Mílos

Mílos, island, Greece

Mílos (mē`lôs) or Milo (mē`lō, mī`–), mountainous island (1991 pop. 4,390), 58 sq mi (150 sq km), SE Greece, in the Aegean Sea; one of the Cyclades. The main town is Mílos, formerly known as Plaka. The island's products include grain, cotton, fruits, and olive oil. Mílos flourished as a center of early Aegean civilization because of its deposits of obsidian and its strategic location between the Greek mainland and Crete. It lost importance when bronze replaced obsidian as a material for tools and weapons. Despite its neutrality in the Peloponnesian War, Mílos fell victim to Athens, which conquered the island in 416 B.C. and then massacred the men, enslaved the remaining persons, and founded an Athenian colony. Much excavation has been done on Mílos. The most famous find is the Venus of Milo (now in the Louvre, Paris), discovered in 1820.

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Melos

 Greek Mílos

Island (pop., 1991: 4,302) of the Cyclades, Greece. It is 14 mi (23 km) long and occupies an area of 58 sq mi (151 sq km). Melos (Mílos) is the chief town. On the ancient acropolis of Adamanda, the Venus de Milo (now in the Louvre Museum) was found in 1820. The settlement of Phylakopi, dating from 1550 BC, was destroyed c. 1100 BC by Dorian settlers. In 416 BC Melos was conquered by Athens, which killed the entire male population in reprisal for the island's neutrality in the Peloponnesian War. Lysander later restored the island to the Dorians, but it never recovered its prosperity. Later, under Crusader rule, it formed part of the duchy of Naxos.

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Mílos 

(also Melos or Milo), a Greek island in the southern Aegean Sea, belonging to the Cyclades group. Area, 158 sq km. In the north there are deep bays; the rest of the coastline is straight. Milos is composed of crystalline and volcanic rocks. Lowlands alternate with hills and low mountains (elevations up to 773 m). There is Mediterranean shrub vegetation. Wheat, corn, and olives are cultivated on the island. There is fishing industry and marble quarrying. The population centers are Milos and Adamas.