In the Greek and Roman periods a city called Kandanos or Kandania flourished here. The spot is not certain, but most people believe that it was at the site of the modern town of Kandanos, not in Kadros, which is souther, as others assume. Remains from a very large building with a mosaic floor of the third century A.D. were found in Kandanos. The church in Tzevremiana, near Kandanos, is thought to be on the site of a bishopric church from the first Byzantine period. Ancient Kandanos might have been destroyed by the Arabs.

During the Turkish occupation, Kandanos became the home of very fierce Turkish rulers and many battles took place here to drive them out. In World War II, the people in Kandanos resisted the Germans in the battle of Floria and the town was razed to the ground “so that it is never to be built again”, as the inscription that was left says. The scene of the heroic stand was north of Kandanos. The Cretans delayed a German force for two days and the ensuing death of twenty-five Germans resulted in the destruction of Kandanos.