Dokos Island, Greece: A Quiet Islet near Hydra
Dokos is a small, rocky Greek island in the Argo-Saronic Gulf between Hydra and the Peloponnese, home to only a handful of Orthodox monks and shepherds. Dokos is a dry, steep and largely uninhabited island reached only by water taxi, prized by walkers and by travellers looking for peace and quiet - and, off its coast, it holds the oldest known shipwreck in the world.
- Sea
- Argo-Saronic
- Population
- 13 (2001)
- Highest point
- 308 m
- Ancient name
- Aperopia
The island of Dokos
Dokos lies in the Argo-Saronic Gulf between Hydra and the Peloponnese, separated from the mainland by the narrow strait some maps call the Hydra Gulf. It belongs to the municipality of Hydra in the Piraeus Prefecture and counted just 13 residents at the 2001 census - a few Orthodox monks and sheep herders who live from farming, fishing and grazing. The island is dry, infertile, rocky and steep, rising to 308 metres, with few water reserves but several small, clean beaches.
History and the Dokos shipwreck
Archaeological studies show Dokos was inhabited as early as the Copper Age, around 6000 BC, and in antiquity - when it was called Aperopia - it was a strategic location and an important port. On the east side stand the ruins of a large Byzantine and Venetian castle, and during the Middle Ages the island sheltered the animals of Albanian settlers. In 1975 Peter Throckmorton discovered off the coast the oldest known shipwreck in the world, dated between 2700 and 2200 BC and lying 15 to 30 metres underwater; its cargo of hundreds of clay vases is one of the largest collections of Early Helladic pottery known. A 9-metre round lighthouse, built in 1923, stands on the eastern side.
How to visit Dokos
No ferries call at Dokos; you reach the island by water taxi from Hydra, Ermioni or Spetses. Dokos is popular with nature lovers who come to hike its rocky paths and with travellers seeking complete peace and quiet.
