Naxos Day Trip

Naxos lies in the Cyclades, and a Naxos day trip fits a visit into one day, out and back. This page belongs to the Greece tours collection and tells the story behind the island. It covers Cycladic art and culture, the rocks under the ground, Byzantine art, tower houses, dovecotes, the citron fruit and the Ionian Revolt. It ends with Venetian rule, the Fourth Crusade, Roman Greece and four short answers. Hard words are explained, and each fact comes from a reference article.

What does a Naxos day trip mean?

A Naxos day trip is a trip out and back within one day. Naxos is the biggest island of the Cyclades, a group in the Aegean Sea. A day trip is recreational travel to a place close enough for a round trip in one day.

People take a day trip to avoid the logistics and costs of spending nights on the road. Logistics means the planning of travel and supplies. A round trip is a journey out and back. A Naxos day trip fits this idea, since it starts and ends within one day.

In England, visits to country houses by the middle class became frequent. The middle class is the group of people between the rich and the poor. Owners of country houses were unlikely to object to visits when they were not in residence. Residence means living in a place.

Visitors traditionally rewarded the butler or housekeeper with a tip for access to the employer’s home. A butler is the head servant of a large house. A tip is a small gift of money. A Naxos day trip belongs to this long tradition of short journeys.

An excursion train is a train chartered or specially available for an excursion. To charter means to hire a vehicle for a group. The Grand Excursion was an American train journey in 1854, which was retraced in 2004. To retrace means to follow the same route again.

Germany recorded 2.84 billion day trippers in 2011, according to chamber of commerce figures. A chamber of commerce is a group of local business owners. A Naxos day trip is one small part of such large numbers. A figure is a number given in a report.

• Meaning: A day trip is recreational travel to a place close enough for a round trip in one day.
• Visits: Visits to country houses by the middle class became frequent in England.
• Trains: An excursion train is a train chartered or specially available for an excursion.

A day trip keeps travel short and avoids nights on the road. Country houses, excursion trains and rail journeys show how old the idea is. A Naxos day trip follows the same plan on a Cycladic island. The next section turns to the art of the Cyclades.

On a Naxos day trip, which part does Cycladic art play?

A Naxos day trip brings up Cycladic art, the art of the Bronze Age Cyclades. The largest Cycladic marble figures are nearly life size. A figure here means a carved human statue. Marble is a hard pale stone.

The faces are smooth and blank, apart from a sharply cut nose. Apart from one male statue, every known Spedos work is female. Spedos figures have U-shaped heads and a deeply incised cleft between the legs. Incised means cut into the surface with a tool. A Naxos day trip recalls this art.

Dokathismata figures were quite fragile and prone to breakage. The Chalandriani variety is named for a cemetery on the island of Syros. A Plastiras figure’s elongated neck takes up a full third of its height. Elongated means stretched out. A cemetery is a burial ground.

Kapsala figures are rarely larger than 30 centimetres in length. Koumasa figurines come from an Early Minoan II cemetery on Crete. The label Early Minoan II marks a stage of the Minoan age on Crete. The majority of the figurines are female and shown nude. Nude means without clothes. A Naxos day trip brings these small statues to mind.

Early Cycladic pottery was made entirely by hand. It was black or reddish in colour. The commonest pottery shapes are cylindrical boxes called pyxides and collared jars. Pottery is ware shaped from clay and baked hard. One such box is a pyxis, and the plural is pyxides.

Decorated disks called frying pans emerged on the island of Syros in EC II. The label EC II names the middle phase of the Early Cycladic age. Information on Neolithic Cycladic art comes almost entirely from Saliagos off Antiparos. Neolithic means from the late Stone Age.

• Size: The largest Cycladic marble figures are nearly life size, with smooth and blank faces.
• Pottery: Early Cycladic pottery was made entirely by hand and was black or reddish in colour.
• Disks: Decorated disks called frying pans emerged on the island of Syros in EC II.

Cycladic art is known for pale marble figures with smooth faces, and for hand-made pots and disks. A Naxos day trip draws on this art as a backdrop only. The following section turns to the wider culture behind it.

On a Naxos day trip, what does Cycladic culture bring?

A Naxos day trip brings up Cycladic culture, a Bronze Age culture found throughout the Cyclades. It dates from about 3100 to about 1000 BC, over two thousand years. Settlers have lived on Naxos without a gap, back to the fourth millennium BC or earlier.

The early period gave way to the murkier Middle Cycladic period around 2000 BC. Murky here means hard to read from the evidence. Graves are a primary source of information for the Middle Cycladic period. By the close of the Late Cycladic sequence, the Cycladic and Minoan worlds had in effect merged.

Naxos was among the exceptions to the decline, with Kea and Delos. Around 1300 BC, a Mycenaean town on Naxos spread from the site of today’s city. It reached out to the islet of Palatia. Mycenaean means linked to the Mycenaeans, a Bronze Age people of the Greek mainland. A Naxos day trip recalls this old town.

