NisyrosIn the middle of 15th century BC the towns and cities of Crete appear to have been destroyed by seismic and tidal forces probably unleashed by the catastrophic of the volcanic island of Thera(Santorini)(93), and Cretan civilization abruptly declined.At Knossos there was a brief recovery but the new ruling class was comprised of Mycenaean Greeks who either swept in as conquerors from the greek mainland or already had a foothold in Crete and took advantage of the political vacuum to assume the control.

Two centuries later, on the eve of the trojan war, a formidable fleet was again operating out of Crete, serving the interests of a now hellenized island(94).As elsewhere in the aegean, the Cretans on Nisyros would have been expelled of subjugated by Mycenaean colonists(95).

The earliest written mention of Nisyros occurs in Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad, which was composed in the 8th century BC. From Homer we learn that Nisyros contributed ships to the Achaean expedition against Troy in 1184 BC, and its troops were under the command of the rulers of Cos Pheidippos and Antiphons, children of Thessalos, the son of Heracles(96). It is thus evident that Nisyros was an integral of the Mycenaean world by at least the late 12th century BC; it has remained Greek in language and culture for no less than 32 centuries.

There are a number of possible Mycenaean remains on the island, including the northern-most section of the circuit wall of the classical acropolis at palaiokastro overlooking Mandraki. Here the wall is remarkably similar construction to the cyclopean tracery of Mycenaean citadels(97), and more rambling in nature than the rest of the defenses, following the natural site contours in the Mycenaean fashion(98). Archimandrite Kyrillos Romanos, mentions such a wall as descending from palaiokastro, bridging the river bed at Potamos and encircling the area of Limnes.

Other cyclopean walls of possible Mycenaean date are reported at the place called Tafies (SW of Mandraki), another in Vathia, and elsewhere at Messes(100). On the western side of the island, massive terrace structures are visible that are refered to as “kastroteiches” (castle walls) by the locals. These are much larger than contemporary retaining walls in the area(101).It is possible that they are remains of ancient causeways, or perhaps fortified outposts in the countryside. Overlooking the region of Argos, the monastery of Stavros seems tonne founded on ruins of a Mycenaean fort, which German archaeologist Ludwig Ross describes as “pelasgian”.

Diodorus Siculus informs us that immediately after the sack of Troy (1184 BC) the crews of four of king Agamemnon’s ships made their way to Calydna(Calymnos), where they were shipwrecked and mingled with the inhabitants(103). Sometime before this Nisyros had experienced a deadly earthquake.The island’s population was soon replenished by settlers from Cos and again by new settlers from Rhodes, after an epidemic had decimated the Clans.(104)
Little is known about the fate of the Mycenaean rulers of Cos, Pheidippos and Anthipos. According to one account, Anthipos perished in a storm while Pheidippos established himself elsewhere.(105) Whatever their end may have been, we can take this as an indication that the Mycenaean did not regain the control they once had over Nisyros and the other islands of the south-eastern Aegean after the Trojan campaign.

In the discussion of the etymology of the name Nisyros we have seen that the island was also known as Porphyris, which was derived either from the porphyry, or murex, shells from which the Phoenicians extracted their famous red textile dyes.It has been suggested that the name nisyros is itself of Phoenician origin. While ancient historians leave no doubt that Phoenicians settled or at least operated outnof Nisyros, they do not assign a date to their presence.

Though it is possible to deduce an early Phoenician presence in Greece through mythological accounts of Cadmus, brother of Phoenix, who founded Thebes in Attica(106), the historical accounts speak only of a “Pelasgian” and Carian presence in the Aegean islands prior the arrival of the Greeks. We know, too, that Phoenician cities of Sidon and Tyre flourished around 1050 BC, which coincided with the collapse of the Mycenaean kingdom(107). It is more probable, therefore,that Phoenicians first established themselves on Nisyros around the time of, or shortly after, the Trojan war, either as settlers or (more probably, as war their customs) as merchants engaged in the dye manufacture; as elsewhere in the greek world, they are likely to have maintained a presence there until early historic times.

It is also possible that a Phoenician presence was deliberately maintained on Nisyros and other islands subject to Persian control until the early 5th century BC as a deterrent against rebellion.