Ikária

Rising from the Aegean southwest of Samos, Ikaria takes its name in tradition from Icarus, who fell into the sea nearby. Greek settlers from Miletus founded Oenoe on its northern side, while a sanctuary of Artemis stood above the cove at Nas. In Byzantine times, the hilltop castle of Koskinas guarded the island's settlements against a sea troubled by piracy.

Genoa took Ikaria in 1362, withdrawing in 1481 before the Ottoman advance; the Knights Hospitaller held it until the Ottoman conquest in 1521. As raids intensified, islanders sought refuge in the highlands, building low, inconspicuous houses and keeping watch from coastal towers. In the 17th century Bishop Joseph Georgirenes described scattered farmsteads and a small, poor population. Local boatbuilders worked the island's fir forests, trading boats and timber for grain and coin at Chios.