Milos - Wikipedia

1 9

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milos

Coordinates: 3641N 2425E

Milos
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Milos or Melos (/mls -os mils, -los/; Modern

Greek: [milos]; Ancient Greek: Melos) is
a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of
the Sea of Crete. Milos is the southwesternmost island in
the Cyclades group.
The island is famous for the statue of Aphrodite (the
"Venus de Milo", now in the Louvre), and also for statues
of the Greek god Asclepius (now in the British
Museum[2]), the Poseidon and an archaic Apollo in
Athens. Milos is a popular tourist destination during the
summer. The Municipality of Milos also includes the
uninhabited offshore islands of Antimilos and Akradies.
The combined land area is 160.147 square kilometres
(61.833 sq mi) and the 2011 census population was 4,977
inhabitants.

Milos

Milos Island in August 2014.

Contents
1 History
1.1 Conflict with Athens
1.2 Medieval Period
2 Geography
2.1 Climate
3 Natural resources
4 Beaches
5 Demographics
5.1 Historical population
6 Notable people
7 Sister island
8 Gallery
9 See also
10 References
11 Bibliography
12 Sources
13 External links

History
Obsidian from Milos was a commodity as early as 15,000
years ago.[3] Natural glass from Milos was transported
over long distances and used for razor sharp "stone tools"
well before farming began and later: "There is no early
farming village in the Near East that doesn't get
obsidian".[4] However the mining of obsidian did not lead
to the development of permanent habitation or

Location within the region

Coordinates: 3641N 2425E

Country
Administrative
region
Regional unit

Greece
South Aegean
Milos

Area
Municipality

160.1 km2 (61.8 sq mi)

Highest elevation
Lowest elevation

748 m (2,454 ft)

0 m (0 ft)

Population (2011)[1]
Municipality

4,977

17.10.2016 12:18

Milos - Wikipedia

2 9

The ancient theatre.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milos

manufacturing on the
island. Instead, those
in search of obsidian
arrived by boat,
beaching it in a
suitable cove and
cutting pieces of the
volcanic glass from
the quarries.[5]

Municipality
density

31/km2 (81/sq mi)

Community
Population

819

Time zone
Summer (DST)

EET (UTC+2)
EEST (UTC+3)

Postal code
Area code(s)
Vehicle registration

840 xx
22870
EM

The position of
Website
www.milos.gr
Milos, between
(http://www.milos.gr)
mainland Greece and
Crete, and its
possession of obsidian, made it an important centre of early Aegean
civilisation. Milos lost its arms-making importance when bronze became
the preferred material for the manufacture of weapons.[6]
The first settlement at Phylakopi (Greek ) arose in the Bronze
Age, flourishing as the extraction of obsidian was in the decline. The first
Venus de Milo, Louvre.
settlers were tuna fishermen.[5] Lying on the north-east coast, excavations
by the British School of Archeology revealed a town wall and a Minoaninspired structure, dubbed the Pillar room, which contained fragments of vivid wall paintings. The famous
fresco of the flying fish[7] was found in the ruins of the Pillar room and was executed with delicate colouring
and graphic observation of nature in the graceful movement of a fish. Stylistic similarities to Minoan frescoes
are suggested, and it could perhaps have been the work of a Cretan artist.[8] Part of the site has been washed
away by the sea.
The antiquities found at the site covered three major periods, from the Early Cycladic period to the Mycenaean
period. At the site much pottery was excavated, with several changing styles and influences over the sites long
occupation. In the early occupation of the site, there are many similarities and imports from other Cycladic
islands and the settlement was very small. During the Middle Bronze Age however the site expanded
significantly and the expansion of Minoan Crete saw an influx of Minoan pottery into the Cyclades, particularly
at Akrotiri on Thera, though much found its way to Phylakopi. The quantities found at the Cycladic sites have
been taken to suggest a Minoan control over the region, though it could also be the consumptive nature of the
islanders adopting Cretan fashions. There is more than just pottery at Phylakopi however, the eruption of the
Thera volcano saw a reduction in Minoan presence in the Cyclades and it is at this time that Mycenaean
involvement on the islands increases. At Phylakopi (and unknown in the rest of the Cyclades) a Megaron
structure, which is typically associated with the Mycenaean palaces, such as those at Tiryns, Pylos and Mycenae
has been discovered. This has been taken to suggest that the Mycenaeans conquered the settlement and installed
a seat of power for a governor. The evidence is not clear, though again it could be a legacy of the islanders
adopting foreign elements into their culture. Particularly unexpected was the discovery in the 1970s of a shrine
at the site, which contained many examples of Aegean figurines, including the famous "Lady of Phylakopi".
The shrine is unprecedented in the Bronze Age Cyclades and has provided a valuable insight ito the beliefs and
rituals of the inhabitants of Phylakopi. The site was eventually abandoned and was never reoccupied.
In historical times, the island was occupied by Dorians from Laconia. In the 6th century BC, it again produced a
remarkable series of vases, of large size, with mythological subjects and orientalizing ornamentation, and also a
series of terra-cotta reliefs (Melian Reliefs).

