ANDROS
One of the Cyclades, Greece.
The farthest N of these islands, lying between Euboia
and Tenos. Andros, son of Eurymachos or Anios, gave
his name to it; according to another tradition, the name
is associated with Andros, to whom Radamanthys gave
the island (
Diod. Sic. 5.79;
Paus. 10.13.3). The Andrians
were Ionian descendants. Though dependent on Eretria
in the 8th c. B.C., Andros prospered by the next century,
and founded numerous colonies. It submitted to Persia
in 490, received an Athenian cleruchy in 450-440, and
later entered the second Athenian League (378-377). In
200 B.C. it was captured by Pergamene and Roman
forces, and the cities mercilessly looted.
Major sites lie in the W part of the island. The ancient
center of Andros is located at Palaiopolis, in the middle
of the W coast, where there is an acropolis with vestiges
of walls on the N side. Sections of walls and one gate
are preserved at several points around the city. Ruins of
a stoa dated in the 3d or 2d c. B.C. are preserved in the
agora. In the city there were a famous Temple of Dionysos, a Fountain of Zeus (Plin.
HN 2.231;
Paus. 6.26.2;
Philostr.
Imag. 1.25) and Temples of Apollo, Hestia, and
Athena
Ταυροπόλς (Suidas, s.v.
Ταυροπόλς). Further to
the N is the harbor
Γαύπειον (
Xen. Hell. 1.4.22;
Diod.
Sic. 13.69). To the NE is Haghios Petros, a village
where a Hellenistic tower survives. Ancient iron mines
have been reported in the area. Quarries of marble
existed in the N part of the island. The important site
of Geometric Zagora lies to the SE of Palaiopolis. The
settlement, which flourished during the late 8th c. B.C.
was fortified with a strong wall. One gate has been found
on the S side; the N side is still unexcavated. The town
is represented by a complex of rooms and courts. At a
central position is a temple (10 x 8 m) consisting of a
closed prodomos and an almost square cella which contained a stone altar (?). The temple is almost entirely
built of schist, and probably had a flat roof. The plan is
reminiscent of the temples at Xombourgo on Tenos and
Emporio on Chios. There is an archaeological collection
in Andros with sculptures of archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods and Geometric ceramic.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
L. Ross,
Reisen auf den griechischen
Inseln des Aegaeischen meeres II (1843) 12ff; Hirschfeld,
RE 1
2 (1894) 2169-71 s.v. Andros; T. Saucius,
Andros
(1914); B. D. Meritt,
ATL I (1939) 469; A. Cambitoglou,
Praktika (1967) 103-11; M. Ervin,
AJA 72 (1968)
381-82; A. Cambitoglou,
Praktika (1969) 134-38; id.,
Zagora I (1971)
MP.
D. SCHILARDI
