Naxos is the largest island (428 km² ) in the Cyclades island group in the Aegean Sea, which separates Greece and Turkey. The island was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture, then part of classical Greek culture, and is part of modern Greece. It is a popular tourist destination, with easily accessible ruins. One set of ruins is what is left of a temple built on a rocky beach. Long ago there was an earthquake sending most of the temple into the sea. Still standing, however, are two columns with a single lintel across them. The remains of the structure resting in the sea can be seen from the shore and explored by swimmers. To help compare different orders of magnitude and geographical regions, we list here areas between 100 km² and 1000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... The Cyclades, from the Greek Κυκλάδες, (circular, modern Greek Kikládhes) form an island group south-east of the mainland of Greece. ... the Aegean Sea The Aegean sea as seen from the island of Santorini The Aegean Sea (Greek: Αιγαίον Πέλαγος, Aigaion Pelagos; Turkish: Ege Denizi) is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, located between the Greek peninsula and Anatolia (Asia Minor, now part of Turkey). ... The Cyclades, from the Greek Κυκλάδες, (circular, modern Greek Kikládhes) form an island group south-east of the mainland of Greece. ...

Naxos has many very beautiful beaches, such as those at Agia Anna, Agios Prokopios, Alikos, Castraki, Mikri Vigla, Plaka, and Agios Georgios at Hora, the capital of the island, which has 7,000 inhabitants.

Naxos is famous as the most fertile island of the Cyclades. It has a good supply of water in a region where water is usually inadequate. Mount Zas (&ldquot;Zeus&rdquot;, 1,004 metres) is the highest peak in the Aegean Sea, and tends to trap the clouds, permitting greater rainfall.

Mythic Naxos

Homer mentions “Dia” literally the sacred island "of the Goddess". Karl Kerenyi, speaking for the ancient Greeks explains One of the founders of modern studies in Greek mythology, Karl (Carl, Károly) Kerényi (January 19, 1897 - April 14, 1973) was born in Hungary but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1943. ...

""This name, Dia, which means 'heavenly' or 'divine', was applied to several small craggy islands in our sea, all of them lying close to larger islands, such as Crete or Naxos. The name "Dia" was even transferred to the island of Naxos itself, since it was more widely supposed than any other to have been the nuptial isle of Dionysus". (Kerenyi 1951 pp271-2)

According to mythology, in the Heroic Age before the Trojan War, on this island Theseus abandoned Ariadne, daughter of Minos, King of Crete, after she had helped him kill the Minotaur and to escape from the Labyrinth. Dionysus, god of the island and protector of wine, festivities, and the primal energy of life, met her and fell in love with her. But Ariadne, unable to bear her separation from Theseus, killed herself, according to the Athenians, or ascended to heaven, as the older versions had it. Greece and Crete Crete, sometimes spelled Krete (Greek Κρήτη / Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea. ... Bacchus by Caravaggio The god Dionysus is occasionally confused with one of several historical figures named Dionysius, a theophoric name that simply means [servant] of Dionysus. ... Theseus (Θησευς) was a legendary king of Athens, son of Aegeus (or of Poseidon). ... Ariadne (utterly pure, from a Cretan-Greek form for arihagne) was a fertility goddess of Crete. ... In Greek mythology, Minos was a semi-legendary king of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. ... Greece and Crete Crete, sometimes spelled Krete (Greek Κρήτη / Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea. ... In Greek mythology, the Minotaur was a creature that was half man and half bull. ... Classical labyrinth Another labyrinth Walking the famous labyrinth within the Chartres Cathedral. ... Bacchus by Caravaggio The god Dionysus is occasionally confused with one of several historical figures named Dionysius, a theophoric name that simply means [servant] of Dionysus. ...

Reference

• Kerenyi, Karl 1951. The Gods of the Greeks.

One of the founders of modern studies in Greek mythology, Karl (Carl, Károly) Kerényi (January 19, 1897 - April 14, 1973) was born in Hungary but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1943. ...

