Kos orCos (/kɒs,kɔːs/;Greek:Κως[kos]) is aGreek island, which is part of theDodecanese island chain in the southeasternAegean Sea. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese, afterRhodes andKarpathos; it has a population of 37,089 (2021 census), making it the second most populous of the Dodecanese after Rhodes.[1] The island measures 42.1 by 11.5 kilometres (26 by 7 miles).[2] Administratively, Kos constitutes a municipality within theKos regional unit, which is part of theSouth Aegeanregion. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is the town of Kos.[3]
The nameKos (Ancient Greek:Κῶς)[4] is first attested in theIliad, and has been in continuous use since. Other ancient names include Meropis,[5] Cea,[6] and Nymphaea.[7]
Kos is part of theDodecanese island chain in the southeasternAegean Sea, and is located south ofKalymnos andPserimos and north ofNisyros. Its coastline is 112 kilometres (70 miles) long, extending from west to east.
The island has severalpromontories, some with names dating from antiquity:Cape Skandari orSkandarion in the northeast;[14] CapeLacter orLakter in the south;[15] and CapeDrecanum orDrekanon in the west.[16]
Tourism is the main industry in Kos,[18] the island's beaches being the primary attraction. The main port and population centre on the island, Kos town, is also a tourist and cultural centre, with whitewashed buildings including many hotels, restaurants and a number of nightclubs forming the town's "bar street". The seaside village ofKardamena is a popular resort for young holidaymakers (primarily from theUnited Kingdom andScandinavia) and has a large number of bars and nightclubs.
The last decade has seen a significant growth in the number of luxury hotels. Whileone-star and two-star hotels have decreased, four-star and five-star luxury hotels have sprung up throughout the island. From 2014 to 2023, five-star hotels have practically doubled, both in units (+95.83%) and in total beds (+103.32%). Significant but smaller, is the increase of four-star hotels, both in units (+34.15%) and in total beds (+8.5%).[19]
AnAncient Romanmosaic depicting theAbduction of Europa in the House of Europa in the Western Archaeological Zone of Kos town.Ruins of the Ancient GymnasionView of the ancientOdeon (heavily restored)Nerantzia Castle (Hospitalier period)
In classical mythology the founder-king of Kos wasMerops, hence "Meropian Kos" is included in the archaic Delianamphictyony listed in the 7th-centuryHomeric hymn to Delian Apollo; the island was visited byHeracles.[25] Kos was said to be the birthplace of the goddessLeto; the mother ofApollo.[26] Supposedly Leto's fatherCoeus was the first inhabitant of the island.[27]
The island was supposedly colonised by theCarians, butDorians invaded it in the 11th century BC, establishing a Dorian colony with a large contingent of settlers fromEpidaurus, whoseAsclepius cult made their new home famous for itssanatoria.[citation needed]
During theGreco-Persian Wars, before it twice expelled thePersians, Kos was ruled by Persian-appointed tyrants, but as a rule it seems to have been under oligarchic government. In the 5th century, it joined theDelian League, and, after the revolt ofRhodes, it served as the chiefAthenian station in the south-eastern Aegean (411–407 BC). In 366 BC, a democracy was instituted and the capital was transferred fromAstypalaea (at the west end of the island near the modern village ofKefalos) to the newly built town ofCos, laid out in aHippodamian grid. After helping to weaken Athenian power, in theSocial War (357–355 BC), it fell for a few years toking Mausolusof Caria.
Proximity to the east gave the island first access to imported silk thread.Aristotle mentions silk weaving conducted by the women of the island.[30] Silk production of garments was conducted in large factories by female slaves.[31]
Older research believed that the island was known in antiquity for the manufacture of transparent light dresses, thecoae vestes.[32] This view goes back to Aristotle, and it has been challenged by modern research. The termCoae vestes seems to refer to a type of silk garment and not the site of production (the island of Kos). The origin of the term is ultimately unclear.[33]
During the course of theFourth War of the DiadochiPtolemy I Soter captured Kos fromAntigonus I Monophthalmus, incorporating it into hiskingdom.[34] In theHellenistic period, Kos attained the zenith of its prosperity. Kos was valued by the Ptolemies, who used it as a naval outpost to oversee the Aegean. As a seat of learning, it arose as a provincial branch of the museum ofAlexandria, and became a favourite resort for the education of the princes of the Ptolemaic dynasty. During the Hellenistic age, there was amedical school; however, the theory that this school was founded by Hippocrates (see below) during theClassical age is an unwarranted extrapolation.[35] It was the home of the major Hellenistic poet-scholarPhilitas.
