Psara ( el, Ψαρά, , ; known in ancient times as /, /) is a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

island in the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek language, Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish language, Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It ...

. Together with the small island of

Antipsara Antipsara ( el, Αντίψαρα) is a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Antipsara had 4 inhabitants according to the 2011 census.ΦΕΚ αποτελεσμάτων ΜΟΝΙΜΟΥ πληθυσμού απογραφής 2011�, σελ. 10833 (σ� ...

(Population 4) it forms the municipality of Psara. It is part of the Chios regional unit, which is part of the

North Aegean The North Aegean Region ( el, Περιφέρεια Βορείου Αιγαίου, translit=Periféria Voríou Eyéou, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, and the smallest of the thirteen by population. It comprises the isla ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

. The only town of the island and seat of the municipality is also called Psara. Psara had 448 inhabitants according to the 2011 census. It has a small port linking to the island of

Chios Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mastic ...

and other parts of Greece. It was also the site of the Psara massacre, in which thousands of

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

on the island were massacred by Ottoman troops during the

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 ...

in 1824.

Geography

Psara lies northwest of

, from the northwestern point of the island of Chios and east-northeast of

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. The length and width of the island are about and the area is . The highest point on the island is "Profitis Ilias" (). The municipality has total area of .

Flag

The modern

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

of Psara is based largely on the island's famous revolutionary flag created by Psariot locals in 1824. The original flag, carried during the

War of Independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List of o ...

by Psariot ships, was made of white cloth bordered with red. It bore the symbols of in red (a large cross atop a crescent, a spear, and an anchor). A snake was wrapped around the anchor, often depicted with a bird flying near its mouth. On either side of the symbols, in red capital letters, were the words '' ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑ Η ΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ (FREEDOM OR DEATH)'' and in some cases, the island's name, spelled ' or '. An original 1824 flag of Psara is preserved at the National Historical Museum of Greece. 1821 Flag of Psara

The flag of Psara currently in use has a very similar design but omits the island's name and bears a star below the crescent.

History

Psara has been inhabited since the

Mycenaean period Mycenaean Greece (or the Mycenaean civilization) was the last phase of the Bronze Age in Ancient Greece, spanning the period from approximately 1750 to 1050 BC.. It represents the first advanced and distinctively Greek civilization in mainland ...

, its inhabitants relying on the sea to make a living as the island is treeless and rocky with little shrubbery.

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

Cratinus Cratinus ( grc-gre, Κρατῖνος; 519 BC – 422 BC) was an Athenian comic poet of the Old Comedy. Life Cratinus was victorious 27 known times, eight times at the City Dionysia, first probably in the mid-to-late 450s BCE (IG II2 2325. 50), ...

Suda The ''Suda'' or ''Souda'' (; grc-x-medieval, Σοῦδα, Soûda; la, Suidae Lexicon) is a large 10th-century Byzantine encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, formerly attributed to an author called Soudas (Σούδας) or Souidas ...

and

Stephanus of Byzantium Stephanus or Stephan of Byzantium ( la, Stephanus Byzantinus; grc-gre, Στέφανος Βυζάντιος, ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD), was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethni ...

referred to the island as ''Psyra'' ( grc, Ψυρά and Ψύρα)Strabo, Geography, §14.1.35
/ref>Suda Encyclopedia, §psi.155
/ref>Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, §Ps703.2
/ref> and ''Psyrian'' ( grc, Ψυρίαν). The island had a city also called Psyra. The islanders' sole source of livelihood has always been fishing, mainly for the locally abundant

slipper lobster Slipper lobsters are a family (Scyllaridae) of about 90 species of achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda clade Reptantia, found in all warm oceans and seas. They are not true lobsters, but are more closely related to spiny lobsters and furry lo ...

s, and shipping, with some tourist development in recent years. The Greek ancient

proverb A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phra ...

''Psyra celebrating

Dionysos In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...

'' ( grc, Ψύρα τὸν Διόνυσον ἄγοντες) originated from the fact that Psyra was a poor and small island which could not produce its own wine, and was used in reference to people who were reclining at a symposium but not drinking. Another ancient Greek proverb, ''You regard

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...

as Psyra'' ( grc, Ψύρα τε τὴν Σπάρτην ἄγεις), also expressed the poverty of the island. During the middle ages Psara had a very small population, which abandoned the island for Chios after the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

. In the 16th century the Psariots returned to their homeland along with other settlers and established a settlement around the Palaiokastro fort which they repaired. They turned to trade, amassing great profits. By the beginning of the 19th century the Psariots had the third largest trade fleet in Greece after

Hydra Hydra generally refers to: * Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed serpent in Greek mythology * ''Hydra'' (genus), a genus of simple freshwater animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria Hydra or The Hydra may also refer to: Astronomy * Hydra (constel ...

and

Spetses Spetses ( el, Σπέτσες, grc, Πιτυούσσα "Pityussa", Arvanitika: Πετσε̱) is an upscale affluent island in Attica, Greece. It is included as one of the Saronic Islands. Until 1948, it was part of the old prefecture of Argolis ...

