Phantis - User contributions [en]

Rhodes

2008-04-09T13:55:16Z

Zenia: /* External links */

'''Rhodes''', Greek Ρόδο&sigmaf; (''Rhodos''; is the largest of the [[Dodecanese]] islands, and easternmost of the major islands of [[Greece]] in the [[Aegean Sea]]. It lies approximately 11 miles (18 km) west of Turkey, situated between the Greek mainland and the island of [[Cyprus]]. Its population in [[2004]] was estimated at 130,000, of which between 100,000 and 150,000 resided permanently in the [[Rhodes (city)|city of Rhodes]], the main commercial and population center. Rhodes is the capital of the District of the Dodecanese and of the Province of Rhodes, which also includes the nearby islands of [[Symi]], [[Tilos]], [[Halki]], and [[Kastellorizo]].

Historically, it was known for its [[Colossus of Rhodes]], one of the [[Seven Wonders of the World]]. The medieval city is a World Heritage Site.

== Geography ==

The island of Rhodes is shaped like a spearhead, 79.7 km long and 38 km wide with a total area of approximately 1,398 km² and a coastline of approximately 220 km. The [[Rhodes (city)|city of Rhodes]] is located at the far northern end of the island, including the site of the ancient and modern commercial harbor. The main air gateway ([http://www.hcaa-eleng.gr/rhod.htm Diagoras International Airport], IATA code: RHO) is located 14 km to the southwest of the city in Paradisi. The road network radiates from the city along the east and west coasts.

The flora and fauna is more closely allied to that of Turkey than it is to that of the rest of Greece. The interior is mountainous and sparsely inhabited, covered with forests of Turkish Pine (''Pinus brutia'') and abundant fauna including the Rhodian deer. Features include the so-called Petaludes or Petaloudes Valley, or Valley of the Butterflies, where tiger moths gather in summer; Mount Attavyros, at 3,986 ft (1,215 m) the island's highest point of elevation; and the appropriately named Seven Springs area. While the shores are rocky, arable sandy strips exist where citrus fruits, wine, grapes, vegetables, and other crops flourish in the [[Mediterranean climate]].

Outside of the city of Rhodes, the [[Faliraki]] resort, [[Lindos]], [[Archangelos]], [[Afandou]], [[Koskinou]], [[Embona]], and [[Trianta]] (Ialysos) are significant. The economy of the whole island is geared toward tourism, the island's primary source of income.

== History ==
The island was inhabited in the Neolithic period, although little remains of this culture. In the [[16th century BC]] the [[Minoans]] came to Rhodes, and later Greek mythography recalled a Rhodian race they called the [[Telchines]], and associated Rhodes with [[Danaus]]; it was sometimes nicknamed ''Telchinis''. In the [[15th century BC|15th century]] the [[Achaeans]] invaded. It was, however, in the [[11th century BC|11th century]] that the island started to flourish, with the coming of the [[Dorians]]. It was the Dorians who later built the three important cities of [[Lindos]], [[Ialyssos]] and [[Kameiros]], which together with [[Kos]], [[Cnidus]] and [[Halicarnassus]] (on the mainland) made up the so-called [[Dorian Hexapolis]].

In [[Pindar]]'s ode, the island was said to be born of the union of [[Helios]] the sun god and the nymph [[Rhode]], and the cities were named for their three sons. The ''rhoda'' is a pink hibiscus native to the island.

Invasions by the Persians eventually overran the island, but after their defeat by the forces from [[Athens]] in [[478 BC]], the cities joined the [[Delian League|Athenian League]]. When the [[Peloponnesian War]] broke out in [[431 BC]], Rhodes remained largely neutral although it was still a member of the League. The war lasted until [[404 BC]], but by this time Rhodes had withdrawn entirely from the conflict and had decided to go her own way.

