Paros (/ˈpɛərɒs/;Greek:Πάρος[ˈparos];Venetian:Paro) is a Greek island in the centralAegean Sea. Part of theCyclades island group, it lies to the west ofNaxos, from which it is separated by a channel about 8 kilometres (5 miles) wide.[2] It lies approximately 150 km (93 miles) south-east ofPiraeus. TheMunicipality of Paros includes numerous uninhabited offshore islets totaling 196.308 square kilometres (75.795 sq mi) of land.[3] Its nearest neighbor is the municipality ofAntiparos, which lies to its southwest. Inancient Greece, the city-state ofParos was located on the island.[4]
Historically, Paros was known for its fine whitemarble, which gave rise to the termParian to describe marble orchina of similar qualities.[5] Today, abandoned marblequarries and mines (with some still being in use) can be found on the island, but Paros is primarily known as a popular tourist spot.
Paros' geographic coordinates are 37° N. latitude, and 25° 10' E. longitude.[2] The area is 165 km2 (64 sq mi). Its greatest length from N.E. to S.W. is 21 km (13 mi), and its greatest breadth 16 km (10 mi).[2] The island is of a round, plump-pear shape, formed by a single mountain (724 m (2,375 ft)) sloping evenly down on all sides to a maritime plain, which is broadest on the north-east and south-west sides.[2] The island is composed of marble, thoughgneiss and mica-schist are to be found in a few places.[2] To the west of Paros lies its smaller sister islandAntiparos. At its narrowest, the channel between the two islands is less than 2 km (1 mi) wide. A car-carrying shuttle-ferry operates all day (to and from Pounda, 5 km (3 mi) south of Parikia). In addition a dozen smaller islets surround Paros.
Paros has numerous beaches includingGolden Beach (Chrissí Aktí) near Drios on the east coast, at Pounda, Logaras, Piso Livadi,Naousa Bay,Parikia and Agia Irini. The constant strong wind in the strait between Paros andNaxos makes it a favouredwindsurfing location.
The story that Paros of Parrhasia colonized the island withArcadians[6] is an etymological fiction of the type that abounds in Greek legends. Ancient names of the island are said to have been Plateia (or Pactia), Demetrias, Strongyle (meaning round, due to the round shape of the island), Hyria, Hyleessa, Minoa and Cabarnis.[2][7]
The island later received fromAthens a colony ofIonians[8] under whom it attained a high degree of prosperity. It sent out colonies toThasos[9] andParium on theHellespont. In the former colony, which was planned in the 15th or 18thOlympiad, the poetArchilochus,[10] a native of Paros, is said to have taken part. As late as 385 BC the Parians, in conjunction withDionysius of Syracuse, founded a colony on theIllyrian island of Pharos[2] (Hvar).[11]
Shortly before thePersian War, Paros seems to have been a dependency of Naxos.[2][12] In the firstGreco-Persian War (490 BC), Paros sided with the Persians and sent atrireme toMarathon to support them. In retaliation, the capital was besieged by an Athenian fleet underMiltiades, who demanded a fine of 100talents.[2] But the town offered a vigorous resistance, and the Athenians were obliged to sail away after a siege of 26 days, during which they had wasted the island.[2] It was at a temple ofDemeter Thesmophoros in Paros that Miltiades received the wound from which he died.[2][13] By means of an inscription,Ludwig Ross was able to identify the site of the temple; it lies, asHerodotus suggests, on a low hill beyond the boundary of the town.[2]
Church of Zoodohos Pigi, Parikia
Paros also sided withshahanshahXerxes I of Persia against Greece in the second Greco-Persian War (480–479 BC), but, after thebattle of Artemisium, the Parian contingent remained inactive atKythnos as they watched the progression of events.[2][14] For their support of the Persians, the islanders were later punished by the Athenian war leaderThemistocles, who exacted a heavy fine.[2][15]
Under theDelian League, the Athenian-dominated naval confederacy (477–404 BC), Paros paid the highest tribute of the island members: 30talents annually, according to the estimate of Olympiodorus (429 BC).[2][16] This implies that Paros was one of the wealthiest islands in the Aegean. Little is known about the constitution of Paros, but inscriptions seem to show that it was modeled on theAthenian democracy, with aboule (senate) at the head of affairs.[2][17] In 410 BC, Athenian generalTheramenes discovered that Paros was governed by anoligarchy; he deposed the oligarchy and restored the democracy.[18] Paros was included in the second Athenian confederacy (theSecond Athenian League 378–355 BC). Inc. 357 BC, along withChios, it severed its connection with Athens.
