Page 48 - MYCONIAN COLLECTION MAG 2021
P. 48

discover|history









                                      The Myconian






                                          diachrony












                                                           Photography: Christos Drazos













              ACCORDING TO HESYCHIOS, Mykonos derives from the word    with the beginning of the First World War, Mykonos’ well-devel-
              Mykon, meaning heap and themonia; heap of stones on account of the   oped economy started to decline and, consequently, many locals left
              impressive granite boulders that seem to have been heaped by some   to find work in mainland Greece or abroad – especially in the Unit-
              supernatural hand. Ancient Greeks had created the myth that under   ed States.Yet, it wasn’t long before tourism rose as the answer to the
              the island’s rocks were buried the giants killed by Hercules, who came   problems of the local economy, starting with significant archaeolog-
              to the aid of his father Zeus during the Gigantomachy.   ical excavations taking place in Delos in 1873, which brought fasci-
              Archaeological finds on Mykonos indicate the existence of a signif-  nating Ancient Greek artefacts and structures to light. As a result,
              icant civilisation on the island, dating back to to the Late Neolithic   lovers of Greek history and mythology began taking an interest in the
              period (5th & 4th millennium BC). Later, Ionians settle on Mykonos,   region and, along with the ancient ruins, started to explore the island
              colonising it after expelling its previous inhabitants.   of Mykonos and partake in the celebrated Greek hospitality. In the
               Later on, when Delos was highly populated, Mykonos became very   1930s, Mykonos started to become a popular destination for famous
              important as a significant port for supplies and transit. It was also an   artists, politicians and wealthy Europeans, who had already noticed
              important cultural and religious centre, and many travelled frequent-  the island. Those were the first days of Mykonos as a hotspot for the
              ly between the two islands. During the time of the Roman occupation   international jet-set. After the dark years of World War II, Mykonos
              and the Middle Ages, Mykonos was part of the Roman Empire and   came back to life to blossom into the stunning cosmopolitan destination
              then the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantines defended it against the   of the rich and famous – and not only – that we know it as today.
              Arabs in the 7th century and maintained control until the 13th centu-
              ry, when it came under the control of the Ghizzi dynasty in 1207 and
              was eventually handed to the Venetians in 1390. In 1537, still under
              the Venetians, Mykonos was attacked by Hayreddin Barbarossa, a   “Mykonos was not an island in
              legendary admiral of Suleiman the Magnificent. The Ottomans took   the shadow of Delos. It was a
              over, imposing a system of self-governance which consisted of a gov-
              ernor and an appointed council of syndics.                   remarkable center since prehistory,
              After centuries of foreign rule, the Mykonians took over a leading role
              in the Greek Revolution of 1821 against the Ottomans, spearheaded   with trade links with the other
              by acclaimed national heroine Mando Mavrogenous. Mykonos was     Aegean islands and mainland
              part of the free Greek State since the first day of its independence in
              1830. Sailors and merchants quickly revived the island’s economy,              Greece.”
              consolidating trade relations with South Russia, Moldavia and Wal-
              lachia. However, after the opening of the Corinth Canal in 1904 and   Maria Konioti- archaeologist




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