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Despotikó ( el, Δεσποτικό), anciently, Prepesinthus or Prepesinthos ( grc, Πρεπέσινθος), is a small, uninhabited Greek
island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
in the Cyclades. It is situated west of the island of
Antiparos Antiparos ( ell, Αντίπαρος; grc, Ὠλίαρος, Oliaros; la, Oliarus; is a small island in the southern Aegean, at the heart of the Cyclades, which is less than one nautical mile (1.9 km) from Paros, the port to which it is conne ...
, and east of the smaller island of Strongyli (not to be confused with
Strongyli Megistis Strongyli Megistis ( el, Στρογγυλή Μεγίστης), also called plainly ''Strongyli'' or ''Ypsili'', is a Greek islet which lies in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, about four kilometers south-east of the island of Kastellorizo. The islan ...
).


Geography

The small and dry island is located about 700 m southwest from the shores of
Antiparos Antiparos ( ell, Αντίπαρος; grc, Ὠλίαρος, Oliaros; la, Oliarus; is a small island in the southern Aegean, at the heart of the Cyclades, which is less than one nautical mile (1.9 km) from Paros, the port to which it is conne ...
. Despotiko is situated almost exactly in the center of the Cyclades and during clear days it is possible to view the surrounding islands of
Antiparos Antiparos ( ell, Αντίπαρος; grc, Ὠλίαρος, Oliaros; la, Oliarus; is a small island in the southern Aegean, at the heart of the Cyclades, which is less than one nautical mile (1.9 km) from Paros, the port to which it is conne ...
, Syros, Serifos,
Sifnos Sifnos ( el, Σίφνος) is an island municipality in the Cyclades island group in Greece. The main town, near the center, known as Apollonia (pop. 869), is home of the island's folklore museum and library. The town's name is thought to come f ...
,
Kimolos Kimolos ( el, Κίμωλος; la, Cimolus) is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. It lies on the southwest of the island group of Cyclades, near the bigger island of Milos. Kimolos is the administrative center of the municipality of Kimolos, which ...
,
Folegandros Folegandros (also Pholegandros; el, Φολέγανδρος) is a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea that, together with Sikinos, Ios, Anafi and Santorini, forms the southern part of the Cyclades. Its surface area is and it has 765 inhabitant ...
,
Sikinos Sikinos ( el, Σίκινος) is a Greek island and municipality in the Cyclades. It is located midway between the islands of Ios and Folegandros. Sikinos is part of the Thira regional unit. It was known as Oenoe or Oinoe ( grc, Οἰνόη, ...
and
Ios iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
(in anticlockwise order). Administratively, the island is part of the
community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
of
Antiparos Antiparos ( ell, Αντίπαρος; grc, Ὠλίαρος, Oliaros; la, Oliarus; is a small island in the southern Aegean, at the heart of the Cyclades, which is less than one nautical mile (1.9 km) from Paros, the port to which it is conne ...
. Currently, the island can only be reached by boats starting from the island of Antiparos. Boats leave either from the main village of Antiparos or from Agios Georgios (southwest Antiparos), just opposite Despotiko. Usually, the final destination for them lies on the southern part of the island where a large sandy beach is located. The strait separating Despotiko from Antiparos only has a minimum depth of about 1m, with the intervening islet of
Tsimintiri Tsimintiri, also known as Koimitiri, is a small, uninhabited islet in the Cyclades islands of the southern Aegean. Tsimintiri is located between the islands of Antiparos and Despotiko. The strait that separates all three islands is no more than de ...
. This extreme shallowness of the strait suggests the possibility of a link between Antiparos and Despotiko in former times. Indicators of previous sea-levels include archaeological remains on the sea-floor of Despotiko Bay such as Early
Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
cist graves off Koimitiri down to 3m water depths; additionally there are walls, a well-head, and an oven of unknown age at a 3m depth off-shore from Agios Georgios on Antiparos. Bent, J.T. (1885) ''The Cyclades, or, Life Among the Insular Greeks''. Longman, Green, London, 501 p.Morrison, J.A., (1968) ''Relative sea-level change in the Saliagos area since Neolithic times''. In: J.D. Evans and A.C. Renfrew (eds.), Excavations at Saliagos near Antiparos, Appendix I, The British School at Athens Supplementary Volume, 5, Thames and Hudson, London, pp. 92-98. Numerous parallel trenches occur west of the Panagia chapel on DespotikoDraganits, E. (2009) Archaic sanctuary on Despotiko Island (Cyclades): Geological situation, lithological characterization of the building stones and their possible provenance. Austrian Journal of Earth Sciences, 102, 91-101. which have not been excavated or dated so far, but can be compared with the almost identical, partly submerged, probably Hellenistic viticulture trenches from northeast Antiparos. These submerged archaeological structures, together with a Classical marble inscription Kourayos, Yannos. (2006) ''Despotiko Mandra: a sanctuary dedicated to Apollo''. In: M. Yeroulanou and M. Stamatopoulou (eds.), Architecture and Archaeology in the Cyclades, Papers from a colloquium held at Lincoln College, University of Oxford, 17 April 2004, BAR International Series, 1455, Archaeopress, Oxford, 105–133. from the sanctuary on Despotiko reading ΕΣΤΙΑΣ ΙΣΘΜΙΑΣ, (Hestias Isthmias, which essentially means "for Hestia of the Isthmus"), suggest that the relative sea-level in this area was at least 3m lower during the Early Bronze Age and still more than 1m lower during the Hellenistic time. This implies that an isthmus may have linked Despotiko, Koimitiri and Antiparos at least until the Hellenistic time.


Archaeology and history

Although presently uninhabited, there are significant indications that in prehistoric and ancient times the island - due to its central position among the Cyclades and the large Despotiko Bay (between the island and Antiparos) providing safe anchorage - played an important role in maritime communication routes. Currently, excavations are taking place in the northwest part of the island and so far the findings are of great importance. The excavations proved the existence of an important late
Archaic Archaic is a period of time preceding a designated classical period, or something from an older period of time that is also not found or used currently: *List of archaeological periods **Archaic Sumerian language, spoken between 31st - 26th cent ...
sanctuary with abundant objects indicating links to mainland Greece, the Eastern
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
and even to Northern
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
, as well as the continued use of this area in the Classical,
Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...
,
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
and
Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...
periods. 2015 excavations at the Archaic (6th C BC) sanctuary site on an Aegean Sea islet revealed new evidence about its size and organization. The sanctuary seems to have been devoted to Apollo. Archaeologists discovered an ornate façade of a structure measuring 35 meters by 15 meters, suggesting that the sanctuary was extended and rebuilt several times during the Classical and Hellenistic periods. A large, four-room building on the site's west section featured a large stone altar in one of the rooms as well as pottery fragments bearing inscriptions with Apollo's name. A long wall, stretching from what would have been the islet's ancient port to the site of the sanctuary, was also revealed. Some of the artefacts from the excavations are exhibited in the archaeological museum in
Parikia __NOTOC__ Parikia is the capital and the main port of Paros island. It is one of the most typical Cycladic settlements as it is distinguished by its narrow cobbled paths, the old churches, the small shops and the houses in blue and white. Parikia is ...
, the capital of the nearby island of Paros, along with other important antiquities from the region. Some glimpses of the early modern and modern history of Despotiko might be reconstructed from historic topographic maps and descriptions of travellers from that period. The island, under the name Prepesinthus, is also noted by ancient geographers
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 ...
and
Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...
.


Environment, nature and biodiversity

Due to low and non-permanent human presence, as well as moderate pasture pressure, some natural habitat types, typical of the central Cyclades, are very well preserved. Therefore, Despotiko, Strongyli and the southernmost part of Antiparos as well as surrounding marine areas have been selected for a
NATURA 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...
habitat, which is part of an ecological network of protected areas in the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
. Large areas are covered by phrygana and a garrigue. The seal ''
Monachus monachus The Mediterranean monk seal (''Monachus monachus'') is a monk seal belonging to the family Phocidae. , it is estimated that fewer than 700 individuals survive in three or four isolated subpopulations in the Mediterranean, (especially) in the Ae ...
'' is a permanent resident of the shallow marine area. On the sea floor '' Posidonia''
seagrass meadow A seagrass meadow or seagrass bed is an underwater ecosystem formed by seagrasses. Seagrasses are marine (saltwater) plants found in shallow coastal waters and in the brackish waters of estuaries. Seagrasses are flowering plants with stems and ...
s provide habitat for a diverse fauna and flora.


