Rhodes
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===Background=== | ===Background=== | ||
| - | + | [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes Rhodes] or Rodos (Ρόδος) is the largest island in the Dodecanese and the capital of the Dodecanese province. Because it is physically a lovely island with very mild winters it has become a year round vacation resort favored by many northern Europeans, in fact, there are more Scandinavians, British, and Germans in the island than native Greeks. The result of this popularity is local wealth and the building of many high-rise hotels. Amazingly enough the island, although always crowded, is not unattractive, especially in the winter months. | |
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| + | Rhodes although fairly mountainous, it tallest peak Mt. Ataviros is 1215 m (3986 ft.), is one of the most fertile of the Greek islands with many pine and olive trees as well as orange and lemon groves. Many wildflowers grow here such as: rock-rose, hibiscus, bougainvillea, and jasmine. There are so many colorful butterflies (especially in the "valley of the butterflies") that Rhodes is often referred to as "the butterfly island." In addition to the butterflies the local fauna include: deer (which appear in many Rhodian ceramics), foxes, hares, badgers, partridges, vultures, vipers, jackdaws, jays, and the Rhodes dragon - a lizard which grows up to 50 cm (14"). | ||
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| + | Rhodes has been inhabited from the Paleolithic times. The Minoans colonized the island and built shrines to the moon at Flerimos, Lindos, and Kamiros. They were succeeded by the Achaeans who came to the island in the 15 century BC and founded the city of Achaia. According to Homer, Rhodes sent nine ships to the Trojan expedition led by Tlepolemos the son of Heracles. Then in the 12 century came the Dorians who founded the cities of Lindos, Ialysos, and Kamiros. Because of its location Rhodes became from early times an important naval and trade power in the eastern Mediterranean. Around 1000 BC Rhodes along with Kos, Knidos, and Halicarnassus formed the Dorian Hexapolis which dominated the area for the next four centuries and established many colonies including Naples and as far as the Costa Brava in Spain. | ||
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| + | At the beginning of the Persian wars Rhodes along with the rest of the Dorian Hexapolis sided with the Persians but being great opportunists the Rhodians quickly switched to the Athenian dominated Delian League. In 408 BC the new city Rhodes was founded and the older cities of Lindos, Ialysos, and Kamiros became less important. Rhodes continued to prosper. During the Peloponnesian war the Rhodians switched side when the fortune of Athens declined. | ||
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| + | Later, in 336 BC the sided with Alexander and the Rhodian navy became the dominant power in the eastern Mediterranean. After Alexander's death Rhodes allied with Ptolemy who took over Egypt. Antigonos, another of Alexander's generals sent his famous son Dimitrios o Poliorketes (the Besieger) in charge of 40,000 troops to subdue Rhodes. The siege lasted from 305 to 304 BC and ended in a truce under which Rhodes would assist Antigonos but not against Ptolemy. The Rhodians to commemorate the conclusion of the siege, melted down the bronze of Dimitrio's siege machine and constructed a great statue of Helios, the son god. The statue, known as the Colossus of Rhodes and considered on of the seven wanders of the Hellenistic world, was sculpted by Chares and it was about the same size as the Statue of Liberty in NY. The statue dominated the harbor of Rhodes until 225 BC when it was toppled by an earthquake. Following the advice of the Oracle of Delphi the Rhodians left the fallen statue where it fell. It stood there until 653 AD when the Saracens who captured Rhodes, sold it as scrap. | ||
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| + | During the Roman times Rhodes was an important province of Rome. It was visited by many famous Romans including Pompey, Cicero, Cassius, Julius Caesar, Brutus, Cato the Younger, and Mark Antony. After Julius Caesar's assassination, Rhodes chose to back Augustus but Cassius was closer and he sacked the city in 43-42 BC. After that Rhodes went into decline. In 57 AD St. Paul visited the island and converted many inhabitants to Christianity. | ||