In [[408 BC]] the cities united to form one territory, and built a new capital on the northern end of the island, the [[Rhodes (city)|city of Rhodes]]: its regular plan was superintended by the Athenian architect [[Hippodamus]]. However the Peloponnesian War had so weakened the entire Greek culture that it lay open to invasion. In [[357 BC]] the island was conquered by Mausolus of Halicarnassus, then fell to the Persians [[340 BC]]. But their rule was also short and Rhodes became a part of the growing empire of [[Alexander the Great]] in [[332 BC]] after he defeated the Persians, to the great relief of the citizens of Rhodes.

With the death of Alexander his generals fought for control. Three of them, [[Ptolemy I of Egypt|Ptolemy]], [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]], and [[Antigonus I Monophthalmus|Antigonus]], succeeded in dividing the kingdom among themselves. Rhodes formed strong commercial and cultural ties with the Ptolemies in [[Alexandria]], and together they formed the Rhodo-Egyptian alliance which controlled trade throughout the Aegean in the 3rd century BC. The city developed into a maritime, commercial and cultural center and its coins were in circulation almost everywhere in the Mediterranean. Its famous schools of philosophy and science, literature and rhetoric, shared masters with Alexandria: the Athenian rhetorician [[Aeschines]] who formed a school at Rhodes; [[Apollonius of Rhodes]], the astronomers [[Hipparchus (astronomer)|Hipparchus]] and Geminus, the rhetorician [[Dionysios Trax]]. Its school of sculptors developed a rich, dramatic style that can be characterized as "[[Hellenistic]] Baroque".

In [[305 BC]], Antigonus had his son besiege Rhodes in an attempt to break the alliance. After a year they gave up and signed a peace agreement in [[304 BC]], leaving behind a huge store of military equipment. The Rhodians sold the equipment and used the money to erect a statue of their sun god, [[Helios]], the statue now known as the [[Colossus of Rhodes]].

In [[164 BC]], Rhodes signed a treaty with Rome, and became a major schooling center for Roman noble families, and was especially noted for its teachers of rhetoric, such as [[Hermagoras]] and the author of the Rhetorica ad Herennium. At first the state was an important ally of Rome and enjoyed numerous privileges, but these were later lost in various machinations of Roman politics. Cassius eventually invaded the island and sacked the city.

In the [[1st century]] AD, the Emperor Tiberius spent a brief exile on Rhodes, and [[Saint Paul]] brought Christianity to the island. In [[297]], the long [[Byzantine Empire]] period began for Rhodes, when the Roman empire was split and the eastern half became a Greek empire. Although part of Byzantium for the next thousand years, it was nevertheless repeatedly attacked by various forces. It was first occupied by Muslim forces of Muawiyah I in [[672]]. Much later Rhodes was retrieved for the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] Emperor [[Alexius I Comnenus]] during the First Crusade.

In [[1309]] the Byzantine era came to an end when the island was taken by forces of the [[Knights Hospitaller]]. Under the rule of the newly named '''Knights of Rhodes''', the city was rebuilt into a model of the European mediaeval ideal. Many of the city's famous monuments, including the '''Palace of the Grand Master''', were built in this period.

The strong walls which the Knights had built withstood the attacks of the Sultan of Egypt in [[1444]] and of [[Mehmed II]] in [[1480]]. Finally, however, Rhodes fell to the large army of Suleiman the Magnificent in December [[1522]]. The few remaining Knights were permitted to retire to Malta, and the island was a possession of the Ottoman Empire for nearly four centuries.

In [[1912]], Rhodes was seized from the Turks by the Italians, and in [[1947]], together with the other islands of the [[Dodecanese]], was united with Greece. It thus bypassed many of the events associated with the "exchange of the minorities" between Greece and Turkey.

Throughout much of its history Rhodes had a thriving Jewish Community. During [[World War II]] Nazi Germany occupied the island and deported the Jews. Most ended up dying in various concentration camps. A remnant of the Jewish community survives in Rhodes. The [http://www.rhodesjewishmuseum.org/ Rhodes Jewish Museum] maintains a history of the community. Descendants of the "Rhodeslies" now have communities in various parts of the U.S., Europe and Africa.

==External links==
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=36.164246,27.917633&spn=0.664055,0.936722&t=k&hl=en Satellite picture by Google Maps]
*[http://www.losttrails.com/pages/Hproject/Rhodes/Rhodes.html photo-essay on the archaeology of Rhodes]
*[http://www.rhodesholidays.net Rhodes Accommodation]

[[Category:Islands of Greece]]
[[Category:Achaean colonies]]
[[Category:Dorian colonies]]
[[Category:Dodecanese]]

Rhodes

2008-04-07T12:44:25Z

Zenia: /* External links */

'''Rhodes''', Greek Ρόδο&sigmaf; (''Rhodos''; is the largest of the [[Dodecanese]] islands, and easternmost of the major islands of [[Greece]] in the [[Aegean Sea]]. It lies approximately 11 miles (18 km) west of Turkey, situated between the Greek mainland and the island of [[Cyprus]]. Its population in [[2004]] was estimated at 130,000, of which between 100,000 and 150,000 resided permanently in the [[Rhodes (city)|city of Rhodes]], the main commercial and population center. Rhodes is the capital of the District of the Dodecanese and of the Province of Rhodes, which also includes the nearby islands of [[Symi]], [[Tilos]], [[Halki]], and [[Kastellorizo]].

Historically, it was known for its [[Colossus of Rhodes]], one of the [[Seven Wonders of the World]]. The medieval city is a World Heritage Site.

== Geography ==

The island of Rhodes is shaped like a spearhead, 79.7 km long and 38 km wide with a total area of approximately 1,398 km² and a coastline of approximately 220 km. The [[Rhodes (city)|city of Rhodes]] is located at the far northern end of the island, including the site of the ancient and modern commercial harbor. The main air gateway ([http://www.hcaa-eleng.gr/rhod.htm Diagoras International Airport], IATA code: RHO) is located 14 km to the southwest of the city in Paradisi. The road network radiates from the city along the east and west coasts.

The flora and fauna is more closely allied to that of Turkey than it is to that of the rest of Greece. The interior is mountainous and sparsely inhabited, covered with forests of Turkish Pine (''Pinus brutia'') and abundant fauna including the Rhodian deer. Features include the so-called Petaludes or Petaloudes Valley, or Valley of the Butterflies, where tiger moths gather in summer; Mount Attavyros, at 3,986 ft (1,215 m) the island's highest point of elevation; and the appropriately named Seven Springs area. While the shores are rocky, arable sandy strips exist where citrus fruits, wine, grapes, vegetables, and other crops flourish in the [[Mediterranean climate]].

Outside of the city of Rhodes, the [[Faliraki]] resort, [[Lindos]], [[Archangelos]], [[Afandou]], [[Koskinou]], [[Embona]], and [[Trianta]] (Ialysos) are significant. The economy of the whole island is geared toward tourism, the island's primary source of income.

== History ==
The island was inhabited in the Neolithic period, although little remains of this culture. In the [[16th century BC]] the [[Minoans]] came to Rhodes, and later Greek mythography recalled a Rhodian race they called the [[Telchines]], and associated Rhodes with [[Danaus]]; it was sometimes nicknamed ''Telchinis''. In the [[15th century BC|15th century]] the [[Achaeans]] invaded. It was, however, in the [[11th century BC|11th century]] that the island started to flourish, with the coming of the [[Dorians]]. It was the Dorians who later built the three important cities of [[Lindos]], [[Ialyssos]] and [[Kameiros]], which together with [[Kos]], [[Cnidus]] and [[Halicarnassus]] (on the mainland) made up the so-called [[Dorian Hexapolis]].

In [[Pindar]]'s ode, the island was said to be born of the union of [[Helios]] the sun god and the nymph [[Rhode]], and the cities were named for their three sons. The ''rhoda'' is a pink hibiscus native to the island.

