The name of the island is pre-Hellenic and means “tall” and was so called because of its tall mountains. During antiquity the island was also known as ANTHEMOÚSA (meaning “many flowers”), DRYOÚSA (“rich in water”), MELÁMPHYLLOS (“rich vegetation”), IMVRASÍA (in honour of the goddess Hera) and also “Nísos ton Makáron” (“Island of the very happy”).…
The island was known in antiquity as the “Korasian Islands“, and later as Korsei, probably because they were given as a dowry to the daughters of King Samos, the first king of the island of Samos (in ancient Greek the daughters were called korasides). Their present name was derived from the Venetians, who referred to…
The island was formerly known as MÁKRI or DOLÍCHI (because of its long shape), ICTHYÓESSA (because of its many fish) and ANEMÓESSA (because of its strong winds). From the historic age, it was given the name “Ikaría” from Íkaros, who drowned in its waters. Μythical Íkaros, with his father Daídalos, were attempting to escape from…
The island was known in antiquity under various similar names. Homer is the first to mention it under the name “Psyrii” in the Odyssey. It is also referred to by Strabo as “Psyra”. In Psara, archaeological excavations have brought to light findings of human activity from the Neolithic period (5th-4th millennium BC), with a peak…
The ancient Greeks referred to the islands by the same name (the name of the islands reflects the land’s wealth in wine as the word “oíno” means in greek wine.) The historian Thoukydídis (5th century BC) wrote that the Athenian fleet used the islands as their base of operations against Chíos. In the area around…
During antiquity the island was known as PITYOÚSA (many pines) and MÁKRIS (due to its long shape). During Homeric times it was called PAIPALÓESSA, meaning rocky. The name “CHÍOS” was taken from the mythological son of the sea god Poseidónas. The island was inhabited from the Stone Age (findings in Ágios Gálas). During the 16th…
Mytilene The city of Mytilene, the capital of the island, is spread over seven hills and is one of the oldest cities in Greece, with a history dating back to the 3rd millennium BC. In antiquity, Mytilene was located on the easternmost coast of Lesvos on a small island that was later joined to Lesvos…
According to Greek Mythology, it took its name from Ithaca, son of Poseidon and Amfiali, the first inhabitant of the island. According to other views, its name came from the word “Ithi” (cheerful) or from the word “Ithis” (steep). In the period of the Early Helladic civilization (3000 – 2000 BC) are the first traces…
It is the largest island and the most mountainous of the islands of the Ionian Sea but the third in population, after Corfu and Zakynthos. There are two versions of the origin of the name of Kefallonia. The first, less likely, is related to the mythical hero Kefalos who helped Amphitryon from Mycenae in the…
The town of Astakos is built at the foot of Mount Veloutsa (Dikorfo), at the cove of the homonymous bay. It took its name from the mythical Astakos who was the son of Poseidon and Olivia. The word today means “lobster” in Greek, but it has nothing to do with the tasty crustaceans. The first…