History of Alonissos

Before the 16th century B.C., Alonissos was known as Ikos. It has also been known as Liadromia or Chiliodromia. It became Alonissos in 1831 after the Treaty of London secured independence for Greece from the Ottoman Empire.

Alonissos has evidence of what appears to be the earliest human settlement in the Aegean. Archaeological excavations have found evidence of Stone Age settlements when the island was still connected to the Pelio Peninsula. Tools and bones from the Middle Stone Age have also been found at Kokkinokastro.

In the fourth century B.C. Alonissos was invaded by the Spartans before being recaptured by the Athenian Alliance. It came under the power of Phillip of Macedonia during the wars between the Athenians and the Macedonians. A period of relative stability came to an end when Alonissos was invaded by the Romans in 146 B.C.

Alonissos became a Christian island in the third century A.D. It was then part of the Byzantine Empire. Churches, monasteries and fortifications bear witness to the island’s cultural and economic success during this time.

The Sporades were captured by the Christians during the Crusades. At the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, the islands were captured by the Venetians. In 1538 Barbarossa captured the island for the Ottoman Empire.

The islands remained under Ottoman control until the Treaty of London. However, its inhabitants were involved in uprisings and the revolution of 1821. The Treaty of London established Alonissos as part of the Hellenic state.