Invasions by the Persians eventually overran the island, but after their defeat by the forces from [[Athens]] in [[478 BC]], the cities joined the [[Delian League|Athenian League]]. When the [[Peloponnesian War]] broke out in [[431 BC]], Rhodes remained largely neutral although it was still a member of the League. The war lasted until [[404 BC]], but by this time Rhodes had withdrawn entirely from the conflict and had decided to go her own way.

In [[408 BC]] the cities united to form one territory, and built a new capital on the northern end of the island, the [[Rhodes (city)|city of Rhodes]]: its regular plan was superintended by the Athenian architect [[Hippodamus]]. However the Peloponnesian War had so weakened the entire Greek culture that it lay open to invasion. In [[357 BC]] the island was conquered by Mausolus of Halicarnassus, then fell to the Persians [[340 BC]]. But their rule was also short and Rhodes became a part of the growing empire of [[Alexander the Great]] in [[332 BC]] after he defeated the Persians, to the great relief of the citizens of Rhodes.

With the death of Alexander his generals fought for control. Three of them, [[Ptolemy I of Egypt|Ptolemy]], [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]], and [[Antigonus I Monophthalmus|Antigonus]], succeeded in dividing the kingdom among themselves. Rhodes formed strong commercial and cultural ties with the Ptolemies in [[Alexandria]], and together they formed the Rhodo-Egyptian alliance which controlled trade throughout the Aegean in the 3rd century BC. The city developed into a maritime, commercial and cultural center and its coins were in circulation almost everywhere in the Mediterranean. Its famous schools of philosophy and science, literature and rhetoric, shared masters with Alexandria: the Athenian rhetorician [[Aeschines]] who formed a school at Rhodes; [[Apollonius of Rhodes]], the astronomers [[Hipparchus (astronomer)|Hipparchus]] and Geminus, the rhetorician [[Dionysios Trax]]. Its school of sculptors developed a rich, dramatic style that can be characterized as "[[Hellenistic]] Baroque".

In [[305 BC]], Antigonus had his son besiege Rhodes in an attempt to break the alliance. After a year they gave up and signed a peace agreement in [[304 BC]], leaving behind a huge store of military equipment. The Rhodians sold the equipment and used the money to erect a statue of their sun god, [[Helios]], the statue now known as the [[Colossus of Rhodes]].

In [[164 BC]], Rhodes signed a treaty with Rome, and became a major schooling center for Roman noble families, and was especially noted for its teachers of rhetoric, such as [[Hermagoras]] and the author of the Rhetorica ad Herennium. At first the state was an important ally of Rome and enjoyed numerous privileges, but these were later lost in various machinations of Roman politics. Cassius eventually invaded the island and sacked the city.

In the [[1st century]] AD, the Emperor Tiberius spent a brief exile on Rhodes, and [[Saint Paul]] brought Christianity to the island. In [[297]], the long [[Byzantine Empire]] period began for Rhodes, when the Roman empire was split and the eastern half became a Greek empire. Although part of Byzantium for the next thousand years, it was nevertheless repeatedly attacked by various forces. It was first occupied by Muslim forces of Muawiyah I in [[672]]. Much later Rhodes was retrieved for the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] Emperor [[Alexius I Comnenus]] during the First Crusade.

In [[1309]] the Byzantine era came to an end when the island was taken by forces of the [[Knights Hospitaller]]. Under the rule of the newly named '''Knights of Rhodes''', the city was rebuilt into a model of the European mediaeval ideal. Many of the city's famous monuments, including the '''Palace of the Grand Master''', were built in this period.

The strong walls which the Knights had built withstood the attacks of the Sultan of Egypt in [[1444]] and of [[Mehmed II]] in [[1480]]. Finally, however, Rhodes fell to the large army of Suleiman the Magnificent in December [[1522]]. The few remaining Knights were permitted to retire to Malta, and the island was a possession of the Ottoman Empire for nearly four centuries.

