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CHIOS
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CHIOS , an See also:island on the See also:west See also:coast of See also:Asia See also:Minor, called by the Greeks Chios (Xios, 'o- T~ Rio) and by the See also:Turks See also:Saki Adasi; the soft See also:pronunciation of X before i in See also:modern See also:Greek, approximating to sh, caused Xio to be Italianized as Scio. It forms, with the islands of Psara, Nikaria, Leros, Calymnus and See also:Cos, a sanjak Of the See also:Archipelago vilayet. Chios is about 3o m. See also:long from N. to S., and from 8 to 15 M. broad; pop. 64,000. It well deserves the epithet " craggy " (aaclraXoeQVa) of the Homeric hymn. Its See also:figs were noted in See also:ancient times, but See also:wine and gummastic have always been the most important products. The See also:climate is healthy; oranges, See also:olives and even palms grow freely. The wine grown on the N.W. coast, in the See also:district called by See also:Strabo Ariusia, was known as vinum Arvisium. See also:Early in the 7th See also:century s.c. See also:Glaucus of Chios discovered the See also:process of See also:welding See also:iron (icoXMo-ts: see J. G. Frazer's See also:Pausanias, See also:note on x. 16. 1, vol. v. pp. 313-314), and the iron stand of a large See also:crater whose parts were all connected by this process was constructed by him, and preserved as one of the most interesting See also:relics of antiquity at See also:Delphi. The long See also:line of Chian sculptors (see GREEK See also:ART) in See also:marble bears See also:witness to the fame of Chian art. In literature the See also:chief See also:glory of Chios was the school of epic poets called Homeridae, who helped to create a received See also:text of See also:Homer and gave the island the reputation of being the poet's birthplace. The chief See also:town, Chios (pop. 16,000), is on the E. coast. A See also:theatre and a See also:temple of See also:Athena Poliuchus existed in the ancient See also:city. About 6 m. N. of the city there is a curious See also:monument of antiquity, commonly called " the school of Homer "; it is a very ancient See also:sanctuary of See also:Cybele, with an See also:altar and a figure of the goddess with her two lions, cut out of the native See also:rock on the See also:summit of a See also: Starting from the city and encompassing the island, one passes in See also:succession the promontory Posidium; Cape Phanae, the See also:southern extremity of Chios, with a See also:harbour and a temple of See also:Apollo; Notium, probably the See also:south-western point of the island; Laii, opposite the city of Chios, where the island is narrowest; the town Bolissus (now Volisso), the See also:home of the Homerid poets; Melaena, the See also:north-western point; the wine-growing district Ariusia; Cardamyle (now Cardhamili); the north-eastern promontory was probably named Phlium, and the mountains that See also:cross the See also:northern See also:part of the island Pelinaeus or Pellenaeus.
The See also:history of Chios is very obscure. According to Pherecydes, the See also:original inhabitants were See also:Leleges, while according to other accounts Thessalian Pelasgi possessed the island before it became an Ionian See also:state. The name Aethalia, See also:common to Chios and See also:Lemnos in very early times, suggests the original existence of a homogeneous See also:population in these and other neighbouring islands. Oenopion, a mythical See also:hero, son of See also:Dionysus or of See also:Rhadamanthus, was an early See also: The island was subsequently punished with great rigour by the Persians. The Chian ships, under the See also:tyrant Strattis, served in the Persian fleet at See also:Salamis. After its liberation in 479 Chios joined the Delian League and long remained a See also:firm ally of the Athenians, who allowed it to retain full See also:autonomy. But in 413 the island revolted, and was not recaptured. After the Peloponnesian See also:War it took the first opportunity to renew the Athenian alliance, but in 357 again seceded. As a member of the Delian League it had regained its prosperity, being able to equip a fleet of 50 or 6o sail. Moreover, it was reputed one of the best-governed states in See also:Greece, for although it was governed alternately by oligarchs and democrats neither party persecuted the other severely. It was not till See also:late in the 4th century that See also:civil dissension became a danger to the state, leaving it a See also:prey to Idrieus, the dynast of See also:Caria (346), and to the Persian See also:admiral See also:Memnon (333). During the Hellenistic See also:age Chios maintained itself in a virtually See also:independent position. It supported the See also:Romans in their Eastern See also:wars, and was made a " See also:free and allied state." Under See also:Roman and See also:Byzantine See also:rule See also:industry and See also:commerce were undisturbed, its chief export at this time being the Arvisian wine, which had become very popular. After temporary occupations by the Seljuk Turks (1089–1092) and by the Venetians (1124–1125, 1172, 1204–1225), it was given in See also:fief to the Genoese See also:family of Zaccaria, and in 1346 passed definitely into the hands of a Genoese maona, or trading See also:company, which was organized in 13 t der the name of " the See also:Giustiniani." This mercantile brotherhooil~formerly a privileged class, alone exploited the See also:mastic See also:trade; at the same time the Greeks were allowed to retain their rights of self-government and continued to exercise their See also:industries. In 1415 the Genoese became tributary to the Ottomans. In spite of occasional secessions which brought severe See also:punishment upon the island (1453, 1479), the rule of the Giustiniani was not abolished till 1566. Under the See also:Otto-See also:man government the prosperity of Chios was hardly affected. But the island underwent severe periods of suffering after its See also:capture and reconquest from the Florentines (1595) and the Venetians (1694-1695), which greatly reduced the number of the Latins. Worst of all were the massacres of 1822, which followed upon an attack by some Greek insurgents executed against the will of the natives. In 1881 Chios was visited by a very severe See also:earthquake in which over 5600 persons lost their lives and more than See also:half the villages were seriously damaged. The island has now recovered its prosperity. There is a harbour at See also:Castro, and See also:steam See also:flour-See also:mills, foundries and tanneries have been established. See also:Rich See also:antimony and See also:calamine mines are worked by a See also:French undertaking, and See also:good marble is quarried by an See also:Italian company. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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