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| + | During the Byzantine years, the island saw many invaders and temporary rulers: Arabs, Saracens, (including the famous Harun al Rashid from the Arabian Nights), Genoese, Venetians, and finally Crusaders (including Richard the Lionheart). After the fall of Jerusalem in 1291 AD the order of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John moved to Cyprus but at 1306 decided that Rhodes is a better location. After unsuccessfully tried to convince the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos Paleologos to cede them the island, the just purchased all of the Dodecanese from the Genoese pirates who controlled it. The Knights fortified the city of Rhodes and built eight inns or auberges one for each of their "tongues" or nationalities: English, French, German, Italian, Catalan, Aragonese, Auvergne, and Provençal. All together there were about 650 Knights in the Order under the Grand Master. They nominally were to provide for the sick and run the inns as hospitals, in fact they were engaged in piracy and looting the "infidels" as defenders of Christianity. They gained great wealth from these activities which was further augmented in 1312 when Philip the Fair of France dissolved the fabulously rich Order of the Knights Templars and confiscated their holdings a portion of which he gave to the Knights of St. John of Rhodes. They use part of this fortune to further fortify the city. | ||
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| + | The surrounding and emerging Muslim world in the mean time was greatly harassed by the activities of the Knights and in 1444 the Sultan of Egypt unsuccessfully besieged the city. He was followed in 1480, also without success, by Mohammed II the Conqueror (the conqueror of Constantinople). Finally in 1522 the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent moved in with 200,000 troops. After a siege of over 6 months the city fell and the Knights moved to Malta. The new Ottoman owners forced the Greek and the sizable Jewish population to move outside the walled city but otherwise left the local population alone. | ||
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| + | In 1821 Rhodes joined the rest of the Greek world into the War of Independence. Unfortunately for the Rhodians not only they did not have a large enough fleet but were far away from island that did so lacking any protection they were at the mercy of their angry masters. The Ottoman reaction to the revolt was swift: they massacred a sizable portion of the population. Then in 1856 lightning stuck a gun powder magazine blowing up most of the Old Town and killing over 800 people. The island was in a bad shape. | ||
| - | + | In 1921 the Italians besieged Rhodes and took it from the weak Turkey. Mussolini claimed that he was the successor of the Grand Masters and he rightfully owned Rhodes. The Italians held the island until World War II. In 1943 the Germans invaded the island and send the 2000 Jewish inhabitants to the Nazi extermination camps. In 1948 Rhodes along with the rest of the Dodecanese was united with Greece. Since then, the island has seen a remarkable increase on its standard of living. It is now one of the most prosperous regions of Greece. | |
===Charts=== | ===Charts=== | ||
Revision as of 15:44, 13 April 2008
Background
Rhodes or Rodos (Ρόδος) is the largest island in the Dodecanese and the capital of the Dodecanese province. Because it is physically a lovely island with very mild winters it has become a year round vacation resort favored by many northern Europeans, in fact, there are more Scandinavians, British, and Germans in the island than native Greeks. The result of this popularity is local wealth and the building of many high-rise hotels. Amazingly enough the island, although always crowded, is not unattractive, especially in the winter months.
Rhodes although fairly mountainous, it tallest peak Mt. Ataviros is 1215 m (3986 ft.), is one of the most fertile of the Greek islands with many pine and olive trees as well as orange and lemon groves. Many wildflowers grow here such as: rock-rose, hibiscus, bougainvillea, and jasmine. There are so many colorful butterflies (especially in the "valley of the butterflies") that Rhodes is often referred to as "the butterfly island." In addition to the butterflies the local fauna include: deer (which appear in many Rhodian ceramics), foxes, hares, badgers, partridges, vultures, vipers, jackdaws, jays, and the Rhodes dragon - a lizard which grows up to 50 cm (14").
Rhodes has been inhabited from the Paleolithic times. The Minoans colonized the island and built shrines to the moon at Flerimos, Lindos, and Kamiros. They were succeeded by the Achaeans who came to the island in the 15 century BC and founded the city of Achaia. According to Homer, Rhodes sent nine ships to the Trojan expedition led by Tlepolemos the son of Heracles. Then in the 12 century came the Dorians who founded the cities of Lindos, Ialysos, and Kamiros. Because of its location Rhodes became from early times an important naval and trade power in the eastern Mediterranean. Around 1000 BC Rhodes along with Kos, Knidos, and Halicarnassus formed the Dorian Hexapolis which dominated the area for the next four centuries and established many colonies including Naples and as far as the Costa Brava in Spain.