In [[1912]], Rhodes was seized from the Turks by the Italians, and in [[1947]], together with the other islands of the [[Dodecanese]], was united with Greece. It thus bypassed many of the events associated with the "exchange of the minorities" between Greece and Turkey.

Throughout much of its history Rhodes had a thriving Jewish Community. During [[World War II]] Nazi Germany occupied the island and deported the Jews. Most ended up dying in various concentration camps. A remnant of the Jewish community survives in Rhodes. The [http://www.rhodesjewishmuseum.org/ Rhodes Jewish Museum] maintains a history of the community. Descendants of the "Rhodeslies" now have communities in various parts of the U.S., Europe and Africa.

==External links==
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=36.164246,27.917633&spn=0.664055,0.936722&t=k&hl=en Satellite picture by Google Maps]
*[http://www.losttrails.com/pages/Hproject/Rhodes/Rhodes.html photo-essay on the archaeology of Rhodes]
*[http://www.rhodesholidays.net Rhodes accommodation ]

[[Category:Islands of Greece]]
[[Category:Achaean colonies]]
[[Category:Dorian colonies]]
[[Category:Dodecanese]]

Mykonos

2008-03-18T14:27:33Z

Zenia: /* External links */

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="float:right; empty-cells:show; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:0,5em; background:#FFDEAD;"

|-----
! align="center" colspan="2" | Statistics
|---- bgcolor="#FFFFFF"
| [[Prefecture]]: || [[Cyclades]]
|---- bgcolor="#FFFFFF"
| [[Provinces of Greece|Provinces]]: || [[Syros Province|Syros]]
|---- bgcolor="#FFFFFF"
| Seat: || '''Myconos'''
|---- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" valign="top"
| Location: Latitude: Longitude:|| 37.328/37°19'43" N lat.25.612/25°36'44" E long
|---- bgcolor="#FFFFFF"
| Population: ([[1991]])  - Total  - Density¹  - Rank|| 12,691   
|---- bgcolor="#FFFFFF"
| Elevation:  -lowest:  -centre:  -highest:|| [[Aegean Sea]] 35 m (centre) western part
|---- bgcolor="#FFFFFF"
| Number of towns, villages and settlements: || 10
|---- bgcolor="#FFFFFF"
| [[List of postal codes in Greece|Postal code]]: || 846 00
|---- bgcolor="#FFFFFF"
| [[Area codes in Greece|Area/distance code]]: || 11-(00)30-[[Greece dialing codes beginning with 225|22890]]-2
|---- bgcolor="#FFFFFF"
| [[YPES|Municipal code]]: || -
|---- bgcolor="#FFFFFF"
| [[License plates in Greece|Car designation]]: || <code>EP</code>
|---- bgcolor="#FFFFFF"
| 3-letter abbreviation: || MYC ('''Myc'''onos)
|---- bgcolor="#FFFFFF"
| Website: || [http://www.mykonos.gr www.mykonos.gr]
|}

'''Mykonos''' (Greek: Μύκονος; is an island of [[Greece]]. It is one of the [[Cyclades]], a group of islands of the [[Aegean Sea]], lying between [[Tinos]], [[Syros]], [[Paros]] and [[Naxos]]. It has an area of 86 km² and an elevation of 364 m. It is made mostly of granite and has little water. There are approximately 6200 inhabitants ([[2002]]). The largest town is [[Mykonos city|Mykonos]], also known as Hora, on the west coast.

==Historical population==
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
! Year !! Communal population !! Change !! Municipal population
|-
| [[1981]] || 4,895 || - || - || - || -/km²
|-
| [[1991]] || 3,935 || -960/-19.61% || 6,179 || - || 71.85/km²
|}

== History ==
Archaeological finds indicate that the Ionians were found to have settled on Mykonos in the early part of the 11th century BC. More recent discoveries have uncovered remnants from the Neolithic Kares tribe dating back to as far as 3000BC. In [[Greek mythology]] Mykonos was the location of the battle between [[Zeus]] and the [[Gigantes]].
[[Category:Islands of Greece]] and the island was named in honor of Apollo's grandson Mykons. During these ancient times, Mykonos, due to its proximity to the then highly populated island of [[Delos]] (situated about 2km away), became very important as a supply island and possibly as a getaway location for Delian citizens.

