Its ancient name was Peparethos, as mentioned by Thucydides. Around 1600 BC, Minoans from Crete settled the island and their mythical King Staphylos, son of Dionysus and Ariadne, introduced the wine to the locals. After the Mycenaean period, Skopelos was occupied by the Dolopians from Thessaly who used the island as a military base