Excavations at Knossos on Crete reveal Cycladic influence there from 3400 to 2200 BC. Excavations are digs that uncover old remains. Evidence suggests pottery was a primary good traded to and from the Cyclades by boat. Trade here means the swap of goods.

Cycladic figures were stolen from burials to supply the antiquities market. It has been suggested that around 90 percent of known figures were looted or removed unscientifically. Antiquities are objects from ancient times. Looted means taken by theft. A Naxos day trip raises these old questions about care.

A substantial Cycladic settlement on Daskalio was excavated in 2007 and 2008. A total of 7,000 square metres of its surface was occupied in the Early Bronze Age. The survey made Daskalio the largest site in the Cyclades. The Keros Hoard is a big find of Cycladic figurines unearthed on Keros.

• Dates: Cycladic culture belongs to the Bronze Age and runs from about 3100 to about 1000 BC.
• Naxos: Settlers have lived on the island without a gap, back to the fourth millennium BC or earlier.
• Looting: It has been suggested that around 90 percent of known figures were looted.

Cycladic culture grew over two thousand years and met the Minoan world by its end. Naxos was among the exceptions to the decline. A Naxos day trip draws on this record as a backdrop only. The following section turns to the rocks beneath the island.

On a Naxos day trip, what does a metamorphic core complex add?

A Naxos day trip brings up the metamorphic core complex. This is an exposed area of deep crust brought to the surface by crustal extension. The crust is the hard outer shell of the Earth. They are thought to be found in the Aegean Sea.

Middle and lower continental crust is carried quickly up toward the surface. The doming makes the overlying rock collapse under its own weight and slide down. Doming means the rock is pushed up into a dome shape. Brittle, faulted cover rock lies in direct contact with the ductile middle-lower crust below.

High-grade metamorphic rocks are exposed below the detachment faults. Metamorphic rock is rock changed by heat and pressure. A fault is a break in rock where one side has slid past the other. The decollement is also called a detachment fault. Ductile rock bends instead of breaking. A Naxos day trip recalls such deep rock.

They range from a handful of miles to over 50 miles across. They appear in areas of localized crustal stretching within thickened fold-thrust belts. A fold-thrust belt is a band of crust pushed into folds and slices. A Naxos day trip brings this deep-earth story to mind.

Coney’s 1980 description names an older metamorphic-plutonic basement with low-dipping mylonitic and gneissic fabrics. Basement here means the old rock below a younger cover. Near-horizontal faults slice the unmetamorphosed cover, with younger rock on older rock. Mylonitic describes rock crushed along a fault. Gneissic describes rock with bands.

Lister and Davis, in 1989, say middle and lower crust is dragged out beneath fracturing upper crust. Core complexes were formerly called cordilleran core complexes, after the region where they were discovered. They are still forming in eastern New Guinea today. A feature on Venus has been suggested as a core complex.

• Meaning: A core complex is an exposed area of deep crust brought to the surface by stretching.
• Size: Core complexes range from a handful of miles to over 50 miles across.
• Places: They are thought to be found in the Aegean Sea, Anatolia, Iran and Tibet.

A metamorphic core complex shows how deep rock can rise as the crust stretches. The Aegean Sea is one place where such complexes are thought to be found. A Naxos day trip draws on this idea as a backdrop only. The following section turns to a rock.

On a Naxos day trip, what does granodiorite bring?

A Naxos day trip brings up granodiorite, a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock, similar to granite. An igneous rock is rock made from cooled magma. Magma is hot melted rock below the ground. It has more than 20 percent quartz by volume.

Granodiorite contains more plagioclase feldspar than orthoclase feldspar. Between 65 and 90 percent of its feldspar is plagioclase. More plagioclase than this makes the rock a tonalite. Feldspar is a common group of pale minerals. A mineral is a natural solid with a set chemical makeup.

Sodium and calcium rich plagioclase, potassium feldspar and quartz are its main minerals. Amphiboles and biotite are more abundant in granodiorite than in granite, making it darker. Amphiboles and biotite are dark minerals. Dark minerals make a rock look darker. A Naxos day trip recalls this rock.

Granodiorite is the intrusive igneous equivalent of the extrusive rock dacite. Intrusive rock cools slowly underground, while extrusive rock cools at the surface. It forms when silica-rich magma cools in batholiths or stocks underground. A batholith is a huge body of rock formed underground. A stock is a smaller body of such rock.

It reaches the surface only after uplift and erosion have occurred. Uplift means the ground is pushed upward. Erosion means rock is worn away by wind and water. Granitic rocks dominated by plagioclase are classified as granodiorites or tonalites. A Naxos day trip brings this slow rock story to mind.

