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Delos
UNESCO World Heritage Site
According to Greek mythology, Apollo was born on this tiny island in the Cyclades archipelago. Apollo's sanctuary attracted pilgrims from all over Greece and Delos was a prosperous trading port. The island bears traces of the succeeding civilizations in the Aegean world, from the 3rd millennium B.C. to the palaeochristian era. The archaeological site is exceptionally extensive and rich and conveys the image of a great cosmopolitan Mediterranean port.
The entire island of Delos is an archaeological site, protected under the provisions of Law 3028/2002 “On the Protection of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage in general”. The Ministry of Culture, Education and Religious Affairs is the competent body supervising the site and overseeing all works carried out. The Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades, the competent Regional Service of the Ministry, is responsible for its management and protection. All the works carried out in the archaeological site are supervised by the Committee for the Conservation of the Monuments of Delos, a scientific body that plans, supervises and executes work programmes for the conservation, support and restoration of the monuments, as well as for the presentation and protection of the property.
Because of potential damage by the north wind, fragile marble sculptures, such as the Naxian Lions, were transported to the Museum and have been replaced with exact replicas. Moreover, research has been undertaken to investigate the structural materials of the ancient monuments, their origin and pathology. There are also ongoing studies for the overall conservation, support and presentation of the specific monuments.
