View source for Ios

{{Short description|Greek island in the Aegean Sea}}
{{about|the Greek island|Apple's operating system|iOS||IOS (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox Greek Dimos
|name = Ios
|name_local = Ίος, Νιός
|type = municipality
|image_map = 2011 Dimos Iiton.png
|city_seal = Logo of Ios Island(en version).svg
|image_skyline = Ios collage.png
|caption_skyline = '''Clockwise from top:''' [[Church of Saint Irene, Ios|Church of Saint Irene]], [[Odysseas Elytis Theatre]],  Cathedral Church Of Ios, [[Chora (Ios)|Chora Hill]], Windmills in Chora
|imagesize = 280
|coordinates = {{coord|36|43|0|N|25|20|11|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_min = 0
|elevation_max = 713
|periph = [[South Aegean]]
|periphunit         = [[Thira (regional unit)|Thira]]
|pop_municipality   = 2299
|area_municipality  = 109.0 <!-- 109.024 -->
|mayor = Gkikas Gkikas<ref name=mayor>[https://ekloges.ypes.gr/current/d/home/en/municipalities/9271/ Municipality of Ios, Municipal elections – October 2023], Ministry of Interior</ref>
|party = 
|since = 
|demonym      = Ιήτης (Iitis)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0064:entry=ios-geo&highlight=ios%2Ccoin|title = Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), IOS}}</ref> <small>(official)</small><br />Ιέτης (Ietis)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.poesialatina.it/_ns/greek/testi/Stephanus/Ethnica.html|title = Stephanus-Ethnica}}</ref> <small>(Ancient Alternative)</small><br />Νιώτης (Niotis) <small>(local)</small><br /> Iitian or Ietian<small>(anglicised)</small>
|established_m = 1835
|population_as_of = 2021
|postal_code = 840 01
|area_code = 22860
|licence = EM
|website = {{URL|ios.gr}}
| seat                    = [[Chora (Ios)|Chora]]
}}
[[File:Map of Ios.svg|thumb|Map of Ios]]

'''Ios''', (also spelled '''Io''' or '''Nio;''' {{langx|el|Ίος}}, {{IPA|el|ˈi.os}}; {{langx|grc|Ἴος}} {{IPA|grc|í.os|}}; locally '''Nios''', Νιός) is a Greek [[island]] in the [[Cyclades]] group in the [[Aegean Sea]]. The island is largely hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between [[Naxos Island|Naxos]] and [[Santorini]]. Ios measures about {{convert|18|km|0|abbr=off}} in length and {{convert|10|km|0|abbr=off}} in width, and covers an area of {{convert|109.024|km²|3|abbr=out}}.<ref name=stat01>{{cite web|url=http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00098%20.pdf |publisher=National Statistical Service of Greece |title=Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation) |language=el |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921212047/http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00098%20.pdf |archive-date=2015-09-21 }}</ref> Its population was 2,299 in the 2021 census (down from 3,500 in the 20th century). Ios is part of the [[Thira (regional unit)|Thira regional unit]].<ref name=Kallikratis>{{Cite web|url=http://www.et.gr/idocs-nph/search/pdfViewerForm.html?args=5C7QrtC22wGYK2xFpSwMnXdtvSoClrL8-SrPzKAEPjjtIl9LGdkF53UIxsx942CdyqxSQYNuqAGCF0IfB9HI6hq6ZkZV96FIukI0UzcPsWCK0LpLhpa7rhiWB4R5ntTnoWw7U8E1Amg.|title=ΦΕΚ A 87/2010, Kallikratis reform law text|language=el|publisher=[[Government Gazette (Greece)|Government Gazette]]}}</ref>

== Chora ==
{{Main|Chora, Ios}}

[[File:Town of Ios Greece.JPG|thumb|left|Ios town]]
The Port of Ios lies at the northern end of Ormos harbour. From there a footpath climbs the hillside to Chora – the island's principal village, derived from the Greek word for a main settlement. Chora is a quintessentially [[cycladic]] village, distinguished by its whitewashed architecture, narrow alleys and steep stairways that render it largely inaccessible to [[cars]]. Today, Chora's central path is dominated by tourism with a vibrant mix of restaurants, boutiques, bars and discothèques catering to visitors. Beyond Chora and the port, Ios is home to few small settlements, typically a cluster of houses set behind the island's main beaches- Theodoti, Kalamos and Manganari. 

