Delos, also called Dilos (pronounced "dee-laws"), is a small Greek island near Mykonos, located in the center of the Cyclades group of islands. Even though it covers only 3.43 km (1.32 square miles) in area, Delos is one of the most important places in Greece for myths, history, and archaeology. Excavations on the island are among the largest in the Mediterranean, and many of the items found there are shown at the Archaeological Museum of Delos and the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.

For over a thousand years before Greek mythology made it the birthplace of the gods Apollo and Artemis, Delos was a sacred place. From its Sacred Harbour, three cone-shaped hills can be seen, which may have marked areas important to a goddess, likely Athena. Another site, known as Mount Cynthus, which kept its name from before Greek times, has a sanctuary dedicated to Zeus.

In 1990, UNESCO added Delos to the World Heritage List. This was because of its unique archaeological site, which shows a picture of a large, diverse port in the Mediterranean, its influence on Greek architecture, and its importance as a sacred place in ancient Greece.

History

Studies of ancient stone huts on the island show that people lived there as early as the third millennium BC. Thucydides wrote that the first people were piratical Carians who were later driven away by King Minos of Crete. By the time the Odyssey was written, the island was already known as the birthplace of the twin gods Apollo and Artemis, though some sources mention confusion about whether Artemis was born on Delos or on the island of Ortygia.

Between 900 BC and 100 AD, Delos was an important religious site where the gods Dionysus and Leto (mother of Apollo and Artemis) were honored. Over time, Delos became a place of religious pilgrimage for the Ionians.

Athens performed several "purifications" to make the island suitable for worshiping the gods. The first happened in the sixth century BC, led by the tyrant Pisistratus, who ordered graves near the temple to be moved to another island. In the fifth century BC, during the Peloponnesian War, the Delphic Oracle instructed the island to be completely cleared of dead bodies. A later rule banned burial or childbirth on Delos to protect its sacred status and ensure neutrality in trade. After this, the first Delian Games festival was held every five years. Four years later, all island residents were moved to Adramyttium in Asia as part of another purification.

After the Persian Wars, Delos became the meeting place for the Delian League, formed in 478 BC. Meetings took place in the temple, with a separate area for foreigners and their gods. The league’s treasury was kept on Delos until 454 BC, when Pericles moved it to Athens.

During the Hellenistic period, Delos had strong trade ties with a Phoenician colony. Evidence suggests a Samaritan community lived there, as shown by two marble stelae dating to around 250–175 BCE and 150–50 BCE. These stones record donations from Cretan donors to a prayer house, with the community identifying itself as "Israelites on Delos who make offerings to hallowed Argarizein," a reference to Mount Gerizim, the Samaritan sanctuary. There is also evidence of Jewish people, such as two women named Heraclea and Marthina, and an inscription honoring Herod the Great and his son, Herod Antipas, in the Temple of Apollo.

Delos could not produce food, fiber, or timber, so these items were imported. Water was collected using cisterns, aqueducts, wells, and drains. Markets (agorae) operated in different areas of the island.

The Greek proverb "ᾌδεις ὥσπερ εἰς Δῆλον πλέων" meant "You sing as if sailing into Delos," used to describe someone who is happy and carefree. Iamblichus wrote that the Delos Mysteries, similar to the Eleusinian Mysteries, existed. Semos of Delos wrote eight books about the island’s history, though the Suda mistakenly listed him as from Elis.

Strabo wrote that in 166 BC, the Romans made Delos a free port to weaken the trade of Rhodes, which was then an enemy of Rome. After the Third Macedonian War, the Romans gave Delos to Athens, who expelled most of the original residents. Roman traders brought thousands of slaves captured by pirates or from wars, making Delos a major slave trade center.

The destruction of Corinth by the Romans in 146 BC allowed Delos to take on some of Corinth’s role as a trading hub. However, Delos declined significantly after attacks by Mithridates VI of Pontus during the Mithridatic Wars. By the end of the first century BC, trade routes shifted, and Delos was replaced by Puteoli as the main trading center in Italy.