Granodiorite is used as crushed stone for road building. It is also used as construction material, building facade, paving and ornamental stone. Pantheon portico columns in Rome are single granodiorite shafts, each 12 metres tall. The Rosetta Stone is a stele made from granodiorite. A stele is a standing slab of stone, carved with a design.

• Quartz: Granodiorite has more than 20 percent quartz by volume and is darker than granite.
• Uses: It is used as crushed stone for road building and as ornamental stone.
• Rome: Pantheon portico columns in Rome are single granodiorite shafts, each 12 metres tall.

Granodiorite is a coarse, darker cousin of granite that forms underground and reaches the surface by uplift. It has built columns, roads and stone slabs. A Naxos day trip draws on this rock as a backdrop only. The following section turns to another changed rock.

On a Naxos day trip, what does gneiss add?

A Naxos day trip brings up gneiss. This rock forms when high heat and high pressure act on igneous or sedimentary rock. Gneiss almost always shows alternating dark and light bands. Sedimentary rock is rock built from packed layers of grains.

Gneiss forms at pressures from 2 to 15 kbar and temperatures above 300 degrees Celsius. A kbar is a unit of pressure equal to a thousand bars. Gneisses are common in the ancient crust of continental shields. A continental shield is a very old, stable block of land.

The Acasta Gneiss was metamorphosed between 3.58 and 4.031 billion years ago. Gneiss banding develops at high temperature when rock is compressed more in one direction. Compressed means squeezed. Dark bands hold more minerals containing magnesium and iron. Metamorphosed means changed by heat and pressure.

Light bands hold more feldspar or quartz, which contain lighter elements. A band here means a stripe of rock. Augen gneiss takes its name from the German word for eyes. Migmatite is a gneiss made of two or more distinct rock types. A Naxos day trip recalls these banded rocks.

The Morton Gneiss is exposed in the Minnesota River Valley of southwestern Minnesota. Peninsular Gneiss is a series of Archean gneisses found across the Indian Shield. Archean means from the earliest age of the Earth. The German word Gneis is thought to come from a Middle High German word meaning spark.

Gneiss is used as a building material. It is used extensively in Rio de Janeiro. A building material is stuff that builders use to make walls and floors. The oldest rocks of this kind formed billions of years ago. A Naxos day trip brings such uses to mind.

• Bands: Dark bands hold more magnesium and iron minerals, and light bands hold more feldspar or quartz.
• Heat: Gneiss forms at pressures from 2 to 15 kbar and temperatures above 300 degrees Celsius.
• Uses: Gneiss is used as a building material and extensively in Rio de Janeiro.

Gneiss is a banded rock made by heat and pressure over long ages. The name is thought to trace back to a German word that means spark. A Naxos day trip draws on this rock as a backdrop only. The following section turns to a rock that is part melted.

On a Naxos day trip, what does migmatite bring?

A Naxos day trip brings up migmatite, a rock formed under high-grade metamorphism by partial melting. The rock is a mixture of metamorphic and newly formed igneous material. Migmatite represents a transitional stage between metamorphic and igneous rocks. Partial means in part.

Migmatite occurs in the deeper parts of the continental crust. Migmatites form when rocks reach temperatures and pressures high enough for partial melting. Rocks begin to partially melt at temperatures above 650 degrees Celsius and pressures above 34 MPa. MPa is a unit of pressure.

The newly formed material in migmatite is called the neosome. The neosome commonly consists of light-coloured leucosome and darker melanosome. Remnants of the original rock form the paleosome. Remnants are leftover pieces. In short, leucosome is the light part and melanosome is the dark part. A Naxos day trip brings these odd names to mind.

The leucosome lies in the centre of the layers, mainly made of quartz and feldspar. The melanosome is made of cordierite, hornblende and biotite. Quartz is a hard mineral. Feldspar is a pale mineral. Cordierite, hornblende and biotite are dark minerals. Light and dark parts sit side by side in one rock.

Ptygmatic folds form through highly plastic ductile deformation of gneissic banding. Ductile means able to bend without breaking. Plastic here means able to flow and bend. Fertility is a rock property: how much melt a rock produces at a given temperature. A Naxos day trip recalls how rock can flow.

Finnish petrologist Jakob Sederholm first used the term migmatite in 1907. A petrologist is a scientist who studies rocks. In 1795, James Hutton commented on the relationship between gneiss and granite. A geologist is a scientist who studies the Earth. A term is a word for a set idea.

• Meaning: Migmatite is a rock formed under high-grade metamorphism by partial melting.
• Heat: Rocks begin to partially melt at temperatures above 650 degrees Celsius.
• Names: Neosome is the newly formed material, and paleosome is the remnant of the original rock.

Migmatite shows rock caught between solid and melted states. Its light and dark parts have their own names. A Naxos day trip draws on this rock as a backdrop only. The following section turns from rock to the style of churches.

On a Naxos day trip, what does Byzantine architecture add?

