Kalymnos History

The history of Kalymnos is parallel to the history of the other Dodecanese Islands. According to Greek mythology, the island owes its name to the Titan Kalydnos, who saved himself from being thrown into the depths of the earth by clinging to the island. It has been inhabited since the Neolithic times, its earliest inhabitants being the Carians and later the Aeolians and Dorians. Because of its proximity to Kos, Kalymnos greatly depended on the more powerful island since the time of the Trojan War.

During the Classical Period, the island saw significant cultural growth which included the building of the Sanctuary of Delian Apollo, the ruins of which can still be seen today next to the village of Chorio. With the rise of the Macedonian Empire, Kalymnos, along with the rest of the Dodecanese, became part of it. After the death of Alexander the Great, one of his successors, Ptolemy I of Egypt, took control of the island. Kalymnos once again became occupied by the Macedonians around 260 BC, before returning to the Ptolemies during the reign of Ptolemy II Euergetes.

After the Second Macedonian War, the Ptolemies’ power in the Aegean was weakened and Rhodes assumed a leading role in the area. After the naval battle of Actium in 31 BC Kalymnos lost its autonomy and became part of the Roman province of Asia. Around the second century AD severe earthquakes plagued many of the Dodecanese islands, destroying many of the cities in Kalymnos.

The inhabitants of the Dodecanese were the first Greeks to convert to Christianity after Saint Paul and Saint John passed through the region to preach their faith. During the Early Byzantine Times, Kalymnos was flourishing, like all the other islands of the group. Many economically important settlements were established throughout the island during that period, along with a great number of churches. However, the coastal positioning of the settlements left them strategically vulnerable. By the 7th century AD, they had mostly been abandoned, following continuous sea raids from the Arabs. Some of them were re-inhabited around the 10th century AD.

During the early 14th century, the Knights of Saint John ruled Kalymnos, along with all of the Dodecanese, and built the Castle of Cryssocheria to protect it. The Turkish rule followed in 1523 and ended in 1912 when the Italians took their place. When the Italians surrendered, the Germans and the British fought to take control of the islands of the Dodecanese, causing great damage and suffering among the population. Kalymnos was united with the new Greek State along with the rest of the Dodecanese in 1947. After World War II Kalymnos remained the most important sponge-fishing center in the country, exporting its sponges to many foreign countries.