Conflict with Athens

The Greek historian Thucydides wrote in his History of the Peloponnesian War of how, in 416 BC, Athens
attacked Milos for refusing to submit tribute and refusing to join Athens' alliance against Sparta. The invasion

17.10.2016 12:18

Milos - Wikipedia

3 9

of Melos occurred during the

second phase of the
Peloponnesian War (431 to 404
BC). The Melians claimed
Spartan descent but had
remained neutral throughout this
conflict.[6] In 426 BC, Athens
Coin from Melos, 2nd century BC,
had prosecuted a brief
Obverse: Apple ( mlon)
perfunctory operation on the
Reverse: The Palladion (right), krater
island but had withdrawn
(left).
quickly because they were at the
time involved in open conflict
with Sparta. In 425 BC Athens claimed suzerainty over Milos and had
demanded tribute.[9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milos

The archaeological museum.

The second attack on Milos occurred five years after Athens and Sparta
had signed a peace agreement and some historians like Bosworth
believe that Athens' campaign against Milos in 416 BC was motivated
by imperial expansion.[9] In the summer of 416 BC the Athenians
landed an army of over 3,000 soldiers on the island, led by the generals
Cleomedes and Tisias. They sent diplomats to negotiate a surrender,
Klima village.
offering to spare the Melians if they joined the Athenian-dominated
Delian League and paid tribute to Athens. The Melians rejected the
ultimatum. The Athenians laid siege to the city and withdrew most of their troops from the island to fight
elsewhere. For months the Melians withstood the siege, but with reinforcements from Athens and the help of
traitors within Milos, the Athenians took the city that winter. The Athenians executed all the adult men they
caught, and sold the women and children into slavery. They then settled 500 of their own colonists on the
island.[10]
The next year, the Athenian tragedian Euripides wrote Trojan Women, which explored the hardships of
conquest on women, set in the legendary past of the Trojan War. In 405 BC, with Athens losing the war, the
Spartan general Lysander expelled the Athenian settlers from Melos and restored the survivors of the original
Spartan colony to the island.[11]

Medieval Period
During the Frankish period the island formed part of the Duchy of
Naxos, except for the few years (13411383) when it was a separate
lordship under Marco Sanudo and his daughter.
In 1566 the Venetians handed over the island to the Ottoman Turks, who
were to rule it until 1830, when it was incorporated into the newly
formed Greek state.

Geography
A church in Milos.

Milos is the southwesternmost island in the Cyclades, 120 kilometres

(75 miles) due east from the coast of Laconia. From east to west it
measures about 23 km (14 mi), from north to south 13 km (8.1 mi), and its area is estimated at 151 square
kilometres (58 sq mi). The greater portion is rugged and hilly, culminating in Mount Profitis Elias 748 metres
(2,454 feet) in the west. Like the rest of the cluster, the island is of volcanic origin, with tuff, trachyte and
obsidian among its ordinary rocks. The natural harbour is the hollow of the principal crater, which, with a depth
diminishing from 70 to 30 fathoms (13055 m), strikes in from the northwest so as to separate the island into
two fairly equal portions (see photo), with an isthmus not more than 18 km (11 mi) broad. In one of the caves
17.10.2016 12:18