Since the 1990s, under the leadership of Mayor Pousseos, the island  has pursued a strategy to diversify its appeal to different kinds of [[Tourism|tourists]]. Supported by European Community funds, the island has seen improvements to infrastructure, including the paving of new roads, and the construction of a scenic amphitheatre, at the top of the village hill,  designed by German architect, Peter Haupt.

== Name ==
[[File:I Nio - Buondelmonti Cristoforo - 1420.jpg|thumb|left|A 1420 map of the island where the name Nio is used]]
According to [[Plutarch]], the name Ios is thought to derive from the Ancient Greek word for [[viola (plant)|violets]], "[[:wikt:ἴον#Ancient Greek|ἴα]]", (ia) which were said to grow abundantly on the island<ref name="auto">{{cite web |last= |date=19 October 2015 |title=Ίος: Το νησί του Ομήρου |url=http://www.cnn.gr/taksidi/ellada/story/1136/ios-to-nisi-toy-omiroy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211053330/http://www.cnn.gr/taksidi/ellada/story/1136/ios-to-nisi-toy-omiroy |archive-date=11 December 2017 |website=[[CNN]]}}</ref> – an  etymology that remains the most widely accepted. Another theory suggests a Phoenician origin, from the word iion, meaning "pile of stones". [[Pliny the Elder]] offered a different explanation, claiming the name came from the [[Ionians]] who once inhabited the island.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gym-iou.kyk.sch.gr/nisi/ios-all.htm|title=Untitled Document|website=gym-iou.kyk.sch.gr|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228232435/http://gym-iou.kyk.sch.gr/nisi/ios-all.htm|archive-date=2017-12-28|access-date=2017-12-17}}</ref> 

During the Ottoman period, the island was known as 'Anza' or 'Aina', Its modern name, Ios, was officially established in the 19th century, though it had already been in use for two millennia. In antiquity, the island was also called "Φοινίκη" (Phiniki), named by and after the [[Phoenicians]]. In the 3rd century BCE, when Ios joined [[League of the Islanders]], it was temporarily renamed Arsinoe, in honour of [[Arsinoe II]], the wife of [[Ptolemy II]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www2.egeonet.gr/Forms/fLemmaBodyExtended.aspx?lemmaID=10418|title=Πολιτιστική Πύλη του Αρχιπελάγους του Αιγαίου|website=www2.egeonet.gr}}</ref><ref name="auto" /> 

Today the island is referred to as Nio, by the inhabitants of the Cycladic Islands – a name that dates back to the Byzantine Era.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iosinfo.gr/en/iosislandgeneralinformation/historyofiosisland/index.html |title=History of Ios Island |access-date=2018-03-17 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318112352/http://iosinfo.gr/en/iosislandgeneralinformation/historyofiosisland/index.html |archive-date=2017-03-18 }}</ref> During the time of Ottoman rule, travellers sometimes called it "Little Malta", a nickname reflecting the island's reputation as a haven for pirates.<ref name="Archived copy">{{cite web |url=http://www.tovima.gr/relatedarticles/article/?aid=949097 |title=Η Νιος σε τόνους του άσπρου και του μαύρου – σχετικά άρθρα – Το Βήμα Online |access-date=2018-03-18 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319084706/http://www.tovima.gr/relatedarticles/article/?aid=949097 |archive-date=2018-03-19 }}</ref> In  Latin script languages, the island's name appears as Nio or Io.

==Geography and geology==
Ios has a roughly rectangular shape, measuring approximately 15&nbsp;km (9.3&nbsp;mi) in length and 7&nbsp;km (4.3&nbsp;mi) in width. Its longest axis runs northwest, from Cape Karatza to the
[[Achlades Peninsula]], spanning 17.5&nbsp;km (10.9&nbsp;mi). Another major axis, orientated northeast-southwest measures about
14&nbsp;km (8.6&nbsp;mi). 