Despite the incorporation of Kos into the Ptolemaic Kingdom, the island kept its political autonomy (shown in a 3rd-century BC decree found at Kos).[36][37] The island was ruled autonomously through to its citizens assembly and magistrates (the monarch, theprostates, the exegetes, etc.). The fact that the city could legislate and apply its own laws shows political independence from the Ptolemaic Kingdom. The city-state remained in control of its political institutions and civil rights.[citation needed]
Kos also became a center of production of unrefined silk, oars andamphorae.[38] Kos economic development during the period can further be exemplified by the 3rd- and 2nd-century BC construction of a theatre, a new market with multiplestoas, a temple to Apollo at Alisarna, construction and expansion of the Asclepeion, fortification works at Alisarna and multiple richly decorated houses.[39] In 240 BC,Ziaelas of Bithynia,Seleucus II Callinicus andPtolemy III Euergetes provided guarantees for the transformation of Kos Asclepeion into anasylum. This decision made Kos a more attractive destination for merchants and pilgrims.[40]
Kos had a strong reputation for justice from the late fourth century BC and was called on more frequently than any other city in the Hellenistic period to provide judges for the arbitration of disputes between and within other cities. Between 310 and 300 BC, Kos arbitrated a dispute betweenKlazomenai andTeos, provided a temporary law code for thesynoecism of Teos andLebedus, and accepted requests to send judges to resolve internal disputes atIlium,Samos, andTelos.[41] In the following two centuries, they accepted further requests to send judges toNaxos,Thasos,Erythrae,Mytilene, and four cities whose names are not preserved.[42] The Koan settlement of the dispute at Telos is recorded in an inscription (IG XII.4.1 132); one of the most detailed surviving records of foreign judges activities in the Hellenistic period.[43][44] This judgement, drawing on Koan religious and financial regulations, allowed a group convicted of political crimes to pay off their fines and be reconciled with the wider community by paying for sacrifices and repairs to temples.[45]
Diodorus Siculus (xv. 76) andStrabo (xiv. 657) describe it as a well-fortified port. Its position gave it a high importance in Aegean trade; while the island itself was rich in wines of considerable fame.[46] UnderAlexander the Great and the Ptolemies the town developed into one of the great centers in the Aegean;Josephus[47] quotes Strabo to the effect thatMithridates I of the Bosporus was sent to Kos to fetch the gold deposited there byqueen Cleopatra of Egypt.Herod is said to have provided an annual stipend for the benefit of prize-winners in the athletic games,[48] and a statue was erected there to his sonHerod the Tetrarch ("C. I. G." 2502 ).Paul briefly visited Kos according toActs 21:1.
Except for occasional incursions bycorsairs and some severe earthquakes, the island's peace was rarely disturbed. Following the lead of its larger neighbour, Rhodes, Kos generally displayed a friendly attitude toward the Romans; in 53 AD it was made afree city. The island of Kos also featured a provincial library during the Roman period. The island first became a center for learning during the Ptolemaic dynasty, andHippocrates,Apelles,Philitas and possiblyTheocritus came from the area. An inscription lists people who made contributions to build the library in the 1st century AD.[49] One of the people responsible for the library's construction was the Koan physicianGaius Stertinius Xenophon, who lived in Rome and was the personal physician of the EmperorsTiberius,Claudius, andNero.[50]
Herod, king ofJudaea, ensured the perpetual funding for thegymnasiarch's annual office on Kos. An inscription from the assembly of the island, dating around 14 BC, honours Gaius Iulius Herodes, affirming Herod's adoption of the Romantria nomina; possibly relating to this financial support or another endowment.[51]
Following the 11th century, Kos passed underGenoese control, although it was aByzantine territory and kept for a while by theEmpire of Nicaea. Genoese ruled as protectorate and lasted over four centuries.[52] In the 1320s, Kos nominally formed a part of the realm of Genoese Vignolo de Vignoli. TheKnights Hospitaller were hosted over the island paying a rent to Genoese republic.[52] From the 14th century onwards the island experienced raids ofTurkish corsairs. During this period two towers were built in the southeast and southwest sections of the castle during the raids ofYıldırım Bayezid between 1391 and 1396. Kos faced its first serious Ottoman attack in 1455. The navy under the command ofHamza Bey attacked the island, besieged and destroyed theAndimacheia Castle.[9] The last Hospitaller governor of the island wasPiero de Ponte.