Geology

First comments about the geology of Despotiko originate from Fiedler in 1841, but it took until 1963 for the first geological map to be published. Tectonically, Despotiko, Antiparos, and Paros belong to the Attic-Cycladic Crystalline of the Central Hellenides, a stack of metamorphic tectonic nappes, mainly comprising variable types of
gneiss Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures an ...
,
schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes o ...
,
marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...
and
amphibolite Amphibolite () is a metamorphic rock that contains amphibole, especially hornblende and actinolite, as well as plagioclase feldspar, but with little or no quartz. It is typically dark-colored and dense, with a weakly foliated or schistose (flaky ...
, and tectonic slices of unmetamorphosed
sediment Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand an ...
s on top, separated by low-angle normal faults from the metamorphic units below. Despotiko is dominated by metamorphic rocks with foliation surfaces dipping quite uniformly towards the southwest at shallow angles. The structurally lowest parts in the north and northeast of the island consist of grey, strongly foliated,
mylonitic Mylonite is a fine-grained, compact metamorphic rock produced by dynamic recrystallization of the constituent minerals resulting in a reduction of the grain size of the rock. Mylonites can have many different mineralogical compositions; it is a cl ...
ortho-gneiss with abundant cross-cutting
pegmatite A pegmatite is an igneous rock showing a very coarse texture, with large interlocking crystals usually greater in size than and sometimes greater than . Most pegmatites are composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica, having a similar silicic com ...
dikes Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes, ...
that become more and more deformed and rotated parallel to the foliation towards the hanging wall. The ortho-gneiss is followed by up to several metres thick, prominent white, strongly foliated, mylonitic gneiss. Higher up are medium-grained, white
calcite Calcite is a Carbonate minerals, carbonate mineral and the most stable Polymorphism (materials science), polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on ...
marble, followed by greenish-white gneiss and an alternation of
chlorite The chlorite ion, or chlorine dioxide anion, is the halite with the chemical formula of . A chlorite (compound) is a compound that contains this group, with chlorine in the oxidation state of +3. Chlorites are also known as salts of chlorous ac ...
epidote Epidote is a calcium aluminium iron sorosilicate mineral. Description Well developed crystals of epidote, Ca2Al2(Fe3+;Al)(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH), crystallizing in the monoclinic system, are of frequent occurrence: they are commonly prismatic in habi ...
schist and thin marble layers, on top of which are found chlorite epidote gneiss and retrogressed amphibolite as well as some small
serpentinite Serpentinite is a rock composed predominantly of one or more serpentine group minerals, the name originating from the similarity of the texture of the rock to that of the skin of a snake. Serpentinite has been called ''serpentine'' or ''ser ...
lenses. The structurally highest parts in the south and southwest of the island comprise thick white to yellowish, fine grained dolomite marble with thin layers of dark grey, carbonaceous calcite marble. This metamorphic succession is penetrated by six early Pliocene,Innocenti, F., Kolios, N., Manetti, P., Rita, F. and Villari, L. (1982) ''Acid and basic late neogene volcanism in central Aegean Sea: its nature and geotectonic significance''. Bulletin of Volcanology, 45, 87-97. rhyolitic volcanic pipes, with rare occurrences of small obsidian. These volcanic pipes are genetically associated with the
rhyolitic Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass. The mineral ...
, pyroclastic rocks that cover the whole southern part of
Antiparos Antiparos ( ell, Αντίπαρος; grc, Ὠλίαρος, Oliaros; la, Oliarus; is a small island in the southern Aegean, at the heart of the Cyclades, which is less than one nautical mile (1.9 km) from Paros, the port to which it is conne ...
. Patches of yellowish, porous sandstone, dominated by well rounded, well sorted fragments of marine organism and minor siliciclastic components is found in many places on top of the metamorphic rocks.


References


External links


Official website of Community of Antiparos
(in Greek and English)

( ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110716070242/http://www.minenv.gr/1/12/121/12103/viotopoi/g4220017.html in Greek
Despotiko on GTP Travel Pages
(in English and Greek) *(http://www.abettergreece.com/Despotiko.html in English {{Authority control Cyclades Former populated places in Greece Uninhabited islands of Greece Landforms of Paros (regional unit) Landforms of the South Aegean Islands of Greece Antiparos