, numbering some 45 ships.

Destruction

Psara joined the

on April 10, 1821. Future

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Konstantinos Kanaris Konstantinos Kanaris ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Κανάρης, ; c. 17901877), also anglicised as Constantine Kanaris or Canaris, was a Greek admiral, Prime Minister, and a hero of the Greek War of Independence.Woodhouse, p. 129. Bio ...

Dimitrios Papanikolis Dimitrios Papanikolis ( el, Δημήτριος Παπανικολής) (1790–1855) was a naval hero of the Greek Revolution, famous for being the first to successfully employ a fireship to destroy an Ottoman ship of the line. Life Papanikol ...

, Pipinos and Nikolis Apostolis distinguished themselves as naval leaders, using

fire ship A fire ship or fireship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, or gunpowder deliberately set on fire and steered (or, when possible, allowed to drift) into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy sh ...

s to combat the more powerful Ottoman Navy. Psara's native population of people was further augmented by refugees from Thessaly, Macedonia, Chios,

Moschonisia __NOTOC__ Cunda Island, also called Alibey Island, ( tr, Cunda Adası, Alibey Adası), Greek Moschonisi ( gr, Μοσχονήσι or Μοσχόνησος), is the largest of the Ayvalık Islands archipelago in Turkey, which was historically ...

and Kydonies. On July 3 (June 21 O.S.), 1824, the island was invaded by the Turks. The resistance of the Psariots ended the next day with a last stand at the town's old fort of Palaiokastro (alternative name ''Mavri Rachi'', literally "black ridge"). Hundreds of soldiers and also women and children had taken refuge there when an Ottoman force of stormed the fort. The refugees first threw a white flag with the words "Ἐλευθερία ἤ Θάνατος" ("

Eleftheria i Thanatos ( el, Ελευθερία ή θάνατος, ; 'Freedom or Death') is the motto of Greece. It originated in the Greek songs of resistance that were powerful motivating factors for independence. It was adopted in 1814 by the , a secret organizati ...

", ''"Freedom or Death"''). Then, the moment the Turks entered the fort, the local

Antonios Vratsanos Antonios or Antónios is a Greek masculine given name that is a variant of Antonis, as well as a surname. Notable people with this name include the following: Given name *Antonios Antoniadis (born 20th-century), Greek physician * Antonios Antonopo ...

lit a fuse to the gunpowder stock, in an explosion that killed the town's inhabitants along with their enemies — thus remaining faithful to their flag to their death. A French officer who heard and saw the explosion compared it to a volcanic eruption of Vesuvius. A part of the population managed to flee the island, but those who did not were either sold into slavery or killed. As a result of the invasion, thousands of Greeks met a tragic fate. The island was deserted and surviving islanders were scattered through what is now Southern Greece. Theophilos Kairis, a priest and scholar, took on many of the orphaned children and developed the famous school the Orphanotropheio of Theophilos Kairis. Psara remained in the hands of the

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

until it was recaptured by the

navy on 21 October 1912 during the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...

Historical population

A native of Psara is known in English as a Psariot or a Psarian.

Notable people

Notable natives and inhabitants of the island include: *

Ioannis Varvakis Ioannis Varvakis ( el, Ιωάννης Βαρβάκης; 1745–1825), also known as Ivan Andreevich Varvatsi (russian: Иван Андреевич Варваци), was a Greek privateer, benefactor, and member of the Filiki Eteria. Origins, early ...

(1745–1825), admiral, caviar merchant and benefactor. * Nikolis Apostolis (1770–1827), admiral. *

(1790–1855), admiral. *

(1793/1795–1877), admiral and politician, Prime Minister of Greece. *

Garafilia Mohalbi Garafilia Mohalbi(y) (; 1817 – March 17, 1830) was a Greek slave that was rescued by an American merchant and sent to live with his family in Boston, Massachusetts. Born to a prominent family on the island of Psara, her parents were killed in 18 ...

(1817–1830), Greek-American refugee and former slave. *

George Sirian George Sirian (1818 – December 21, 1891) was a Greek war orphan brought into the United States aboard the ("Old Ironsides"). He served in the United States Navy with distinction for over fifty years, first as an ordinary seaman, and later as a ...

(1818–1891), United States Navy officer.

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20070611074035/http://www.chios.com/island/psara.htm (also in German and Greek) * http://www.sansimera.gr/archive/articles/show.php?id=156&feature=H_katastrofi_ton_Psaron (The destruction of Psara, in Greek) * http://www.ptolemais.com/shmaies/epanastatimena.htm (The flags of the rebellious islands (Psara), in Greek) {{Authority control Populated places in Chios (regional unit) Municipalities of the North Aegean Landforms of Chios (regional unit) Islands of the North Aegean