Karpathos History

According to Greek mythology, the first inhabitant of Karpathos was the Titan Impetus, son of Uranus and Gaia. Archaeological findings have shown that the island was inhabited during the Neolithic Period (6,000 - 4,000 BC) and that the Minoans had a great influence on the civilization and history of Karpathos. The Acropolis of Arkassa was built by the Mycenaeans after arriving on the island in the 14th century BC. Then came the Phoenicians and then the Dorians who settled in Karpathos around 1,000 BC and brought great prosperity, developing four fortified cities; Arkasia, Vrykous (Vroukounta), Karpathos, and Saros on the islet of Saria.

In 478 BC, Karpathos participated in the First Athenian Alliance and served as an ally to the Athenians during the Peloponnesian Wars that took place from 431 to 404 BC. After Athens's defeat in 404 BC, the island succumbed to the Spartans until 397 BC, when it once again became part of the Athenian Alliance and was granted independence. During the Hellenistic Period, Karpathos became a province of the Rhodian State.

Karpathos saw great prosperity under the rule of the Romans thanks to its natural harbor that afforded it great strategic significance. Roman rule extended until 400 AD when it was passed to the Byzantine Empire. The island then saw pirate raids from North Africa, Arabs, and Moors. It also saw many different conquerors, including the Genose (Andrea and Ludovico Moresco), the Venetians, and the Ottoman Turks. Unlike other conquerors, the Turks were never interested in the improvement and maintenance of Karpathos and never inhabited it. Instead, they occasionally sent officers to collect taxes from the inhabitants.

With the beginning of the Greek War for Independence in 1821, Karpathos also joined the fight, offering its land to refugees and giving money for the supply of the Greek revolutionary troops and the repair of the Greek ships. The island of Karpathos gained its independence in 1823, becoming a province of Santorini. But, in 1830, the protocol of London gave the islands of the Dodecanese (of which Karpathos is a member) to the Turks. The Italians invaded the island in 1912. They were joined by the Germans who came to Karpathos in 1943, during World War II. Finally, Karpathos became part of the independent Greek State in 1948.