Chios
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Chios
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Background
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Chios (Χίος) or Hios or Khios is a craggy island of 858 km2 with the highest peak Profitis Ilias of 1297 m (4297 ft.) in the arid North and the lush Cape Masticho on the South where the unique gum mastich (μαστίχα) grows. It is one of the alleged birthplaces of Homer.
In antiquity the island was very prosperous and after the Persian wars it was an ally of Athens and then Sparta. In the 11th century AD it was taken from the Byzantines, then by the Venetians, who were succeeded by the Genoese, who formed a special company in the 14th century just for the trade of the mastich. In 1566 the Ottomans took the island from the Genoese and held it until 1922 when it joined Greece. During the Ottoman period Chios was granted many special privileges and joined the Greek revolution very reluctantly under the coercion of the Samians in 1822. The Ottoman reaction was devastating. After beheading three Chians who were hostages in Istanbul they send the Turkish armada to invade the island. On March 30, 1822 they landed on the island. Within 24 hours they massacred over 8,000 unarmed inhabitants. The horror lasted for months. Over 25,000 were killed and 47,000, mostly women, were sold into slavery. Within 6 months from the original 120,000 inhabitants only 18,000 were left. The repercussions of this tragedy were felt all over Europe. Intellectuals like Lebrun, Müller, and especially Victor Hugo with The Child of Chios and the painter Delacroix with his Massacre of Chios painting publicized the event which proved crucial for mustering support in Europe for the Greek revolution.
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The production of mastich (μαστίχα- masticha) gum (Pistacia lentiscus) is a tradition particular to Chios. It is the resin of a bush that is said to grow only in this SW corner of the island. The bush does not grow very big, and at the appropriate time the growers make tiny slits on its trunk. From these slits, the gum oozes out, and it is collected. Tiny droplets are also collected from the ground, hence the sieves. The gum then is taken home, and over long hours during the winter, it is sorted according to quality and size. Families own individual bushes scattered over a wide area. The mastich gum is used as a particularly flavorful chewing gum, as a flavoring for ouzo, in a toothpaste, for a very sweet and sticky favorite of Greek children served in a spoon submerged in a glass of water and called appropriately a submarine, for folk medicines, etc. This information was given to me by one of the women I met on my way near Salagonas. During the Ottoman years, the production of mastich reached its highest point, it being the favorite chewing gum of the ladies in the seraglio because it gave them a sweet smelling mouth.
Charts
BA 1645 Nísos Khíos and Izmir Körfezi
Imray-Tetra G28 Nísos Khíos & the Coast of Turkey
NIMA 54386 Khios Strait Greece and Turkey
Greek 334 Chios Island & Opposite Coast of Asia Minor
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