SKOPELOS

Skopelos (Greek: Σκόπελος), part of the Northern Sporades archipelago, is considered one of the greenest islands in the Aegean Sea. Green forests cover most of its surface, especially in the area of the highest mountain, Delphi (681 m), and the second highest mountain, Palouki (567 m).

The history of Skopelos, during which the ancient Greeks, Byzantines, Venetians, Ottomans, and pirates left their mark on the island, is closely linked to mythology.

Mythology

In ancient times, the island of Skopelos was called Peparithos.

Peparithos was the son of the god Dionysus and Ariadne, daughter of the Cretan king Minos. Peparithos was the brother of Stafylos, who is considered the first settler of Skopelos. The name Peparithos is also mentioned by the great historian Thucydides.

According to legend, Theseus, the son of King Aegeus, set out for Minoan Crete with seven young boys and the same number of girls to be sacrificed to the Minotaur. The Minotaur was a half-man, half-monster who, according to legend, lived in a labyrinth. In Crete, Theseus met Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos and his wife Pasiphae. Ariadne fell in love with Theseus and gave him a magic sword to kill the Minotaur and a ball of thread with which Theseus found the way out of the labyrinth. Together with the others, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra, Theseus fled by ship to Athens.

During the voyage, they stopped at the island of Naxos. There, however, the god Dionysus appeared to Ariadne in a dream, ordering her to stay on the island so that she could become his wife.

Saddened, Theseus sails away without Ariadne, and as a result, before arriving in Athens, he forgets the agreement with his father - he will not exchange the black sails for white ones. When King Aegeus, who is waiting for his son's return, sees the black sails, he jumps from a cliff into the sea, which has since been called the Aegean Sea, out of despair over his son's supposed death.

Dionysus took Ariadne to the island of Limnos, where they had four sons - Thoas, Inopion, and the aforementioned Staphyla and Peparith.

This myth confirms that Skopelos was inhabited by the Minoans, who founded their colony there. During the Minoan era, there were contacts and trade relations between the Cycladic islands and the northern Aegean Sea, Asia Minor, and Argolis.

In 1936, in the area of Stafylos at the foot of Mount Palouki, archaeologist N. Plato excavated a pit-shaped tomb attributed to the mythical king Stafylos, which proves that the myth of King Stafylos is based on real events. It seems that Stafylos founded his kingdom here. A royal sword with a gold handle, 32 cm long, was found in this unplundered tomb, along with other objects from the Cretan-Mycenaean period, which are now kept in the Archaeological Museum in Athens.

Ruins of Mycenaean dwellings have also been found in Chora, the capital of today's Skopelos, and in the Glossa area, located northwest of the island, above the port of Loutraki.

History

The period from the 6th century BC to the beginning of the 5th century BC is considered to be a period of prosperity for Peparithos, during which silver coins were minted and trade relations with other Aegean city-states developed. These mainly involved the export of the famous Peparithos wine and olive oil.

At the Olympic Games in 569 BC, the athlete Agnon of Peparithos won the running race. In his honor, his face was depicted on coins. The bay of Agnontas, where according to tradition he landed with his ship after his victory, also bears his name.

According to the historian Thucydides, a strong earthquake struck Skopelos in 427 BC, causing a large tsunami and the collapse of many public buildings.

In the late Classical and Hellenistic periods, the island of Peparithos (Skopelos) minted bronze coins, and during this period, temples and fortifications were built in several places on the island, the ruins of which have survived to this day. One of the main products of production and trade was the famous "Peparithos wine," which, according to Aristotle, was considered a very famous, sought-after, and aphrodisiac wine.

The pioneer of the spread and establishment of a new religion in the Northern Sporades during the 4th century AD was Bishop Riginos. However, in 362 AD, during the Julian persecutions, Riginos was tortured and beheaded. Riginos was declared a saint by the Orthodox Church and is venerated as the patron saint of the island on February 25.

In 1538 AD, the island was conquered and ravaged by the Ottoman fleet led by Admiral Barbarossa. There was no permanent Turkish population on Skopelos during the period of Turkish rule.

How to get there

The easiest way to visit Skopelos is to fly to the island of Skiathos and then take a ferry either to the capital of Skopelos or to the port of Glossa (Loutraki) on the west coast. If you are traveling by car, you will probably use the ferries departing from the port of Volos.

The "Mamma Mia!" effect

Many visitors still seek out the island of Skopelos to see with their own eyes the places where their favorite movie, Mamma Mia!, was filmed. Anyone who has taken even a slight interest in Skopelos or has visited it will recognize the famous locations from the film, especially the three solitary pine trees on the Amarantos promontory, the church of Agios Ioannis on top of the rocky promontory, and Kastani Beach. Nevertheless, these places remain magical and breathtaking even for new visitors.