Sponge diving in Kalymnos

The origins of the inhabitants of Kalymnos are lost in the depths of time, but it is known that around the 2nd millennium BC, the Phoenicians conquered and colonized the island. Evidence of the island’s prosperity in ancient times can be seen in the ruins at Emporio in the north and Vathy in the east.

Later, Kalymnos was occupied by the Persians, the Genoese, the Knights of Saint John, and the Ottoman Turks. In 1912, it came under Italian rule, which lasted until almost the end of World War II.

Kalymnos was finally liberated on March 31, 1947, and, together with the rest of the Dodecanese islands, was incorporated into the Greek state in 1948.

You can also read a more detailed text about the history of Kalymnos: