Thassos history

Thassos island history

 

Thassos was first inhabited during the Neolithic period by the Phoenicians, who, according to the myth, founded cities in every place they passed through, while searching for their leader's Kadmos sister, named Europa, who had been kid-napped by love-crazed Zeus. 

Later, Thassians settled on the island, who acquired power by exploiting the rich local mines. These mines attracted the interest of the lonians of the island of Paros, who occupied Thassos at the beginning of the 7th century B.C. The great Parian poet Archilohos took part in this expedition  and wrote a relevant poem. 

The Thassians soon prospered and found colonies in the surrounding area. In the archaic times, the island was quite powerful and traded with the entire Greek world.

During the Median wars, Thassos was subdued by the Persians. In 340 B.C., it was captured by Philip of Macedonia and stayed under Macedonian control until 197 B.C., when it was captured by  the Romans.

In the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C., under the Roman protection, the island prospered greatly. Of cource, the mines had been exhausted, but Thassos exported marble and wine. In 42 B.C., the murderers of Julius Caesar, Kassios and Brutus, brought their treasury to the island.

During the Byzantine times, Thassos was plundered by the Avarians and the Saracenes. 

After the fall of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204, the island was ceded to the elderly venetian doge, Henry Dandolo and his descendants.

Soon, however, it was annexed to the state of Thessaloniki, which was founded by the Byzantine Despot of Ipiros, Theodoros Dukas Aggelokomninos. After the recap-ture of Constantinople by Michael Paleologos, it became part of the Byzantine Empire again.

In 1354, the Byzantine emperor Ioannis Paleologos gave Thassos to his Genoan ally and 

brother-in-law, Frangiskos Gatelouzos, because he had helped him defeat his infernal opponents. 

The Gatelouzi remained in power one way or another until 1455, when they were succeeded by the Turks.   

In 1770 the Russians led by Orloff captured Thassos. In 1813 the Sultan gave the island to Turkish Egyptian Mehmet Ali, who was born in the city of Kavala on the opposite coast.

The Thassians revolted in 1821, but did not escape the fate of all northern Greek areas, where revolution did not achieve its goals.

In 1902 the Turks took over the island once more. 

In the Balkan war of 1912, the Greek army captured the island, which has been part of Greek ever since. In 1916, during the 1st World War, Thassos was captured by the Adad powers. From 1941 until the end of the 2nd World War the island was occupied by the Bulgarians.