Andros. Detailed history

The island of Andros is located in the northern Cyclades archipelago, roughly seven miles off the coast of Euboea and about two miles north of Tinos. A mountainous island twenty-five miles long by ten miles wide, it was known for its well- watered valleys. The earliest settlers, dating to the fifth millennium, introduced the cultivation of barley and wheat and promoted fishing, especially for tunny, around the island.

The island has edifices and fortifications that date from the pre- Cycladic culture, and it was clearly an important sea-trading center due to its location close to the mainland. Ionian invaders during the fifteenth century from the mainland supplanted the original inhabitants. Its population increased so that in the tenth century, Andros sent out colonists to Sagora and Ipsili.

The island’s population during the eighth century had grown sufficiently that when famine struck, it was forced to send colonists to the Chalcidice region in northern Greece in 655. During the Lelantine War between Chalchis and Eretria on Euboea, Eretria seized Andros and a few other islands, only to lose them after their defeat to Chalcis. Andros and Chalcis rivaled each other in the Chalcidice, although they cofounded Stageira, the birthplace of Aristotle. The Parians arbitrated the disagreement in the region, along with Samos and Erythrai.

Early Iron Age remains at Zagora, a small village, show houses of the Megaron style, featuring a single room with a porch. Later construction added on to these simple houses to create larger structures. The site may have been a colony of Eretria and was probably a stopping-off point for merchants. The village was abandoned in the late eighth century to merge with the city of Andros nearby.

The abandonment was by choice, not due to a war. It may have suffered from an earthquake, or perhaps the rise of Andros nearby made it natural for the inhabitants to move. The merger may have also been due to the war on Euboea making trade difficult. Its capital lay at Palaeopolis, on the western side of the island, and was probably founded during the Mycenaean period. During the Archaic period, before the fifth century, the city was prosperous and took the lead for the entire island.

It had good harbors, and the agora was located on the eastern side of the city near the port and is now submerged. The city contained a temple to the god Dionysus. There is no evidence of city walls and fortifications until the fourth century. The city and island prospered in the period before the pre-Persian Wars and sent out and established colonies in the Chalcidice in Thrace, most notably Stagira and Acanthus.

In mythology, the island was named for Andros, the son of Anios, king of Delos, who in turn was the son of the god Apollo and Rios, the granddaughter of Dionysus. This connection with Dionysus can be seen on coins and his favored worship on the island. The Cycladic culture during the Bronze Age (3000-1000) represents the Greek culture during the times of the Minoan and Mycenaean periods on the islands in the Aegean. A hallmark of the culture is sculptural remains of women in a flat design in white marble.

It was probably during this period that interaction with various civilizations took place, including in Asia Minor to promote Andros especially as a stopping point between the Greek mainland and Asia. In the Archaic Age, the island became a regular commercial port for Phoenicians and Ionians. It had rich copper mines, which made it an important trading center. Its wealth is evidenced by its extensive coinage.

With Xerxes’s invasion in 480, the island was conquered by the Persians. Andros may in fact have voluntarily joined the Persians, which commonly occurred when Persia invaded smaller city-states, since it sent ships for Xerxes and attacked the Athenian fleet.

The Athenians were not able to conquer the island at first during the Persian Wars, although afterward they joined either the Athenian alliance or the Delian League. Its relationship with Athens was not positive, and even early in the Delian League’s history in 477, it was forced to receive a cleruchy, an Athenian garrison. During the Peloponnesian War, Andros joined with Athens in its expedition to Sicily in 415-413.

The disaster in Sicily may have led to the island declaring its freedom in 411 or 410 and withdrawing from the Delian League. The Athenians besieged the island in 408 but failed to retake control. During the fourth century, Andros joined the Second Delian League with Athens against Sparta and took part in the Battle of Chaeronea against Philip of Macedon. After his victory, Philip controlled the region, even going so far as to garrison the island.