Milos
The title of this article is ambiguous. For other meanings, see Milos (disambiguation).
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Milos (Modern Greek Μήλος (f. sg.)), also Melos (from Ancient Greek Μῆλος Mēlos), is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Together with Andimilos, some smaller uninhabited islands, and the Ananes group of islands about 23 km to the southwest, the Cyclades island forms a municipality (δήμος, Dimos) within the South Aegean region (Περιφέρεια Νότιου Αιγαίου).
With an area of about 160.147 square kilometres and almost 5000 inhabitants (2011), Milos is comparatively densely populated. The main town of the same name is located above the port of Adamas. Other towns on the island are Tripiti, Triovasalos and Apollonia. From Apollonia there is a daily ferry to the small neighbouring island of Kimolos.
A special feature of Milos are the Syrmata, houses built directly on the waterline, whose ground floor serves as a safe shelter for fishing boats in winter. With their colourful 'garage doors' they offer a unique sight, especially when the Syrmata, grouped into small villages like Klima or Mandrakia, line the coast.
Milos is the site of the Venus of Milo, correctly known in Greece as Aphrodite of Milos. The original is on display in Paris at the Louvre. A copy can be seen in the Milos Archaeological Museum.
Geography
The island almost completely encloses an extensive bay, on which the few harbor villages are located. The highest elevation is Profitis Ilias in the west of the island at 748 meters. The rocky coast around the flatter eastern part of the island is lined with a few beaches, which are particularly striking for their multi-coloured rocks and sands.
About 20 kilometres northwest of Milos lies the uninhabited island of Andimilos.
Community structure
The municipality of Milos is divided into two municipalities and three local communities with 37 villages, settlements and islands.
| BoroughLocal community | Greek name | Code | Area (km²) | Inhabitants 2001 | Inhabitants 2011 | Villages and islands |
| Milos | Τοπική Κοινότητα Μήλου | 65010001 | 93,481 | 0919 | 0819 | Milos, Akanthi, Ananes, Andimilos, Areti, Embourios, Kipos, Xylokeratia, Paximadia, Provatas, Palaki Chalakos, Fourkovouni, Fyropotamos, Psathadika |
| Adamas | Δημοτική Κοινότητα Αδάμαντος | 65010002 | 03,970 | 1391 | 1347 | Adamas |
| Pera Triovasalos | Τοπική Κοινότητα Πέραν Τριοβασάλου | 65010003 | 14,381 | 0644 | 0698 | Pera Triovasalos, Katsaronas, Komia |
| Triovasalos | Δημοτική Κοινότητα Τριοβασάλου | 65010004 | 19,353 | 1029 | 1240 | Triovasalos, Agii Anargyri, Agios Gerasimos, Apollonia, Voudia, Glaronisia, Kaminia, Mandrakia, Mytikas, Pachena, Pilonisi, Fylakopi |
| Trypiti | Τοπική Κοινότητα Τρυπητής | 65010005 | 36,446 | 0788 | 0873 | Trypiti, Agia Kyriaki, Zefyria, Kanava, Climate, Paliochori, Schinopi |
| Total | 6501 | 167,631 | 4771 | 4977 | ||
History
As findings prove, Milos has been continuously inhabited since 5000 BC. From the early Bronze Age around the year 2500 BC there are settlement finds that can be attributed to the Keros-Syros culture. Since the end of the Early Cycladic period around 2000 BC, Phylakopi was one of the first urban settlements on Milos, which, along with Agia Irini on Kea and later Akrotiri on Santorini, was one of the most advanced cities in the Mediterranean. It continued to exist in Mycenaean times until around 1100 BC. Milos was then a centre of trade in ceramics and obsidian, the material for most tools of the time.
During the Peloponnesian War in the 5th century BC, the inhabitants of Milos resisted mighty Athens. After the Athenians surrounded the island's eponymous capital with a siege wall, the city ran out of supplies and was forced to surrender for better or worse. Thereupon all the male inhabitants were executed, the women and children enslaved. The Athenian politician and historian Thucydides describes this incident in the Melier dialogue in Book V, chapters 84-116 of his work on the Peloponnesian War.
During the Second World War the island was occupied by German troops.
