution, it was finally incorporated in the Greek state in 1832.

Antiparos also actively

Antiparos History: As most of the Cyclades Islands, Antiparos has a rich history

This further confirmed the theory that the two islands were united back then. The first inhabitants of Oliaros are believed to be Phoenicians from Sidon who came here in the Neolithic Age and were succeeded by various other conquerors. It was probably occupied by Minoan Cretans in the 2nd Millennium B.C.

the island, it had its sources in ancient mythology where Antiparos was one of the fifty sons of Aegyptos and was murdered along with forty of his brothers by his wife Gritomethea, one of the fifty Danaides. It was around this time that the island was frequently attacked by pirates from Algeria, Crete, Kefalonia and other places.

The Venetians made Antiparos a part of the Naxos Duchy and built the Kastro in order to protect the island from pirates and invaders. Three hundred years later, in 1537, Antiparos along with the rest of the Cyclades came under the Ottoman rule.

participated in the resistance movement against the Germans during World War II and was used as a secret base by the Allies.

The history of Antiparos is one that is filled with honor, suffering and eventual glory. It has taken a lot of hardships and years of waiting and persistence to achieve what Antiparos is today.

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