Náxos

Náxos (näk`sôs, năk`sŏs), island (1991 pop. 14,838), c.160 sq mi (410 sq km), SE Greece, in the Aegean Sea; largest of the Cyclades. Náxos, the chief town, is on the western shore. The fertile island produces fruits, olive oil, and a noted white wine. It has been a source of white marble, emery, and granite since ancient times. Náxos is famous in mythology as the place where Theseus abandoned Ariadne. It was a center of the worship of Dionysius. The island was colonized by the Ionians and in 490 B.C. was captured and sacked by the Persians. It was a member of the Delian League, but after an unsuccessful attempt to secede was captured (c.470 B.C.) and became a tributary to Athens. Náxos passed to Venice in 1207 and was the seat of a Venetian duchy until 1566, when it fell to the Ottoman Turks. It became part of independent Greece in 1829.

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Náxos

Largest island (pop., 1991: 14,838) of the Cyclades, Greece. It is about 22 mi (35 km) long and 16 mi (26 km) wide, with an area of 165 sq mi (427 sq km). The capital and chief port, Náxos, on the western coast, is on the site of the island's ancient and medieval capitals. In ancient times, it was famous for its wines and the worship of Dionysus. In mythology, it is where Theseus abandoned Ariadne. In the 7th–6th centuries BC a deep-grained white marble was exported for statuary. It was captured by the Persians in 490 BC and by Athens in 471 BC. A Venetian duchy ruled from 1207 to 1566; it was later ruled by the Turks. In 1830 it joined the Greek kingdom. Ruins of a Mycenaean settlement (see Mycenae) have been found there. Nàxos produces white wine, citrus, and emery.