History & Culture

DELOS

According to greek mythology, Delos is the place where Apollo, the god of light and Artemis, goddess of hunting, both Lito and Zeus children, were born. The myth says that the island called Delos was revealed from the waves when Lito, chased by Zeus wife, Hera, could not find a place to give birth to Apollo and Artemis. Zeus asked Poseidons help and he revealed a small rocky island called Delos, a word which means &laqno;revealed», &laqno;shown». All the islands around Delos which form a circle were called &laqno;Cyclades» Delos was first inhabited by Cares or Phoenicians during the 3rd millennium BC.

In Neolithic Ages, (1600 - 1500 BC) the island was quite developed whereas between 1500 and 1200 BC we know that an important settlement was formed. Around 1100 BC Ions came to the island bringing with them the Apollos worship. In 700 BC the island becomes the centre of an Ionian amphictyony which was the basis for commercial development. In 540 BC Athenians forbade the burial of the deads in Delos because the island belonged to Apollo. The Persians respected the island during the Persian Wars.

In 477 BC Athenians decided a new &laqno;purification» of the island and forbade people from being born and dying on it. They also ordered the transfer of all dead people from Delos to the neighbouring Rinia. At the same time Athenians decreed a glorious ceremony, &laqno;Delia» held every five years. In 314 BC, Delos was under the protection of
Ptolemy of Egypt and then under the influence of Macedonians when another flourishing period starts.
During Roman Times, the island turns into a important port in the Aegean Sea. This is the most prosperous time in its history. In 88 BC Mithridatis, King of Pontos, who was in war with the Romans, destroys Delos and Mykonos and looted the sanctum.
Later the island lost its wealth and its importance yet it was still inhabited until the First Christian Years (the remains of a synagogue and two churches of the First Christian Years have been found). After the 5th century, there is no historical information concerning the island. Most probably, Delos was preyed upon only by pirates and illicit dealers in antiquities.
The people from the neighbouring islands must have been visiting the island to take pieces of marble used as construction material. Since 1873 the French Archaeological School, founded in 1846, has undertaken many excavation expeditions which have brought to light monuments and archaeological finds of enormous value. Research and restoration of these finds continues until today.
The visitor can admire most of these finds wandering around Delos sanctum and visiting the islands archaeological museum.