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Serifos Island Cyclades Serifos, an Aegean Island and Historic Source of Iron and Copper Serifos is pervaded with legend, from Perseus to the Cyclops. But its history, often violent, was most affected by its iron and copper mines. Today Serifos is a quiet, undeveloped, relaxed place of peace. In school we learned the mythic, heroic tales with unforgettable characters like Perseus and Medusa. To stand on the Greek island of Serifos is to stand in a place of legends. Acrisius was warned by the oracle, he would be killed by his grandson. And so he imprisoned his daughter. Zeus never let a thing like thick walls stop him, and he came to Danae as the rain. Nine months later she gave birth to Perseus. Acrisius cast mother and infant adrift on the Mediterranean Sea, locked in a wooden chest. They washed ashore on Serifos. Perseus, the hero, was sent away, he slew the gorgon, Medusa, who turned men to stone if they looked upon her. He brought the head home to use to kill the king who was forcing himself on Danae. The remains of the stone head and the stone king account for the rocky shores of Serifos. According to another legend, Serifos was inhabited by a race of powerful giants, the Cyclops who lived in the caves near Psaropyrgos. The walls of Liomadra and the White Tower have been attributed to these giants who were supposedly the first to exploit the iron and copper mines found on the island. Serifos means Iron Island. Cretans mined here. After Roman conquest, Serifos became a place of exile. During the Byzantine Era, political dissidents were again exiled here. Venetian rule meant reopening the mines that were worked by slave labor. Turkish conquerors closed the mines. Then in the late 1800's, the Greek government opened them once again. The mines have impacted and directed much of the history of Serifos. By the early 1900's, Serifos was a major mining site. The mines were owned and controlled by one German family. They were the major employer of the island. These mines were notorious for having the poorest working conditions in all of Europe. Thousands died in appalling wretchedness or because of the direct brutality of the owners. In 1916, miners organized and decided to strike. They asked for better working conditions and an 8 hour day. The Germans appealed to the Greek Government who sent the National Guard to keep peace. When strikers refused to return to work, soldiers opened fire, killing 4 and wounding scores. Bystanders, many were the wives of the strikers, began throwing stones, killing guardsmen whose bodies were thrown into the sea. A French war ship intervened, and the mines were returned to the Germans, but only after the guaranteed better, safer working conditions, and a shorter workday. The mines have drawn exploiters through the ages. The walls of Liomadra and the White Tower are the only traces left of ancient civilizations. Everything else has been looted. What was saved is in the Archaeological Museum in the capital city, Hors. Today, Serifos, an island on the western end of the Cycladic archipelago, has a small population of 1200. The few tourists who vacation here are Greek, and so Serifos remains undiscovered, uncommercialized, a place with family beaches, no nightclubs and few shops. This is a quiet island known for excellent food and a relaxed atmosphere. |
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