Chios is well-favoured in terms of its privileged geographical location, topography, climate and natural resources, factors which determined its character from early antiquity.

Neolithic finds from Emporio and Agios Galas confirm that Chios was settled early, and seems to have flourished and developed mainly in the years after the Ionic colonization (11th-10th century BC). When a city-state was established in the central region of the east coast, in around the 8^th century, it rapidly gained control of the entire island, ushering in a golden age in shipping, commerce and the arts. Ancient times were to prove turbulent and unsettled: signs of habitation have been found from as early as the Neolithic period. In early Christian times, Saint Isidore was martyred on Chios during the persecutions of Decius (c. 250). Excavations have revealed that the island flourished at that time, becoming a major trading hub on the sea route that linked the new capital at Constantinople to the eastern provinces of the empire. The emergence of Chios as a centre of commercial activity was historically linked to the spread of Christianity in the Aegean – both developments are illustrated by the remains of early Christian basilicas and coastal settlements and by coin circulation. Among contemporary monuments, the Church of St. Isidore in Chios town was first built in the mid 5^th century as a three-aisled basilica with a horseshoe-shaped conch .

In the mid-Byzantine period the Aegean was plagued by Arab raids, leading to stagnation on the islands once more. It was in this climate of terror that Chios was pillaged by the Arab caliph Moab in the mid 7th century. This turbulent time of destruction, abandonment and unsafe sea routes came to an end in 961, when Nicephorus Phocas recaptured Crete. Emperor Constantine IX Monomachus erected the castle of Chios and founded the monastery of Nea Moni in the mid 11th century, strengthening ties between the island and Constantinople, as part of imperial efforts to restore Byzantine rule over areas affected by the Arab peril. Nea Moni is the island’s most prominent Byzantine monument and one of the most important in all Byzantine culture; it greatly influenced religious architecture on Chios, as attested by the churches modelled on it, such as the Virgin Mary Krina in Vavili, the Church of the Holy Apostles in Pyrgi and the Church of St. George Sikousis in the village of the same name.

A raid by the Turkish emir Jahan in 1093, attacks by the Venetians in 1124 and 1171 and brief subordination to the Latin State of Constantinople loosened Chios’ ties to the Empire and prepared it for the transition to Genoese rule. Under the Treaty of Nymphaeum (1261), Michael VIII Palaeologus, Emperor of Nicaea, secured the help of the Genoese in his attempt to recapture Constantinople from the Franks. In exchange for this he granted them significant trade privileges and gave them access to many Aegean ports. In Chios’ case, Genoese rule can be divided into two phases. In the first of these (1307-1329), the Zaccaria brothers assumed control of the island from the Byzantines after the latter failed to defend it against persistent Turkish raids. Emperor Andronicus Palaeologus briefly recaptured Chios, but in 1346 it was given back to the Genoese – this time to the Mahona Company owned by the Guistiniani family. For the next 220 years the Genoese Giustiniani made successful and effective use of the island’s produce (gum, wine, silk, citrus fruit) and its trade and workforce, transforming Chios into a large and prosperous commercial centre. Part of the Genoese plan for more systematic and profitable exploitation of the island’s resources involved establishing the quaint medieval fortified settlements in the south, known as the Mastichochoria (mastic villages), at Anavatos, Pyrgi, Mesta and Olympi. Chios town and the fertile Kambos plain extending to south proved favourable not only for citrus tree cultivation, but also for the monumental architecture of Genoese towers.

The lengthy period of Ottoman rule began in 1566, when Chios surrendered almost without a fight to Piali Pasha, and came to an end with the island’s incorporation into the newly established Greek state in 1912. The Ottomans granted the islanders tax exemption, allowed the nobility to retain property and established a local government and trade, providing Chios with important advantages and enforcing a mild regime, though this failed to prevent the island from falling into decline. A turning point in Chian society was reached in the 18th century, with a move towards urbanization that drastically transformed the prevailing climate and brought the island renewed growth and prosperity. The expansion of trade to include the major markets of the West created conditions for the organization of small-scale silk and gum industries, leading to the growth of the city centre and bringing people in contact with western education and culture. Via trade and related financial activities the economy flourished hand in hand with education, as is illustrated by the establishment of the Chios School in 1792. Dark moments in the island’s history include the pillaging and slaughter committed by the Turks under Ali Kara in 1822, which shocked the European world, and the devastating earthquake of 1881.