Ios belongs to the western Cycladic complex, being located between the islands of Naxos, Sikinos and Thera. It has an area of 108.713 sq.km and a coastline of 87 km. The most important bays of the island are those of Gialos, Mylopotas and Manganari. In the safe closed bay of Gialos (between the capes of Fanari and Xeres in the western part of the island), a large and sheltered port with a deep seabed for the anchorage of ships is formed. Ios is mostly a mountainous island, whose peaks rise at its centre. The highest ones are Pyrgos (732 m), Profitis Ilias (500 m) and Megalo Vouni (388 m). Fertile arable valleys exist between the mountains, such as seen at Epano and Kato Kampos in the northwest of the island, at Manganari in the south, and at Psathi and Agia Theodoti in the east. The island’s economy was mainly based on agriculture (cereals, olives, wine) and livestock. A traditional form of land cultivation, dating back to the 6th century BC and particularly well-known in the Cyclades, is the system of terraces (pezoules), which are created with the help of dry-stone retaining walls and allow cultivation on otherwise steeply sloping terrain. In today’s Chora, built between two small hills, the ancient city of historical times was erected: the spot has been continuously inhabited to this day.
History of the name of the island
There are several versions of the origin of the name of Ios. According to one version, it took its name in antiquity from the word ion, or violet, a flower that grows abundantly on the island. According to others, Ios owes its name to the Phoenician word iion, meaning a pile of stones. Until its colonization by the Ionians in the 11th century BC, Ios was known as Phoenicia, as mentioned by Pliny and Stephen of Byzantium. However, with the arrival of the Ionians on the island, it was then called ‘Ios, an island of the Cyclades, inhabited by Ionians, whence was the mother of Homer’ (Stephani Byzantii Ethnikon quæ supersunt, Edit A. Westermann 1839, 147).
During the Ottoman period, the island was called Anza or Aine, as mentioned by Piri Re’is in his work Bahriye (P. Kahle, Piri Re’is Bahriye. Das türkische Segelhandbuch für das Mittelländische Meer vom Jahre 1521, Berlin, 1926, 45). The name Ios has been preserved to this day, but it is often also called Nios, an idiomatic rendition that appeared as early as the 12th century AD in the work of the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi in Kitāb Rujār (tabula Rogeriana), 1154. In the work Turcograecia by Martinus Crusius, published in 1584 (Lib. VIII. Epistolae extra Constantinopolin, inter Martinum Crusium et Graecos commutatae, 207) the island is referred to as Neos. Also, in the work Description des Iles de l’ Archipel by Christophe Buondelmonti (1385-1430), published by Ernest Leroux in 1897, the island is termed Nio.
Inhabitation – historical evidence
The earliest traces of human presence identified to date on the island come from the location of Skarkos. Surface pottery dating from the transition from the Early Cycladic I to the Early Cycladic II period (Kampos group, 2800-2700 BC) was collected there. During the following periods (Early Cycladic II, Keros-Syros group, 2700-2400/2300 BC and Kastri phase, 2300-2200 BC) when communications in the Aegean were at their peak (‘international spirit’), Ios appears to be prosperous and densely populated. Settlements were located mainly on capes and hills in coastal locations, such as Agia Theodoti, Psathi and Plakes in the east, Manganari in the south and Skarkos in the west, where the largest and most important settlement of the island is located. Its systematic excavation research continues to this day under the direction of Dr. Mariza Marthari. The cemeteries of these settlements are also identified; the most important of which is at Plakotos in the north of the island: which settlements it served still remains unknown.
The mainly surface finds from Manganari, Skarkos and other sites show that life continued on Ios during the Early Cycladic III period (Phylakopi I group, 2200-2000 BC). The island’s contacts with the surrounding world were also maintained, as shown by the imported light-coloured pottery from Melos and Thera. Life continued on Ios during the Middle and Late Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC), as shown mainly by the research in the Skarkos area.
The transition from prehistoric to historical times remains obscure though, since to date no evidence has been found for the Protogeometric and Geometric periods. The only link between the two periods is in the ancient tradition, according to which its settlers are considered to be the Ionians, led by Neleas, son of Kodros. However, there is evidence that shows an unbroken occupation of Ios thereafter, from the Archaic period to Late Antiquity.
Ios is one of the seven cities considered to be the homeland of the great poet Homer. According to Herodotus and other historical sources, Homer was buried on Ios, the birthplace of his mother Clymene. His tomb is believed to have been located on the northern tip of the island in the area of Plakotos. Ios was a small city-state since its inception in the Archaic period, and so was forced due to its weakness to accept the hegemony of the naval powers that successively dominated the Aegean. During Classical times, it was a member of the Ionian Amphictyony of Delos and then a member of the First and Second Athenian Leagues. During the Hellenistic period (323-30 BC) it participated in the Koinon of the Islanders, which united the cities of the Cyclades and in 314 BC had its headquarters on Delos. Athena Polias and Zeus Polieus were worshipped on the island. There was also a sanctuary to Pythian Apollo, and another (or heroon) dedicated to Homer. One of the months in the local calendar was called Homerion.
In the 3rd century BC (246-220 BC), Ios fell under the influence of the Macedonian sphere. This was followed by that of Rhodes in the region, which continued for at least a century: Ios was closely associated with Rhodes from 220 BC until at least the middle of the 2nd century BC. At the beginning of the 1st century BC, the Cyclades were seized by the king of Pontus, Mithridates. Subsequently, like most of the Cycladic islands, Ios found itself caught up in the midst of the civil wars of Rome and found itself in a difficult economic position. In contrast to the Hellenistic period, the Cyclades do not seem to have played a significant role during the Roman period, their political and economic importance being limited. Many islands, including Ios, served as places of exile during the imperial period. Administratively, they were part of the province of Asia from at least the 2nd century AD. In the mid-3rd century AD, most of the Cyclades, including Ios, were included in the ‘province of the islands’ (provincia insularum).
Bibliography. Theodoros K. Othonaios, Η νήσος Ίος, Athens 1938, Mariza E. Marthari, Το αρχαιολογικό μουσείο της Ίου, Athens 1999.