The island boasts a total coastline of 86&nbsp;km (53.4&nbsp;mi), with around 32&nbsp;km (19.9&nbsp;mi) consisting of sandy beaches.<ref name="tya.ios.gr">{{Cite web |url=http://tya.ios.gr/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/file-18.pdf |title=ΒΕΛΤΙΩΣΗ ΥΦΙΣΤΑΜΕΝΗΣ ΟΔΟΥ ΠΡΟΣΒΑΣΗΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΠΑΡΑΛΙΑ ΚΑΛΑΜΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΝΗΣΟΥ ΙΟΥ |access-date=2018-03-10 |archive-date=2018-03-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310201045/http://tya.ios.gr/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/file-18.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The highest point on Ios is Kastro ({{langx|el|Κάστρο}}) also known as Pyrgos ({{langx|el|Πύργος}}), which rises to an elevation of 723 m (2372&nbsp;ft) and is located in the centre
of the island. Surrounding Kastro are the next three
highest peaks: Xylodema ({{langx|el|Ξυλόδεμα}}) at 660 m (2165&nbsp;ft), Kostiza ({{langx|el|Κοστίζα}}) at 586 m (1923&nbsp;ft) and Prophetis Elias ({{langx|el|Προφήτης Ηλίας}}) at 490 m (951&nbsp;ft).<ref name="tya.ios.gr" />

Geologically, Ios consists almost entirely of [[metamorphic rocks]], with limited occurrences of  [[quaternary]] deposits.<ref name="tya.ios.gr" />

===Homer Plan===
In the event of extreme weather emergencies, such as [[earthquake]]s and [[wildfires]], the Municipality of Ios has developed  a comprehensive contingency plan known as "Homer" (Greek: Όμηρος) which outlines coordinated action and cooperation among all the residents of Ios.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://diavgeia.gov.gr/doc/68ΗΗΩΕΠ-ΣΧΜ?inline=true |title=Απόφαση 68ΗΗΩΕΠ‑ΣΧΜ | trans-title=Decision 68IHOEP-SCM | website=Διαύγεια (Transparency) |publisher=Ελληνική Κυβέρνηση (Greek Government) |access-date=22 July 2025}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|title       = Historic population
|type        = 
|align       = 
|direction   =
|width       = 
|state       = 
|shading     = 
|pop_name    =
|percentages = pagr
|footnote    = 
|source      = <ref>http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00025.pdf p.36</ref><ref name="tya.ios.gr"/><ref>http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00023.pdf p.211</ref><ref>http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00016.pdf p.180</ref><ref>http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00004.pdf p.97</ref><ref>http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00003.pdf p.17</ref><ref>http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00002.pdf p.14</ref><ref>http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00097.pdf p.37</ref>
<ref>Βικέντιος Κορονέλι Isolario volume II page 262, Venice 1696</ref><ref>Πας Βαν Κρινεν Brave discrizione dell Archipelago, Livorno 1773</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://nefeli.lib.teicrete.gr/browse/sdo/tour/2011/DrakouMargarita/attached-document-1300432232-113994-30049/drakou2011.pdf |title=Drakou 2011 |access-date=2019-05-29 |archive-date=2016-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020193124/http://nefeli.lib.teicrete.gr/browse/sdo/tour/2011/DrakouMargarita/attached-document-1300432232-113994-30049/drakou2011.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>Kapodistrias 1829 census</ref>
|1696 |3000
|1771 |1400
|1829 |2177
|1856 |2167
|1879 |2113
|1889 |2043
|1896 |2171
|1907 |2090
|1920 |2154
|1928 |1797
|1940 |2041
|1951 |1753
|1961 |1343
|1971 |1270
|1981 |1362
|1991 |1654
|2001 |1838
|2011 |2024
|2021 |2299
}}
According to the [[Greek census 2011]], 2,084 people live in Ios. 1,754 of which live in the capital town of [[Chora, Ios|Chora]].
From the 1940s to the early 1970s, the population of the island reduced consistently. The main causes of this phenomenon were the migration movement, the epidemiological conditions of the time and to a lesser extent, the loss of men aged between 18 and 45 during the [[World War II|war]].<ref name="tya.ios.gr"/>

==Food==
The island is famous for its local cheeses. They are mainly made in the municipal creamery using milk from goats or sheep. The most famous one is the "skotíri" (σκοτύρι), a sour cheese with the smell of [[summer savory]]. Popular dishes of Ios are the "tsimediá" (τσιμεντιά, [[pumpkin]] flowers stuffed with [[rice]]) and "mermitzéli" (μερμιτζέλι, handmade barley).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.athinorama.gr/travel/greece/guide.aspx?artid=1168&did=361&aid=710060 |title= Ίος (Γαστρονομία – τοπικά προϊόντα) – αθηνόραμα travel|website=www.athinorama.gr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104073350/http://www.athinorama.gr/travel/greece/guide.aspx?artid=1168&did=361&aid=710060 |archive-date=2018-01-04}}</ref>

