Naxos

 

(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.

Naxos may refer to:

Places

• Naxos (Crete), ancient Greek city in Crete
• Naxos (Sicily), ancient Greek city in Sicily
  • Giardini-Naxos, modern city on the site of the above
• Naxos Island, island in the Cyclades group
• Naxos (city), Naxos City on the island of Naxos
• Duchy of Naxos (Duchy of the Archipelago) - a maritime state created by the Venetians, 1207-1579

Battles

• Siege of Naxos (499 BC)
• Siege of Naxos (490 BC)
• Battle of Naxos

Other

• Naxos radar detector - device used by German signal corps in World War II
• Naxos Records - classical music record label
• Naxos World - imprint of Naxos Records
• Naxos disease - Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia
• Ariadne auf Naxos - opera by Richard Strauss

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