A Naxos day trip brings up Byzantine architecture, the style of the Byzantine Empire. It spans from AD 330 to the fall of the empire in 1453. The round arch is a fundamental element of the style. An arch is a curved opening in a wall.

Golden mosaics with graphic simplicity brought light and warmth into the heart of churches. Wall mosaics with gold backgrounds became standard for the grandest buildings. A mosaic is an image laid out in tiny tiles of glass or stone. A Naxos day trip recalls this style of art.

The richest interiors were finished with thin plates of marble or coloured, patterned stone. Hagia Sophia is the best-known example of Byzantine architecture. The name Hagia Sophia means Holy Wisdom when translated from Greek. An interior is the inside of a building.

Both domes of Hagia Sophia collapsed at different times because of earthquakes. A dome is a round roof, like half of a ball. Hagia Sophia was the largest church in the world until the Ottoman siege of Constantinople. Emperor Justinian oversaw the final version of Hagia Sophia, which still stands.

Hagia Irene served as a model church for Hagia Sophia. Hagia Irene used bricks measuring 70 centimetres by 35 centimetres by 5 centimetres. A model church is a building that later builders copy. A Naxos day trip brings this old building craft to mind.

The style spread west to Ravenna and Venice and as far north as Moscow. The Palatine Chapel of Charlemagne in Aachen was modelled after the Byzantine Basilica of San Vitale. Justinian architects invented pendentives to move from a square plan to a circular dome. A pendentive is a curved triangle that joins a dome to square walls.

• Span: Byzantine architecture covers the years from AD 330 until the empire fell in 1453.
• Arch: The round arch is a fundamental element of Byzantine style, as are golden wall mosaics.
• Dome: Justinian architects invented pendentives to move from a square plan to a circular dome.

Byzantine architecture gave churches round arches, golden mosaics and large domes. Its best-known building is Hagia Sophia. A Naxos day trip draws on this style as a backdrop only. The following section turns to the art that fills such churches.

On a Naxos day trip, what does Byzantine art bring?

A Naxos day trip brings up Byzantine art, the body of artistic products of the Byzantine Empire. The art was marked by an abstract, anti-naturalistic character. The icon was an important genre of Byzantine art. A genre is a kind of art.

The Edict of Milan, issued in 313, allowed public Christian worship. The dedication of Constantinople in 330 created a new artistic centre for the eastern half of the Empire. An edict is an official order. Anti-naturalistic means not trying to copy nature closely. A Naxos day trip recalls this art.

Icons depict Christ, the Virgin, or a saint, and were venerated in Orthodox churches and homes. To venerate means to honour with deep respect. Byzantines distrusted monumental sculpture in religious art and produced only reliefs. A relief is a figure carved so that it stands out only slightly from a panel. A Naxos day trip recalls such icons.

San Vitale includes mosaics of Justinian and his empress Theodora, though neither ever visited the church. An empress is the wife of an emperor or a woman who rules an empire. The interior of Hagia Eirene is dominated by a large mosaic cross in its apse. An apse is the curved end of a church.

The new sections of Hagia Eirene include mosaics executed in a remarkably abstract style. The Iconoclastic period lasted, with interruptions, until 843. Iconoclastic means opposed to holy images. The Council of Hieria, convened under Constantine in 754, proscribed the manufacture of icons of Christ. Proscribed means banned.

Traditional mosaic work gradually gave way to detailed cycles of narrative frescoes. Ivory sculpture gave way to frescoes and icons, which became popular across the Empire for the first time. Byzantine cultural heritage spread with Orthodox Christianity to Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania and Russia. A fresco is a picture painted onto fresh wet plaster.

• Start: The Edict of Milan, issued in 313, allowed public Christian worship.
• Icons: Icons depict Christ, the Virgin, or a saint, and were venerated in Orthodox churches and homes.
• Spread: Byzantine cultural heritage spread with Orthodox Christianity to Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania and Russia.

Byzantine art ran from icons and mosaics to frescoes and reliefs. It grew from a new centre at Constantinople and spread to Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania and Russia. A Naxos day trip draws on this art as a backdrop only. The following section turns to a stone house built for defence.

On a Naxos day trip, what does a tower house add?

A Naxos day trip brings up the tower house. It is a stone structure built for defence as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages. They were also used as an aristocrat’s residence. Habitation means a place to live.

They appeared especially in mountainous or limited-access areas. Tower houses first appeared in Ireland, Scotland, Frisian lands, Northern Spain and England. A tower house served the purpose of protecting the extended family. An extended family is a wider family of parents, children and relatives.

Scotland has medieval tower houses including Drum Castle, Craigievar Castle and Castle Fraser. In the Scottish Marches, the peel tower was the typical residence of the wealthy. The Marches are the border lands. A peel tower is a small fortified tower. A Naxos day trip recalls these stone homes.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola was born in one of these Basque tower houses, which still stands. The Basque Country is a region in northern Spain. In the Baltic states, crusaders erected fortified tower houses in the Middle Ages. Fortified means strengthened for defence. A Naxos day trip ties in with this old building type.