==Education==
In 1827 the local leaders of Ios wrote a letter to the revolutionary government of Greece requesting a school to open in the island.<ref>Η εκπαίδευση κατά την Ελληνική Επανάσταση page 182 {{ISBN|9789605600518}}</ref> During the 1850s the first school opened which housed a small number of students of all ages. The type of school that operated was called Skolarcheion (Greek: Σχολαρχείον) and was equivalent to an elementary school with some high school basic courses. Most students at the time didn't graduate as their time was occupied helping their families in the fields. This resulted in a large percentage of illiterate children. The richer families sent their children to schools of the nearby islands. From 1936 the first elementary school was founded. In 1972 the first kindergarten was opened and in 1980 the first high school that had some senior high school courses. Today, in Chora there is a kindergarten, a high school, a senior high school and an EPAL high school.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011 |title=ΠΣΤΥΗΑΚΖ ΔΡΓΑ΢ΗΑ |url=http://nefeli.lib.teicrete.gr/browse/sdo/tour/2011/DrakouMargarita/attached-document-1300432232-113994-30049/drakou2011.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020193124/http://nefeli.lib.teicrete.gr/browse/sdo/tour/2011/DrakouMargarita/attached-document-1300432232-113994-30049/drakou2011.pdf |archive-date=2016-10-20 |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=nefeli.lib.teicrete.gr}}</ref>

==History==
{{See also|History of the Cyclades}}

===Prehistory===
[[File:Skarkos Hill Settlement on Ios.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Skarkos]] hill]]

Ios from the prehistoric era and thanks to its safe natural harbour played an important role on the sea roads to Crete. The early Cycladic settlement on [[Skarkos]] hill and other prehistoric sites on the island have been found by archaeologists.<ref name="iosinfo.gr">{{cite web |title=Ίος Ιστορία |url=http://www.iosinfo.gr/ios/iosistoria/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301103751/http://www.iosinfo.gr/ios/iosistoria/index.html |archive-date=2017-03-01 |website=www.iosinfo.gr}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to Ios Island Greece |url=https://www.iosgreece.info |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215121045/https://www.iosgreece.info/ |archive-date=2024-02-15 |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=iosgreece.info}}</ref>
Ios was under the influence of the [[Minoan civilisation|Minoan]] and then of the [[Mycenaean civilisation]]. The [[Phoenicians]] most likely arrived on the island and maintained their presence until the 9th century BC.

Ios became [[Ionians|Ionian]] at some point after, as testified by its membership in the [[Delian Amphictyony]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0063:entry=amphictyones-cn|title=A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), AMPHIC´TYONES|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref> From 534 BC the island paid taxes to [[Classical Athens|Athens]].<ref name="iosinfo.gr"/>

=== Classical and Hellenistic times ===
Ios was an important and strong city in [[Classical Greece|Classical]] and [[Hellenistic]] times. Its decline began with the Roman occupation, when it was used as a place for exile, and continued in Byzantine times. The island experienced a recovery at the time of the [[Duchy of Naxos]], but the Ottoman domination interrupted it. [[Palaiokastro, Ios|Palaiokastro]], a ruined [[Venice|Venetian]] castle from the 15th century lies on the northern part of the island.<ref name="iosinfo.gr"/> Ios was important enough in the [[Roman province]] of [[Insulae (Roman province)|Insulae]] to become a [[suffragan see]] of the [[Metropolis of Rhodes]], but later faded and disappeared.

