him (in Kionia).
According also to ancient mythology, we know that Tinos was the home of Aeolus, the god of the winds.
The first inhabitants of the island were probably the Phoenicians, followed by the Ionians in 1000 BC.
Two tombs from the Mycenaean period have been discovered in the area of Kyra Xeni, and about fifty archaeological sites with elements from the Geometric period to the 5th century as well as from the era of the Venetian Ghizzi family, have been found in the area of Xobourgo.
During the 6th century BC, Tinos was seized by Eretria and, during the Median Wars, the island came under the authority of the Persians in 490 BC.
The inhabitants of the island regained rapidly their freedom after the battle of Marathon.
Tinos became a member of the Delian Alliance, and instituted democracy. |
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with all the other islands and the mainland of Greece, became a part of the Roman Empire.
During Byzantine times, the inhabitants moved from the sea town to the interior of the island in order to protect themselves from the many devastating pirate raids, which were in that period the great plague for all the Greek islands.
The few things known about Tinos during the Byzantine times is that those were times of epidemics, fear and insecurity for Tinos as well as for many of the other islands.
In 1207, Tinos was conquered by the Venetians, like all the other islands of Greece. The Venetian rule lasted longer there than in the other islands of the Cyclades because the Venetians (the Ghizzi family), helped by the inhabitants, managed to repulse the Turkish attacks for quite some time.
This was for the island a long period of prosperity in agriculture, art, industry and more.
As a result, the transition from the Venetian rule to the Turkish was quite smooth and the island benefited from some special privileges.
The inhabitants had the right to wear their local uniform and to build churches and schools, the Turkish fleet was not allowed to come close to the island, |
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This period was characterized by a great development, as commercial, industrial and shipping activities were strongly flourishing.
The abroad influence on the everyday life of the inhabitants, gave to Tinos the surname of “Little Paris”.
Many inhabitants of Tinos went to found prosperous businesses in other places such as Constantinople, Smyrna, Alexandria and Trieste.
Until 1821 Tinos was the most populated island of the Cyclades and the economic capital of the group.
Tinos highly contributed to the Greek Revolution against the Turkish rule, as more than 20 members of the revolutionary company “Philiki Etairia” were from this island.
It became a part of the Modern Greek State in 1830.
After the liberation, Tinos became a pan-Hellenic religious and cultural centre. It is the birthplace of well-known artists, who had a great contribution on the development of modern greek art.
During World War II, the inhabitants of the island suffered a lot from the Italian and German occupation but managed to contribute to the Resistance against the oppressors. |
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