Milos - Wikipedia

4 9

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milos

on the south coast, the heat from

the volcano is still great, and on
the eastern shore of the harbour,
there are hot sulfurous springs.
Antimelos or Antimilos, 13
miles (21 km) north-west of
Milos, is an uninhabited mass of
trachyte, often called
Milos, Kimolos (north), Polyaigos
Erimomilos (Desert Milos).
Adamas town
(East), Antimilos (west).
Kimolos, or Argentiera, 1.6 km
(0.99 mi) to the north-east, was
famous in antiquity for its figs and fuller's earth, and contained a considerable city, the remains of which cover
the cliff of St. Andrew's. Polyaigos (also called Polinos, Polybos or Polivo alternative spelling Polyaegos)
lies 2 km (1 mi) south-east of Kimolos. It was the subject of dispute between the Milians and Kimolians. It is
now uninhabited.
The harbour town is Adamantas; from this there is an ascent to the plateau above the harbour, on which are
situated Plaka, the chief town, and Kastro, rising on a hill above it, and other villages. The ancient town of
Milos was nearer to the entrance of the harbour than Adamas, and occupied the slope between the village of
Trypiti and the landing-place at Klima. Here is a theatre of Roman date and some remains of town walls and
other buildings, one with a fine mosaic excavated by the British school at Athens in 1896. Numerous fine works
of art have been found on this site, notably the Aphrodite in Paris, the Asclepius in London, and the Poseidon
and the archaic Apollo in Athens. Other villages include Triovasalos, Peran Triovasalos, Pollonia and Zefyria
(Kampos).

Climate
Milos has a Mediterranean climate (Kppen climate classification Csa) with mild, rainy winters and warm to
hot dry summers.[12]

17.10.2016 12:18

Milos - Wikipedia

5 9

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milos

Climate data for Milos

Month

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Year

27.8
(82)

23.4
(74.1)

41.0
(105.8)

27.1 28.1
27.6
25.2
21.3 18.0 14.6
(80.8) (82.6) (81.7) (77.4) (70.3) (64.4) (58.3)

20.3
(68.5)

Record high 21.6

26.2
25.6
28.4
35.4 40.0 41.0
38.4
36.3
32.0
C (F)
(70.9) (79.2) (78.1) (83.1) (95.7) (104) (105.8) (101.1) (97.3) (89.6)
Average
12.9
13.2
14.8
18.4
high C (F) (55.2) (55.8) (58.6) (65.1)
Daily mean
C (F)

22.8
(73)

10.5
10.7
12.1
15.2
19.3 23.5
(50.9) (51.3) (53.8) (59.4) (66.7) (74.3)

25.0
(77)

24.6
22.3
18.5 15.3 12.3
(76.3) (72.1) (65.3) (59.5) (54.1)

Average low 8.5

8.5
9.6
12.4
15.9 19.8 21.8
21.6
19.6
C (F)
(47.3) (47.3) (49.3) (54.3) (60.6) (67.6) (71.2) (70.9) (67.3)
Record low
C (F)

2.0
2.0
(28.4) (28.4)

0.0
(32)

5.4
8.0
(41.7) (46.4)

10.0
(50)

16.1
(61)

14.0
14.2
11.6
8.0
(57.2) (57.6) (52.9) (46.4)

13.1 10.3
(55.6) (50.5)
2.8
(37)

0.0
(32)

17.4
(63.3)
14.8
(58.6)
2.0
(28.4)

Average
74.7
50.6
47.2
20.5
13.1
3.3
0.3
1.4
5.8
42.9 60.7 90.3
410.8
precipitation
(2.941) (1.992) (1.858) (0.807) (0.516) (0.13) (0.012) (0.055) (0.228) (1.689) (2.39) (3.555) (16.173)
mm (inches)
Average
precipitation
days

8.8

7.3

5.7

2.9

1.4

0.3

0.1

0.1

0.9

3.9

5.8

9.0

46.2

73.3

72.5

72.0

67.0

63.5

58.8

60.1

63.4

66.8

71.3

73.9

73.7

68.0

( 1.0 mm)