===Numismatics===

During the 3rd and 2nd century BC as Ios became part of the league of the islanders, she minted her own coins, most of them can be found in the Berlin Archaeological Museum and British Museum. There are 28 known different coins. They depict [[Homer]], a palm tree or Athena, as she was worshiped on the island. Most of them had the writing ΙΗΤΩΝ meaning of the people of Ios.<ref>E Nesos Ios(Ios Island) by Theodoros Othonaios, Athens 1936 page 78</ref>

===Middle Ages===
[[Albanians]] settled in Ios either by invitation of the Crispi family or later in 1579 to repopulate the island as its inhabitants had been sold into slavery in 1558. The Albanians of Ios were linguistically assimilated in the second half of the 18th century as Greeks settled in the island.<ref name = T>Jochalas, Titos P. (1971): Über die Einwanderung der Albaner in Griechenland: Eine zusammenfassene Betrachtung ["On the immigration of Albanians to Greece: A summary"]. München: Trofenik. pg. 89–106.</ref>

===1820s===
Although Ios did not have a strong naval force, it was one of the first islands to raise the flag of revolution in when the [[Greek War of Independence]] began in 1821. Ios took part in the naval battle at [[Kuşadası]] on July 9, 1821, as well as in the [[Second National Assembly at Astros]] in 1823 and in the [[Third National Assembly at Troezen]] in 1827.

===Modern times===
In a modern era, the island began to emerge in the 1970s as an increasingly popular tourist destination for young people in Europe. Today Ios retains its reputation as an island of youth and entertainment, with excellent tourist infrastructure, an organised marina at its harbour and an adequate road network.<ref name="iosinfo.gr" />

Ecclesiastically, its territory is now part of the [[Greek Orthodox]] Metropolis of Thera, Amorgos and the Islands of the [[Church of Greece]].

==Homer's death==
===The legend===
[[File:Bust of Homer at the port of Gialos on Ios, 13M998x.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.65|Bust of [[Homer]] in [[Ios (island)|Ios]]]]
The island is very strongly connected with Homer, because according to the legend, [[Homer]] died in Ios. Considered the greatest epic poet of the Greeks, the legend accounts that he died because he violated a Pythian oracle. According to [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], Homer visited the Delphi oracle to ask Pythia about his parents and origins. Pythia replied with the oracle "Your mother's home is the island of Ios, which will accept you when you die, but you should be careful of the enigma of the young children." The poet, however, broke the oracle and traveled to Ios. There he saw some small children fishing on the coast. He asked what they had caught and the children replied: "Whatever we get we leave it and whatever we don't get we take it with us". The children were talking about lice. Those who found them, killed them, but those who did not find them, had them to their heads. Homer did not find the answer, but he remembered the warning of Pythia. He was horrified and ran away quickly.<ref name="mixanitouxronou.gr">{{cite web|url=http://www.mixanitouxronou.gr/ok-pos-pethane-o-piitis-omiros-pou-apsifise-to-chrismo-tou-mantiou-o-thrilos-me-to-enigma-pou-den-katafere-na-lisi-ke-ton-odigise-sto-thanato/|title=Πώς πέθανε ο ποιητής Όμηρος που αψήφησε το χρησμό του μαντείου; Ο θρύλος με το αίνιγμα που δεν κατάφερε να λύσει και τον οδήγησε στο θάνατο – ΜΗΧΑΝΗ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΟΝΟΥ|date=16 April 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228232253/http://www.mixanitouxronou.gr/ok-pos-pethane-o-piitis-omiros-pou-apsifise-to-chrismo-tou-mantiou-o-thrilos-me-to-enigma-pou-den-katafere-na-lisi-ke-ton-odigise-sto-thanato/|archive-date=28 December 2017}}</ref> The road was muddy and the poet in his hurry slipped and fell, hitting his head and dying almost instantaneously.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4eNDAAAAYAAJ&q=%CE%A4%CE%95%CE%9B%CE%95%CE%A5%CE%A4%CE%97%CE%A3%CE%91%CF%82+%CE%95%CE%9D+%CE%A4%CE%97+%CE%99%CE%A9&pg=RA2-PA151 |title = Hē tou Hērodotou Halikarnasseōs historia (Romanized form)|author1 = Herodotus|year = 1761}}</ref>

According to another version, Homer died from his sadness that he did not solve the puzzle, while a third version says he was already seriously ill and went to Ios because he knew he would die. Of course, the death of Homer is not based on historical records, but on myths and traditions that circulated from oral tradition. [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] simply recorded a popular narrative.<ref name="mixanitouxronou.gr"/><ref name="tya.ios.gr"/>

