The Sanctuary of Athena Cynthia at Delos
 

The Sacred Island of Delos

   Tiny, uninhabited Delos is one of the most important archeological sites in Greece.

   According to legend, Leto gave birth to Artemis and Apollo here.

   The Ionians arrived in about 1000 BCE, bringing the worship of Apollo and founding the annual Delia Festival, during which games and music were played in His honor.

   By 700 BCE, Delos was a major religious center. First a place of pilgrimage, it later became a thriving commercial port particularly in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE.

   It is now an open-air archeological museum with mosaics and marble ruins covered in wild flowers in spring.

Mount Cynthus

   The Cynthion, the Sanctuary sacred to Athena Cynthia and Zeus Cynthius, is located at the highest point of the island, a venerable spot already in the archaic period and much enlarged in the late 2nd century BCE.

   The visitor can climb up eastwards in order to see the Sanctuaries on the summit of mount Cynthus. He follows the best preserved of the three paths which can be seen easily from afar.

   At the beginning of the street left, on the vertical rock face, is the inscription: Of Athena Organe, a dedication to Athena Ergane, patron Goddess of manual work.

   A path on the right side of the street leads to the Cynthus cave. A rock-cut stair way leads to the terrace in front of the cave, which is supported by a wall of large blocks of granite. At the center of the terrace, on a granite base, stands a large marble altar with hollow drums-rings of diameter 1.50m. The cave was originally thought to be the age-old Sanctuary of Apollo mentioned in the myth, but was later identified as the Sanctuary of Hercules, created in Hellenistic times (3rd century BCE), within the general climate of returning to nature and more ancient forms of cult.

   On returning to the main path and ascending towards the mountain, at the end of the stepped street a steep stairway with many steps leads to the summit, where the Cynthion, the Sanctuary of Athena Cynthia and Zeus Cynthius, is located.

The Sanctuary of Athena Cynthia

   The Sanctuary of Athena Cynthia and Zeus Cynthius is located on the summit of mount Cynthus and was built in the 3rd century BCE.
   Only the strong granite foundation of the propylaeum (gate) of the entrance, at one time with four marble Doric columns, is in situ.
   The Cynthion stood on a square elevated site supported by mighty granite retaining walls. Two rectangular buildings, the Temples of the Gods, or in the view of some scholars simple oikoi (houses) or hestiatoria (dining halls), badly destroyed, face each other next to the north peribolos (wall enclosing the sacred area).

The Cynthion Treasure

   Click here to see the list of object.

   Bruneau notes the "modification radicale" of the treasure between 156 and 146 BCE: the single statue is replaced by two, the pinaxes dedicated by Autokles' sons become anonymous; some objects are omitted; others are added.

   We might add that some cult objects disappear (table, chairs, krater, trough, doors), but a table and stone washbasin are added and the arrangement is no longer by locale (under the influence of one item [D26] being weighed?). Bruneau, following Roussel, speaks of a renovation of the cult thanks to "dévotion orientale" and provides considerable supporting evidence.
 

Delos' map 265 X 624 6 KB	Cynthus N 592 X 386 31 KB	Cynthus W 592 X 386 29 KB
City center 592 X 386 41 KB	Southside 592 X 386 36 KB	Cynthus NW1 592 X 386 45 KB
Cynthus NW2 592 X 386 52 KB	Cynthus NW3 592 X 386 54 KB	Cynthus NW4 592 X 386 37 KB
Steep street 454 X 574 95 KB	Athena Ergane 591 X 392 86 KB	Rec. West 592 X 386 28 KB

  Tourist Information:
 

   Delos is an island-museum, there are not any hotels or rooms there, you can not even camp. See hotels, villas and apartments in nearby Mykonos island, from where daily journeys to Delos are arranged. Daily boat 8 - 10 am from Mykonos town returning 12 - 2 pm. Open 8.30 am - 3 pm from Tuesday to Sunday.

  Other Views:

Delos Overview with clickable map

Aerial view of center, from W, with Mt. Cynthus to the right

View of Apollo's Sanctuary and Sacred Harbor from Mt. Cynthus

Granite and gneiss covered chamber on Mt. Cynthus

Entrance chamber at front of cave on Mt. Cynthus

Detail of entrance passage at front of cave on Mt. Cynthus

Monument before cave on sanctuary terrace on Mt. Cynthus

Mt. Cynthus and Cave of Apollo from W

  Links:

Perseus Site: Delos

Timeline: Hellenistic period.

Hellenic Ministry of Culture: Delos, Archaeological Museum of Delos.