Stone Age: The first trace of settlement on Paros have been found on the island Saliagos, an islet in the strait between Paros and Antiparos - one of the oldest prehistoric Aegean settlements, dated to the fifth or fourth millennium B.C.
Bronze Age (3200 - 1100 B.C.): Ruins of an Early Cycladic settlement have been found at various sites around Paroikia, while noteworthy traces of settlements from the same period have been uncovered at Kampos, Dryos, Koukounaries, Plastiras, Glyfa, and Faragas. During Minoan times, Paros emerged as a large military and commercial center, and was colonized by settlers from Crete. According to mythology, the island was settled by Alkaios, who established the first city at the site of present-day Paroikia and named it Minoa, or royal city. Traces of Mycenaean culture have been found at Koukounaries, above Naoussa, and on Kastro hill at Paroikia.
Geometric era (1100 - 700 B.C.): Paros emerges as a maritime power and the island flourishes thanks to demand for its marble. Agriculture and stockbreeding are developed.
Archaic period (700 - 480 B.C.): In 680 B.C., Parians found a colony on Thassos where they exploit gold deposits along the Thrace shore. The famed Paros sculpture workshops are established, while in the 7th century B.C., poetry also flourishes on the island thanks to Archilochus, whose work is compared to that of Homer.
Classical era (480 - 323 B.C.): The oligarchy ruling the island welcomes the Persians and follows their fleet in its campaign against the Greeks. In the wake of the Persians' defeat (480 B.C.), Themistocles forces Paros to join the Athenian League. In the arts, the period is marked by the works of Agorakritos and Scopas. Towards the end of classical times, Paros allies with Macedonia, an alliance it maintains until the death of Alexander the Great.
Hellenistic period (323 - 167 B.C.): Paros is under the rule of the Ptolemies for a long period.
Roman era (167 B.C.- 330 A.C.): Paros and the rest of the Cyclades, along with much of the mainland, come under Rome. Development is halted and the island is used as a place of exile.
Byzantine era (330 - 1204 A.C.): Christianity takes root on the island in the fourth century, when Panayia Ekantotapyliani becomes the first church built on the island, at the orders of Saint Elena.
Venetian rule (1204 - 1537 A.C.): Paros becomes a part of the Duchy of the Aegean (1207). Locals work in the fields as serfs and suffer from repeated pirate raids. Naoussa becomes a pirate base. The fortified settlements at Paroikia, Naoussa, and Kefalos (Marpissa) are built during this period.
Turkish rule (1537 - 1821 A.C.): The island is virtually deserted after its capture by the pirate Barbarossa (1537). The devastated island is overrun by the Turks (1560), but during the Russo-Turkish wars (1770 - 1777), Naoussa's sheltered bay is used by the Russian fleet as anchorage.
Modern era: Paros is an active participant in the Greek independence revolt of 1821. The island suffered during the Nazi occupation, and after the second World War, a large segment of the population is forced to migrate, first to Piraeus and then abroad. Around 1960, the island begins to experience the first signs of development, thanks largely to the start of a tourism boom.