The name of the island remains from ancient times until today virtually unchanged. Many versions exist for the island's name, but two seems to be prevalent. According to the first one, the name came from the fact that the inhabitants, being proud of their island abducted the gods of Mount Olympus and brought them to live here. So named after Arpatheoi(those who steal God) and after phonemic transitions the name Carpathians was formed.
The ancient Greeks were impressed of the island’s geomorphology and that is why mythology considers Karpathos as a place of residence for various mythical persons such as the Titan Iapetus, brother of Saturn, Prometheus, the goddess Athena, the famous Pandora's box, and famous craftsmen Telchines.
According to archaeologists first inhabitants are the Minoans. The island flourished during the Dorians, who named the island Tetrapolis because it consisted of four fortified cities, Potidaio, Arkesia, Vrykounta and Nisyros in Saria Island.
Finally Karpathos island followed the fate of the other Dodecanese islands with the revolution of 1944 which brought the release of the Italian occupation and incorporation in Greece on March 7, 1948.