== Modern Mykonos ==
Today, Mykonos is a very cosmopolitan island, made famous the last few decades by the international jet set visitors that spend their holidays on the island. Many Greek and international celebrities have summer residences in Mykonos and can often be seen walking the charming white-washed walls or having dinner at a small street-side table of a local taverna. The island is Greece's playground and one of the top holiday destinations in the world. Some people think you have not really seen what Greece has to offer until you visit Mykonos. The island is definitely one of the most upscale areas of Greece, and its real estate is very expensive.

==Communities==

*[[Agios Stefanos (Mykonos)|Agios Stefanos]]
*[[Ano Mera (Myconos)|Ano Mera]]
*[[Ftelia (Mykonos)|Ftelia]]
*[[Kalafatis]]
*[[Marathi (Mykonos)|Marathi]]
*'''[[Mykonos city|Mykonos]]''' or Chora
*[[Ornos]]
*[[Platys Gialos (Mykonos)|Platys Gialos]]
*[[Psarou]]

== Beaches ==
Mykonos has clean, magnificent beaches that offer everything from clear-blue waters, windsurfing, sea-side tavernas, loud music and even full nudity.


== Nightlife ==
The nightlife of Mykonos is considered by many to be among the best in Greece. Mykonos is often rated among the top four clubbing destinations in the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]], along with Ibiza, [[Ayia Napa]] and Rimini. Mykonos also attracts world-famous DJs to its beach bars the most well-known of which are Paradise, Super Paradise and Paranga.
Mykonos nightlife focuses mainly on bars rather than clubs, yet there are notable clubs also.

==Other==

Myconos has a few schools, lyceums, a gymnasia, churches, banks, a post office and squares (''plateies'').

== External links ==
*[http://www.mykonosreport.gr/english.htm The Mykonos Report: Current Happenings and live Web Cams]
*[http://www.travel-to-mykonos.com Mykonos guide]
*[http://www.geocities.com/ikarosstudios/cyclades/mykonos.htm Mykonos guide]
*[http://www.luxury-mykonos-hotels.com/ Mykonos luxury hotels]
*[http://www.cavoparadiso.gr/ Cavo Paradiso]
*[http://www.skandinavianbar.com Skandinavian Bar]
*[http://www.pubclub.com/greece/mykonos.htm PubClub Guide to Mykonos]
*'''Map and Aerial photos:'''
**Coordinates: {{coor dms|37|19|46|N|26|31|35|E|region:GR}}
**[http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?tb=1&city=Mykonos&country=GR Mapquest - Myconos], street map not yet available

==See also==

*[[Communities of the Cyclades]]

[[Category:Cities and towns in Greece]]
[[Category:The Cyclades]]

Rhodes

2008-03-18T08:57:03Z

Zenia: /* External links */

'''Rhodes''', Greek Ρόδο&sigmaf; (''Rhodos''; is the largest of the [[Dodecanese]] islands, and easternmost of the major islands of [[Greece]] in the [[Aegean Sea]]. It lies approximately 11 miles (18 km) west of Turkey, situated between the Greek mainland and the island of [[Cyprus]]. Its population in [[2004]] was estimated at 130,000, of which between 100,000 and 150,000 resided permanently in the [[Rhodes (city)|city of Rhodes]], the main commercial and population center. Rhodes is the capital of the District of the Dodecanese and of the Province of Rhodes, which also includes the nearby islands of [[Symi]], [[Tilos]], [[Halki]], and [[Kastellorizo]].

Historically, it was known for its [[Colossus of Rhodes]], one of the [[Seven Wonders of the World]]. The medieval city is a World Heritage Site.

