The island of Naxos – Between Reality and Imagination
The beginning of the history of Naxos is lost somewhere in the area of myths. Archaeological findings (Grota, cave Za) testify to the existence of a developed society, as early as the 4th millennium BC. However, Naxos appears dynamically in the Aegean area in the 3rd millennium BC, as an important center of the so-called “Cycladic civilization”. Our knowledge about this period comes from the findings of the tombs (Grota, Kastraki, Panormos) and mainly from the famous Cycladic figurines (marble statuettes with human form). At this time, the Cyclades developed navigation and opened sea routes of communication with all the peoples who lived on the coasts of the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. At the dawn of the 2nd millennium BC, Minoan Crete took the baton of maritime sovereignty in the Aegean. After the eruption of the Santorini volcano around 1760 BC.
(perhaps the most destructive in the annals of mankind), which caused the sharp fall of the Minoan civilization, the power of the Mycenaeans appears. Naxos becomes the bridge between central Greece and the East. A part of the capital of Naxos, during the Mycenaean period (1600 – 1100), was uncovered under the square of the metropolis, in Chora (archaeological site of Grotta).
In the years that follow, Naxos is settled by Iones. A great period of development begins for the island which culminates in the archaic times (7th – 6th century BC) and is accompanied by the flourishing of the arts, especially sculpture and architecture. In 490 BC Naxos was destroyed by the Persians who were trying to expand their influence in the Greek seas. She was never able to recover and regain her former glory. After the final crushing of the Persians by the Greeks in the naval battle of Salamis, Naxos becomes a member of the Athenian alliance. In 41 BC, it became a Roman province and was used as a place of exile.
Sphinx of Naxos Byzantine times and the advent of Christianity find Naxos in a period of obscurity. However, very early on, churches and monasteries began to be built, of all styles and types, with high-quality frescoes, so that today we speak of the “Byzantine surprise of Naxos”. Since the 7th century, the Saracens and other naval forces clashed for dominance in the Byzantine Aegean, with disastrous results for the economy, culture and the very life of the islanders. The inhabitants move to the interior of the island. At the foot of the castle of Apaliros, in the center of the island, was the capital of Byzantine Naxos.
In 1207, Marcos Sanoudos, the nephew of the Doge of Venice, took control of the island. He successively conquers 18 islands of the Aegean and establishes the duchy of the Aegean with its headquarters in Naxos. On the hill that forms the natural citadel of the city, Sanoudos built the castle of Chora, in place of the ancient citadel of the island, using materials from the ancient city. Sanudos just captured Naxos, divided the island into 56 places which he distributed to his officials and imposed feudalism. The local population in the Middle Ages was impoverished, without the right to define its own land, obliged to cultivate it on behalf of the lords. The Turks occupied the island in 1537 and maintained feudalism.
