HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Located in the southeastern Aegean Sea and southwest of the Anatolian coast, the Dodecanese consist of 163 islands, although the meaning of Dodecanese is "twelve islands." The reason for this is the presence of major twelve major islands: Astipalea, Kalimnos, Karpathos, Kassos, Kastellorizo, Kos, Leros, Nisyros, Patmos, Rhodes, Simi, and Tilos.

Originally this island group was part of the Minoan civilization before passing to custody of the Achaeans and then the Dorians, the last of which oversaw the growth of the islands into an independent cultural and economic center.

About 499 BC a Persian captivity brought the islands into the affairs of the Hellenic city-states, and with the conclusion of the Persian Wars they were joined with the Athenian-led Delian League. During the Peloponnesian War, despite their membership in the League, the Dodecanese remained mostly neutral and enjoyed continued economic success. The collapse of Hellenic military power subsequent to the taxing Peloponnesian conflict left the islands open to conquest, and as a result, they were forcibly incorporated into the territory of Halicarnassus and then Persia. Liberation was achieved through inclusion in the Macedonian Empire in 332 BC.

Following the death of Alexander the Great, the islands thrived as an economic, cultural, and military powerhouse in the Aegean Sea, at the center of which was the city of Rhodes. This position would continue, though slightly diminished, under the Roman Empire beginning with a treaty in 164 BC.

Wikipedia