Naxos (Messina Province) is the first Greek colony in Sicily. According to Thucydides, it was founded in the 5th century BC by the Greeks from the city of Chalcis, near Capo Schiso, in an area inhavited since the Neolithic Age. Naxos was conquered and destroyed by Siracusa in 476 BC, after resisting, in 498 BC, the attack of Hippocrates, the tyrant of Gela. It was rebuilt and its inhabitants returned 10 years later. During the Peloponnese War it was an ally of Athens and in 403 BC it was completely destroyed by Dionysius I of Siracusa. Although Naxos endeavored to survive this destruction, the political power in the area soon shifted to Tauromenion (Taormina).
Excavations have revealed traces of roads and houses, the temenos and various sacella inside and outside the town; one of these has been identified as the Sanctuary of Apollo Archegetes.
The walls, with a gate and a tower, were massive, as the traces indicate.
Links to other sites about Naxos include:
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