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Theatre and port of Delos

Delos, located in the center of the Cyclades (Greek for circle), is a popular yacht charter destination. Delos was a holy sanctuary even before Olympian mythology designated it as the birthplace and subsequent cult center of Apollo and Artemis.

Archaeological evidence indicates the island was inhabited in the 3rd millennium BCE. Thucydides noted the original inhabitants were Carians who were expelled by King Minos of Crete. By the time of the Odyssey legend, Delos was famed as the birthplace of the twin gods Apollo and Artemis and between 900 BCE and 100 CE it was a major cult center where Dionysus and Titaness Leto were also revered.

The island was purified for the gods. In the 5th century, during the Peloponnesian War, the entire island was purged of all dead bodies and a law was decreed stating no one could die or give birth on the island. Later, Delos became the meeting-ground for the Delian League where they housed the treasury while the congresses met in the temple.

The island has been in the process of excavation since 1873 and in 1990 UNESCO named Delos to the World Heritage List.

Island Landmarks

Terrace of the Lions

The Minoan Fountain was a rectangular public well with a central column. The Terrace of the Lions was dedicated to Apollo by the people of Naxos before 600 BCE. It originally had nine to twelve sitting marble guardian lions lining the Sacred Way, creating a monumental avenue. The Doric Temple of Isis was built at the beginning of the Roman period while the Temple of Hera, built around 500 BCE, is a rebuilding of an even earlier Heraion on the same site. The House of Dionysus is a luxurious 2nd century private house named for the floor mosaic of Dionysus riding a panther. The House of Dolphins is also named from its atrium mosaic.

Delos Riding a Panther Mosaic