Milos Island

Milos Island Overview

One of the five largest islands in Greece, Milos sits between Santorini and Sifnos in the Cyclades. It’s most famous for the Venus de Milo, which is now housed in the Louvre, but it’s also renowned for its history and geology, the reason behind its incredible array of diverse landscapes and colors, which gave it the nickname “island of colors.” It rose up out of the Aegean following submarine volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and earthquakes. Thanks to this geothermal activity, Milos is filled with hot springs of varying temperatures. Visitors can enjoy soaking in the healing waters as well as traditional whitewashed villages, stunning sunsets, and mouthwatering cuisine.

A visit to Milos means being surrounded by incredible scenic beauty that includes over 75 beaches. Both beautiful pebbly and sandy, they’re considered some of the best in the Aegean, with black and white stretches edged by crystal-clear waters in a myriad of blue and green shades. The island has also become an increasingly popular foodie destination with Athenians who come to enjoy sophisticated, authentic Greek cuisine. Milos is an ideal destination for anyone who wants to discover more of an authentic slice of Greece and its striking natural beauty, without the crowds that are found on the more popular islands, and at a fraction of the price.

Milos History in a Nutshell

Inhabited since the Neolithic Age, Milos developed faster than its neighbors, thanks to the abundance of obsidian on the island, a hard, black volcanic material with a glass-like appearance that was used for making weapons and tools. It flourished as an exporter of goods and minerals from sulfur mines. In the Bronze Age it was the center of culture in the Cyclades with its most powerful city Phylakop. Its ruins were discovered near Pollonia on the north-east coast of the island. It was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times, with its final destruction likely by the Mycenaean who built a new city here with works that still survive today, including vessels and paintings on walls that can be seen in the archaeological museum here and in Athens.

From the 6^th century BC through the siege of 416 BC, the island used its own coins which often bore the name of its people: ΜΑΛΙΟΝ (Malion). By this time inhabitants had learned to write, using an archaic variant of ancient Greek script with Theraic and Cretan influences. It was no longer used after the siege by Athenians which lasted for two years before the city was destroyed – all the men were killed, while the women and children were sold to slavery. Following the Peloponnesian War, the Spartans helped the Miloans to return and rebuild their city. The island was prosperous under the control of the Macedonians, Antigonids and Egyptian Ptolemies, a period when great works of art were created like the Venus de Milo and the statue of Poseidon. The Roman times were peaceful and prosperous due to the island’s mineral trade which brought great wealth. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Milos and the rest of the Cyclades became part of the Byzantine Empire and while little has been preserved from that time, we do know that it became of victim of continuous raids by pirates.

The Venetians dominated under the Sanudo dynasty from 1204 through 1361, and when the infamous pirate Barbarossa arrived to take over, there was no resistance, with the island given to the Turks. In 1566, the Cyclades were all under Turkish rule. A little over a century later a local pirate came to Milos, George Kapsis, and was named king due to his strong anti-Turkish beliefs. He was arrested and ultimately hung. In the 18^th century, the island was conquered by Russians and then reconquered by the Turks just three years later.

Milos was among the first in the archipelago to take part in the 1821 revolution against the Turks. It became a shelter for refugees, and ultimately united with the rest of Greece in 1830, along with the other islands in the Cyclades.