Anafi took its name when Apollo made the island rise from the sea to save the Argonauts from a big storm on their return from Colhis. Another myth tells us that it owes its name (Anef Ofeon=without snakes) to its lack of snakes. Historically, it was first settled by the Phoenicians and later by the Dorians who founded the town of Anafi. In the 5th century BC, it joined the Athenian League. During the Middle Ages, it became part of the Duchy of Naxos and was ruled by several Venetian royal families. In 1537, it was subjugated by the Turks, after it had been ransacked by Barbarossa. It was liberated in 1830 by the Treaty of London, along with the rest of the Cyclades.