===Count Pasch van Krienen's expedition===
In 1771, Heinrich Leonard Pasch van Krienen came to Ios after having read the narrative in order to find Homer's grave. He was informed by a local priest of the Saint Catherine (Agia Aikaterini) Chapel that there is a place with marbles and some of which had inscriptions. He was told that they were constructed long after Homer's death but he persisted and with the help of Spyridon Valetas he found three graves and the last one had inscriptions about Homer including ''Ενθάδε την ιερήν κεφαλήν κατά γαία καλύπτει ανδρών ηρώων κοσμήτορα θείον Όμηρον,'' which means "here under the earth lies the sacred head of heroic Homer." When he found this, Pasch was sure that the grave belonged to the epic poet, but he spotted some grammatical mistakes on the gravestone and began doubting its authenticity. After having spent considerable time and money, he decided to give up after having also found two graves at [[Agia Theodoti]]<ref>GŎmýrou bíos@ kaì poiýmata page 45</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Pasch di Krienen (Pasch van Krienen) |first=Enrico Leonardo (Heinrich Leonard) |url=https://archive.org/details/brevedescrizione00pasc/ |title=Breve descrizione dell'Arcipelago e particolarmente delle diciotto isole sottomesse l'anno 1771 al dominio russo |date=1773 |publisher=Tommaso Masi e Comp. |location=Livorno |pages=31–41 |language=IT |trans-title=Brief description of the Archipelago and particularly of the eighteen islands subjected to Russian rule in 1771}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ruggero |first=Christina |date=2020 |title=Udjahorresnet's ''Naoforo vaticano'': Acquisition and Exhibition |url=https://egyptianexpedition.org/articles/udjahorresnets-naoforo-vaticano-acquisition-and-exhibition/ |journal=Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections |volume=26 |pages=148–165 |via=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Smilyanskaya |first=Elena |title=The cultural and scientific side. From ancient Greek marbles to mapping the Aegean |url=https://www.archipelagos-historia.gr/research/orlofika/16 |website=Archipelagos Historia}}</ref>

On 25 January 1884 the alleged tomb of Homer was visited by [[James Theodore Bent|Theodore]] and [[Mabel Bent]] during their tour of the Cyclades.<ref>“Next morning, Friday 25th [January, 1884] the Demarch came to fetch us to breakfast… Afterwards we and the Demarch started to Plaketos at the other side of the island: 3 hours. We saw the supposed tomb of Homer who died here on his way from Samos to Athens…’ Extract from ''The Travel Chronicles of Mrs J. Theodore Bent'', Vol. 1 (2006, Oxford, p.39). See also, Theodore Bent, ''The Cyclades, or Life Among the Insular Greeks'' (1885, London, pp.151ff.).</ref>

== Beaches ==
Ios attracts a large number of young [[Tourism|tourists]], many of whom used to sleep on their sleeping bags during the 1970s on the popular beach of [[Mylopotas]] after partying through the night. Today Mylopotas beach has been developed to an equivalent mass package [[tourism]] resort like Platys Gialos and Paradise Beach of [[Mykonos]].

==Climate==
Ios has a [[hot semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''BSh'').<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.meteo.gr/Monthly_Bulletins.cfm | title=Monthly Bulletins | accessdate=15 April 2023}}</ref> Similar to other Cyclades islands, there is an almost constant breeze from the north during summer, known as meltemi, which moderates temperatures.

{{Weather box
| location = Ios island (3m)
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| Jan high C = 14.7
| Feb high C = 15.5
| Mar high C = 17.3
| Apr high C = 18.9
| May high C = 23.8
| Jun high C = 27
| Jul high C = 29.2
| Aug high C = 29.3
| Sep high C = 26.8
| Oct high C = 24.6
| Nov high C = 20.6
| Dec high C = 17.6
| Jan low C = 10.1
| Feb low C = 11
| Mar low C = 12.5
| Apr low C = 14
| May low C = 17.4
| Jun low C = 21.9
| Jul low C = 23.9
| Aug low C = 24.5
| Sep low C = 22.4
| Oct low C = 19.7
| Nov low C = 16.5
| Dec low C = 13.6
| Jan precipitation mm = 74
| Feb precipitation mm = 69.8
| Mar precipitation mm = 66.2
| Apr precipitation mm = 25.2
| May precipitation mm = 1
| Jun precipitation mm = 0.5
| Jul precipitation mm = 0.1
| Aug precipitation mm = 0
| Sep precipitation mm = 1.6
| Oct precipitation mm = 33.7
| Nov precipitation mm = 53.5
| Dec precipitation mm = 52.6
| source = http://penteli.meteo.gr/stations/ios/ (2019 – 2020 averages)
}}

