Geography Index

Astypalaia
Astypalaea

An island in the southern Aigean (Aegean) Sea.

  Astypalaia is one of the Southern Sporades—a group of 'scattered' Greek islands near the coast of Asis Minor.

  The island was named after Princess Astypalaia, daughter of Phoenician King Pheonix. Astypalaia became the consort of the god Poseidon, lord of the sea—they had several notable children, including Ankaeos (Ancaeus), the helmsman for the Argonauts on their Quest for the Golden Fleece, and King Eurypylos (Eurypylus) of the island of Kos (Cos). Eurypylos was killed by Herakles (Heracles) when he landed on Kos by night and Eurypylos mistakenly thought the island was under attack by pirates.

  Astypalaia also had the distinction of being the sister of Europa, the consort of Zeus, who became the matriarch of the ruling elite of the island of Krete (Crete).

  There are also several interesting "factoids" regarding the island of Astypalaia. The Roman author Cicero¹ reported that the Astypalaians worshiped Achilles as a god because his mother Thetis was a goddess and Achilles therefore inherited her divinity. The traveler-historian Pausanias² reported that a competitive boxer named Kleomedes (Cleomedes) killed an opponent and was convicted of foul play by the contest judges. Kleomedes returned to his home on Astypalaia and went mad. He toppled the roof support of a school and killed some children. To escape being stoned to death, Kleomedes retreated to a temple of Athene (Athena) and hid in a cabinet. When the cabinet was forced open, Kleomedes was not inside. The Astypalaians were baffled and asked the Oracle at Delphi to explain Kleomedes' disapperance. The oracle replied that Kleomedes was no longer mortal and henceforth should be worshiped as a hero.

1. Cicero—Marcus Tullius (106–43 BCE). Roman lawyer, orator, politician and philosopher.
2. Pausanias—first century CE

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