One theory suggests private tower-like structures spread where central authority is weak. A theory is an idea offered to explain facts. In the North Caucasus, fierce competition over limited resources led to chronic feuding between neighbours. Feuding means a long quarrel between families.

Tibetan tower houses appear to have been built as much for prestige as for defence. Ancient Pueblo towers had a smaller ground plan than Old World tower houses. Kaiping in South China retains watchtowers, called diaolous. San Gimignano in Tuscany has fourteen secular towers, now the best group to survive. Secular means not linked to a church.

• Meaning: A tower house is a stone structure built for defence as well as habitation.
• Places: Tower houses first appeared in Ireland, Scotland, Frisian lands, Northern Spain and England.
• Towers: San Gimignano in Tuscany has fourteen secular towers, now the best group to survive.

The tower house joined a stone home with a lookout and a shelter for a family. It rose in places far apart, from Ireland to the Caucasus. A Naxos day trip draws on this building type as a backdrop only. The following section turns to a house for birds.

On a Naxos day trip, what does a dovecote bring?

A Naxos day trip brings up the dovecote. Dovecotes stand free in a variety of shapes. Others are built into the end of a house or barn. A dovecote is a building where doves and pigeons are kept.

Dovecotes contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest in. Finavon Doocot is the largest doocot in Scotland, with 2,400 nesting boxes. In Scots, a dovecote is called a doocot. In France, a dovecote was called a colombier, fuie or pigeonnier. A Naxos day trip brings these names to mind.

Historically, pigeons and doves were an important food source in the Middle East and Europe. The birds were kept for their eggs and dung. Pigeon droppings were also used for leather tanning and making gunpowder. Dung is animal waste. Tanning is the making of leather from hide.

In medieval Europe, owning a dovecote was a symbol of status and power. Only nobles held the privilege of keeping a dovecote, called droit de colombier. A noble held a rank above commoners from birth. France had 42,000 pigeonniers by the 17th century. A Naxos day trip recalls this old status symbol.

In Greece, dovecotes are known as Peristeriones. Dovecotes are very popular in the Cycladic islands. The Venetians introduced systematic breeding of doves and pigeons in the 15th century. Greek dovecotes are built on slopes sheltered from the prevailing north wind. Systematic means done by a set plan. Prevailing means usual.

A pigeonhole is a small nesting space set into a wall. Dovecotes in Scotland, France and Greece have different names and one shared use, the housing of birds. Doves and pigeons are related birds. Nesting means using a place to lay eggs and raise young.

• Names: A dovecote is called a doocot in Scots and a colombier, fuie or pigeonnier in France.
• Status: In medieval Europe, owning a dovecote was a symbol of status and power.
• Greece: In Greece, dovecotes are known as Peristeriones and are very popular in the Cycladic islands.

The dovecote housed birds that gave food, eggs and dung, and it marked rank in medieval Europe. Dovecotes in Greece stand on hillsides that shelter them from the strong north wind. A Naxos day trip draws on this building as a backdrop only. The following section turns to a mill.

On a Naxos day trip, what does a watermill add?

A Naxos day trip brings up the watermill, a mill that uses hydropower. Hydropower is power from moving water. One way to classify watermills is by wheel orientation, vertical or horizontal. The Greeks invented the waterwheel and toothed gearing, the two main components of watermills.

Vertical-wheel watermills are divided into undershot, overshot, breastshot and pitchback types. The overshot wheel was around two and a half times more efficient than the undershot. An overshot wheel brings the water flow to the top of the wheel. Efficient means less is wasted. A Naxos day trip recalls these wheels.

The earliest evidence of a water-driven wheel appears in works by Philo of Byzantium. The Roman engineer Vitruvius gave the first technical description of a watermill. The Greek epigram writer Antipater of Thessalonica described an advanced overshot wheel mill. An epigram is a short, witty poem.

The Barbegal complex had 16 overshot waterwheels, each powering a flour mill. The Barbegal mills were estimated to make 4.5 tons of flour per day. The Hierapolis stone sawmill is the earliest known machine with a crank and connecting rod. A crank is an arm that turns a shaft. A sawmill is a mill that cuts timber or stone into slabs.

The Domesday Book recorded 5,624 watermills in England alone. In China, waterwheels were used from 30 AD onwards to power trip hammers. A trip hammer is a heavy hammer lifted and dropped by a wheel. A Naxos day trip brings such mills to mind.

A watermill needs a flow of water to turn its wheel. The wheel turns gears, and the gears turn a stone or a saw. This plain chain of parts explains the long life of the design. Gearing means wheels with teeth that pass motion from one part to another.

