Docos

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dokos (Δοκός)
Satellite photo with docos (lower third, center)
Satellite photo with docos (lower third, center)
Waters Mediterranean Sea
Archipelago Saronic Islands
Geographical location 37 ° 20 ′  N , 23 ° 19 ′  E Coordinates: 37 ° 20 ′  N , 23 ° 19 ′  E
Dokos (Greece)
Docos
length 7 km
width 2.8 km
surface 13.537 km²dep1
Highest elevation 308  m
Residents 18th (2011)

Dokos ( Greek Δοκός ( f. Sg. ), Pronunciation : [ ðɔˈkɔs ]) is a Greek island in the municipality of Hydra in the islands regional district of the Attica region .

The island is named after a shipowner family from the island of Hydra, who owned Dokos at the end of the 18th century AD. It was mentioned as aperopia (Απεροπία) by Pausanias and Pliny the Elder .

location

Dokos is located south of the Argolic Peninsula , which represents the easternmost part of the Peloponnese and, together with Hydra, forms the southern end of the Bay of Ermioni (Κόλπος της Ερμιόνης). The distance to the western Cape Mouzaki (Ακρωτήρι Μουζάκι) on the Argolic Peninsula is about one kilometer. The shortest distance to Hydra Island, which is to the east, is 2.8 km. In between lies the uninhabited island of Petasi (Πέτασι).

The maximum extent from west to east is 7 km, from north to south 2.8 km, the narrowest point in the east of the island is about 1100 m. The Skindos Bay (Κόλπος του Σκίντου) in the vicinity of which archaeological finds from different epochs have been made is located in the northeast. The highest point is the Korifi ( Greek Κορυφή ) in the east with 308 m. Further to the west are the mountain Malia ( Greek Μάλια , 273 m) and Tzouma ( Greek Τζούμα , 260 m). The Dokos lighthouse is on the southwest coast. In the north of the island is the women's monastery of Agia Efpraxia .

history

The results of archaeological investigations showed that the settlement of Dokos as early as the Neolithic in the 4th millennium BC. Took place. The Bronze Age settlements Myti Kommeni (Μύτη Κομμένη) and Ledeza (Λέδεζα) in the northeast near Skindos Bay were dated to phase FH II of the Early Helladic , one of which was inhabited until the Mycenaean period (approx. 1300 to 1200 BC) . In classical times there was a settlement with about a hundred houses on the 132 m high Kastelli hill.

Furthermore relics of the Hellenistic and Byzantine times could be proven. In the 7th century AD during the Byzantine period, a fortress was built on the Kastelli hill under Herakleios or Constantine IV . Inside there was a cistern and a basilica. However, the castle was destroyed by the Arabs in autumn 673 . It was used by the Byzantines and later by the Franks. Around 1670 , the Venetians under Francesco Morosini finally took over the castle and expanded it.

During the Greek Revolution , the bay to the north served as an anchorage for the Hydra fleet. During the reign of King Otto there were disputes over property between Hydra and Spetses . Only when the Greek corvette Psara opened fire did the situation calm down.

Archaeological finds

The two early Bronze Age settlements Myti Kommeni and Ledeza were found in the north-east on Cape Myti-Kommeni . Other remains of the building date from the Mycenaean period. In 1975 the archaeologist Peter Throckmorton found a shipload at a depth of 20 m in the bay northwest of the medieval castle, which is bordered to the north by Cape Myti-Kommeni . Was dated. Although only two stone anchors could be recovered from the ship itself, it is often referred to as the oldest shipwreck in the Aegean, and occasionally worldwide.

Two preliminary salvage campaigns in 1975 and 1977 as well as the first systematic study of a shipwreck in Greece from 1988 to 1992 by the Greek Institute for Underwater Archeology (Hellenic Institute of Marine Archeology, Ινστιτούτο Εναλίων Αρχαιολογικών Ερευνών) provided more than 10,000 ceramic objects. The largest closed ceramic find from the Early Helladic period is particularly important because of its large number and variety.

Based on finds such as millstones made of andesite, presumably from the island of Aegina , most of which showed no signs of use, obsidian blocks and blades from the Cycladic island of Milos , parts of a Cycladic pan and numerous artifacts, Dokos, together with the neighboring islands, can be seen as a link in the sea trade in the Early Helladic between the Aegean Islands and the towns of Lerna and Tiryns on the Argolic Gulf.

Another wreck was found in the same bay, probably dating back to the Archaic Period . To the north of Cape Myti-Kommeni, the remains of a ship from the Byzantine era were discovered.

Dokos today

According to the 2011 census, the island has 18 inhabitants. Dokos is seasonally used as grazing land for sheep and goats. The waters around the island are rich in fish, and aquaculture is also practiced in a small bay in the far northeast . In summer the bays serve as anchorages for yachts and for swimming trips. In 1994 the island was placed under monument protection by the Ministry of Culture. There is no ferry connection so Dokos can only be reached by water taxis.

In 2007 it became known that a Cypriot company was planning to buy Dokos to build a hotel, bungalows, a marina and other facilities.

literature

  • Στέφανος Γ. Ψιμένος: Ανεξερεύνετη Πελοπόννησος. Εκδόσεις ROAD, Αθήνα 1998, ISBN 960-8481-09-0 , σελ. 215-216.

Web links

Commons : Dokos  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Charles Arnold (ed.): The islands of the Mediterranean. A unique and complete overview . 2nd Edition. marebuchverlag, Hamburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-86648-096-4 .
  2. ^ Pausanias: Travels in Greece , 2, 34, 9
  3. ↑ Pliny the Elder: Naturalis historia , 4, 12 (4, 19)
  4. ^ William Martin Leake : Peloponnesiaca , London 1846, p. 285
  5. ^ Seán McGrail: Boats of the World. From the Stone Age to Medieval Times . Oxford University Press, Oxford et al. 2004, ISBN 0-19-927186-0 . [1] , p. 105, English.
  6. ↑ A Brief History of Underwater Archeology in Greece, page 6, English Archive link ( Memento of the original from July 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 169 kB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.underwaterarchaeology.gr
  7. ↑ National Technical University of Athens, Location of the Archaeological Sites , English
  8. ↑ Results of the 2011 census, Greek Statistical Office (ΕΛ.ΣΤΑΤ) ( Memento from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (Excel document, 2.6 MB)
  9. ↑ Attempt to purchase protected island of Dokos, HomeboyMediaNews, April 17, 2007 , English
  10. ↑ Attempts to purchase protected island of Dokos, greeka.com, April 17, 2007 , English