Ios is considered one of the most beautiful islands of the Cyclades. There are various interpretations for its name, which comes from the Ionians who settled on the island in the 2nd millennium BC. It is said that its name has ancient roots from the word Ia, the flowers that grew in abundance on the island. However, it may owe its name to the Phoenician word Ios which means a pile of stones. One of the largest settlements of the Cycladic civilization has been identified in Ios. The civilization dates back to 2,700 to 2,300 BC. in the proto-Cycladic period II. Ios has hosted several cultures including the Carians, the Minoans, the Achaeans, and the Phoenicians. In the 10th century BC, the Ionians occupied the island. Then the island of Ios joins the Athenian alliance and comes under Macedonian rule. During the period of the supremacy of Rome and Byzantium, the Cycladic island was plagued by pirate raids. Ios came under the rule of Markos Sanoudos in 1207 and in 1269 it returned to the Byzantines, while it was finally occupied by the Turks. During the years of the Turkish occupation, the island was a den of French pirates. According to Herodotus, Homer, an ancient Greek poet and the first great creator of European and Western literature, is buried here.