SKOPELOS
THE HISTORY OF OUR ISLAND
SKOPELOS ISLAND
PEPARETHOS
Skopelos carries centuries of history.
And it carries them quietly.
From ancient Peparethos , known for its wine and the myth of Staphylos , to the Byzantine era and the Venetian presence at the Castle above Chora, each period has left its mark. Not through grandeur, but through continuity.
Its monuments are not isolated landmarks. They are woven into daily life. An ancient stone built into a later wall. A surviving section of fortification overlooking the town. A church raised upon older foundations.
History here is not a straight line. It is layered.
Ancient, Byzantine, post-Byzantine, modern Greece , all present at once.
In Skopelos, monuments do not dominate.
They endure.
And if you pause for a moment, you will feel that this small Aegean island is not only about landscape and light ,
it is also about memory.
The ancient name of the island of Skopelos was Peparithos, from the name of Peparithos ( Peparethos ), brother of Stafylos, its first resident. This name is also mentioned in Thucydides.
In late Classical and Hellenistic times, Peparithos cuts copper coins and it seems that the trading of wine –the famous peparithos wine- is still prospering.
Following the Takeover of Constantinople by the Franks, the island was conquered by Venetians and it became part of the Naxos Dukedom. Then it was taken over by the Imperial House of the Gizis up to 1276, a date when Skopelos comes back under Byzantium.
The island portrayed a severe separation among social classes. The ruling class were the large landowners and the shipowners of the island The largest part of the population was made up of small-scale farmers, workers and sailors.
Historical Monuments
The historical monuments on Skopelos are several, but they are not as organized as they should be. You can, however, combine beautiful walks with a search for these areas, such as for example the carved graves in Sentoukia, in the area Karya internally on the island.