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Amorgos
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Amorgos island in
Greece
In the east of the
Archipelagos, oblong and mountainous, is the
beautiful island of Amorgos.
This little jewel is part of the island
group of the Cyclades
According to mythology, King Minos of Crete
ruled a second kingdom on Amorgos, on which
remains of the ancient Minoan civilization
has been found.
This island is where the French film maker,
Luc Besson, turned scenes of his film,
The Big Blue.
This is the reason why most of the tourists
there are French.
It is better to avoid going holidays in
Amorgos during midsummer because it is
usually crowded with tourists.
The island posses an amazing monastery
wedged into a huge precipice at 300m from
the sea called the Monastery of Hozoviotissa
that became the emblem of Amorgos, and
wonderful beaches with fine sand, palm
trees, surrounded by huge cliffs; it is also
an ideal island for walking because it is
quite small. |
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refreshing the page will bring up more
Amorgos related sites
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Amorgos historyIn 1985, excavations revealed that organised life
existed in Amorgos Greece (Cyclades) from the 4th millennium BC, at the end of
the Neolithic age.
During the 3rd millennium BC, Amorgos Island participated in the development of
the Cycladic civilisation: settlements and cemeteries have been discovered as
well as twelve citadels..
The big quantity of small works of art (ceramics, metalwork, marble idols…)
found on the island show the cultural advance of the people and indicate that
they were in frequent contact with the other Cycladic islands as well as Crete.
At the end of the Cycladic period the Cycladic civilisation in Amorgos lost its
vigour, due to the growth of the Cretan superiority in the Aegean.
From this time, Amorgos became an important sea-trade station for the Cretans
who controlled and colonised her.
During the Archaic period (7th –6th century BC), Amorgos is colonised by the
cities of Ionia, which gave to the island a fast political and social
development of its three big cities, called the “city-states”.
During the Classical era (5th –4th century BC), the tree cities of Amorgos (the
“tripolis”) functioned as a federation, manufacturing, trading and shipping.
Amorgos took part in the Persian Wars, especially in the
Battle of Salamanca in 480 BC, in which she used one of her own ships.
source & more historical info for Amorgos
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Amorgos today |
Amorgos has two
ports, Katapola in
the south-west and
the little port of
Egiali in the
north-east, which
you can reach by
ferries from Piraeus
or from other
islands.
Amorgos’ central
port is Katapola,
boarded with white
windmills, blue and
white painted little
houses, full of
narrow streets
leading to a
gorgeous Venetian
castle.
The main town is
called “Hora” and is
a pure marvel:
situated in the
Kastro (castle)
quarter, the little
village offers great
images to the lucky
visitor; with
streets giving the
feeling of being in
a labyrinth and a
superb paved central
square, Hora carry
its visitors into a
unique atmosphere.
The local events are
interesting to see
and live. Most of
them take place
during religious
holidays or saints
name celebrations,
where big religious
festivities take
place after the
evening ceremonies.
Amorgos’
architecture is very
rich and diverse, a
mixture of Minoan
Christian,
Byzantine, Venetian,
Neoclassical and
typical Cycladic
architecture (little
round-roofed white
houses with blue
windows and doors).
The island proposes
only one museum: the
Archaeological
Collection of
Amorgos, located in
Hora, which consists
of a huge range of
antiquities, from
the Bronze Age and
from the end of the
ancient world. |
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John
Freely's:
Howard
Bond 's:
J.
Theodore Bent's :
Cyprian
Broodbank's:
