Delos

Delos, an island located near Mykonos, close to the centre of the Cyclades archipelago is the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis from Greek Mythology. Hera had ordered all the lands of the Earth to never let Leto give birth. Delos was an exception, as it was a floating mass of land that wasn't nearly an island, neither connected with the mainland.

Today Delos is considered the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece.

The excavations in the island are among the most extensive in the Mediterranean; ongoing work takes place under the direction of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades, and many of the artifacts found are on display at the Archaeological Museum of Delos and the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.

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, the horizon shows the three conical mounds that have identified landscapes sacred to a goddess (presumably Athena) - in other sites: one, retaining its Pre-Greek name Mount Cynthus, is crowned with a sanctuary of Zeus.

In 1990, UNESCO inscribed Delos on the World Heritage List, citing its exceptional archaeological site which "conveys the image of a great cosmopolitan Mediterranean port", its influence on the development of Greek architecture, and its sacred importance throughout Ancient Greece.

Category:Islands of Greece