Stouronisi ( el, Στουρονήσι) or Styronisi (Στυρονήσι, "island of Styra") is a small island in the Euboean Sea. It is located in the

South Euboean Gulf The South Euboean Gulf ( el, Νότιος Ευβοϊκός Κόλπος, ''Notios Evvoïkos Kolpos'') is a gulf in Central Greece, between the island of Euboea and the Greek mainland (Boeotia and Attica). With a total length of approximately 50&n ...

opposite

Styra Styra ( grc, τὰ Στύρα) was a town of ancient Euboea, on the west coast, north of Carystus, and nearly opposite the promontory of Cynosura in Attica. The town stood near the shore in the inner part of the bay, in the middle of which is the ...

. It is the largest island of a small island complex comprising 7 islets and rocks. The island has an area about 2 km². Stouronisi has recently become known because of some plans of the Greek government for a development of a high-class summer resort in the island.

History

In antiquity, the island was named Aegilia or Aigilia ( grc, Αἰγιλία), or Aigileia or Aegileia (Αἰγίλεια), and was referred by

Herodotus Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria ( Italy). He is known f ...

. Herodotus writes that during the

First Persian invasion of Greece The first Persian invasion of Greece, during the Greco-Persian Wars, began in 492 BC, and ended with the decisive Athenian victory at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. The invasion, consisting of two distinct campaigns, was ordered by th ...

(492-490 BCE), the captives from the

Siege of Eretria The siege of Eretria took place in 490 BC, during the first Persian invasion of Greece. The city of Eretria, on Euboea, was besieged by a strong Persian force under the command of Datis and Artaphernes. The first Persian invasion was a response ...

were kept on Aegilia (which belonged to

) during the Battle of Marathon (490 BCE). After the battle, these captives were picked up, and eventually sent to

Darius I Darius I ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was a Persian ruler who served as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his ...

Susa Susa ( ; Middle elx, 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, translit=Šušen; Middle and Neo- elx, 𒋢𒋢𒌦, translit=Šušun; Neo-Elamite and Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, translit=Šušán; Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼, translit=Šušá; fa, شوش ...

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. The Euboean Sea is an important passage for the ships, so around the coasts of Stouronisi, some ancient wrecks have been found. The submarine exploration of one wreck has been shot as part of an award winning documentary. The most notable ancient wreck belongs to Hellenistic era. During

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

the island was used as shelter of Greek guerillas.

Odysseas Androutsos Odysseas Androutsos ( el, Οδυσσέας Ανδρούτσος; 1788 – 1825; born Odysseas Verousis el, Οδυσσέας Βερούσης) was a Greek military and political commander in eastern mainland Greece and a prominent figure of the ...

and

Nikolaos Krieziotis Nikolaos Kriezotis ( el, Νικόλαος Κριεζώτης; 1785–1853) was a Greek soldier who served as a leader during the Greek War of Independence in Euboea. Biography Kriezotis was born in 1785, in Karystia, into a family of shepherds.� ...

turned to the island those years. Today the island is uninhabited but the Greek government has plans for the conversion of the island into a high-class summer resort.

References

{{Euboean Sea Islands Landforms of Euboea (regional unit) Euboea (regional unit) Islands of Central Greece Uninhabited islands of Greece Battle of Marathon