• Types: Vertical-wheel watermills are divided into undershot, overshot, breastshot and pitchback types.
• Barbegal: The Barbegal complex had 16 overshot waterwheels, each powering a flour mill.
• England: The Domesday Book recorded 5,624 watermills in England alone, a large count.

The watermill began with Greek inventors of the waterwheel and toothed gearing. It then spread to Rome, England and China, where it ground flour, sawed stone and worked hammers. A Naxos day trip draws on this machine as a backdrop only. The following section turns to a fruit.

On a Naxos day trip, what does the citron bring?

A Naxos day trip brings up the citron. It is a large citrus fruit with a strong scent and a thick, coarse rind. The inner portion of the rind is thick, white and hard. A rind is the outer skin of a fruit.

A citron can reach 8 to 10 pounds if it is not picked before fully mature. The rind is leathery and furrowed, and it clings to the fruit. Furrowed means marked with grooves. The citron is thought to have been native to the southeast Himalayan foothills. A Naxos day trip recalls this old fruit.

The inner rind, called pith or albedo, is a fairly important article in international trade. Candied in sugar, the pith is widely used in the food industry as succade. Candied means cooked in sugar syrup. Dutch merchants import a candied half peel from Indonesia for baked goods.

The Greek citron is one of the acidic citron varieties. Citron spread west to European countries such as Greece and Italy. Cooked citron rind in sugar syrup is a spoon sweet known in Greek as kítro glykó. A spoon sweet is fruit kept in syrup and served on a spoon.

Jews use the citron in a religious ritual during the harvest holiday of Sukkot. In Hebrew the citron is called an etrog. The Buddha’s hand, a citron variety native to China, is used as an offering in Buddhist temples. A ritual is a set of acts done in a fixed way.

For centuries, citron’s fragrant essential oil has been used in perfumery. Perfumery is the making of scents. An essential oil is a concentrated scented liquid drawn from plant parts. The citron was thus a fruit of trade, food and scent. A Naxos day trip brings such a fruit to mind.

• Rind: The citron has a thick, coarse rind with a white, hard inner portion called the pith.
• Greek: Cooked citron rind in sugar syrup is a spoon sweet known in Greek as kítro glykó.
• Oil: Citron has a fragrant essential oil used for centuries in perfumery.

The citron is a fragrant fruit with a thick rind. It has a place in trade and a role in religious rites. A Naxos day trip draws on this fruit only as background. The following section moves from fruit to the early Greek world.

On a Naxos day trip, which part does Archaic Greece play?

A Naxos day trip brings up Archaic Greece. This period ran from about 800 BC until the second Persian invasion in 480 BC. It followed the Greek Dark Ages and came before the Classical period. A period is a span of time.

Settlers from Chalcis founded early Greek colonies on Sicily. Miletus was the leading colonizer in the northern Aegean, Sea of Marmara and Black Sea. New Greek settlements in Sicily and southern Italy appeared at an average of one every other year. A colony is a new settlement planted overseas by a mother city.

Orthagoras in Sicyon and Theagenes in Megara were among the tyrants of the mid-seventh century BC. A tyrant held sole power without the backing of the old law. Vase painters in Corinth began developing the black-figure style early in the seventh century BC. A Naxos day trip recalls this age.

Red-figure pottery was invented in Athens, with the first examples made about 525 BC. Life-size human sculpture in hard stone began in Greece during the archaic period. The proportions of the New York Kouros exactly match Egyptian rules for human figures. A kouros is a free-standing figure of a youth, carved in stone.

The Greek alphabet developed from Phoenician script in the eighth century BC. Phoenician script was the writing of the Phoenicians, a trading people of the eastern Mediterranean. The hoplite became the core of Greek armies during the archaic period. A hoplite was a foot soldier with a spear and a shield.

By the end of the archaic period, the average house size had risen to about 125 square metres. By the sixth century, Greece was part of a trade network spanning the whole Mediterranean. A trade network is a web of places that swap goods. A Naxos day trip links to this wide trade world.

• Dates: Archaic Greece ran from about 800 BC until the second Persian invasion in 480 BC.
• Pottery: Red-figure pottery was invented in Athens, with the first examples made about 525 BC.
• Alphabet: The Greek alphabet developed from Phoenician script in the eighth century BC.

Archaic Greece brought colonies, new rulers, new pots, life-size statues and an alphabet. Its trade web spanned the Mediterranean. A Naxos day trip draws on this age as a backdrop only. The following section turns to a revolt that reached Naxos.

On a Naxos day trip, what does the Ionian Revolt bring?

A Naxos day trip brings up the Ionian Revolt. It was a revolt against Persian rule from 499 BC to 493 BC. Greek regions of Asia Minor rebelled. Persia had conquered the cities of Ionia around 540 BC. A revolt is a rising against a ruler.

At the heart of the revolt was the Greek cities’ dissatisfaction with tyrants Persia had appointed. Persia had native tyrants rule the cities after the conquest. A satrap was a Persian governor of a province. A Naxos day trip brings this old quarrel to mind.