Average
relative
humidity
(%)

Source: NOAA[13]

Natural resources
Bentonite, perlite, pozzolana and
small quantities of kaolin are
actively collected via strip mine or
open-pit mine techniques in Milos
and sold all over the world. In the
past, baryte, sulfur, millstones and
gypsum were also mined; in fact,
Pliny notes that Milos was the most
View of an old sulfur mine at
abundant source of sulfur in the
Thiorichia beach.
ancient world.[14] In ancient times
the alum of Milos was reckoned
next to that of Egypt (Pliny xxxv. 15 [52]). The Melian earth was
employed as a pigment by ancient artists. Milos was a source of
obsidian during the Neolithic ages for the Aegean and Mediterranean.
Orange, olive, cypress, tamarisk, juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus) and
arbutus trees grow throughout the island, which, however, is too dry to
have any profusion of vegetation. Vines, cotton and barley are the main
crops.

The Cave of Sikia from interior.

Beaches
There are about 70 beaches on Milos Island. Hivadolimni Beach is the
longest at about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi). The rest of the beaches are
starting from (North): Sarakiniko Beach, Papafragas, Kapros, Pachena,
Alogomantra, Konstantinos, Mitakas, Mantrakia, Firopotamos,

Southeast Milos showing the beaches

of Agia Kyriaki and Paliochori in
August 2014.

17.10.2016 12:18

Milos - Wikipedia

6 9

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milos

Nerodafni, Lakida, Plathiena, Fourkovouni, Areti, Pollonia, Gourado

and Filakopi. (South): Firiplaka, Paliochori, Provatas, Tsigrado, Agia
Kyriaki, Psaravolada, Kleftiko, Gerontas, Gerakas, Agios Sostis,
Mouchlioti, Katergo, Spathi, Firligos, Pialothiafes, Kalamos, Krotiraki,
Psathi, Svoronou and Sakelari. (West): Agios Ioannis, Cave of Sikia,
Agathia, Triades and Ammoudaraki. (East): Voudia, Thalassa,
Paliorema, Tria Pagidia and Thiafes. (In the Bay Area): Hivadolimni,
Lagada, Papikinou, Fatourena, Klima, Skinopi and Patrikia. The North
and South and bay beaches are tourist attractions. The east beaches are
very quiet, and those to the west are also quiet beaches.

The bay of Milos

Demographics
Historical population
Year Island population
1907 5,393[15]
1991 4,380
A coast

2001 4,771
2011 4,977

Notable people
Diagoras (5th century BC), a philosopher
Melanippides, poet
Antonio Millo, captain and cartographer
Antonio Vassilacchi (15561629), a painter
View of Sarakiniko Beach

Sister island
Shdo Island, Japan

Gallery

The steep beach of Tsigrado

Antonio Vassilacchi,
painter born on Milos in
1556[16]

Milos, 1718

17.10.2016 12:18

Milos - Wikipedia

7 9

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milos

The tallest peak of

Milos (2,440 feet high)

Thalassitra church at
Plaka, Milos

Inside the lair of the

pirates

White volcanic tephra

at Sarakiniko beach

Gerakas Beach

The lair of the Saracen

pirates in Sarakiniko
beach

The salty slide of

Gerakas Beach

See also
Aegean Islands
List of Aegean Islands
Sarakiniko Beach
Firiplaka
Milos Island National Airport (MLO)
Antimilos
Kimolos
Arkoudes
The Catacombs of Milos

References
1. " - 2011. " (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority.
2. British Museum Collection (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online
/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=460415&partId=1&place=34534&plaA=34534-3-1&page=1)
3. N. Laskaris, A. Sampson, F. Mavridis, I. Liritzis, (September 2011) "Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene seafaring in the
Aegean: new obsidian hydration dates with the SIMS-SS method" Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 38,
Issue 9, pp.24752479
4. C. Renferew
5. David Abulafia (2011). The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean. Penguin Books.
ISBN 978-0-14-196999-2.
6. Chalk and Jonassohn, 65
7. Flying fish (http://www.ou.edu/finearts/art/ahi4913/aegeanhtml/cyptg.html)
8. CAH pg. 448
9. Dinah L. Shelton, www.enotes.com
10. Thucydides. History of the Peloponnesian War, Chapter 17. (http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/melian.htm)
11. Renfrew (1982), p. 49

