The well preserved remains of the walls of a castle and vessels, discovered at the west and north entrances of Hora, testify about the existence of a flourishing community.
They also prove that the castle was inhabited since archaic period.
Various findings show that the island was inhabited by Careans, Pelageans, Achaeans and Phoenicians. In 1050 BC, the Ionians settled in Ios.
Various suppositions have been made about the origin of the name Ios, the most predominant and credible of all being the version that claims that the island took its name from the Ionians.
A second and more romantic version supports that Ios owes its name to the many violets (“ion” in Greek) that cover the island’s surface each spring.
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Ios established a democratic political system during the Classical period, when it became a member of the Athenian Delian League.
In 338 BC Ios came under Macedonian rule until 315 BC when it regained its independence and became member of the Islanders’ Community.
In the 2nd century BC Ios came under Roman authority. The Romans were using the island as a place of exile, in the same way as the other Greek islands.
Many churches were built during the Byzantine period in Ios, using the columns and marbles of the ancient pagan’s temples to secure the survival and worshiping of the new Christian religion.
Very few other things are known about the Byzantine times in Ios. |
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by Crusaders and came under the authority of the Venetian family of Crispi in the 15th century. Ios became part of the Duchy of Naxos and the Crispi rebuilt a new castle on the ruins of the old one for a better protection against the fearsome pirates. That didn’t stop the famous pirate Barbarossa from occupying Naxos in 1537 as well as almost all of the Greek islands.
The following years were harsh ones for Ios, which kept being devastated by more pirate raids and in the end was occupied by the Turks.
During the Greek War of Independence against the Turkish domination, Ios helped the cause and took actively part in the Revolution, offering 24 equipped ships.
The island was finally liberated and freed in 1829 and became a part of the Modern Greek State. |
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