Delos Island

In the centre of the Cyclades Islands floats a tiny island that was once considered the centre of the world. This ancient land used to be both a great commercial centre and the most sacred of all islands. Today, it is an entire city abandoned and in ruins. This is Delos; history itself.

According to Greek mythology, this is where Apollo and his twin Artemis were born - two of the Twelve Olympian gods. As such, this rendered the island sacred and no mortal would ever be allowed to be born or die on this land. Even during its peak years women on the brink of childbirth and the infirm close to dying would be carried across to the neighbouring island of Rineia. Just as in the past, this still holds true today. The entire island is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to nobody.

This extensive archaeological site is on par with Pompeii for conveying a complete image of a once-great cosmopolitan Mediterranean city. Unfortunately the island’s archaeological museum is currently closed for renovations, but we spent the morning exploring the rest of the city’s streets and remaining landmarks. The island’s ruins encompass temples, markets, an amphitheatre, houses with mosaics, cisterns, statues, and fountains. And, of course, the iconic Terrace of the Lions that was once an avenue of a dozen snarling marble lions guarding the Sacred Way. Today only half of them remain, and we actually saw one of these lions two years ago where is sits outside of The Arsenal in Venice. 

We felt honoured to visit this unique landscape and revel in the past glory of the Ancient Greeks.