Despite its decline, Delos remained inhabited during the early Roman Empire. Pausanias wrote in the second century AD that only a few people lived on Delos, tending to religious sites. Evidence of Roman baths, coins, an aqueduct, homes, churches, and a monastery from the first to sixth centuries AD has been found. Pottery shows that wine and oil were still imported, and wine presses found among ruins suggest viticulture continued during this time.

Delos was eventually abandoned around the eighth century AD.

Landmarks

• The small sacred lake, located in a circular depression, is now kept dry by the island's caretakers to reduce the number of mosquitoes that spread malaria. This land feature influenced the placement of later structures.
• The Minoan Fountain was a public well carved into the rock, featuring a central column. It shaped the sacred spring into its current form from the sixth century BC, as noted in an inscription. The walls were built with tightly arranged stone blocks, and steps on one side allow access to water.
• Several market squares were discovered. The Hellenistic Agora of the Competaliasts, near the Sacred Harbour, has stone paving with postholes for market awnings. Two strong Italic merchant groups placed statues and columns there. The area known as the "Agora of the Italians" may not have been a marketplace, despite its name in modern writings.
• The Temple of the Delians, dedicated to Apollo, is an example of the Doric architectural style. A large statue of Apollo once stood beside the temple, though only parts of its upper body and pelvis remain on-site. A hand is displayed at a local museum, and a foot is in the British Museum.
• The Terrace of the Lions, dedicated to Apollo by the people of Naxos before 600 BC, originally had 9–12 marble lions along the Sacred Way. One lion was moved and now stands at the Venetian Arsenal's main gate. The lions formed a grand path similar to Egyptian sphinx avenues. A Greek sphinx is displayed in the Delos Museum. Today, only seven lions remain.
• The Oikos of the Naxians, built in the first quarter of the sixth century BC, includes a long hall with a central ionic column, a west porch with three columns, and an east marble entrance from the middle of the sixth century BC.
• The Establishment of the Poseidoniasts was a clubhouse for the "Koinon of the Berytian Poseidoniast merchants, shipmasters, and warehousemen" during the early Roman period, around the late second century BC. They honored a protective group of gods—Baal/Poseidon, Astarte/Aphrodite, and Eshmun/Asklepios—and later added Roma to their worship.
• The Doric Temple of Isis was constructed on a high hill at the start of the Roman period to honor Isis, the Alexandrian Serapis, and Anubis.
• The Temple of Hera, built around 500 BC, replaced an earlier temple on the same site.
• The House of Dionysus is a luxurious private home from the second century, named for a mosaic floor showing Dionysus riding a panther.
• The House of the Dolphins is named for its atrium mosaic, where figures ride dolphins. Its Phoenician owner included a mosaic of Tanit in the entrance hall.
• The Stoivadeion, dedicated to Dionysus, features a statue of the god of wine and life. Pillars on either side of the platform support large phallic symbols, representing Dionysus. The southern pillar, decorated with scenes from Dionysus's mythology, was built around 300 BC to celebrate a successful theatrical performance. The statue of Dionysus was once flanked by actors dressed as Paposilenoi, now preserved in the Archaeological Museum of Delos. The marble theatre was rebuilt shortly after 300 BC.
• The “Delos Synagogue” refers to the ruins of a structure once thought to be an ancient Samaritan synagogue.

Current population

The 2001 Greek census said there were 14 people living on the island. The island is part of the Mýkonos municipality.

More recent numbers from 2011 said there were 24 people living on the island.

Gallery

• The Theatre Quarter
• The Sacred Way
• Formation of the Poseidoniasts
• Floor mosaic from the House of Dionysus
• House of the Masks
• House of Cleopatra
• Statues located in the House of Cleopatra
• House of the Lake
• Temple of Isis
• Bust of Hermes
• Mosaic from the Insula of the Jewellery
• Floor mosaic in the House of the Dolphins
• Agora of the Italians
• Heraion (Temple of Hera)
• House of the Trident