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History
Monday, 28 November 2011 21:18 | Last Updated on Friday, 30 December 2011 11:20 | 
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Mythology
Giants, killed by Hercules during a fierce battle, are buried under the huge rocks of Mykonos according to Greek Classical Mythology. The island took its name after Mykonos, son of the king of Delos who was called Anios (Anios was half-god as his father was Apollo god and his mother was Rhoi nymphe). Zeus, Apollo, Dionysus, Poseidon, Demeter and Heracles were the most popular gods, adored in Mykonos, during ancient times.
History
Mykonos first inhabitants were probably Cares and Phoenicians. Later (1000 B.C.) Ionians from Athens establish a colony and took control of the island after they expelled previous inhabitants. According historical resources that period of time the island had two towns.
During 1292 Mykonos was pillaged by Catalans but finally the Venetians manage keeping the island under their control. Later both Mykonos and Tinos islands operated as a single Venetian colony. In 1537 Barbarossa, the admiral of Souleiman destroyed Mykonos after a catastrophic attack.
Much later Mykonos became a famous port for foreign commercial ships due to its geographical position. Mykonians for a short period of time were involved with piracy but later as well trained sailors of the commercial navy, they use their knowledge to develop trading and shipping. During Orlof insurrection period (1770-1774) Mykonos and many other islands took part supporting Russian Empire. Later they were generously rewarded with profitable trading regulations.
Mykonos in 1821 offered four armed ships and crews supporting the Hellenic liberating fight against Turks. Mando Mavrogenous, a woman from Mykonos, became a popular nation heroine the same period as she gave most of her family fortune to support two of the Mykonian ships and she fight next to the men against the Turks. In 1822 the Mykonian ships were successfully impeded a landing of a squadron of the Turkish fleet.
Later when Greece was a free country again, after 400 years time under Turkish occupation, and the Hellenic Democracy was established, Mykonos create strong trading relations with Odessa, Crimea, Leghorn (Italy), Smyrna, Alexandria (Egypt), Constantinople, Marseille (France) and Syros island. The new sea passage throw Corinth Canal who was built in 1904, and new cargo ships powered by steam engines instead of sails, as they changed traditional ships routes, brought another economical crisis in the island. People started leaving the island to immigrate in Russia until 1st World War and USA after. Later another wave of internal immigration send many Mykonians to the biggest cities of Greece.
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