Prehistoric times.( - 1100 B.C.)
According to the "Travels", by an anonymous writer,
Skiathos was inhabited in prehistoric times by
Pelasgians, a pre-Hellenic tribe. It is possible,
though, that before the Pelasgian settlement in
Skiathos the island may have been inhabited by Careans.
Early and Classical times.(1100 - 338 B.C.)
After these ancient settlers, the Sporades were
inhabited by the Chalcedeans who built their town on
the south eastern side of the harbor. According to
historian Herodotus, in 480 B.C., when the Persian
fleet was sailing down from Thessaloniki, the Greeks
awaiting it at Artemision in Euboea, were warned by
lighted torches on Skiathos. During the period of the
Delian Alliance, Skiathos had its own democratic and
autonomous administration. After the Peloponnesian
war, in 404 B.C. Skiathos came under the rule of
Sparta. In 386 B.C. Skiathos was officially declared
independent but the Spartans violated the peace treaty
and soon seized Skiathos again. In 378 B.C. Athens
established the 2nd Athenian Alliance and Skiathos once
again ranged with Athens. In that 2nd Alliance,
Skiathos remained for about 40 years. Skiathos was
later used by the Athenians as a naval port. In
338. B.C. Skiathos came under Macedonian rule.
Hellenistic and Roman times.(338 B.C.- 330 A.C.) The Macedonians established an oligarchic system of government in Skiathos and the island remained undisturbed for many years. In 199 B.C. the Roman fleet arrived on the island. When the Macedonian Kingdom was overthrown in 168 B.C., the Romans granted a degree of freedom to the Greek cities and states. In 42 B.C., after the battle of Philips the victor, Antonio, handed over Skiathos along with some other islands to the Athenians, as a token of gratitude. Skiathos thus re-established its democratic regime.the coin of SKIATHOS
The Byzantine period and Venetian rule.(330 - 1538 A.C.)
During the first years of the Byzantine period,
Skiathos belonged to the province of Thessaly. During
the 7th century Skiathos suffered much Saracen pirate
raids in the Aegean. In 1207 Skiathos was taken over
by the brothers Andrea and Jeremia Ghisi, Venetian
merchants. They built a new fortress called Bourtzi
in the great harbor for their residence and for the
security of town. The Ghisi brothers ruled until
1259, their successors continuing for a further 17
years, until 1276, when the Byzantine fleet drove
them out of Skiathos. The island remained within the
Byzantine state until 1453. Following the continuos
pirate raids, the people of Skiathos abandoned the
town and built a new, safer one, the Kastro on the
northern side of the island. When Constantinopole
fell to the Turks in 1453, Skiathos chose Venetian
rule. The Venetian rulers were so harsh that when, in
1538, the fortress was besieged by Barbarossa, the
inhabitants, in order to rid themselves of the
tyranny of the Venetians, did not hesitate to
surrender it to him.
KASTRO
The period of Turkish domination.(1538 - 1821 A.C.)
The Turkish domination began in 1538 when the
Turk - Venetian peace treaty was signed. The island
was ruled by a Turkish governor who was assisted by
the elders of the island. There were also quite a few
Turks living on the island at that time. In the year
1660, the Venetian admiral Francesco Morosini seized
the Kastro and Venetian rule was re-established for
the third time. The Turks soon took the Kastro again.
The inhabitants continued to suffer pirate raids
which still harried them relentlessly. In 1807 at the
Monastery of Evangelistria the first Greek flag was
raised by fighters that gave an oath to free Greece
from Turkish domination. Among them were: Kolokotronis,
Nikotsaras and Papavlahavas.
The Greek War of Independence.( 1821 A.C. ) Skiathos joined the ranks of those fighting against the Turks. At that time, it possessed a good number of fully equipped ships, with trained and experienced crews. When their revolutionary efforts failed, many people found refuge in Skiathos. This influx of population caused problems, as shelter and food became scarce. The island was plagued for years by violence and looting. In 1823 the Turks tried to take the island again but were defeated. In 1829, after the signing of the Protocol of London, the inhabitants of Skiathos abandoned the Kastro and resettled along the harbor, when the ancient town had stood.
Recent history. Skiathos became officially independent upon the signing of a new Protocol in 1830. This protocol ceded to the Greek state - apart from other regions - the "Demon Islands", that is Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos. After independence, navigation on Skiathos once more flourished, and continued to grow until 1930. Shipbuilding mostly took space on Skiathos, as in the island's thick forests there was plenty of wild pine, which was used for the large sailing vessels.
Please continue to the KASTRO section to find out more...