From the inscription of Adule, it is understood that the Cyclades, which are presumed to include Paros, were subjected to thePtolemies, theHellenistic dynasty (305–30 BC) that ruled Egypt.[2] Paros then became part of the Roman Empire and later of theByzantine Empire, its Greek-speaking successor state.
In 1204, the soldiers of theFourth Crusade seizedConstantinople and overthrew the Byzantine Empire. Although a residual Byzantine state known as theEmpire of Nicaea survived the Crusader onslaught and eventually recovered Constantinople (1261), many of the original Byzantine territories, including Paros, were lost permanently to the crusading powers. Paros became subject to theDuchy of the Archipelago, afiefdom made up of various Aegean islands ruled by a Venetian duke as nominalvassal of a succession of crusader states. In practice, however, the duchy was always aclient state of theRepublic of Venice.
In 1537, Paros was conquered by theOttoman Turks and remained under the Ottoman Empire until theGreek War of Independence (1821–1829). The Ottoman conquest of Paros resulted in atrocities committed against the public: as happened to the population in other islands during the Ottoman conquest of the Aegean islands, old men were killed; young men were made galley slaves; little boys were madejanissaries; and the women where ordered to dance on the shore so that the conquerors could choose the most attractive for the lieutentants, enslaving around 6000 of the inhabitants of Paros forslavery in the Ottoman Empire.[19]
During theRusso-Turkish War (1768–1774) in 1770–1775 Naoussa Bay was the home base for the Russian Archipelago Squadron of CountAlexey Orlov. Under theTreaty of Constantinople (1832), Paros became part of the newly independentKingdom of Greece, the first time the Parians had been ruled by fellow Greeks for over six centuries. At this time, Paros became the home of a heroine of the nationalist movement,Manto Mavrogenous, who had both financed and fought in the war for independence. Her house, nearEkatontapiliani church, is today a historical monument.
During the WWIIAxis occupation of Greece, Paros was originally occupied by the Italians until 1943. TheNazis then took over the Island in 1944 and imposed brutal rule from the beginning.
In 1944, during theGerman occupation of Paros, the island's strategic importance led to the forced construction of an airfield located near the village ofMarpissa. The project amassed over 400 forced Greek workers at one point.[20] Local resistance, aided by the Allies, sought to sabotage the project, with Nikolas Stellas, a 23-year-old partisan, emerging as a key figure. Captured by the Germans, Stellas refused to provide any names or information and was therefore publicly hanged, becoming a symbol of resistance. In retaliation, 125 Parians were condemned to execution. However, Major Georg Graf von Merenberg, the German commander, was persuaded by Abbot Philotheos Zervakos to spare them, influenced by Stellas' sacrifice and the abbot's appeal to his humanity.[21]
British commandos and local partisans conducted a successful operation that led to the attack on German forces stationed there. The operation included the sabotage of German communication lines and the abduction of a key German officer. This resistance effort was part of a broader Allied strategy in the Aegean during World War II, contributing to the disruption of German military operations in the region.[22] The airfield constructed by the Germans inMarpissa was later bombed by the British. There are no remains of the airfield today.[20]
On 26 September 2000 the ferryMS Express Samina collided with the Portes islets off the bay of Parikia, killing 82 of those on board.[23]
Starting in the summer of 2023, the island saw protests from locals on many beaches due to government failure to stop beach-side businesses from placing more umbrellas than permitted.[4] The protests saw some success, with the Greek government toughening inspections and implementing fines for businesses who do not abide by the rules.
The capital,Parikia (Greek: παροικία), situated on a bay on the north-west side of the island, occupies the site of the ancient capital Paros.[2] Parikía harbour is a major hub forAegean islands ferries andcatamarans, with several sailings each day for Piraeus, the port of Athens,Heraklion, the capital ofCrete, and other islands such asNaxos,Ios,Mykonos, andSantorini.
In Parikia town, houses are built and decorated in the traditional Cycladic style, with flat roofs,whitewash walls and blue-painted doors and window frames and shutters. Shadowed by luxuriant vines, and surrounded by gardens of oranges andpomegranates,[2] the houses give the town a picturesque aspect. Above the central stretch of the seafront road, are the remains of a medieval castle, built almost entirely of the marble remains[2] of an ancient temple dedicated toApollo. Similar traces of antiquity, in the shape ofbas-reliefs, inscriptions, columns, and so on, are numerous. On a hillside in the southern outskirts of Parikia on the left of the Parikia – Alyki road are the remains of a temple dedicated toAsclepius. In addition, close to the modern harbour, the remains of an ancient cemetery are visible, having been discovered recently during non-archaeological excavations.
