Delos (2024)

FAQs

Why is Delos so famous? ›

Delos had a position as a holy sanctuary for a millennium before Olympian Greek mythology made it the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. From its Sacred Harbour are visible the three conical mounds that have identified landscapes sacred to a goddess (presumably Athena).

According to Greek mythology, Delos was the birthplace of the twin gods Apollo and Artemis gods (among other things) of the sun and the moon, respectively.

Delos was attacked and looted twice: in 88 BC by Mithridates, the King of Pontus, an enemy of the Romans, and later, in 69 BC, by the pirates of Athenodorus, an ally of Mithridates. Since then, the island fell rapidly into decline and was gradually abandoned.

It's such an amazing piece of history. It is definitely worth spending a little extra money for a tour guide. The ruins are truly awe inspiring. Without a guide explaining what we were looking at we would have been lost.

Since the whole island of Delos is an archaeological site, camping and overnight stays are prohibited. The same applies to staying on the island outside of the site's opening hours. In Delos, you will find ticket offices, facilities for people with disabilities, and public restrooms.

There was no class distinction in Delos, rich and poor lived side by side in similar houses near the foot of the theatre. The opulent and vain Cleopatra, however, thought otherwise when she and her husband moved to Delos (2nd century BCE).

The history of Delos is interwoven with mythology, as it was the birthplace of Apollo, son of Zeus, and therefore a sacred place. The position was also set in mythology, since before being named Delos ( means visible), it was a floating wandering rock called Ortygia or A-dilos - latent (invisible).

Leto found a safe refugee to give birth on Delos, which was surrounded by swans. The delivery of Artemis was painless but the birth of Apollo lasted for nine whole days and nights because Hera had kidnapped Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth, preventing Leto from having an easy and painless labor.

The Athenians were commanded by an oracle, in the time of Pisistratus, to purify Delos, which they did by causing the dead bodies which had been buried there to be taken up and removed from all places within view of the temple.

The Curse of Delos is a yellow daisy picked by either Apollo or Artemis from the soil of Delos, the twin archers' birthplace. It was the final ingredient required for the Physician's Cure.

Is Delos free? ›

Tours to Delos

Entrance fee 8,00€ pp, purchase at Delos Site. Price: 65,00 €. Children 6-12 years old: 30,00€. Children under 6 years old for free.

Paths around Delos are rocky and unpaved so wear comfortable walking shoes or sandals. And facilities on the island are limited to toilets and a small gift shop at the museum, with no café or place to buy food and drink so bring snacks and plenty of water.

It was inhabited in the late 3rd millennium bce. In the 9th–10th century bce, Ionians brought the cult of Leto, who in legend gave birth there to Artemis and Apollo. The island was already a flourishing port and cult centre, made famous through references to it in the Odyssey.

Delos is a masculine Greek name with mythological roots. The name means “from the island of Delos,” a tiny yet incredibly sacred island in the Aegean Sea that appears on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Ancient Greeks believed this island to be the birthplace of two important gods, Apollo and Artemis.

Delos is uninhabited. Delos is the smallest island of the Cyclades. The Archaeological Site of Delos and Rhenia are under the protection of the Ministry of Culture.