The
oblong shape of the mountainous and barren island of Amorgos lies
on the eastern edge of the Cyclades, almost in the Dodecanese. In
some places, the coastline is steep and rocky, while elsewhere it
forms quiet, shady bays. The remains found all over the island and
the important archaeological finds discovered there (some of which
are in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens), are testimony
to the fact that Amorgos was inhabited in prehistoric times and
was a place of great importance during the period of the Cycladic
civilization.
During the Roman Era it too was a place of exile,
and during the Byzantine Empire (9th century) it acquired its most
prized monument: the Monastery of Panagia Chazoviotissa. In antiquity,
there were three flourishing and independent cities on Amorgos:
Minoa, Arkessini and Egiali.