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Naxos

Νάξος
Naxos Νάξος
Municipal unit
	View of the port
	Naxos Location within the regional unit
	Coordinates: 37°6′N 25°22′E / 37.100°N 25.367°E
Country	Greece
Administrative region	South Aegean
Regional unit	Naxos
Municipality	Naxos and Lesser Cyclades
Area
• Municipal unit	126.957 km2 (49.018 sq mi)
Elevation	11 m (36 ft)
Population (2021)
• Municipal unit	14,708
• Municipal unit density	120/km2 (300/sq mi)
• Community	8,897
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	843 xx
Area code(s)	22850
Vehicle registration	ΕΜ
Website	www.naxos.gr

Naxos (Greek: Νάξος; Italian: Nasso), commonly referred to as Chora (Greek: Χώρα), is a city and a former municipality on the island of Naxos, in the Cyclades, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Naxos and Lesser Cyclades, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit.^[2] The community has 8,897 inhabitants (2021 census).^[1] It is located on the west side of Naxos Island in the Cyclades island group in the Aegean. It was an important centre of bronze age Cycladic culture and an important city in the ancient Greek Archaic Period.

History

Naxos in the Archaic Period

During the 8th and 7th centuries BC, Naxos dominated commerce in the Cyclades. Being the largest island among the Cyclades and rich in resources, such as emery and marble, it was able to become one of the most prominent Greek city-states in the archaic period. The city was powerful enough to exert its control over several of the neighboring islands. During the Archaic era, Naxos was also among the first places in Greece where marble sculpture developed. Naxian sculpture from this era has been found all over Greece. The Naxians are even known to have dedicated sculptures and other works in Ancient Greek sanctuaries such as Delos and Delphi.

Tyranny of Lygdamis

Around 546BC, after a period of social struggles, an aristocrat named Lygdamis, initially representing the rural population of the island's hinterland, was able to assume power on the island with the support of the tyrant of Athens, Peisistratos. During his rule, several temples and infrastructure projects are known to have been constructed on the island, such as the temple of Apollo on the islet Palatia, the temple of Demeter in Sangri and an acqueduct that provided water to the city. Lygdamis was removed from power in 524BC by the Peloponnesian League, a military alliance led by Sparta, and some of his building projects remained unfinished, famously including the temple of Apollo.

Siege of Naxos

In 501 BC the people of Naxos rebelled against the aristocracy, aiming to install a more democratic regime. Many aristocrats fled to the town of Miletus, which was then controlled by the Persian Empire. There, they were able to gain the support of the city's tyrant, Aristagoras, which led him to propose a plan to conquer the island on behalf of the Persians. The plan was authorized in 499BC and led to a failed invasion of Naxos. This led to the larger Ionian Revolt, and then to the Persian War between Greece and Persia.

Persian Wars

The city was attacked by a large Persian fleet in 490BC. This time it was unprepared for the attack, and it was captured and burned. The Naxians were forced to provide 4 ships to the Persian fleet to fight in the battle of Salamis. However, the ships switched sides under their commander Democritus, and fought against the Persians, helping the Greeks win the battle.

Classical Period

After the end of the Archaic Period, Naxos never regained its former power and importance. It became part of the Delian League, a military alliance led by Athens. Naxos was the first city to revolt from the League in 471BC, but it was forced by Athens to remain a member.

Later Periods

Naxos continued to exist as a city during the Hellenistic and Roman periods, from which building remains still exist. During the Byzantine period, the town was partially abandoned due to its vulnerability against frequent pirate attacks, and much of the population moved to the island's hinterland.

The Dukes of Naxos

In the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade, with a Latin Emperor under the influence of the Venetians established at Constantinople, the Venetian Marco Sanudo conquered the island and soon captured the rest of the islands of the Cyclades, establishing himself as Duke of Naxia, or Duke of the Archipelago. Sanudo ruled directly over Naxos and Milos and appointed governors on all the other islands. Marco Sanudo might have been helped by a council (università) inspired by the Venetian institution. Greeks and Latins were members of that council. Sanudo might have instituted the political fonction of vicario, who was supposed to replace him when he was away (which he was repeatedly). There also were a megas kapetanios (in Greek), commander in chief of the troops, a treasurer, a chancellor and a judicial administration.^[3] The Duchy also had its own currency: the ducat.^[4]

Sanudo changed the face of the island itself by moving the capital (the actual Naxos-town or Chora) from the interior to the seaside, where it used to be in antiquity. Its harbor was even better than Potamides. He built at least one pier. The chapel of Panagia Myrtidiotissa, built on a small islet in the middle of the harbor, is also known among the locals as Panagia tou Molou (meaning: Mary of the Pier) and is therefore thought to have been built on the medieval pier (although another possibility is that it was built on a pre-existing, ancient pier). On the old acropolis, Sanudo built the Kastro, the town's fortress. It comprised the palace, the exterior walls, a keep, a gothic chapel (since destroyed), the houses of the Latin families and the Catholic cathedral. Greeks built their houses between the harbor and the fortress, in the suburbs of Bourgos and Nio Chorio. ^[5]^[6] The suburb of Bourgos was mainly inhabited by a middle class of merchants, landowners and artisans. Nio Chorio, on the other hand, was the part of the city where mainly poor peasants lived.

Twenty-one dukes in two dynasties (Sanudo and Crispo) ruled the Archipelago, until 1566; Venetian rule continued in scattered islands of the Aegean until 1714.

Ottoman Naxos (1566–1821)

Under the Ottomans, the administration on the island remained essentially as it had been in the hands of the Venetians; the Porte's concern was satisfied by the returns of taxes. The title of Duke of Naxos was no longer hereditary, instead being appointed by the Ottoman Sultan. Very few Turks ever settled on Naxos, and Turkish influence on the island is slight. During this period, the local islanders were able to demand and gain more rights over time, such as religious, administrative and judicial freedoms, as well as tax reductions. Piracy was rampant during the Ottoman period, with Muslim and Christian pirates devastating Naxos and the nearby islands by destroying and looting houses or entire villages, stealing livestock and even capturing locals and selling them to slavery. Especially from the 17th century onwards, with an increased presence of western European countries in the Eastern Mediterranean sea, pirates from western Europe, and especially France, caused a lot of problems on the islands. The Ottoman Empire could not deal with the pirates, and thus often resorted in granting them privileges and giving them titles. Turkish sovereignty lasted until 1821, when the islands revolted; Naxos finally became a member of the Greek state in 1832.

Historical population

The below values refer to the population of the Naxos municipality, which, besides the town itself, included about 30% of the island. The municipality was disestablished in 2011.

Year	Population
1991	9,824
2001	12,089
2011	12,726
2021	14,708

Notable people

Kostas Manolas (born 1991), footballer

References

^ ^a ^b "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
^ "ΦΕΚ B 1292/2010, Kallikratis reform municipalities" (in Greek). Government Gazette.
^ Charles A. Frazee, The Island Princes of Greece: The Dukes of the Archipelago, Adolf M. Hakkert, Amsterdam, 1988, p. 18.
^ J.K. Fotheringham and L.R.F. Williams, Marco Sanudo, conqueror of the Archipelago, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1915, p. 80.
^ Charles A. Frazee, The Island Princes of Greece: The Dukes of the Archipelago, Adolf M. Hakkert, Amsterdam, 1988, p. 20-21.
^ J.K. Fotheringham and L.R.F. Williams, Marco Sanudo, conqueror of the Archipelago, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1915, p.70-72