At the beginning of the Persian wars Rhodes along with the rest of the Dorian Hexapolis sided with the Persians but being great opportunists the Rhodians quickly switched to the Athenian dominated Delian League. In 408 BC the new city Rhodes was founded and the older cities of Lindos, Ialysos, and Kamiros became less important. Rhodes continued to prosper. During the Peloponnesian war the Rhodians switched side when the fortune of Athens declined.
Later, in 336 BC the sided with Alexander and the Rhodian navy became the dominant power in the eastern Mediterranean. After Alexander's death Rhodes allied with Ptolemy who took over Egypt. Antigonos, another of Alexander's generals sent his famous son Dimitrios o Poliorketes (the Besieger) in charge of 40,000 troops to subdue Rhodes. The siege lasted from 305 to 304 BC and ended in a truce under which Rhodes would assist Antigonos but not against Ptolemy. The Rhodians to commemorate the conclusion of the siege, melted down the bronze of Dimitrio's siege machine and constructed a great statue of Helios, the son god. The statue, known as the Colossus of Rhodes and considered on of the seven wanders of the Hellenistic world, was sculpted by Chares and it was about the same size as the Statue of Liberty in NY. The statue dominated the harbor of Rhodes until 225 BC when it was toppled by an earthquake. Following the advice of the Oracle of Delphi the Rhodians left the fallen statue where it fell. It stood there until 653 AD when the Saracens who captured Rhodes, sold it as scrap.
During the Roman times Rhodes was an important province of Rome. It was visited by many famous Romans including Pompey, Cicero, Cassius, Julius Caesar, Brutus, Cato the Younger, and Mark Antony. After Julius Caesar's assassination, Rhodes chose to back Augustus but Cassius was closer and he sacked the city in 43-42 BC. After that Rhodes went into decline. In 57 AD St. Paul visited the island and converted many inhabitants to Christianity.
During the Byzantine years, the island saw many invaders and temporary rulers: Arabs, Saracens, (including the famous Harun al Rashid from the Arabian Nights), Genoese, Venetians, and finally Crusaders (including Richard the Lionheart). After the fall of Jerusalem in 1291 AD the order of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John moved to Cyprus but at 1306 decided that Rhodes is a better location. After unsuccessfully tried to convince the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos Paleologos to cede them the island, the just purchased all of the Dodecanese from the Genoese pirates who controlled it. The Knights fortified the city of Rhodes and built eight inns or auberges one for each of their "tongues" or nationalities: English, French, German, Italian, Catalan, Aragonese, Auvergne, and Provençal. All together there were about 650 Knights in the Order under the Grand Master. They nominally were to provide for the sick and run the inns as hospitals, in fact they were engaged in piracy and looting the "infidels" as defenders of Christianity. They gained great wealth from these activities which was further augmented in 1312 when Philip the Fair of France dissolved the fabulously rich Order of the Knights Templars and confiscated their holdings a portion of which he gave to the Knights of St. John of Rhodes. They use part of this fortune to further fortify the city.
The surrounding and emerging Muslim world in the mean time was greatly harassed by the activities of the Knights and in 1444 the Sultan of Egypt unsuccessfully besieged the city. He was followed in 1480, also without success, by Mohammed II the Conqueror (the conqueror of Constantinople). Finally in 1522 the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent moved in with 200,000 troops. After a siege of over 6 months the city fell and the Knights moved to Malta. The new Ottoman owners forced the Greek and the sizable Jewish population to move outside the walled city but otherwise left the local population alone.
In 1821 Rhodes joined the rest of the Greek world into the War of Independence. Unfortunately for the Rhodians not only they did not have a large enough fleet but were far away from island that did so lacking any protection they were at the mercy of their angry masters. The Ottoman reaction to the revolt was swift: they massacred a sizable portion of the population. Then in 1856 lightning stuck a gun powder magazine blowing up most of the Old Town and killing over 800 people. The island was in a bad shape.
In 1921 the Italians besieged Rhodes and took it from the weak Turkey. Mussolini claimed that he was the successor of the Grand Masters and he rightfully owned Rhodes. The Italians held the island until World War II. In 1943 the Germans invaded the island and send the 2000 Jewish inhabitants to the Nazi extermination camps. In 1948 Rhodes along with the rest of the Dodecanese was united with Greece. Since then, the island has seen a remarkable increase on its standard of living. It is now one of the most prosperous regions of Greece.
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