== Geography ==

The island of Rhodes is shaped like a spearhead, 79.7 km long and 38 km wide with a total area of approximately 1,398 km² and a coastline of approximately 220 km. The [[Rhodes (city)|city of Rhodes]] is located at the far northern end of the island, including the site of the ancient and modern commercial harbor. The main air gateway ([http://www.hcaa-eleng.gr/rhod.htm Diagoras International Airport], IATA code: RHO) is located 14 km to the southwest of the city in Paradisi. The road network radiates from the city along the east and west coasts.

The flora and fauna is more closely allied to that of Turkey than it is to that of the rest of Greece. The interior is mountainous and sparsely inhabited, covered with forests of Turkish Pine (''Pinus brutia'') and abundant fauna including the Rhodian deer. Features include the so-called Petaludes or Petaloudes Valley, or Valley of the Butterflies, where tiger moths gather in summer; Mount Attavyros, at 3,986 ft (1,215 m) the island's highest point of elevation; and the appropriately named Seven Springs area. While the shores are rocky, arable sandy strips exist where citrus fruits, wine, grapes, vegetables, and other crops flourish in the [[Mediterranean climate]].

Outside of the city of Rhodes, the [[Faliraki]] resort, [[Lindos]], [[Archangelos]], [[Afandou]], [[Koskinou]], [[Embona]], and [[Trianta]] (Ialysos) are significant. The economy of the whole island is geared toward tourism, the island's primary source of income.

== History ==
The island was inhabited in the Neolithic period, although little remains of this culture. In the [[16th century BC]] the [[Minoans]] came to Rhodes, and later Greek mythography recalled a Rhodian race they called the [[Telchines]], and associated Rhodes with [[Danaus]]; it was sometimes nicknamed ''Telchinis''. In the [[15th century BC|15th century]] the [[Achaeans]] invaded. It was, however, in the [[11th century BC|11th century]] that the island started to flourish, with the coming of the [[Dorians]]. It was the Dorians who later built the three important cities of [[Lindos]], [[Ialyssos]] and [[Kameiros]], which together with [[Kos]], [[Cnidus]] and [[Halicarnassus]] (on the mainland) made up the so-called [[Dorian Hexapolis]].

In [[Pindar]]'s ode, the island was said to be born of the union of [[Helios]] the sun god and the nymph [[Rhode]], and the cities were named for their three sons. The ''rhoda'' is a pink hibiscus native to the island.

Invasions by the Persians eventually overran the island, but after their defeat by the forces from [[Athens]] in [[478 BC]], the cities joined the [[Delian League|Athenian League]]. When the [[Peloponnesian War]] broke out in [[431 BC]], Rhodes remained largely neutral although it was still a member of the League. The war lasted until [[404 BC]], but by this time Rhodes had withdrawn entirely from the conflict and had decided to go her own way.

In [[408 BC]] the cities united to form one territory, and built a new capital on the northern end of the island, the [[Rhodes (city)|city of Rhodes]]: its regular plan was superintended by the Athenian architect [[Hippodamus]]. However the Peloponnesian War had so weakened the entire Greek culture that it lay open to invasion. In [[357 BC]] the island was conquered by Mausolus of Halicarnassus, then fell to the Persians [[340 BC]]. But their rule was also short and Rhodes became a part of the growing empire of [[Alexander the Great]] in [[332 BC]] after he defeated the Persians, to the great relief of the citizens of Rhodes.

With the death of Alexander his generals fought for control. Three of them, [[Ptolemy I of Egypt|Ptolemy]], [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]], and [[Antigonus I Monophthalmus|Antigonus]], succeeded in dividing the kingdom among themselves. Rhodes formed strong commercial and cultural ties with the Ptolemies in [[Alexandria]], and together they formed the Rhodo-Egyptian alliance which controlled trade throughout the Aegean in the 3rd century BC. The city developed into a maritime, commercial and cultural center and its coins were in circulation almost everywhere in the Mediterranean. Its famous schools of philosophy and science, literature and rhetoric, shared masters with Alexandria: the Athenian rhetorician [[Aeschines]] who formed a school at Rhodes; [[Apollonius of Rhodes]], the astronomers [[Hipparchus (astronomer)|Hipparchus]] and Geminus, the rhetorician [[Dionysios Trax]]. Its school of sculptors developed a rich, dramatic style that can be characterized as "[[Hellenistic]] Baroque".

