Greece Travel Guía

The origin of Rhodes is related to an amazing myth that liked defining Píndaro and other ancient writers with its works. According to the myth, Zeus decided to distribute the islands of Greece to other Gods. God of Sol Helios selected Rhodes, while it arose from the blue sea, sank it with its eternal light and the most amazing island did it. Helios called the island after the nymph Rhode, with whom he felt in love. She was the daughter of the god of the sea, Poseidón. Nevertheless,     Ophioussa knew Rhodes of ancient form for other names, between them, for many it winds estuvó lived there; Elaphousa, because the Rhodians brought the darlings to kill the serpentean; Asteria, for its blue and starred clear sky; Makaria, for its detention beauty; Telchinia, because its first inhabitants, as it was said, was the Telchines; and Attavyria, after its highest mountain, Attavyros.

Of the stone Age Rhodes has been attacked and manipulated to a major or less grade by several Mediterranean civilizations of East, including to the Secondary ones (1700-1600 aC), coming from Crete, Telchines Heliades, Phoenicians, Archeans and Dorians under the leader Tlepolemos, who according to the tradition shared the island between three cities of Kamiros, Ialissos and Pretty in 1100 aC. In approximately 700 aC those three cities, together with the island of Kos and the cities of Cnidus and Halicarnassus on the coast of the Asia Minor, it founded Dorian Hexapolis, and the alliance that they called the Pentapolis. This alliance survived up to 408 aC. The three ancient states of city of the island, joined and concentrated its power on a new establishment, and a new city was founded (Rhodes). It was for costruir projects of Hippododammos of Earthworms.

After the fall and the fragmentation of the Empire of Macedonia, the island of Rhodes fought for its freedom and, after a long place, it triumphed in 305 aC. It was during this period that the statue of the colossus, one of Seven Marvels of the World, was constructed and sat down astride on the port. During this period, Rhodes did to itself a naval important power where the art and the literature prospered. Its activities in the commerce and in the foundation of colonies were done non-stop in the time. The ships of always rapid rhodian navigating almost every corner of Mediterranean, bringing the wealth to house and the glory. Making sure that correctly the navigation was arranged, the Rhodians introduced a marine system of international law that was one of the most important early legal texts and it was still used during the Roman period.

Because of its strategic position, they dominated Rhodes successively for Turks, Persians and Saracens; then the Venetian and the Genovese took the island followed by the Gentlemen of Santo John that the City of Rhodes fortified, leaving its signs to the island. In 1523, after a long place, they were chased far, for the Ottoman ones, which took the direction of Rhodes. The island remained under the Ottoman diet until 1912 (in spite of the Greek War of Independence). During the First world war, Rhodes was taken by the Italians who only left the island when they came to terms to the Allied Forces in 1943. Then, the Germans assumed it during a short period, followed by English that maintained its diet until 1948, the year during which the island of Rhodes, and quite the others the islands of the Dodecaneso, did a part of the State to itself newly contruida Greece.