During theconquest of Rhodes in 1522, it was surrendered to the Ottomans due to the terms of the agreement. When Captain Behram Bey arrived in front of Kos and Bodrum, the castle guards handed over the castle to him and left, and this news reached the camp on 17 Safer 929 (5 January 1523). As soon as the island was taken, aqadi, a castellan and guards were sent to the largest and fortified castle, Nerantzia, which was repaired. The Greek Orthodox people of the island were left in their places and their residence was provided in the suburbs outside the castle.[9]
During the course of theOrlov revolt, aRussian fleet anchored off the Kos castle. On the night of 5 August 1773, the Russians dispatched a landing party intending to capture the castle. They suffered heavy casualties in the ensuing battle. The Russian ships departed Kos two days later, having failed to achieve their objective.[56]
According to the Ottoman General Census of 1881/82–1893, thekaza ofİstanköy (استانكوی)[57] had a total population of 12,965, consisting of 10,459Greeks, 2,439 Muslims and 67Jews.[58] The island was occupied by the Kingdom of Italy on 20 May 1912.[9]
Kos was transferred to theKingdom of Italy in 1912 after theItalo-Turkish War.[59] The Italians developed the infrastructures of the island, after the ruinous earthquake of 23 April 1933, which destroyed a great part of the old city and damaged many new buildings. Architect Rodolfo Petracco drew up the new city plan, transforming the old quarters into an archaeological park, and dividing the new city into a residential, an administrative, and a commercial area.[60]
InWorld War II, the island, as an Italian possession, was controlled by theAxis, until theItalians surrendered in 1943.[61] British and German forces then clashed for control of the island in theBattle of Kos as part of theDodecanese Campaign, in which the Germans were victorious. Following the battle, 100 Italian officers who had refused to join the Germans were executed in what became known as theMassacre of Kos. German troops occupied the island until 1945, when it became a protectorate of the United Kingdom, which ceded it to theKingdom of Greece in 1947 following theParis Peace Treaty.
The island is part of a chain of mountains from which it became separated after earthquakes and subsidence that occurred in ancient times. The remnants of these mountains include the islands ofKalymnos andKappari which are separated by an underwater chasm approximately 70 metres (230 ft; 38 fathoms) deep, as well as the volcano ofNisyros and the surrounding islands.
There is a wide variety of rocks in Kos which is related to its geographical formation. Prominent among these are theQuaternary layers in which the fossil remains of mammals such as horses,hippopotami and elephants have been found. The fossilisedmolar of anelephant of gigantic proportions was presented to thePaleontology Museum of theUniversity of Athens.
The people of Kos are predominantlyOrthodox Christians; one of the four Orthodox cathedrals in the Dodecanese is located in Kos. In addition, there is aRoman Catholic church on the island and amosque for theTurkish Muslim community. Thesynagogue is no longer used for religious ceremonies, as theJewish community of Kos was targeted and destroyed by occupyingGerman forces inWorld War II. It has, however, been restored and is maintained with all religious symbols intact, and is now used by the Municipality of Kos for various events, mainly cultural.
In the late 1920s, about 3,700 Turks lived in Kos city; slightly less than 50% of the population, who were mainly in the west part of the city. Today, the population of the Turkish community in Kos has been estimated at 2,000 people. A village with a significant Turkish population is Platani (Kermentes), near the town of Kos.
