{"id":29231,"date":"2026-02-09T11:01:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T09:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/villakyan.com\/en\/?page_id=29231"},"modified":"2026-03-05T10:21:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T08:21:20","slug":"syros-history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/villakyan.com\/en\/syros-history\/","title":{"rendered":"History of Syros"},"content":{"rendered":"

The story of a queen.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today, Syros, with its capital Ermoupolis, is a jewel of the island with a developed economy, tourism and agricultural production, while the operation of the shipyard, public services, as well as the Department of Product and Systems Engineering Design at the University of the Aegean, contribute to the long-term development of the island.<\/p>\n

Prehistoric findings in the areas of Chalandriani and Kastri prove that Syros has been inhabited since the 3rd millennium BC and also had great commercial activity, while various indications of the existence of metallurgical designs testify to the island’s relationship with Asia Minor. During the 2nd millennium, Syros was under the rule of the Phoenicians, Minoan Crete and Mycenae, while in the 1st millennium the island passed into the hands of the Ionians. From the 7th to the 3rd century BC There are traces of settlements and rural areas in various parts of the island.<\/p>\n

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In the classical and Hellenistic periods, Syros joined the Athenian League with its own currency and administration, while during the Hellenistic period, temple finds came to life, such as that of the ancient philosopher Pherecydes between Richopos and Platy Vouni in Upper Syros. The cosmologist Pherecydes was born and died on the island in the 6th century BC. He was a teacher who taught some of the greatest scientists of antiquity in Samos, such as Pythagoras, and it is said that he spent most of his life in a cave. The cave survives to this day in a magical landscape where the earth and the sky become one, where the view towards the sea can only be described as miraculous. In addition to being a great philosopher, Pherecydes was also the inventor of the first sundial, also known as the Heliotrope of Pherecydes. The heliotropium looks like a well or well that could have been used in ancient times for water irrigation. In fact, it is an ancient and expensive solar observatory that marks the time and the 4 seasons of Syros according to the movement of the Sun. This prehistoric heliotropium is located in the village of San Michali.<\/p>\n

The bronze coins found on the island from Roman times and the issuance of silver coins in the 2nd century BC indicate commercial development, while invading pirates during the Byzantine period caused the island to be abandoned. Soon Syros became part of the Aegean Theme and the first Catholic settlement of Upper Syros was created under Venetian rule.<\/p>\n

During the Ottoman period, Syros entered a new era characterized by the reduction of taxes, freedom of religion and the settlement of both Capuchin monks and Jesuits who left their own mark on the island.<\/p>\n

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In 1728 the island was hit by the plague, but slowly and gradually until the 19th century it reached economic prosperity and moved towards the development of self-government and public assembly. The population of the island doubled, reaching 4,000 inhabitants and began to show great improvement in the sectors of trade and shipping.<\/p>\n

During the Greek Revolution of 1821, refugees from Smyrna and Ayvalik, as well as from the surrounding islands, found refuge on the island, where they built the first houses as well as the first Orthodox church and slowly transformed Ano Syros into a city-jewel, a city characterized by its lively spirit and its magnificent architecture, a city that gave impetus to businesses that slowly and steadily began to develop. With 22,000 inhabitants in 1889, the city of Ermoupolis became a superpower engaged in manufacturing, shipping, construction activities, and tanning, while at the same time promoting intellectual freedom with the establishment of schools, clubs, and theaters such as the Apollo Theater, which quickly began to flourish.<\/p>\n

The 20th century, however, began with unpleasant omens for the island. The power acquired by Athens and Piraeus, the opening of the Corinth Canal, the development of steam navigation, and the period of occupation (1940-1944) slowly brought about total destruction.<\/p>\n

After the occupation, limited agricultural production continued, while factories began to close one after the other and the island’s population decreased day by day.<\/p>\n

Slowly, however, Syros is reborn from its ashes, shaping and transforming itself again, as culture is a concept deeply rooted in its lands.<\/p>\n

The spiritual and artistic tradition of the island is beginning to attract tourists of high cultural and social prestige. The exceptional mansions as well as the unique architecture of the public buildings in Ermoupolis give the feeling of an open-air museum that is slowly beginning to be recognized by the constant visitors.<\/p>\n

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The story of a queen. Today, Syros, with its capital Ermoupolis, is a jewel of the island with a developed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-29231","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/villakyan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/villakyan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/villakyan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villakyan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villakyan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29231"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/villakyan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29356,"href":"https:\/\/villakyan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29231\/revisions\/29356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/villakyan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}