Page 49 - MYCONIAN COLLECTION MAG 2021
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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




 048   MYCONIAN COLLECTION                                                                              MYCONIAN COLLECTION   049
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