ASTYPALEA TRAVEL GUIDE

ASTYPALEA > HISTORY

HISTORY

Astypalea has been settled from prehistoric years. Its first inhabitants were probably Kares, who called it Pyrra. It was then conquered by Minoans from Crete and later by Achaeans from Megara. Settlers from Epidavros must also have set foot on the island, influencing the local dialect. Today’s name Astypalea ("palaion asty" = "old city") seems to derive from the period when it was used as a commercial station by Phoenicians or, according to mythology, by the daughter of Phoenix and Perimede.

In 105 B.C., Astypalea allied with the Romans, who considered it of crucial importance in the struggle against pirates due to its central location. During Frankish rule, it was part of the Naxos duchy under Markos Sanoudos. After the fall of Constantinople, Astypalea was conquered by Venetians in 1207, and more specifically by the families of Querini and Grimani, who built the Castle at the top of Hora, in the position where a Byzantine castle and before that the ancient acropolis used to be.

In October 2, 1540 it was conquered by the Turks. In 1830 in the London Convention that determined the borders of the infant Greek state, it was decided that the island should remain under Turkish rule. In 1912 it was taken over by the Italians. Italian rule lasted until 1943 and in 1948 Astypalea was annexed to Greece along with the rest of the Dodecanese.