thāˈsŏs, island (1991 pop. 13,527), c.170 sq mi (440 sq km), NE Greece, in the Aegean Sea. Timber, olive oil, honey, wine, and lead-zinc ores are its chief products; boatbuilding, fishing, and tourism are the main industries. Oil was discovered in the Aegean off Thasos in the early 1970s, leading to a dispute with Turkey over continental shelf rights. In legend its earliest colonists were led by Thasus, son of Poseidon, for whom the island was named. It was famous in ancient times for its gold mines, which were exploited by the Phoenicians. The island was colonized c.708 b.c. by persons from Páros, among whom was the poet Archilochus. In the 5th cent. b.c. it was subdued by Persia and then fell to Athens. A revolt against Athens was put down by Cimon in 463 b.c. The Ottoman Turks held Thásos almost continuously from the mid-15th cent. a.d. until 1912, when it passed to Greece.

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