THE THOMS SUNDAY TRAVEL SECTION.
Delos is different than all the other Greek islands.
Sure, It has the mythology, Greek history, and archaeological sites like many of the other islands.
But there are no showy hotels.
You will not find sandy beaches with luxe beach clubs.
People do not come here for the best Greek cuisine in the Aegean.
So why come to this barren rock between the islands of Mykonos and Rinia?
Because no one ever dies here.
It’s not a miracle Greek yogurt or Mediterranian diet.
For the last 2400+ years, no one lives on Delos.
Apollo and Artemis
You can thank Leto, a Titan who chooses Delos as the birthplace of her illegitimate twins, Apollo and Artemis.
The father is Zeus, and his wife Hera is the reason for hiding here to give birth.
Delos becomes a cult center where people can visit the Temple of Apollo, for a price, and maybe get a blessing.
To keep anyone from seeing the man behind the curtain, they ban people from overnighting.
This money-making operation runs from approximately 650 B.C. until 200 B.C.
With the expansion of the world, Delos is becoming a crossroads in the eastern Mediterranian.
Apollo Growing Spurt
Delos is now an international port, with merchants and bankers from around the Mediterranian. Many of these are from a growing republic to the west. Soon the Romans outnumber the Greeks and take control.
Others see this treasure chest of the Aegean and want a piece or several. The Persians and the Greeks attack sacking the city.
Pirates ambush the ships coming and going with goods.
So Rome pulls the plug and sets up new trading routes using its expanding road system and fleet.
Apollo and all the other temples begin to deflate.
By 200 A.D., Delos is a ghost town.
It will remain that way, and as a source for free building materials and Greek nicknacks, until 1873.
Apollo Relaunch.
The site has been an archeological site ever since. The first major “dig” takes place from 1873 until 1914 when interest and funding drop. A museum for Delos’s new-found objects is built during this time.
A new interest, and money fuels another major excavation starting in 1958 and running until 1975. This really puts Delos on the Greek map.
When UNESCO adds the island to its 1990 World Heritage list, it appears on the International map.
Although there are some archeologists still digging today, it is the day-visitors doing most of the exploring.
What Does Delos Have For You?
Unfortunately, there is little of Apollo and almost nothing of Artemus, outside of a statue in the museum.
But there is much to take in when you consider how much remaining dates from 2000 or more years ago.
You arrive on the west side of the island. To the left of the ferry pier, facing the island, the small cove was the Sacred Port where pilgrims would arrive to visit the religious sites.
Later, to the right of the pier, a much larger commercial port is built. Unfortunately, little of either remains.
Agora of the Competaliasts
Dating from the 2nd century B.C., this is the area you enter from the pier, adjacent to the Sacred Harbor. Directly in front of you are the square and round marble bases to two monuments to Hermes. You can see the remains of other monuments in this area. The merchants, sea captains, and bankers would commission these as a way to show off.
On the north side of the square, you can see pieces of the Portico of Philip and the foundations of a temple to Hermes. On the south and east corner are remains of shops. They would surround the central square. In front of the shops, look for holes in the stones. These were to stick wooden poles in to hold up cloth coverings from the sun and occasional rain.
Behind the shops (southeast) is what some call the theater district.
The remains of several private homes from the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C. are in this area. Due to their size and luxury, these are homes of the wealthy, including foreign merchants. They follow the characteristic ancient Greek house plan of rooms around a central courtyard. The more affluent households would include a peristyle, a covered walkway between the yard and the rooms.
The House of Dionysos
Many of the houses get their name from the mosaics or other artwork inside. Here, you see the mosaic of Dionysos riding a panther. Under the mosaic would be a cistern for the collection of precious rainwater. A stone stairway leads to the upper story.
House of Dioskourides and Kleopatra
This house was the property of an Athenian, Dioskourides, and his wife, Kleopatra. We know this from the statue replicas in the courtyard in their likeness.
Kleopatra was a common first name in ancient Greece, meaning joy (Cleo) of the father. This residence is not the home of any Egyptian queens.
The Theatre
Dating from the 3rd century B.C., it is a replacement of an earlier theater. The current theater could seat around 5,500 spectators. Parts of the stage portion are visible.
House of the Masks
Up the hill from the theater, this house has a slightly different layout. The name is for the theater masks in the mosaic.
House of the Dolphins
The bases of the column make it clear the courtyard had a peristyle running around it. Something unique is the central mosaic has a circular design with dolphins in the four corners. Most of the Delos mosaics are a square or rectangular scene.
To the northeast of the Dolphin house is a sanctuary to the familiar triad of Anubis, Serapis, and Isis.
The Temple of Hera
On the south end, right before the sanctuary, are two Doric columns, marking the front of this temple from circa 500 B.C. Digging found an earlier temple foundation underneath, possibly 7th century B.C. The museum has several items from this previous temple.
The Temple of Isis
At the north end of the 2nd century, B.C. sanctuary is a small Doric temple to Isis. She is the goddess of good health, fortune, and protector of the sailors. There is a map of Delos on display and a good view of the northern part of the site.
Archaeological Museum of Delos.
A downhill walk from the Temple of Isis, brings you to the island’s museum. Since at least 2015, there has been talk about a new museum on Delos. Unless this tiny island gets the bid for the Olympics, I do not see that happening soon.
Until that time, the current museum from 1908 houses objects from the different excavations on the island. There is pottery dating back to the 25th century B.C.
Most of the other pieces, including funerary statues, jewelry, mosaics, and other small objects, are much newer. They date from the 1st and 2nd century B.C.
Why stop here?
The only restrooms on the island are here.
There is a great model of the site which will help you understand the things you already saw and things you will see next.
The collection, while not huge, is impressive, and these are the real deal.
From the museum, follow the path towards the water (west).
Minoan Fountain
On your left is this public fountain dug directly from the natural rock, with steps leading down. The dedication is to the Cult of the Minoan Nymphs. It dates to the second half of the 6th century B.C.
Agora of the Italians
To the north of the fountain is an agora (market) set up by Roman merchants circa 100 B.C. The shops around it come later. In its day, the colonnade was two stories high.
Terrace of the Lions
Turn right when you reach the west side of the Agora. Here, you will see one of the most photographed areas in Delos, the marble lions. A gift from the Naxians to Apollo at the end of 7th century B.C. they face east towards the Sacred Lake. Archeologists believe there may have been initially sixteen. Today, there are five mainly whole lions and the remains of three others. The body of another now sits in front of the Arsenal in Venice, with a new head. The rest of them are lost.
Sacred Lake
The oval lake is now dry to keep mosquitos away but once held the sacred swans and geese of Apollo. The palm tree in the center represents the one Leto was clutching while giving birth to Apollo and Artemis.
Walking back towards the ferry and what was the center of Delos, brings us to the highlight. Well, what should be, and once was. The temple to Apollo.
The Temple of the Delians
Some maps may call it the Grand Temple or the Apollon Temple. It is the third and largest temple dedicated to Apollo on this spot. Dating from 478 B.C., it is a Doric temple with six columns across the front and back. The sides both have thirteen. When Athens “borrows” the treasury, work halts until the Delian independence. For financial reasons, or possibly a drop in popularity, they never finish the temple. Today, you can see the scale of the temple from the foundation. Unfortunately, all the pieces are scattered about, looking like the beginning of an enormous picture puzzle.
From here it is a short walk to the ferry pier.
As there are no restaurants or overnight accommodations on the island, it is definitely a day trip.
The ferry from Mykonos takes approximately 30 minutes each way.
Read more about Delos.
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“See the World” Continued on Page T3. “Taste the World” Continued on T11.