1. Setting and environment
Kythnos (or Thermia) in one of the western Cyclades and is situated between Kea and Serifos, 26 nautical miles away from the port of Lavrio and 52 from Piraeus. There are ships connecting it with both ports, as well as Mykonos and Syros. Its ground is particularly arid, waterless and mountainous, with Mount Kakovolo (356 m) being its highest peak. Its shores form small leeward creeks (e.g. Merichas port), as well as beautiful, tranquil beaches. Its two successive mountain ranges and its ground in general are granitic, whereas the subsoil is relatively rich in iron and copper deposits, which were already known since Antiquity. 2. History
Mythology connects the island’s first habitation with the Dryopes, who originally lived on Mount Parnassus, but migrated to Euboea after the Dorians forced them to move. That is how the island was supposed to have acquired the name Dryopis (there is a modern settlement by that name - Dryopida), whereas Kythnos was the name of the tribe’s king. Later on (8th century BC), the Ionians forced the Dryopes to leave and settled on the island.
As regards archaeology, human presence on Kythnos dates from the Early Cycladic (3rd millennium BC) and the Mycenaean period (1600-1100 BC). However, Kythnos flourished particularly during historical times. Aristotle in his Constitution of Kythnos talks of the island’s paragon of independent government, denoting its significance and development, as well as its residents’ prosperity and wealth in Antiquity. In the 5th century, Kythnos fought in the Persian Wars and later joined the . In Hellenistic Times it was subjugated to the Macedonians, like all neighboring islands, although it managed to maintain some of its former glory.
Kythnos was an important trade station for the Romans up to the Early Christian Times, whereas during the Byzantine Period it was integrated into the of the Aegean. In 1207, the Venetians took it over, and it was incorporated with the rest Cycladic islands into the Duchy of the Aegean by Marco Sanudo. After contending for it, the Gozzadini family from Bologna took it over in 1337. In 1537, Hayreddin Barbarossa took Kythnos over, leaving the Gozzadinis tributaries to the Ottoman sultan up to 1566, when its administration was handed over to the Jewish diplomat and administrator Joseph Nasi. After Nasi’s death, Kythnos was incorporated into the administration system of the Ottoman Empire. The privileges granted to Kythnos, as well as the rest of the Cyclades, by the sultans Murad III (1580) and Ibrahim I (1646) created favorable conditions for the island’s economic and cultural development. The institution of communal government flourished on Kythnos, as in the rest of the Cyclades. During the Russo-ottoman war (1768-1774), the Russians took Kythnos over until the Ottomans regained its control with the Treaty of Kücük-Kaynarca (1774). Kythnos participated actively in the Greek War of Independence (1821); along with the other Cycladic islands, it was included in the territory of the Greek state immediately after its foundation. During the 19th century, Kythnos’ famed thermal springs at Loutra, to which the island ows ots second name (Thermia) attracted many people. In that period shipping was also significantly developed.
The most significant page in the modern history of Kythnos was the revolt known as "Kythniaka" (February 1862); the rebels, who came mostly from Syros, tried without success to free some political prisoners who were exiled on the island after their abortive movement in Nafplio against king Otto. During the incident, the revolutionaries fought with the king's army at Agia Eirini bay, where they were destroyed. Initially they were buried at the island; later, however, after Otto's expulsion, their remains were transferred to the First Cemetery of Athens.
In 1941, Kythnos came first under Italian administration, since the Axis Powers had taken over Greece. After Italy capitulated in 1943, the island came under German rule until it was finally liberated in 1944.
Nowadays, the Kythnians occupy themselves with agriculture, stock farming, fishing, shipping and, in the last decades, tourism. The island's wine and dairy products are famous; they were widely known for their quality already since Antiquity. 3. The Mesolithic Period on Kythnos Recent excavations have yielded proof for a relatively unknown period of Kythnos. At the site Maroulas, on the northeastern coast, a settlement and a cemetery of the Mesolithic Period (8th millennium BC) have been uncovered. It is the oldest location in the Cyclades, added to the few ones already known in the rest of Greece (Franchthi cave in Argolida, Gioura on Alonissos), which belong to the Mesolithic Period (between the Paleolithic and Neolithic Period). This period consitutes the transitional stage from hunting and food collecting to developing a permanent settlement, agriculture, stock farming and fishing. This transition, considered a determinative turn in human history, inaugurated a long period of prosperity for the Aegean Sea. The location of Kythnos, as well as its proximity to contemporaneous Franchthi Cave and Milos, which provided the valuable obsidian for constructing tools, illustrates the Cyclades' inclusion into this transitional period and its participation in the developments of that time.
