History

Ancient History
History and Myths The ancient history of Naxos has always been linked with the Greek Mythology. Zeus, the father of the Gods, was born in Crete, but according to the myth, he was raised in Naxos and gave his name to the island’s tallest mountain, Zas. It is said that the first inhabitants of Naxos were Thracians who brought the worship of Dionysus, god of wine, to the island. In ancient times, Naxos was a major commercial and cultural centre, influenced my many other civilizations, since after the Thracians, the island was also inhabited by tribes from Crete and Mycenae. During the Persian Wars, Naxos was a big supporter of the Athenian Coalition and was the first island to assist it. Naxos became a part of the Great Alexander Empire and was later conquered by the Roman and the Byzantine empires. Just like all Cyclades islands, Naxos too was targeted by pirates, something that led the residents close to the sea to move to the mainland. In 1207, Naxos was conquered by the Venetian Marco Sanudo who established himself as the Duke of Naxia and left his mark up to date as the island still has the characteristic Venetian –style buildings. In the period between 1564 and 1821, Naxos was occupied by the Ottoman Empire, however very few Turks ever settled on Naxos, and Turkish influence on the island is minor. Naxos was finally liberated and joined the New Greek State in 1830, after the revolution of 1821. .

Venetian Occupation
Naxos makes history in 1207 when the Venetian Marco Sanudo captured the island''s chief Byzantine castle, T''aparilou, and declared himself Duke of Naxos, ruler over all the adventures who had grabbed the Aegean Islands after the conquest in Constantinopole. When Venice refused to grant Sanudo the independent status he desired, he broke away in 1210 and became the Latin Emperor''s Duke of the Archipelago. Archipelago was the Byzantine name for the Agean; under Sanudo and his successors, it took on the meaning, ''a group of islands'', in this case the Cyclades. Even after the Turkish conquest in 1564 the Dukes of Naxos remained in nominal control of Cyclades, although anwerable to the Sultan.