History

Tinos is known from the neolithic times and should be chronologically identified with the birthday of Petra.
The present mainland of Greece, millions of years ago was connected to Asia Minor and the Aegean Sea did not exist. The area called Aigis sunk and the residues, the islands that are saved up to today, are the remnants of mountaintops.
Based on an insistent tradition of the ancients, the island took its name from the name of the first resident that was called Tinos, head of a team of Iones that came from Asia Minor. Another tradition also ancient says that Tinos was named Ydrousa for her abundant waters and Ofiousa or Fidousa for her many snakes. The name Tinos should emanate from the Phoenician – Soumerian word Tannoth that means reptile.
Information on the island history in the prehistoric years is very little. As the excavations showed Tinos was inhabited at the Copper Ages and all through the period of the Cycladic culture. During antiquity, like today, it was famous for it's marbles.
In the 8th and 7th century BC the island was under the sovereignty of Eretria. During the Persian wars it was occupied by the Persians and was free with the battle of Marathon and took part in the naval battle of Salamine. It remained tax tributary in the Athenian hegemony. It was subjugated to the Macedonians. It flourished during the 3rd century BC and in the 2nd century BC was the naval station for Rhodes. It was occupied by the Romans and in 88 BC was ravaged from Mithridatis.
At the Byzantine period Tinos was neglected. With the occupation of Constantinople from the Franks, Tinos, like the rest of Cyclades, passed to Venetians (1207), where the build their fortress on a distant rock of the southern coast. In 1538 it was ravaged from Barbarosa and in 1715 the island was occupied by the Turks. From 1770 until 1774 it was under the domination of the Orlofs. During the Revolution of 1822, in the island found shelter many Greeks from Psara and Chios islands. In 1823 the icon of Virgin Mary was found. In 1940 the warship Elli was destroyed from the Italians in the island harbor.