Symi Island, Dodecanese, Greece
Symi is inhabited since prehistoric years. Some names mentioned are, Carian, Metapontis, Egli and Symi from the name of Glaucus wife who was considered to be the first inhabitant in this land. It is speculated that the original inhabitants were the Kares and Phoenicians. Then the Dorians came.
Archaic Years
Symi is known from mythology, reputed to be the birthplace of the three Charites and to take its name from the nymph Syme. According to a legend she was paired with Poseidon, god of the sea and their son Chthonius, became King of the first inhabitants in the island.
In Homer's Iliad the island is mentioned as the domain of King Nireus, who fought in the Trojan War on the side of the Greeks. Thukydides writes that during the Peloponisian War there was a Battle of Symi near the island in January, 411 BC, in which an unspecified number of Spartan ships defeated a squadron of Athenian vessels. Little was known about the island until the 14th century, but archaeological evidence indicates that it was continuously inhabited, and ruins of citadels suggest that it was an important location. It was first part of the Roman Empire and then the Byzantine Empire, until its conquest by the Knights of Saint John in 1373.
In Homer's Iliad the island is mentioned as the domain of King Nireus, who fought in the Trojan War on the side of the Greeks. Thukydides writes that during the Peloponisian War there was a Battle of Symi near the island in January, 411 BC, in which an unspecified number of Spartan ships defeated a squadron of Athenian vessels. Little was known about the island until the 14th century, but archaeological evidence indicates that it was continuously inhabited, and ruins of citadels suggest that it was an important location. It was first part of the Roman Empire and then the Byzantine Empire, until its conquest by the Knights of Saint John in 1373.
Ottoman Era
In 1522 the island passed into the hands of the Turks. Though, this period it had significant commercial and fiscal privileges along with religious freedom and linguistic expression. The residents of Symi, with their fleet, took an active part in the Revolution of 1821. The Symian asked Governor Kapodistrias on July 27, 1829 to release and include the island within the boundaries of the Greek state. The request was reiterated by the Symian Benedict monk from the Russian monastery of Mount Athos St. Panteleimon, who wrote a personal letter to the new Governor. Though, despite the great effort, Symi was again under the Turkish domination, in 1832. The occupation lasted until 1912, the year in which the island passed into the hands of the Italians.
Modern era
The Italian occupation was particularly cruel for the residents who experienced years of great poverty. It was ended in 1943 but then the island changed hands several times between the English and Germans. Finally it fell into the hands of the British on 25 September 1944. On May 8 1945, the German military commander of the Dodecanese Otto Wagner signed the Delivery Protocol of the Dodecanese to the allies. The final integration and delivery of the Dodecanese to Greece occurred on March 7, 1948.