Delos is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Greece with archaeological remains and significant ties to Greek mythology. It was a religious site for centuries, with worship of Dionysus and Leto, and was decreed the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. The Athenians took control of the island and made it suitable for worship, and it became wealthy as the center of the Delian League. The Romans kept it as a free port until it was attacked and abandoned. Visitors can explore the ruins, including the House of Dionysus and the Temple of Isis, by boat from Mykonos town.
Delos is an island of Greece. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has been since 1990. The site is incredibly important historically, contains numerous archaeological remains, and features heavily in Greek mythology. It is a wonderful destination for visitors to Greece interested in the history of the islands.
Delos was first occupied in the 3rd millennium BC The first inhabitants used the island as a religious site and it served as a sanctuary long before the Greeks decreed it the birthplace of two of their most important gods.
Greek mystery cults also had roots on Delos, and Dionysus was worshiped on the island for more than a millennium between the 10th century BC and the 2nd century. The site was also a place of worship dedicated to Leto, the Titaness mother of Zeus’ children Apollo and Artemis.
In the myth of the birth of Apollo and Artemis, it is said that when Hera, the wife of Zeus, discovered that Leto was pregnant with his children, she was unable to do anything to stop the pregnancy. Instead, she decreed that children could not be born on any land, nor on any island. So Leto went to Delos, a legendary floating island, neither land nor island, and there she gave birth to two of the most powerful gods of the Greek pantheon.
The Athenians took an interest in Delos during the 6th century BC In order to better take control of the island, they dug up all the tombs on the island and transported them to the mainland, helping to sever the ties of those who lived there. They then passed a series of decrees, including one that no one could be born or die on the island. All of this was part of a system of ritual purges, decreed by the Oracle of Delphi, to make the island suitable for the worship of the gods.
The island, as the center and treasure of the Delian League, became quite wealthy. In the following years many structures were built in exaltation not only of Apollo and Artemis, but also of the other deities of the Greek pantheon. In fact, an entire neighborhood was dedicated to foreigners and their foreign deities, making it a very cosmopolitan place of worship.
The Romans, when they came to power in the region, kept the island as a free port, to continue to encourage it to grow. This continued without interruption until the 1st century BC, when Mithridates of Pontos attacked the island as part of a revolt against Rome. He exterminated the entire population or sold them into slavery, and Delos began his descent. Within two decades the island had been abandoned.
Delos is literally an island of beautiful ruins, and visitors could easily spend days walking among them. The highlights of the island include the House of Dionysus and the House of the Dolphins, the Terrace of the Lions dedicated to Apollo, the Minoan Fountain and the Sacred Lake. And of course, temples abound, with the most popular being the Temple of Isis, the Temple of Hera, and the Temple of the Delis.
Delos can be reached by boat from Mykonos town. It is open most days during the tourist season, for a small entry fee. Guidebooks are available on site and a number of maps and books on the area have been produced.
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