Delos is a small island with great archaeological importance and an extent of 3.4 square kilometers.
Located very close to Mykonos, the legend has it that Leto took refuge here in order to avoid the wrath of the goddess Hera andgive birth to Apollo and Artemis, who were illegitimate children of Zeus. It is said that the island was by then a piece of land "hidden"(adelo) floating under the sea, and appeared upon Poseidon's intervention for Leto to give a safe birth. According to myth, Zeus watched the birth form the mount Cynthus which is the highest point of the island (115 m).
The historian Thucydides mentions the Kares, as the first inhabitants of the island. The archaeological findings confirmed the prehistoric occupation of the island (3000 BC). Since the beginning of its existence, Delos is a very important religious center. Around 1000 BC Ionians settled on the island and at that time, every four years, the Delia were celebrated, a huge festival in honor of Apollo, Artemis and Leto that included sacrifices, dances and music competitions.
During the Persian Wars, unlike the rest of Cyclades, the island was not destroyed thanks to its sacred character. From 478 BC it was the seat of the first Athenian or Delian League. Here the Alliance Common Fund used to lie, until its transfer in 454 BC to Athens (and its further utilization in projects on the Acropolis,among others).
The island flourished from the late 4th century BC, while being independent under Macedonian and later on Roman rule. In 88 BC the island was destroyed by the troops of Mithridates, who demolished monuments, temples, statues, took money from the temple and killed 20,000 people. Following on, Delos met other disasters that led to its gradual desolation and conversion into a pirates' den. Archaeologists first visit Delos in 1877 and reveal impressive findings, such as the Way of the Lions, with five of the original nine lions surviving today, the temple of Apollo, the ancient theater ruins, with a capacity of 5000 seats and so many other things that a one-day-visit will not be enough them all.
Delos features also an archaeological museum (Tel.: 22890 22259) with numerous findings from the island, although in fact the whole island is a museum itself. After all, it has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. You can visit Delos only during the day by boat from Mykonos (starting point is the harbor opposite the church of Agios Nikolaos in Chora, port authority's tel. 22890 22 218 ).
