History of Mykonos

The island was named after "Mykonos", the son of the mythical king of Delos, Anios, who was a descendant of god Apollo and the nymph Rheo. According mythology, the giants that Hercules had killed were buried under the island's large granite stones. Possibly the first inhabitants of Mykonos were Carians, Egyptians and Cretans, followed by the arrival of the Ionians under the leadership of Hippocles. 

Little is known about Mykonos during the ancient times, but from coin depictions, we are able to presume that Dionysos was the island's patron god. During the Byzantine times Mykonos was initially subject to the Province of Islands and later to the Theme of the Aegean. 

By 1207 it was under the occupation of the Venetian brothers Andrea and Jeremiah Ghizis while in 1292 it was ravaged by the Catalans. A century after, Mykonos was conceded to Venice by its last ruler, Georgios Ghizis. The island was totally destroyed and practically deserted in 1537 by Khaired-Din Barbarossa. During Turkish occupation, Mykonians were proven to be the most experienced sailors and offered their precious services and a fleet with numerous ships to the Greek War of Independence.