Everything about Melos totally explained
Milos (in
Greek,
Μήλος — not related to the
modern word
μήλο –
milo = "
apple", which has the same spelling excluding the trailing
sigma), formerly
Melos, and before the
Athenian massacre and recolonization in
416 BC,
Malos, is a volcanic
Greek island in the
Aegean Sea.
The island is famous for the
statue of Aphrodite (now in the
Louvre), and also for statues of the
Greek god Asclepius (now in the
British Museum) and the
Poseidon and an archaic
Apollo in Athens. The
Municipality of Milos also includes the uninhabited offshore islands of
Antimilos and
Ananes. The combined land area is 160.147 km² and the 2001 census population was 4,771 inhabitants.
History
The position of Milos, between Greece and
Crete, and its possession of
obsidian, made it an important centre of early Aegean civilization. At the well-known Bronze Age site of Phylakopi (the chief settlement) on the north-east coast, excavations of the British school revealed a town wall and a
Minoan palace with some important and very interesting wall paintings. "The famous fresco of the flying fish
(External Link
) found in the ruins of the principal house or palace at Phylakopi, with its delicate coloring and graphic observation of nature in the graceful movement of the fish, seems to be the work of a Cretan artist, who probably was summoned to Milos for the purpose." Part of the site has been washed away by the sea.
The antiquities found were of three main periods, all preceding the Mycenaean age of Greece. Much
pottery was found, including examples of a peculiar style, with decorative designs, mostly floral, and also considerable deposits of obsidian. There are some traditions of a
Phoenician occupation of Milos.
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.
Though the Melians sent a contingent to the Greek fleet at
Salamis, it held aloof from the
Delian League, and sought to remain neutral during the
Peloponnesian War. But in
415 BC the Athenians launched an
attack to the island and compelled the Melians to surrender, slew all the men capable of bearing arms, made slaves of the women and children, and introduced 500 Athenian colonists.
Thucydides made this event the occasion of one of the most impressive of the "speeches" in his history. Written like the others in more complex and difficult Greek than his pellucid narrative, this passage, known as the
Melian Dialogue, is a
locus classicus for the contest between
raison d'état and ethical action, and is the fulcrum at which the state of Athens in his history abandoned the noble ideals with which it had entered the war and began to pursue simply its own self-interest.
Lysander restored the island to its Dorian possessors, but it never recovered its former prosperity.
There were many
Jewish settlers in Milos in the beginning of the Christian era, and
Christianity was introduced early. During the "
Frankish" period the island formed part of the
Duchy of Naxos, except for the few years (1341-1383) when it was a separate lordship under
Marco Sanudo and his daughter. Today's population, about 4700, is considerably less than it was in 1907 (then 4,864 in the commune, 12,774 in the province).
Geography
Milos is the southwesternmost island in the
Cyclades group, 120 km (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 mi), and its area is estimated at
151 km² (58.3 mi²). The greater portion is rugged and hilly, culminating in Mount Profitis Elias 748 m (2454 ft) 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 (130 to 55 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 miles) broad. In one of the caves on the south coast, the heat from the volcano is still great, and on the eastern shore of the harbour, there are hot
sulphurous springs.
Antimelos or Antimilos, 13 miles (20 km) north-west of Milos, is an uninhabited mass of trachyte, often called Erimomilos (Desert Milos). Kimolos, or Argentiera, 1.6 km (1 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 south-east of Kimolos. It was the subject of dispute between the Milians and Kimolians. It is now uninhabited.
Natural resources
Bentonite,
perlite,
pozzolana and small quantities of
kaolin are mined in Milos and sold all over the world. In the past,
baryte,
sulfur, millstones and
gypsum were also mined. 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.
Demographics
The harbour town is
Adamas; from this there's 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
Tripiti 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,
Pera Triovasalos,
Pollonia and
Zefyria (Kampos).
Historical population
| Year |
Island population |
Change |
| 1907 |
17,638 |
- |
| 1981 |
- |
- |
| 1991 |
4,390 |
- |
| 2001 |
4,771 |
+381/+8.68% |
Notable people
Further Information
Get more info on 'Melos'.
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