According to Greek mythology, Lindos was founded by the Danaids, the fifty daughters of the hero Danaus, who had fled to Egypt to escape the jealous rage of the goddess Hera. The city is also said to have taken part in the Trojan War under the leadership of Tlepolemos.

Ancient Lindos was built on the site of the contemporary settlement that bears the same name and is one of Rhodes’ most important archaeological sites. Its early, pre-Greek place name, along with a few prehistoric remains, indicates that the area was already inhabited as early as the Neolithic period.