All the sea side villages of Ikaria disappeared and their inhabitants moved to the safety of

the interior of the island. However in  29 BC the Romans reestablished their control of the

island.

  New development was experienced in Ikaria in the Byzantine era while the island used as a

place of exile for members of the royal family who were considered  as a threat to the

Empire’s throne . The ancient Oenoe renamed as “Dolichi”, became an administrative center

and flourished again. It is claimed that in this era the population   reached  70.000

inhabitants.

 By the end of the 3rd century pirates appear  in the scene again, such as Muslims Saracens,

Maltesians, Genuese, Calabrians, Sicilians and Turks who were a serious and continuous

threat for Ikaria and other islands in the following centuries. According to documents from the

monastery of Patmos, Ikarians that time managed to kill or chase many of them away, but still

they were suffering a lot and for that reason  they built the anti-pirate villages (not visible from

the sea) up in the mountains such as “Langada”.

 

 

Greece is your Destination.

HISTORY OF IKARIA

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