The ancient physicianHippocrates is thought to have been born in Kos, and in the center of the town is thePlane Tree of Hippocrates; a dream temple where the physician is traditionally supposed to have taught. The limbs of the now elderly tree are supported by scaffolding. The small city is also home to the International Hippocratic Foundation of Kos, and theHippocratic Museum dedicated to him. Near the institute are the ruins ofAsklepieion, whereHerodicus taught Hippocrates medicine.
View of the municipal market, built in 1934–1935 by architect Rodolfo Petracco.
The ancient market place of Kos was considered one of the biggest in the ancient world. It was the commercial and commanding centre at the heart of the ancient city. It was organised around a rectangular yard 50 metres (160 ft) wide and 300 metres (980 ft) long. It began in the Northern area and ended south on the central road (Decumanus) which went through the city. The northern side connected to the city wall towards the entrance to the harbour. Here there was a monumental entrance. On the eastern side there were shops. In the first half of the 2nd century BC, the building was extended toward the interior yard. The building was destroyed in an earthquake in 469 AD.
In the southern end of the market, there was a round building with a Roman dome and a workshop which produced pigments includingEgyptian Blue. Coins, treasures, and copper statues from Roman times were later uncovered by archaeologists. In the western side excavations led to the findings of rooms with mosaic floors which showed beastfights, a theme popular in Kos.[63]
The synagogue Kahal Shalom designed by architects Armando Bernabiti and Rodolfo Petracco in 1935.
The synagogue Kahal Shalom of Kos, on 4, Alexandrou Diakou street in the historic city center, was built in 1935.[64] It was designed by architectsArmando Bernabiti andRodolfo Petracco, and was built by the construction company 'De Martis-Sardelli'.[65] The synagogue complex includes the synagogue and the adjacent rabbi's residence, today housing the offices of the organisation 'Hippocrates'. The Jewish community of Kos dates from antiquity. An older synagogue was destroyed in the earthquake of 13 April 1933. Following the deportation of nearly 100 members of the Jewish community on Sunday 23 July 1944, the synagogue was abandoned and later purchased by the Municipality in the 1980s. The synagogue has been used as a cultural center by the Municipality of Kos, for lectures and exhibitions. In 2022 the Municipality of Kos and the Central Board of Jewish Communities, commissioned architectElias V. Messinas to restore the interior of the synagogue, and make possible a dual use of the building for religious services, and cultural activities.
Berossus, who according to Vitruvius's workde Architectura, eventually relocated to the island of Kos, off the coast of Asia Minor, where he established a school of astrology[66] under the patronage of the king of Egypt.
^"Cos".Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved27 September 2020. (Subscription orparticipating institution membership required.) "Etymology: The name (Greek Κῶς) of an island in the Ægean." "In fullcos lettuce. A variety of lettuce introduced from the island of Cos."
^Iliad ii.676, from "Kos, the city ofEurypylus, and the Calydnae isles", under the leaders Phidippos and Antiphos, "sons of the Thessalian king". It is unclear whether Homer is describing cultural affiliations of his own time or remembered traditions of Mycenaean times.
^E.V. Messinas,The Synagogues of Greece: A Study of Synagogues in Macedonia and Thrace: With Architectural Drawings of all Synagogues of Greece, KDP, 2022,ISBN979-8-8069-0288-8, p. 171–174
^The Historic and Folklore Archive of the Municipality of Kos. (2022)
Sartre, Maurice (2006).Ελληνιστική Μικρασία: Aπο το Αιγαίο ως τον Καύκασο [Hellenistic Asia Minor: From the Aegean to the Caucasus] (in Greek). Athens: Ekdoseis Pataki.ISBN9789601617565.
Scafuro, Adele C. (2021). "Koan Good Judgemanship: Working for the Gods in IG XII.4.1 132". In Mackil, Emily Maureen; Papazarkadas, Nikolaos (eds.).Greek Epigraphy and Religion: Papers in Memory of Sara B. Aleshire from the Second North American Congress of Greek and Latin Epigraphy. Leiden; Boston: Brill. pp. 248–282.ISBN978-90-04-44254-2.