In 499 BC, Aristagoras of Miletus joined the Persian satrap Artaphernes on an expedition to conquer Naxos. Forces from Mytilene, Mylasa, Termera and Cyme served in the army sent to Naxos. An expedition is a planned journey made for a set purpose. The Naxians prepared properly for a siege, and the Persians reached a well-defended city.

The expedition against Naxos sailed back to the mainland without winning. Aristagoras openly revolted against Darius and declared Miletus a democracy. A democracy is a state ruled by its citizens. The kingdoms of Cyprus also revolted against Persian rule as the rebellion spread. A Naxos day trip recalls this spread.

In 498 BC, the Ionians with troops from Athens and Eretria captured Sardis. The Ionian fleet was beaten at the Battle of Lade after the Samians defected. Defected means switched sides. A fleet is a set of ships that sail together. A double defeat effectively ended the revolt, and the Carians surrendered to the Persians.

Persia besieged and captured Miletus, and brought its population under Persian rule. Persia imposed a peace on Ionia that is considered just and fair. A siege is an attack in which a force surrounds a place. Peace here means an end to the fighting.

• Dates: Greek regions of Asia Minor rebelled against Persian rule from 499 BC to 493 BC.
• Naxos: In 499 BC, Aristagoras of Miletus joined Artaphernes on an expedition to conquer Naxos.
• End: A double defeat effectively ended the revolt, and the Carians surrendered to the Persians.

The Ionian Revolt began over appointed tyrants and an expedition against Naxos that failed. It ended after the fall of Miletus. A Naxos day trip draws on this event as a backdrop only. The following section turns to a Venetian state.

On a Naxos day trip, what does the Duchy of the Archipelago add?

A Naxos day trip brings up the Duchy of the Archipelago. It was a Venetian-backed sea state, centred on the islands of Naxos and Paros. Marco Sanudo’s venture was independent and made without the consent of the Latin emperor.

Sanudo arranged a loan of eight galleys from the Venetian Arsenal. A galley is a slim ship moved by rows of oars. Sanudo anchored in the harbour of Potamides, now Pyrgaki in southwest Naxos. The Naxiotes kept resisting and set up a base inland, around the Apalyros fortress. A duchy is a realm headed by a duke.

Sanudo cut Naxos into 56 provinces and handed them out as fiefs. A fief is land held in return for loyalty and service. Sanudo held eleven islands in his personal possession, among them Paros, Milos, Syros and Amorgos. A Naxos day trip recalls these island names.

The Ghisi brothers held Tinos, Mykonos and the Northern Sporades without recognising Sanudo’s overlordship. Overlordship means the rank of a ruler above other lords. In 1248, Baldwin II nominally granted the Duchy’s suzerainty to William of Villehardouin. Suzerainty means rule over a state that governs itself.

In 1383, the Crispo family led an armed revolt and overthrew Sanudo’s heirs. The Duchy officially became a Venetian vassal in 1418, reacting to the Ottoman rise. A vassal is a state or person bound to a stronger ruler. A Naxos day trip brings this shift of power to mind.

Giacomo IV Crispo, the last Latin Christian duke, was deposed in 1566 by Sultan Selim II. Deposed means removed from power. A Portuguese Jew called Joseph Nasi held the title for the sultan from 1566 to 1579. Direct Ottoman rule returned by the end of 1617, and Graziani was the last duke.

• Founding: The Duchy was a Venetian-backed sea state, centred on the islands of Naxos and Paros.
• Fiefs: Naxos was cut into 56 provinces, which Sanudo handed out as fiefs.
• End: Giacomo IV Crispo, the last Latin Christian duke, was deposed in 1566 by Sultan Selim II.

The Duchy of the Archipelago rose from a Venetian venture on Naxos and ended under Ottoman rule. Its islands passed from Sanudo’s family to the Crispo family and then to the Ottomans. A Naxos day trip draws on this state as a backdrop only. The following section turns to a crusade.

On a Naxos day trip, what does the Fourth Crusade bring?

A Naxos day trip brings up the Fourth Crusade. It ran from 1202 to 1204 and was called by Pope Innocent III. Its stated aim was to recapture Jerusalem. A crusade was a medieval expedition launched in the name of the Church.

The stated plan was to recapture Jerusalem by first defeating the Egyptian Ayyubid Sultanate. In 1201, the Republic of Venice agreed to build a dedicated fleet for the crusaders. A Naxos day trip recalls this plan. About 12,000 crusaders gathered at Venice in 1202, instead of the 33,500 expected.

Venetian Doge Enrico Dandolo proposed attacking Zara, on the eastern Adriatic coast, in place of payment. A doge was the elected leader of Venice. The crusaders attacked Zara in November 1202, despite papal calls to spare fellow Christians. Papal means from the Pope. A Naxos day trip brings these events to mind.

