Description

 

The sacred island of the ancient Greeks, according to Greek Mythology, was revealed in the waves of the Aegean to Leto, whom Hera was pursuing furiously, so that she could finally give birth to the gods Apollo and Artemis here.

Delos was apparently first inhabitated in the 3rd millenium B.C., perhaps by Carians. At the begining of the 10th century B.C. it took on the role of a religious center. Birth and Death were now forbidden on the island of Apollo, for they were considered to polute the shrine of the god of light. With the coming of the Macedonians, the island acquired its independence and the chance to develop economically. Settlement of the island by the Romans resulted in the massed influx of Egyptians, Syrians and Italians and yet further economic development, until 88 B.C., when, during the course of the Mythridatic Wars, the island suffered waves of destruction. It began to decline, to be abandoned finally in the 6th century A.D.

The French Archaeological School commenced excavation at the archaeological site of Delos in 1873, which began to emerge from obscurity, thereby revealing its extraordinary history and monuments to the whole world.

The Delos Archaeological Museum is today one of the most important museums in Greece. On display are, among other objects, rare examples of sculpture, pottery and other objects from daily life, inscriptions and splendid mosaics.

Delos and the nearby island of Rheneia belong to the Municipality of Mykonos and are under the protection of the Ministry of Culture. It is forbidden to anchor in the horbour of Delos or to stay overnight on the island without special permission. 

Today's lively tourist trade on Mykonos, with its fashionable, liberal-minded and multi-cultural attitude, cannot fail to recall the once much-frequented Delos at its financial peak.

 

LAST MINUTE ANNOUNCEMENT: 

The Museum will be closed until end of June 2017 for reparment works taking place at the roof of the building, according to the Ministry of Culture. For this reason and for the same period, the ticket for the Archaeological site will be at €6.

 

Open during summer: 
Everyday from 08:00 to 20:00.

Tickets: €12 (reduced €6) The ticket is valid for the Museum and the Archaeological site.

Free admission days:
- 6 March (in memory of Melina Mercouri)
- 18 April (International Monuments Day)
- 18 May (International Museums Day)
- The last weekend of September annually (European Heritage Days)
- National Holidays

source: www.mykonos.gr