Back from the port, around 400 m left of Parikia's main square, is the town's principal church, thePanagia Ekatontapiliani, literally meaning "church of the hundred doors". Its oldest features almost certainly predate the adoption of Christianity as thestate religion of theRoman Empire in 391. It is said to have been founded by the mother of theRoman EmperorConstantine the Great (ruled 306–337),Saint Helen, during her pilgrimage to theHoly Land. There are two adjoining chapels, one of very early form, and also abaptistery with a cruciform font.[2]
TheArchaeological Museum of Paros is located in Parikia town,a small but interesting museum housing some of the many finds from sites in Paros. The best pieces, however, are in theAthens National Archaeological Museum. The Paros museum contains a fragment of theParian Chronicle, a remarkable chronology of ancient Greece. Inscribed in marble, its entries give time elapsed between key events from the most distant past (1500 BC) down to 264 BC.[24]
Street ofNaousaView of Lefkes villageTraditional street of Lefkes
On the north side of the island is the bay ofNaoussa (Naussa, formerly Agoussa or Ausa), which provides a natural spacious harbor for boat traffic. In ancient times it was closed by achain or boom. In modern times it is experiencing great touristic development.
Another popular harbor is that of Drios on the south-east side, where the Turkish fleet used to anchor on its annual voyage through the Aegean[2] during the period of Ottoman rule over Paros (1537–1832).
The three villages of Prodromos (formerly Dragoulas), Marmara, andMarpissa (formerly Tsipidos), situated on an open plain on the eastern side of the island, and rich in remains of antiquity, probably occupy the site of an ancient town.[2] They are known together as the "villages of Kephalos" after the steep and lofty hill of Kephalos.[2] On this hilltop stands the monastery ofAgios Antonios (St. Anthony). Around it are the ruins of a medieval castle which belonged in the late Middle Ages to theVenetian noble family of theVenieri[2] which fought a battle against the Turkish admiralBarbarossa in 1537.
Another settlement on the island Paros isLefkes (Λεύκες). Lefkes is an inland mountain village 10 km (6 mi) away from Parikia. In the late 19th century, Lefkes was the center of the municipality ofIria which belonged to the Province of Naxos until 1912. The name of the municipality Iria was one of the ancient names of Paros.Lefkes was the capital of the municipality Iria which included the villages Angyria or Ageria, Aliki, Aneratzia, Vounia, Kamari, Campos, Langada, Maltes, and Marathi. Iria became Lefkes Community following the law enforcement DNZ/1912 "On Municipalities". At that time, the village managed to achieve great economic development. In the 1970s many residents moved to Athens due to urbanization. However, the last few years, tourism presented to be a new source of income for the locals that led to the reconstruction of homes and landscaping to make it appealing as a tourist destination. Lefkes became part of the municipality of Paros in theKapodistrias local government reform. In the latest census (2011) the population numbered 545 inhabitants.
The marble of theVenus de Milo is believed to have been extracted from this 100-metre-long (330 ft) quarry.
Parian marble, which is white andtranslucent, with a coarse grain and a very beautiful texture, was the chief source of wealth for the island.[2] The celebrated marble quarries lie on the northern side of the mountain anciently known as Marathi (afterwards Capresso), a little below a former convent ofSt Mina.[2] The marble, which was exported from the 6th century BC onwards, was used byPraxiteles and other ancient Greeksculptors. It was obtained by means of subterranean quarries driven horizontally or at a descending angle into the rock.[2] The marble thus quarried by lamplight was given the name of Lychnites, Lychneus (fromlychnos, a lamp), or Lygdos.[2][25] Several of these tunnels are still to be seen.[2] At the entrance to one of them is a bas-relief dedicated toPan and thenymphs.[2] Several attempts to work the marble have been made in modern times, but it has not been exported in any great quantities.[2] The major part of the remaining white marble is now state-owned and, like itsPentelic counterpart, is only used for archaeological restorations.
In December 1883 these quarries were visited byTheodore andMabel Bent during their tour of the Cyclades.[26]
^Pliny the ElderHistoria Naturalis XXXVI. 5, 14;PlatoEryxias, 400 D; Athenodorus V.205 f; Diodorus Siculus 2.52
^“Next morning we went in a tram drawn by horses up to the quarry of marble... We were received by the engineer who took us down the quarry. We all had miners’ lamps, not very light to hold, and scrambled and slipped and crawled through the various passages up and down… At the entrance is a bas-relief of figures dedicated to the Nymphs. It is carefully covered with wood. The middle figures have been removed by someone...” Extract fromThe Travel Chronicles of Mrs J. Theodore Bent, Vol. 1 (2006, Oxford, p.22). See also, Theodore Bent,The Cyclades, or Life Among the Insular Greeks (1885, London, pp.372 ff.).
Sources
ClarkeTravels III (London, 1814)
de Tournefort, J.R.Voyage du Levant I.232 seqq. (Lyon, 1717)
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