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Delos

Alternative names:

Place description

According to Greek mythology, Delos was the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. The earliest evidence of the inhabitation of the site dates to the 3rd millennium BC. In the area around the sanctuary of the city, important remains of the Mycenaean period have been uncovered. In the 7th century BC, Delos was a known Ionic centre due to its religious significance as Apollo’s birthplace. In 540BC, Peisistratos purified the sanctuary and it marked the initial Athenian influence. Delos was gradually dominated by Athens until the end of the 4th century BC when it was declared free and independence. Nevertheless, Delos’ independence only lasted until 16BC when it was transferred into the hands of the Athenians by the Romans. Under the second Athenian domination, the Delians were expulsed to Achaia in the Peloponnesus. Delos was declared to be an international harbour by the Romans, and it attracted the influx of foreigners into the island. These foreigners thus became a significant part of the population there. Due to the absence of taxes, trade activities became active and the island became prosperous. However, during the war between Mithridates and Rome, Delos suffered severe damage during the raids in 88 and 69BC. The island’s economy declined. In the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, there was only a small settlement on the island. Christianity also gradually replaced the pagan religion. The island’s previous religious significance was lost. There are still magnificent archaeological remains on the islands, but some of the ancient building materials have been reused for modern house building activities. The Agora of the Competaliasts, dated to the last quarter of the 2nd century BC, is an open square directly next to the sacred habour. The north side of the agora stood the Portico of Philip and a small Ionic temple dedicated to Hermes. Shops and workshops were built along the eastern and southern sides of the agora. Two marble monuments dedicated to Hermes were erected at the centre of the square. Around them, the bases of other monuments erected by bankers, sailors and merchants are still visible. The Temple of the Delians, with its earliest construction dating to 478BC, is the latest and largest of the three sanctuaries dedicated to Apollo in the city. Nevertheless, the construction stopped in the middle of the 5th century BC when the League’s treasury was transferred from the island to Athens. During the period of Delos’ independence, the construction was resumed but never actually finished. The Minoan Fountain was a public well hewn into the rock. A relief bore a dedication to ‘Minoan Nymphs’ and the structure were dated to the second half of the 6th century BC. It was still in use until the late Hellenistic period when it was converted into a house. The Naxians dedicated some marble lions to Apollo by the end of the 7th century BC. These lions stood in a row and faced the Sacred Lake. There might have been 16 of them, but only 5 are left today. The Poseidoniasts from Beirut established a clubhouse, dating to the last quarter of the 2nd century BC. It belonged to an association of Syrian shippers, merchants, banker and warehousemen as a means to tie up their racial kinship, to worship their national gods and to protect their commercial interest. The structure had a central peristyle court, rooms and temples dedicated to Poseidon, Hercules and Roma. A huge phallus, the symbol of Dionysos, was supported on a pillar at a rectangular platform northwest of the sanctuary. It was erected by a Delian named Karystios as a celebration of a theatrical performance sponsored by him. Constructed in the beginning of the 3rd century BC, the theatre was a replacement of an earlier wooden one. It could accommodate up to 5500 viewers. Built at the beginning of the 2nd century BC, the temple of Isis was located on a high terrace by the foothill of Cynthus. In 135BC, it was repaired by the Athenians. The temple of Hera was constructed in around 500BC but there was an earlier foundation dated back to the 7th century BC. Archaic vases and other votive offerings bearing incised inscriptions to Hera were discovered in the earlier temple. The House of Dionysos was named after its famous mosaic floor which depicted Dionysos riding a panther. The house dates to the last quarter of the 2nd century BC. A cistern in the peristyle court was also covered with a splendid mosaic floor.