Ikaria

Myth and History
According to the legend here was buried Icarus who gave his name to the island.With handemade wings made by his father Daedalus, they managed to escape from the Palace of Minos in Crete and flew over the Aegean Sea. Icarus flew higher ignoring his father's warnings and the sun melted the wax that glued the wings and so he fell into the sea.The island had the names Makris and Dolychi because of its shape, Ichthyoessa for its rich sea and Anemoessa because of the strong winds. Findings confirm it to be inhabited by Pelasgians.The Milesians founded colonies in Therma and Campo in the 8th century BC that was called Inoi at the time.In the 6th century, the Temple of Artemis was built, a very important port in antiquity.The Persians used the island to pass towards the West, but after their defeat and because of the Ionic wars, Ikaria joined the Delian League.The population of the island in the 5th century was estimated around 13,000 with more residents gathered in villages of the north side, around Campos.it is sure that the island was used as a base for Saracens pirates.To protect themselves from raids that continued from the 8th to the 11th century, the Icarians built forts and watchtowers and established the first mountain villages.In the 14th century the island was in the hands of the Genoese until 1481 when it came under the power of the Knights of St.John until the year 1522 when the island was conquered by the Turks for many centuries.After the revolution of July 17, 1912 the Turks left the island and the Icarians founded the Free Ikarian State.The integration into Greece officially became with the Treaty of Bucharest, 1913.The participation of The Icarian people against the Resistance was very important and the years of the Civil War it was used as a place of exile for thousands of Communist that left their marks on Icaria, since then called "Red Rock."