17.10.2016 12:18

Milos - Wikipedia

8 9

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milos

12. Kottek, M.; J. Grieser; C. Beck; B. Rudolf; F. Rubel (2006). "World Map of the Kppen-Geiger climate classification
updated" (PDF). Meteorol. Z. 15 (3): 259263. doi:10.1127/0941-2948/2006/0130. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
13. "Milos Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 29,
2013.
14. C.Michael Hogan. 2011. Sulfur. Encyclopedia of Earth, eds. A.Jorgensen and C.J.Cleveland, National Council for
Science and the environment, Washington DC (http://www.eoearth.org/article/Sulfur?topic=49557)
15. 1907 Greek census (1909), statistics.gr, page 411 ( / Milos Municipality 4.864 + /
Adamas Municipality 529 = 5.393)
16. Gould, John (1838). Biographical dictionary of painters, sculptors, engravers, and architects, from the earliest ages
to the present time: interspersed with original anecdotes, Volume 2. Greenland. p. 577. OCLC 261336841.
"VASSILACCHI, called L'ALI- ENSE (Antonio), a Greek historical painter, born at Milo, a Greek island in the
Venetian territory, in 1556, and died in 1629"

Bibliography
Renfrew, Colin; Wagstaff, Malcolm, eds. (1982). An Island Polity: The Archaeology of Exploitation in
Melos. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-23785-8.
David Abulafia (2011). The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean. Penguin Books.
ISBN 978-0-14-196999-2.

Sources
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "article
Encyclopdia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
I.F. Stone, 1988, The trial of Socrates, Anthos.
Cambridge Ancient History, Vol.II, 1924, New York, MacMillan
Colin Renfrew and Malcolm Wagstaff (editors), 1982, An Island Polity, the Archaeology of Exploitation in Melos,
Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Colin Renfrew (editor), 1985, The Archaeology of Cult, the Sanctuary at Phylakopi, London, British School at
Athens and Thames & Hudson.
Leycester, "The Volcanic Group of Milo, Anti-Milo, &c.," in Jour. Roy. Geog. Soc. (1852).
Tournefort, Voyage.
William Martin Leake, Northern Greece, iii.
Anton von Prokesch-Osten, Denkwrdigkeiten, &c.
Bursian, Geog. von Griechenland, ii.; Journ. Hell. Stud, xvi, xvii, xviii, Excavations at Phylakopi; Inscr. grace, xii.
iii. 197 sqq.;
on coins found in 1909, see Jameson in Rev. Num. 1909; 188 sqq.
"Mlos". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
Seaman, Michael G., "The Athenian Expedition to Melos in 416 B.C.," Historia 46 (1997) pp. 385418.
(http://www.jstor.org/pss/4436483)
Chalk, Frank; Jonassohn, Kurt (1990). History and Sociology of Genocide: Analyses and Case Studies. New Haven:
Yale University Press. pp. 6566. ISBN 0-300-04445-3.
Bosworth, A.B. (2005). " "Athens and Melos." Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity ed. Dinah L. Shelton.". Gale
Cengage, enotes.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
Connor, W. Raymond (1984). Thucydides. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 151.
Thucydides (1954). The Peloponnesian War. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.
name needed".

External links
Milos travel guide from Wikivoyage
Official website (http://www.milos.gr) (English) (Greek)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Milos&oldid=742902692"

17.10.2016 12:18

Milos - Wikipedia

9 9

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milos

Categories: Populated places in Milos (regional unit) Milos Municipalities of the South Aegean
Landforms of Milos (regional unit) Islands of Greece Islands of the South Aegean Cyclades
Subduction volcanoes Volcanoes of Greece Volcanoes of the Aegean Submarine calderas
Landforms of the South Aegean
This page was last modified on 6 October 2016, at 14:47.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may
apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

17.10.2016 12:18