KIMOLOS > HISTORY

The island has been inhabited since 1,100 B.C., during the Mycenaean period and was then settled by the Dorians.

The ancient city was located in the current location of "Ellinika", before it sank underwater. What is left of the city can be seen on the islet of Agios Andreas, opposite Ellinika, where ruins of residences and tombs have been found on the seabed of the area. The residents continued to occupy the area until the Byzantine era, as evident from findings of the Roman and Byzantine years.

The history of Kimolos is linked to that of Milos. During Frankish rule it was annexed to the duchy of Naxos. Kimolos was often victim to pirate raids, the fiercest of which being that of Barbarossa in 1537. The island was later conquered by the Turks and, after the Russian-Turkish war (1770-1774), by the Russians. After liberation it was annexed to the Greek state.