Despotiko
| Native name: Δεσποτικό | |
|---|---|
 Despotiko
|
|
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 36°58′N 25°00′E / 36.96°N 25.00°ECoordinates: 36°58′N 25°00′E / 36.96°N 25.00°E |
| Archipelago | Cyclades |
| Highest elevation | 187 m (614 ft) |
| Administration | |
|
Greece
|
|
| Region | South Aegean |
| Regional unit | Paros |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 (2001) |
| Postal code | 840 07 |
| Area code(s) | 22840 |
| Vehicle registration | EM |
Despotikó (Greek: Δεσποτικό) is a small, uninhabited Greek island in the Cyclades. It is situated west of the island of Antiparos, and east of the smaller island of Strongyli.
The small and dry island is located about 700 m southwest from the shores of Antiparos. Despotiko is situated almost exactly in the center of the Cyclades and during clear days it offers spectacular views towards the surrounding islands of Antiparos, Syros, Serifos, Sifnos, Kimolos, Folegandros, Sikinos and Ios (in anticlockwise order). Administratively, the island is part of the community of Antiparos. Presently, the island can only be reached by boats starting from the island of Antiparos. Boats leave either from the main village of Antiparos or from Agios Georgios (southwest Antiparos), just opposite Despotiko. Usually, the final destination for them lies on the southern part of the island where a large sandy beach is located.
The strait separating Despotiko from Antiparos only has a minimum depth of about 1m, with the intervening islet of Koimitiri. This extreme shallowness of the strait suggests the possibility of a link between Antiparos and Despotiko in former times. Indicators of previous sea-levels include archaeological remains on the sea-floor of Despotiko Bay such as Early Bronze Age cist graves off Koimitiri down to 3m water depths; additionally there are walls, a well-head, and an oven of unknown age at a 3m depth off-shore from Agios Georgios on Antiparos. Numerous parallel trenches occur west of the Panagia chapel on Despotiko which have not been excavated or dated so far, but can be compared with the almost identical, partly submerged, probably Hellenistic viticulture trenches from northeast Antiparos. These submerged archaeological structures, together with a Classical marble inscription from the sanctuary on Despotiko reading ΕΣΤΙΑΣ ΙΣΘΜΙΑΣ, (Hestias Isthmias, which essentially means "for Hestia of the Isthmus"), suggest that the relative sea-level in this area was at least 3m lower during the Early Bronze Age and still more than 1m lower during the Hellenistic time. This implies that an isthmus may have linked Despotiko, Koimitiri and Antiparos at least until the Hellenistic time.
...
Wikipedia