4. Archaeological sites and monuments The most important archaeological site of the island is Vriokastro, located on the western coast, a bit to the north of Merichas port, where habitation has been uninterrupted since Prehistoric Times. It is identified with the city (polis) of ancient Kythnos (Classic, Hellenistic and Roman Times), from which parts of the massive walls, as well as of other buildings, are still extant. On the top of the hill is located the fortified Acropolis with temple foundations. One of them was probably dedicated to Aphrodite. The city’s cemetery has been located a bit to the north.
The fortified site of Mandraki was the ancient anchorage. One can follow a secondary road network (dirt road) from Chora and Merichas to visit this area in order to gain a broader perspective on the island’s ancient history. Ancient towers and watchtowers, along with farming facilities, have been preserved at some places accessible only through paths and dirt roads, whereas an Archaic fortified acropolis (7th-6th century BC) has been uncovered at Kastellos. Impressive are the early Cycladic remains of metallurgic activity (smelting facilities and kiln parts), as well as a small group of tools, which demonstrate that at that time the island’s economy was based on exploiting the copper deposites.
5. Museums
There are two museums in Dryopida: the small Byzantine Museum, housed in the church of St George, and the Folklore Museum, where are displayed exhibits from the island's material culture and everyday life (costumes, tools, etc.).
6. Architecture
Kythnos (aka Mesaria) is located in the center of the island, 7 km from Merichas port. Narrow slab-paved streets, uniform narrow or broad lime-rendered façades of two-storey buildings, external stairs leading either to an attic or to a slanted or flat roof create a characteristic display of Cycladic architecture, and combine themselves with the abrupt and rocky grounds of Kythnos.
The settlement of Dryopida presents an architectural peculiarity: the houses have tile roofs, a fact connected with the development of pottery in the region. The result points rather to a version of the Neoclassical style.
Churches, such as Sotira (renovated in 1636), St John the Forerunner (Agios Ioannis o Prodromos) with a 16th century carven screen, St Barbara (Agia Varvara, 18th century) and the monastery of Panagia (Virgin Mary) tou Nikous (with a and a cupola) combine post-Byzantine architecture with traditional standards. In Agios Savvas (1673), there is a coat of arms of Andrea Gozzadini, whereas the Metamorfosi tou Sotiros (Transfiguration of the Saviour) church has icons by the well-known painters Antonios, Emmanouil and Ioannis Skordilis, which are worth seeing.
7. Technological parks
Two technological parks proving that the arid and waterless Cycladic islands can be used for exploring and using alternative energy production sources have been built on the outskirts of the capital; namely, a windmill farm with an annual 500,000 kWh power with five wind generators that transform Aeolian energy to electricity, as well as a photovoltaic park accumulating solar energy to produce electricity.
8. The countryside of Kythnos
After Merichas the traveller reaches Dryopida (aka Syllaka or Chorio), the centre of nightlife in summer, built near pits in a broad plateau in the hinterland. On the plateau is cave Katafyki (one of the largest in Greece; used during World War II as a shelter) with its many stalactites; the farming terraces built around the village are characteristic of the environment of the plateau. The main road network leads from Dryopida to the southern coasts, which harbor serene beaches with thin sand. One can visit the church of Panagia (Virgin Mary) Kanala, the patron saint of the island, and see an icon drawn by Cretan painter Antonios Skordilis (17th century). To the north of Kythnos, the road leads to Loutra (baths in Greek), already known since Antiquity for its thermal springs, which contributed to the local economy and development until recently. Another narrow passable road leads to the northern end of the island, at the Katakefalou Castle (Kefalokastro). In the 18th century, the island’s capital (uninhabited nowadays) was located there, and had supposedly 100 churches, of which only two are now extant. |