History of Rhodes
In prehistoric times, Rhodes was inhabited by the Telchines,
Heliades, Phoenicians and Cretans. In the 15th Century BC, Achean
colonists established the island before the Dorians settled in
Rhodes around 1100 BC and founded the three cities Lindos, Kamiros
and lalyssos. Their ruins, especially those at Lindos, are well
worth a visit.
The Doric Hexapolis was created with Kos, Knidos and Alicarnassos,
and Rhodes became an important naval power, where arts and
literature flourished.
In 332 BC, the Rhodians fought alongside Alexander the Great at Tyre,
but later they refused to fight with his descendants against Ptolemy
of Egypt Consequently, Dimitrios laid siege against Rhodes, but was
defeated, where upon in victory the Rhodians commissioned the
Lindian sculptor Haritos to build the statue of the colossus. This
statue, which was said to have stood at the entrance to the Mandraki
Harbor, was destroyed in an earthquake in 226 BC.
In 50 AD, the apostle Paul landed near Lindos and made Rhodes a
significant Christian centre and later it became part of the
Byzantine empire. In 620 AD Rhodes was conquered first by the
Persians and then by the Saracens. In 1246 the island was run by the
Genoas until 1309, when they sold it to the knights of the Order of
St John, who remained for 200 years, and built the magnificent
walled town which still stands today.
In 1522, after a long siege, Rhodes was invaded by the Turks, under
Suleiman the Great The Turkish conquerors stayed until 1912, when it
was taken by the Italians. A program known as "Italianisation"
occurred in 1924, involving the settlement on the Island of Italian
language. Rhodians were now called Orthodox to avoid using the word
Greek. Work was also undertaken by the Italians that benefited the
public, the most important of which was the road network. They also
took an interest in modernizing farm methods, founded the museum and
archaeological service, conducted excavations and promoted Rhodes as
a tourist Island. De Vecchi, who had been Minister of Education in
Italy and one of Fascism's leading figures, was appointed General
Administrator of the Dodecanese on 1936. His program included the
universal use of Italian language; Greek was forbidden to be spoken
in public places.
In 1943 the island passed into the hands of the Germans who occupied
it until the end of the 2nd World War, and finally, in March 1947,
Rhodes was incorporated with mother Greece.
Rhodes Knights
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