In [[305 BC]], Antigonus had his son besiege Rhodes in an attempt to break the alliance. After a year they gave up and signed a peace agreement in [[304 BC]], leaving behind a huge store of military equipment. The Rhodians sold the equipment and used the money to erect a statue of their sun god, [[Helios]], the statue now known as the [[Colossus of Rhodes]].

In [[164 BC]], Rhodes signed a treaty with Rome, and became a major schooling center for Roman noble families, and was especially noted for its teachers of rhetoric, such as [[Hermagoras]] and the author of the Rhetorica ad Herennium. At first the state was an important ally of Rome and enjoyed numerous privileges, but these were later lost in various machinations of Roman politics. Cassius eventually invaded the island and sacked the city.

In the [[1st century]] AD, the Emperor Tiberius spent a brief exile on Rhodes, and [[Saint Paul]] brought Christianity to the island. In [[297]], the long [[Byzantine Empire]] period began for Rhodes, when the Roman empire was split and the eastern half became a Greek empire. Although part of Byzantium for the next thousand years, it was nevertheless repeatedly attacked by various forces. It was first occupied by Muslim forces of Muawiyah I in [[672]]. Much later Rhodes was retrieved for the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] Emperor [[Alexius I Comnenus]] during the First Crusade.

In [[1309]] the Byzantine era came to an end when the island was taken by forces of the [[Knights Hospitaller]]. Under the rule of the newly named '''Knights of Rhodes''', the city was rebuilt into a model of the European mediaeval ideal. Many of the city's famous monuments, including the '''Palace of the Grand Master''', were built in this period.

The strong walls which the Knights had built withstood the attacks of the Sultan of Egypt in [[1444]] and of [[Mehmed II]] in [[1480]]. Finally, however, Rhodes fell to the large army of Suleiman the Magnificent in December [[1522]]. The few remaining Knights were permitted to retire to Malta, and the island was a possession of the Ottoman Empire for nearly four centuries.

In [[1912]], Rhodes was seized from the Turks by the Italians, and in [[1947]], together with the other islands of the [[Dodecanese]], was united with Greece. It thus bypassed many of the events associated with the "exchange of the minorities" between Greece and Turkey.

Throughout much of its history Rhodes had a thriving Jewish Community. During [[World War II]] Nazi Germany occupied the island and deported the Jews. Most ended up dying in various concentration camps. A remnant of the Jewish community survives in Rhodes. The [http://www.rhodesjewishmuseum.org/ Rhodes Jewish Museum] maintains a history of the community. Descendants of the "Rhodeslies" now have communities in various parts of the U.S., Europe and Africa.

==External links==

* [http://www.rhodesguide.com RhodesGuide.com]
* [http://www.Go12Islands.com Go12Islands.com - photographic tour of Rhodes island and the Dodecanese island complex]
* [http://www.travel-rhodes.com Travel Rhodes] Rhodes island travel guide
* [http://www.rhodos.gr www.rhodos.gr] Official website of the City of Rhodes
* [http://www.holiday.gr/place5.php?place_id=31 Rhodes info] Rhodes by Holiday.gr
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=36.164246,27.917633&spn=0.664055,0.936722&t=k&hl=en Satellite picture by Google Maps]
*[http://www.losttrails.com/pages/Hproject/Rhodes/Rhodes.html photo-essay on the archaeology of Rhodes]
*[http://www.rhodesholidays.net Rhodes accommodation]

[[Category:Islands of Greece]]
[[Category:Achaean colonies]]
[[Category:Dorian colonies]]
[[Category:Dodecanese]]