Ialysos was one of the three Dorian poleis of the island of Rhodes and also a member of the Dorian Hexapolis, a confederation of city-states which embraced Lindos, Kameiros, Ialysos, Kos, Knidos and Halikarnassos. In 408 BCE, Ialysos along with the other two Rhodian poleis founded a federal city at the north tip of the island, calling it Rhodos, which was to become a formidable city-state and naval power. Naturally, Ialysos lost its importance and during the Roman period it was nothing more than a village.

The Classical polis of Ialysos extended around the hill known today as Philerimos, which was the acropolis where there are remains of buildings dating to the Archaic, Classical, Byzantine and Frankish periods. The temple of Athena Polias, which dates to the 3^rd - 2^nd centuries BCE, was built over the site of an earlier Classical temple. The depository on the west side produced pottery and votive offerings dating from the 9^th to the 5^th centuries BCE. In addition to the cult of Athena Polias, there are also references to a cult of Zeus Polieus.

In the Early Byzantine period (5^th – 6^th centuries AD) a three-aisled basilica with an atrium was built over the remains of the ancient temple, while in the 10^th century a single-aisled church with a cupola was constructed over it. In the time of the Franks, the site was occupied by a medieval monastery and church.

-Submitted by Ioannis Nestor