Only 70 people lived on the island of Gavdos. Then migrant boats started to arrive.

A tawny smudge on the blue horizon of the Mediterranean, it is the southernmost point of Europe, a sun-baked outpost of deserted beaches, gnarled juniper trees, and flocks of shaggy goats.

The tiny Greek island of Gavdos, which lies to the south of Crete, has until now been distinguished as the place where Odysseus was shipwrecked and held captive by the nymph Calypso, and as a destination for sun-seekers during the summer holidays.

Now, however, the island finds itself thrust to the forefront of Europe’s migration crisis, which erupted in 2015