Delos is the sacred island of Ancient Greeks which, according to mythology, was revealed to Leto – who was chased by Hera – through the waves of the Aegean sea in order to give birth to Apollo and Artemis. The ruins of one of the largest and most impressive organized settlements of the Hellenic-Roman era are preserved in good condition on the island of Delos.

Delos, which was full of beautiful buildings and sanctuaries, has never been forgotten and there are many references to travelers about the ruins that are visible on the island. Many sculptures were transferred to museums all over Greece and abroad. Unfortunately marbles of ancient buildings were used as building material by the inhabitants of nearby islands.

It is the best preserved ancient city in Greece.

The excavations in Delos began in 1873 by the French Archaeological School of Athens. During the period 1904 to 1912, under the supervision of M. Holleaux and thanks to the Duke de Loubat’s brave grant, the most important parts of ancient Delos were revealed. Another period of intense excavation activity was 1958 to 1975. Excavation is still being carried out by the French Archaeological School besides the fact that the center of religious, political and commercial life as well as a large part of private residences has already been revealed. Small scale excavations were carried out by Greek archaeologists, especially in the early 20th century.

Since 1990 Delos has been included in the list of World Cultural Heritage monuments and protected by UNESCO.

Archaelogical Museum

The Museum of Delos was built in 1904 at the expense of the ‘Archaeological Society of Athens’. The original building included the five western halls to which several more were added in 1931 as well as in 1972.

At the same time, changes were made to the exterior of the building because the archaeologists wished to defy any “industrial” elements of the original building and make it more distinctive as it is located among antiquities. These changes were massive but unfortunate.

Nowadays, the exhibition of the Museum includes nine halls: six of them include the sculptures and reliefs found in Delos. This collection is one of the most important archaeological collections in the world.

Two chambers include prehistoric and late Hellenic pottery. The last one includes an exhibition of several small items found in the private residences of Delos. This exhibition has not yet been finalized.

The archaeological museum of Delos is today one of the most important in Greece, with rare exhibits such as sculptures, vessels, inscriptions, marvelous mosaics, etc.