Gioura
| Gioura (Γιούρα) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Waters | Mediterranean Sea | |
| Archipelago | Northern Sporades | |
| Geographical location | 39 ° 23 '24 " N , 24 ° 10' 12" E | |
|
||
| length | 8 kilometers | |
| width | 2 km | |
| surface | 11.052 km² | |
| Highest elevation | 570 m | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
Gioura ( pronunciation : [ ˈʝura ], Greek Γιούρα ( n. Pl. )) Is a Greek island in the Northern Sporades . Administratively, the island belongs to the municipality of Alonnisos in the Sporades regional district of the Thessaly region .
location
The island is about 13 km northeast of Alonissos. Kyra Panagia Island is 3 miles southwest. In between are the islands of Pappous, Strongylo and Prasso.
Gioura is characterized even more than other islands in the Northern Sporades by its wild rocky coastline, but it has two small beaches with marble pebbles. The only larger bay, Ormos Megala Vala (Όρμος Μεγάλα Βάλα) is located in the southwest. The island has no safe anchorage. A ridge runs through the elongated island from north to south on the east side, the highest point reaching 570 m.
The largest cave of the Northern Sporades is located in the south of the island, the entrance is about 150 m high and faces the sea. The cave is about 40 × 50 m in size, its height is 15 m.
mythology
Gioura is said to be identical to the island of the Cyclops from the Odyssey . The so-called Cyclops Cave (Σπήλαιο του Κύκλωπα) is said to be the cave of Polyphemus . After the accident of a visitor, it was closed and archaeologically explored from 1992 to 1995.
history
The evidence from the Mesolithic , which is rather rare for Greece, was first found on Gioura on an Aegean island.
In ancient times the island was called Gerontia. Remains of a temple, believed to have been dedicated to Poseidon , have been found on the west coast. At the time of the Roman Empire, Gioura served as a place of exile.
Until the early 19th century, monks from Mount Athos lived on the island. Today Gioura is owned by the Greek state. At the church Evangelistria there are a few houses that are inhabited in winter by hunters who hunt goats.
archeology
The archaeological research of the cave from 1992 to 1995 showed that the island was already in the 9th millennium BC. Chr. Inhabited. Due to the large numbers of bones and skeletons of all fish species occurring in the marine area, including tuna and bony fishhooks of various sizes, a systematic and organized fishery can be assumed. The investigation of the found obsidian tools could prove the origin of the Cycladic island of Milos , while tools show a similarity with finds in Asia Minor in the area of Antalya , which leads to the conclusion that the inhabitants of the island had contacts across the Aegean and had extraordinary knowledge of navigation. Part of a female skull found in 1995 was dated to the 9th millennium BC. The age of the woman is estimated at 65 to 70 years.
nature
The rocky island is overgrown with the typical representatives of the Phrygana and Macchia with a predominant proportion of Kermes oaks ( Quercus coccifera ). The Kermes oaks used to cover most of the island, but were felled after 1945 for the production of charcoal. Fritillaria sporadum is endemic to Gioura , the plant is related to the well-known ornamental plant imperial crown .
Feral domestic goats live on Gioura, and the rocky coast is an ideal retreat for Mediterranean monk seals .
natural reserve
Gioura is located in the Alonissos National Marine Park GR 1430004 (Εθνικό Θαλάσσιο Πάρκο Αλοννήσου –Βορείων Σποράδων, Ανατολική Σκόπελος) in zone A3.
Web links
- General information about Gioura , English
- Natura 2000 area GR 1430004 , Greek
- Alonissos National Marine Park , Greek
- Flora Sporadum, University of Patras Biology Department ( Memento from February 19, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (.pdf 5.0 MB), Greek
Individual evidence
- ↑ Cyprian Broodbank: At Iceland Archeology of the Early Cyclades . Cambridge University Press, 2002, ISBN 0-521-52844-5 , pp. 115 f . (English)