Rhodes

Rhodes, island (nísos), the largest of the Dodecanese (Modern Greek: Dodekánisa) group, southeastern Greece, and the most easterly in the Aegean Sea, separated by the Strait of Marmara from Turkey. It constitutes a dímos (municipality) within the South Aegean (Nótio Aigaío) periféreia (region). Rhodes (Ródos) city, on the northern tip of the island, is the largest city of the South Aegean periféreia. The island is traversed northwest-southeast by hills that reach 3,986 feet (1,215 metres) in the summit of Atáviros. The peak commands a view of the coast of Asia Minor, the Dodecanese archipelago, and, on clear days, the summit of Mount Ídi (Psíloreítis) on Crete (Kríti). In antiquity the island was infested with snakes, and the name may derive from erod, Phoenician for “snake.” Farmers still wear leather boots for protection from a surviving poisonous species. Winter temperatures average 50 °F (10 °C), and constant winds account for the many windmills on Rhodes. The valleys provide rich pasture, while the plains produce a variety of grains.

Minoan remains at Ialysus are evidence of early Cretan influence. With the collapse of the Minoan civilization (c. 1500–1400 bce), Rhodes became a powerful independent kingdom with a late Bronze Age culture. In historic times Rhodes was occupied by Dorians, mainly from Árgos, c. 1100–1000. The Rhodian cities of Lindus, Ialysus, and Camirus, along with Cos, Cnidus, and Halicarnassus, belonged to the Dorian Hexapolis (league of six cities) by which the Greeks protected themselves in Asia Minor. The Dorian cities of Rhodes traded throughout the Mediterranean and founded colonies in Italy, Sicily, Spain, and Asia Minor and dominated several Aegean islands.

During the Classical period, Rhodian affiliations vacillated between Athens, Sparta, and Persia, in attempts to preserve a balance of power. Rhodes supported Rome during its war with Philip V of Macedonia, and its fleet participated in Rome’s war against Antiochus the Great of Syria. Roman competition in Asia Minor eroded Rhodian income, however, and the island steadily declined after Rome made Delos a free port c. 166. During the triumvirate of Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus (43 bce), the conspirator Gaius Cassius plundered Rhodes for refusal to support him. Though it continued for another century as a free city it never recovered its former prosperity; in about 227 bce a severe earthquake devastated the island.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.

SIGN UP

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Britannica Quiz

Islands and Archipelagos

The history of Rhodes under Byzantine rule (after 395 ce) is uneventful. In 653–658 and 717–718 it was occupied by the Saracens, and the various Crusades used Rhodes as a port of staging and supply. After 1309 the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (Knights Hospitallers) converted Rhodes into an almost impregnable fortress and built a powerful fleet for protection of the southern Mediterranean sea routes against the Turks. The Knights evacuated Rhodes in 1523 after an honourable capitulation, ending two centuries of defiance of the Turks. The island gradually declined as the result of pestilence, emigration, and harsh Turkish administration, suffering severely during the War of Greek Independence (1821–29). In 1912 Rhodes was taken from Turkey by Italy. Under the Allied peace treaty with Italy in 1947, the island was awarded to Greece.

In the Classical age, Rhodes was famous as a centre of painting and sculpture and had a noted school of eclectic oratory at which the Romans Cato, Julius Caesar, and Lucretius were students. Rhodian sculptors were prolific. Among extant works is the Laocöon group executed by Polydorus, Athenodorus, and Agisandrus. The island has yielded an array of artifacts from the Mycenaean and later periods, but no Mycenaean palaces have been unearthed as in Crete and the Peloponnese (Pelopónnisos). Outstanding among the ruins of Lindus is the temple, or sanctuary, of Athena Lindia, which dates from the 5th to 3rd century bce.

The Italian occupation (1912–43) brought paved roads, public works construction, and considerable archaeological activity, including the restoration of ancient and medieval monuments. With Crete and Athens (Athína), Rhodes enjoys huge year-round tourism, which has brought great prosperity. The economy is supplemented by the production of red wine, grain, figs, pomegranates, and oranges. Pop. (2001) 115,334; (2011) 115,490.