==Timeline==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Event
|-
| 3rd millennium BC || Humans start living in the island
|-
| 350 BC || The island minted the first coins depicting Homer
|-
| 314 BC|| The island joined the [[League of the Islanders]]
|-
| 300 BC – 200 || It becomes part of the [[Roman Empire]] and part of the [[Insulae (Roman province)|provincia insularum]]
|-
| 286 || It becomes part of the [[Byzantine Empire]]
|-
|  1207 || The island is conquered by the [[Republic of Venice|Venetians]] and becomes a part of the [[Duchy of Naxos]]
|-
| 1269 || The island is regained by the [[Byzantine Empire]]
|-
|1296 || The island is conquered by Domenico Schiavi and remained in his family
|-
| 1335 || The island is conquered for a second time by the [[Duchy of Naxos]] 
|-
|1371 || The island is under [[Francesco I Crispo]]'s control and his family's
|-
|1537|| The island is occupied by [[Hayreddin Barbarossa]] but remains under the control of the Crispo family
|-
| 1558 || The island is attacked by [[pirate]]s causing most of the people of Ios to move to other islands
|-
| 1566 || After the death of the last Cripi, the island becomes part of the [[Ottoman Empire]] and its under the administration of [[Joseph Nasi]]
|-
| March 1, 1821 || Panagiotis Amoiradakis raised the flag of the Greek revolution in Ios
|-
| July 9, 1821 ||  The island takes part in the Naval battle of [[Kuşadası]]
|-
| 1830 || Ios becomes part of [[Greece]]
|-
|}

==Notable people==
===Ancient===
* [[Critheïs]], mother of [[Homer]]
===Medieval===
*[[Adriana Crispo]] (d. after 1537), noblewoman of the Crispo family, lady of Ios
===Modern===
* [[Spyridon Valetas]] (1779–1843), scholar, member of [[Filiki Eteria]]
* [[Lakis Nikolaou]] (1949– ), footballer
* [[Jean-Marie Drot]] (1929–2015), writer and cinematographer who loved the island and also founded The Jean Marie Drot Museum in Ios<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yallou.com/greece/1452/Ios-Island/Ios-Town/Sightseeing/Museum-of-Modern-Art-Jean-Marie-Drot/|title=Museum of Modern Art Jean Marie Drot &#124; Ios Chora, Ios Island, Cyclades &#124; Yallou|access-date=2018-06-03|archive-date=2021-10-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003194245/https://yallou.com/greece/1452/Ios-Island/Ios-Town/Sightseeing/Museum-of-Modern-Art-Jean-Marie-Drot/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery class="center">
File:Íos aerial.jpg|Aerial view of the island
File:Tomb of Homer.JPG|Tomb of Homer
File:Chora, Ios2.jpg|View of Chora
File:Ios island, Cyclades, Greece hill 2007.jpg|Chora
File:Odysseas Elytis Theater on Ios.jpg|[[Odysseas Elytis Theatre]]
File:Windmills in Ios island, Cyclades, Greece.jpg|Windmills
File:Manganari2.jpg|Manganari Beach
File:Hippis.jpg|Young Hippies on Ios during the 1970s
File:Ios Greece.JPG|Western view of Ios
File:Eastern view from Ios Greece.JPG|Eastern view of Ios
</gallery>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{sister project links|Ios}}
* {{Wikivoyage inline|Ios}}
* [http://www.ios.gr/ Municipality of Ios] {{in lang|el|en}}

{{The Cyclades}}
{{Kallikratis-South Aegean}}
{{Aegean Sea}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ios| ]]
[[Category:Municipalities of the South Aegean]]
[[Category:Catholic titular sees in Europe|Ios, Diocese]]
[[Category:Former Roman Catholic dioceses in Greece|Ios, Diocese]]
[[Category:Populated places in Thira (regional unit)]]
[[Category:Landforms of Thira (regional unit)]]
[[Category:Islands of the South Aegean]]
[[Category:Members of the Delian League]]
[[Category:Greek city-states]]
[[Category:Populated places in the ancient Aegean islands]]