Revolt of Naxos

In 502 BCE the inhabitants of Naxos rebelled against their masters in the Persian Empire; this revolt led to the larger Ionian Revolt, and then to the Persian War between Greece and Persia. ... The Persian Empire is the name used to refer to a number of historic dynasties that have ruled the country of Persia (Iran). ... The Ionian Revolts were triggered by the actions of Aristagoras, the tyrant of the Ionian city of Miletus at the end of the 6th century BC and the beginning of the 5th century BC. They constituted the first major conflict between Greece and Persia. ... Several wars are termed Persian or called simply the Persian War: Greco-Persian Wars Russo-Persian War Turko-Persian War Anglo-Persian War Persian Gulf War This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Greek and Byzantine Naxos

During the 8th and 7th centuries BCE, Naxos dominated commerce in the Cyclades. (9th century BC - 8th century BC - 7th century BC - other centuries) (800s BC - 790s BC - 780s BC - 770s BC - 760s BC - 750s BC - 740s BC - 730s BC - 720s BC - 710s BC - 700s BC - other decades) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events Golden age in Armenia Assyria... (8th century BC - 7th century BC - 6th century BC - other centuries) (700s BC - 690s BC - 680s BC - 670s BC - 660s BC - 650s BC - 640s BC - 630s BC - 620s BC - 610s BC - 600s BC - other decades) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events Scythians arrived in Asia Collapse... The Cyclades, from the Greek Κυκλάδες, (circular, modern Greek Kikládhes) form an island group south-east of the mainland of Greece. ...

The Dukes of Naxos

Main article: Duchy of the Archipelago.

The Duchy of Naxos and states in the Morea, carved from the Byzantine Empire, as they were in 1265 (William R. Shepherd, Historical Atlas, 1911)

In the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade, with a Latin Emperor under the influence of the Venetians established at Constantinople, the Venetian Marco Sanudo conquered the island and soon captured the rest of the islands of the Cyclades, establishing himself as Duke of Naxia, or Duke of the Archipelago. Twenty-one dukes in two dynasties ruled the Archipelago, until 1566; Venetian rule continued in scattered islands of the Aegean until 1714. The Venetian Duchy of the Archipelago (also called Egeon Pelagos) was a maritime state created in the Aegean Sea in the aftermath the Fourth Crusade. ... Download high resolution version (1144x900, 272 KB)Map, The Byzantine Empire, 1265. ... Download high resolution version (1144x900, 272 KB)Map, The Byzantine Empire, 1265. ... The Morea and surrounding states carved from the Byzantine Empire, as they were in 1265 (William R. Shepherd, Historical Atlas, 1911) The name Morea (Μωρέας) for Peloponnesos first appears in the 10th century in Byzantine chronicles. ... The Fourth Crusade (1202-1204), originally designed to conquer Jerusalem by taking Egypt first, instead, in 1204, conquered the Orthodox Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. ... The Latin Empire, Empire of Nicaea, Empire of Trebizond and the Despotate of Epirus. ... Map of Constantinople. ... Location within Italy Venice (Italian Venezia), the city of canals, is the capital of the region of Veneto and of the province of Venice, 45°26′ N 12°19′ E, population 271,663 (census estimate 2004-01-01). ... Marco Sanudo (died 1227) was a nephew of Venetian doge Enrico Dandolo and was a participant in the Fourth Crusade. ... Events January 7 - Pius V becomes Pope Selim II succeeds Suleiman I as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Religious rioting in the Netherlands signifies the beginning of the Eighty Years War in the Netherlands. ... // Events August 1 - George, elector of Hanover becomes King George I of Great Britain. ...

Ottoman Naxos, 1564–1821

The Ottoman administration remained essentially in the hands of the Venetians; the Porte's concern was satisfied by the returns of taxes. Very few Turks ever settled on Naxos, and Turkish influence on the island is slight. Turkish sovereignty lasted until 1821, when the islands revolted; Naxos finally became a member of the Greek state in 1832.

External links

• Naxos Island Guide - Naxos travel guide
• Accommodation in Naxos - Naxos Studios & Apartments
• "Naxos" from encyclopedia.com
• Detailed notes on the Venetian adventurers