According to greek mythology, the island was first inhabited by Cretans (from Knossos) lead by Stafilos, one of the two sons Dionysus had had with Ariadne. They founded a colony, built in the exact same place as the contemporary capital, and named it after Stafiloses brother, Peparithos. The island boasted two more cities at the time, Panormos and Selinous, but soon became known as Peparithos.
After the Byzantine domination was over, Skopelos became part of the frankish duchy of Naxos and was handed over to the Gyzis family (1207). Seventy years later, it once again fell under the rule of the Byzantine Empire until 1453, when it was taken over by the Venetians. In 1538 it was the turn of the Turks, who managed to destroy the island completely