The main Crusader army reached Constantinople on 23 June 1203. In April 1204, the crusaders captured Constantinople and plundered its wealth. To plunder means to take goods by force. The total looted was reportedly about 900,000 silver marks. A silver mark was a unit of weight and value.

A treaty divided the Byzantine Empire between Venice and the Crusade leaders. The Crusade leaders placed Baldwin of Flanders on the throne of the new Latin Empire. A treaty is a deal put in writing and signed by states. The Byzantine Empire then split into states centred in Nicaea, Trebizond and Epirus.

The Nicaean Empire restored the Byzantine Empire by retaking Constantinople in July 1261. Southern Greece and the Greek islands were ruled by crusaders, Italian nobles and Venice. Frankokratia means rule of the Franks, a name Orthodox Greeks gave to Western French and Italians. A Naxos day trip links to that period.

• Dates: The Fourth Crusade ran from 1202 to 1204 and was called by Pope Innocent III.
• Capital: In April 1204, the crusaders captured Constantinople and plundered its wealth.
• Aftermath: The Nicaean Empire restored the Byzantine Empire by retaking Constantinople in July 1261.

The Fourth Crusade began with a plan to reach Jerusalem and ended with the fall of Constantinople. Its effects reached the Greek islands. A Naxos day trip draws on this event as a backdrop only. The following section turns to the Roman age.

On a Naxos day trip, what does Roman Greece add?

A Naxos day trip brings up Roman Greece, Greece under Rome. Augustus created the province of Achaea in 27 BC. Rome made Corinth the capital of the province. The Pax Romana was the longest period of peace in Greek history.

Macedonian king Perseus was defeated by Aemilius Paullus at Pydna in 168 BC. Macedonia became a Roman province with a permanent garrison. A province was a land governed by Rome. A garrison is a force of troops left to hold a town or region. A Naxos day trip recalls this era.

The Via Egnatia, laid in the second century BC, moved troops between the Adriatic and the Aegean. Piracy troubled the islands and coastal areas because Greek waters lacked a strong fleet. Piracy is robbery at sea. In 88 BC, Athens and other Greek city-states revolted against Rome during the First Mithridatic War.

Lucius Cornelius Sulla suppressed the revolt, but his campaign caused great economic harm in Central Greece. Economic harm means loss of wealth and trade. Augustus beat Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony at Actium in 31 BC. A Naxos day trip brings these events to mind.

Under Roman rule, Achaea had Corinth as its provincial capital. The Pax Romana was the longest period of peace in Greek history. Nero proclaimed the freedom of the Greeks at the Isthmian Games in Corinth. The Isthmian Games were an old Greek festival of sport. Peace here means the lack of war.

Before becoming emperor, Hadrian had served as eponymous archon of Athens. Eponymous means giving its name to the year. An archon was a chief magistrate of Athens. Theodosius divided the prefecture of Macedonia into six provinces, including Creta and Achaea. Hierocles’ Syndekmos says late antique Greece had about eighty cities.

• Province: Augustus created the province of Achaea in 27 BC, with Corinth as its capital.
• Peace: The Pax Romana was the longest period of peace in Greek history.
• Roads: The Via Egnatia, laid in the second century BC, let troops move fast between the Adriatic and the Aegean.

Roman Greece began with provinces and garrisons, passed through revolt and peace, and ended with new provincial maps. A Naxos day trip draws on this age as a backdrop only. The following section turns to the questions that come up.

Which questions do readers ask before a Naxos day trip?

A Naxos day trip raises plain questions about islands, seasons and the regional unit. Amorgos lies east of Naxos. Mediterranean winters are wet. The Lesser Cyclades have 32 islands and rocks. Naxos belongs to the South Aegean region.

Which island lies east of a Naxos day trip?

Amorgos is the Cyclades island furthest east, and it lies closest to the Dodecanese. The municipality of Amorgos has a land area of 126.346 square kilometres. Amorgos is the origin of famous Cycladic figurines. A figurine is a tiny statue shaped by hand.

Which season suits a Naxos day trip?

Coastal heatwaves are quite mild, as the cooler sea and sea breeze moderate temperatures. Rain in winter tends to persist in the Mediterranean zone. There are very windy days in summer, especially in the Cyclades and around them. A heatwave is a spell of very hot weather.

Which small islands lie near a Naxos day trip?

South-east of Naxos, the Lesser Cyclades group 32 islands and rocks. Irakleia has the biggest area among the small islands, while Ano Koufonisi has the largest population. The Early Cycladic II period is called the Keros-Syros culture, after the island of Keros.

Which regional unit holds a Naxos day trip?

Greece groups Naxos with the Lesser Cyclades in one municipality, which sits in the South Aegean region. Its area is 495.867 square kilometres. In 2011 a reform of local government joined six older municipalities into one. A municipality is a town and its lands under one local council.